Where to get GF Butter & MCT Oil in Canada without breaking the bank
gotblues66
Posts: 58 Member
I'm wondering if there are any fellow Canadians here who found an affordable supplier for the grass fed butter and/or MCT oil. I tried keto coffee a couple times, didn't do much for me, but I like adding MCT oil to my protein shakes. The problem is I'm paying like CA$8 for a 250 ml bottle from local stores, those that even have it (many don't) and it's gone in a week or so. Not to mention, what I've found here doesn't show what the breakdown is (C8, C10, etc).
I can get NOW Sports brand on Amazon.ca, but still too pricey @ around $40 per 32oz delivered. This keto thing is already expensive enough, I have to limit myself to the necessities. I've found some better prices online but every time I do it turns out to be shipping from USA and the shipping price just kills the savings.
I did get a pound of grass fed ghee on Amazon for a bit over $12 delivered (well was free delivery only if I put together an order over $35) which isn't too bad. Well actually it's horrible compared to a pound of regular butter from a grocery store, but not near as bad as MCT oil (not to mention XCT Oil and Brain Octane, those go into my unaffordable category)
I can get NOW Sports brand on Amazon.ca, but still too pricey @ around $40 per 32oz delivered. This keto thing is already expensive enough, I have to limit myself to the necessities. I've found some better prices online but every time I do it turns out to be shipping from USA and the shipping price just kills the savings.
I did get a pound of grass fed ghee on Amazon for a bit over $12 delivered (well was free delivery only if I put together an order over $35) which isn't too bad. Well actually it's horrible compared to a pound of regular butter from a grocery store, but not near as bad as MCT oil (not to mention XCT Oil and Brain Octane, those go into my unaffordable category)
0
Replies
-
Do you have any Asian, Indian markets in your area? That is where I see ghee locally (USA) at a reasonable price. Not sure it is grass fed but the Indian markets here have multiple brands so one of them might be.0
-
Look for Carrington Farms brand "Liquid Coconut Cooking Oil" on Amazon or in stores. It masquerades as cooking oil, but if you check the label, it is legitimately MCT Oil. I personally love it as much as the more expensive one I get online. A 473 ML bottle (don't ask me why so random), can be gotten for less than $10 online, and less than $15 in stores locally, so I imagine less than double that in Canada? I hope they carry it there. No idea for the others, but I can ask on my wall (many Canadian friends), if you want.0
-
There is a Canadian website well.ca that ships for free on orders over $29 and they ship to PO boxes!!! Some of their product prices are really high, while others are quite reasonable. Sales on all the time though. Selection of different MCT oil, including a liquid coconut oil as mentioned above by KnitorMiss is currently on sale: https://well.ca/products/rockwells-whole-foods-liquid_72671.html They don't seem to have grass fed butter, but they do sell "natural, organic, non-GMO" ghee that is Made in Canada.
They have a referral program until March 5. As a new customer, if your order is over $40, you can get $10 off by using my MFP username as the coupon code0 -
Do you have any Asian, Indian markets in your area? That is where I see ghee locally (USA) at a reasonable price. Not sure it is grass fed but the Indian markets here have multiple brands so one of them might be.
The nearest city should have some of these markets, I'll check when I get into the city next. Thanks
@KnitOrMiss Thanks once again! You are always a great resource. I found Carrington Farms regular coconut oil one time at Costco (they've since changed to another brand) and it was the best tasting stuff ever.
@kimberwolf71 Aha! I checked the link and that is one of the brands I found recently at a local grocery store. It was good, and only around $8. For me though a 250ml goes too quickly. I'd like to find 1 L (or 32 oz) bottles for around $25 or less like they have in the States. Best I've found so far is $33 on svncanada.com but the free delivery min is $49. At least the ones they sell state the content breakdown of Capric and Caprylic Acid
Thanks all, keep em coming!1 -
Hi @dsydorko Are you in the Western provinces? I get my MCT oil from Nutters, I'm in BC.... something like 29 dollars for 946 or whatever ml ( the US quart equivalent). I'm on my tablet at work but when I get home I'll get you the info on it.1
-
canadjineh wrote: »Hi @dsydorko Are you in the Western provinces? I get my MCT oil from Nutters, I'm in BC.... something like 29 dollars for 946 or whatever ml ( the US quart equivalent). I'm on my tablet at work but when I get home I'll get you the info on it.
I am in the West, Alberta, and yes we have Nutters here. I'll have to check it out. Thanks! Never thought of them. $29 for 946 ml (probably 32 oz) is not too bad.0 -
I'm in Edmonton. You can get Ghee at Walmart and Superstore in the Indian foods area. as for MTC - it is expensive. Just use coconut oil.1
-
@canadjineh - Just asking for the others searching, did you ever get that link to share?1
-
If you have any access to a buying coop or are in a health field you could check out purity life.com. Once you open an account ordering in bulk gets some great deals and they carry the bulletproof line in Canada. I don't recall how much the mtc is off the top of my head but 947 for less than $30.1
-
I'm in Edmonton. You can get Ghee at Walmart and Superstore in the Indian foods area. as for MTC - it is expensive. Just use coconut oil.
The WM nearest me is Okotoks and doesn't have it, but some in Calgary would I'm sure. Will check if I'm in the city. I don't think it's the grass fed version but great price. I agree on MCT Oil being expensive. I've read convincing arguments on both sides of the MCT vs coconut oil debate. My issue is that coconut oil is solid and won't mix into my smoothies unless I melt it first. I could nuke it I guess and mix quickly before it re-gels, but meh. Thanks!0 -
You can get liquid coconut oil if that is what you want. I've not looked for it in our standard stores (USA) but like ghee in Indian markets, you'll find enough brands of coconut oil to make your head spin (in Indian markets).1
-
@dsydorko & @KnitOrMiss.... sorry, I've been off board for a bit. Feeling like crap and up 10 lbs, but enough about that....
the MCT oil I use is Alpha Supreme and it is 60% Caprylic (C8) and 40% Capric (C10).
Here's the Nutter's website: nutters.com/store/en/1 -
@canadjineh - I hope you feel better soon, and thanks for popping in!0
-
I'm in Edmonton. You can get Ghee at Walmart and Superstore in the Indian foods area. as for MTC - it is expensive. Just use coconut oil.
The WM nearest me is Okotoks and doesn't have it, but some in Calgary would I'm sure. Will check if I'm in the city. I don't think it's the grass fed version but great price. I agree on MCT Oil being expensive. I've read convincing arguments on both sides of the MCT vs coconut oil debate. My issue is that coconut oil is solid and won't mix into my smoothies unless I melt it first. I could nuke it I guess and mix quickly before it re-gels, but meh. Thanks!
You can find, albeit more expensive, fractionated coconut oil (melted) at most Loblaws stores.1 -
This past weekend I was in a Co-op and they had Co-op Gold brand liquid coconut oil 250 ml for $5.99 (regularly 7.99). There is nothing on the label to show the process or the breakdown. Under ingredients it says only one thing: MCT Oil. At that price it's $24/liter, not bad, but I wonder how it compares in quality to like NOW Sports and others that are not really sold for cooking purposes.0
-
I've used both Now Sports and Brain Octane. There was a 3rd but darned if I can remember what is was.
I prefer Brain Octane from the taste perspective. LACK of taste. It seems MCT Oils usually touts "tasteless" but that was not the case with Now Sports MCT (and the other). At least not to me. It wasn't as though I was eating it off a spoon. I was putting it in things like salad dress, yogurt, mashing it in avocado. I could still taste it. I'm guessing there are other MCT Oils that are less expensive than Brain Octane and are tasteless. Those that are C8 only seem to be the most expensive. Actually, the "taste" of Now Sports was not offensive. I was just expecting "tasteless". I got "tasteless" with Brain Octane.
I'm guessing more important than taste to most MCT Oil users is the composition/ratio of the ingredients. C6, C8, C10, C12. I have no opinion on that at this time.1 -
Thanks kpk54, that's good info.
Personally I despise greedy marketeers like Asprey and his Bulletproof BS. $30 for 473 ml of his snake oil, how long would that last? Add to that all of our other supplement needs from multivitamins through potassium/magnesium for keto dieters, and one would go broke trying to keep this going for any length of time. And with any supplement, my view is that if you are not planning to make it a permanent part of your routine, forever, until you die, why bother even forking out those ridiculous prices (other than maybe to try it once- but let's face it, how many of those things you've tried actually made you feel differently in the short term, ruling out possible placebo effect)? There's people making gobs of money out of hype, fear mongering, misleading facts, and consumer naivety.
That mini rant over, why would I even want MCT oil at all? Well I'm new to keto and want to try it for a while. I would prefer it, as long as it's reasonably affordable, to other fat sources to put in smoothies and stuff0 -
I have melted coconut oil and used it in a smoothie before... For me, it's always stayed suspended, but that could have to do with the other ingredients, too.
I used Buried Treasure brand online - it was tasteless, was fine taken on it's own or in something, blended well, etc.
I used the "cooking oil" CF brand one - SAME EXACT comments. No additional reactions, etc.
As such, the cheaper option (about half the price, same amount, from what I remember) became a sustainable option for me...I'm not using it much currently, but I'm far higher on the carb slide that I want to admit right now, and getting 25% of my meal's calories from MCT to compensate for the carbs is not something I'm really wanting to do right now for a number of reasons.1 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »I have melted coconut oil and used it in a smoothie before... For me, it's always stayed suspended, but that could have to do with the other ingredients, too.
I think that's the way this will play out for me in the end. Regular coconut oil may be mostly Lauric acid but it's still good for you, cheap, tastes great, and I suppose for my cold smoothies I just have to get over the melting-it-in- the-microwave mental block I'm having. I wish I could get the Carrington Farms one they sold way back when at Costco. My gosh that stuff was almost like butter (eek!).
0 -
Another way would be to use a small enough dish that can be encompassed by a larger container (glass or glass measuring cup or large bowl). Put the CO on a dish/bowl. Run the hottest water you can from your faucet into the "covering" item) until it heats up the glass/metal. Then invert it atop the other dish holding the CO. Let it sit until the heat is transferred from the inverted item to the CO.
This method can used using a tall glass and a stick of butter standing on end, or cream cheese block etc. Eggs may be placed directly in hot but not boiling water to warm to room temp, etc.1 -
@dsydorko - Also, can you buy from Costco online? They may not have it in YOUR store any longer, but they might have it online. Or something like Sam's Club Discount Warehouse or even Walmart Online if that is an option where you live - WM's here in the states can ship to YOUR STORE for free, or to your home for a shipping fee, etc.
EDITED TO ADD: These listings won't always show up when using the mighty google feature.1 -
FWIW, I tend to be really healthy except my Dystonia (which is now a mild case). Eating keto has helped that (much to my shock). I'm not big on supplementing since I never deemed a need to. I take a 100mg of magnesium/day and recently switched from chelated glycinate to citrate which is 1/3 the cost (same dose). I've not noticed any change with my $15 magnesium glycinate and my $5 magnesium citrate. Both keep my leg cramps away. That and increased sodium. I'll stick with $5 for citrate.
Last August I thought it would be prudent to take a multi-vitamin. The one I tried wreaked havoc on my system and I generally have no digestive issues. I took it 2 weeks before I figured out it was the vitamin. About a week ago I realized the vitamin is scored so started taking 1/2 a dose: at night on a full stomach. No problems with it. It must have been too potent for me full strength.
Regarding the Brain Octane: it is C8 only and coconut oil only. Depending on what one reads, some prefer pure C8 coconut oil versus a C8-C10 mix OR a mix coconut oil and palm kernel oil. Like mentioned above, I have no opinion at this time as to what might be "better". At $50/quart for me for Brain Octane, I'll find my minimum dose if I deem it is of benefit.
What led me to MCT Oil is there is an MCT Oil Diet for Epilepsy. I'm not Epileptic but have a neurological movement disorder (Dystonia). Just as I felt keto was worth a try, so to did I feel the Medically Therapeutic MCT Oil Diet is worth a shot. We'll see.2 -
canadjineh wrote: »Hi @dsydorko Are you in the Western provinces? I get my MCT oil from Nutters, I'm in BC.... something like 29 dollars for 946 or whatever ml ( the US quart equivalent). I'm on my tablet at work but when I get home I'll get you the info on it.
I just got some MCT oil (Alpha something?) at Nutter's last night. $25, with 20% off for their Power Tuesday- Score!
I would try local health food shops for the grass fed butter. Or if you know any friendly (smaller) farmers, or smaller dairies in your area.
Good luck!
1 -
[quote=" I wish I could get the Carrington Farms one they sold way back when at Costco. My gosh that stuff was almost like butter (eek!).
[/quote]
The Costco I shop at (various ones in Edmonton), no longer carry Carrington Farms, but I haven't noticed much difference with the Kirkland coconut oil that they do offer. It is still organic, cold pressed, and unrefined. I have been told that Costco puts things out for tender to existing brands to package/produce the Kirkland label for them. This is why products sometimes disappear (vendors can't keep up with demand etc) and also why "store brand/Kirkland" products are usually such good quality. For example, Kirkland Vodka is currently Grey Goose! Long story short, originally disappointed when I didn't see Carrington Farms, I have been very happy with Kirkland's coconut oil (unfortunately I no longer had the emply CF container to compare addresses of where it is manufactured....)0 -
@kimberwolf71 so funny you mentioned the vodka, just bought it for the first time last weekend. I'm no connoisseur but I guess it's good. Bottle's so huge it doesn't fit in my cupboards and will probably last me 3 months. I'm not a hard liquor drinker, but keto stole my beer and wine so I'm trying something different. Back to coconut oil, yes I like the one they sell now too, but CF to me just had slightly better smell and taste.1
-
canadjineh wrote: »Hi @dsydorko Are you in the Western provinces? I get my MCT oil from Nutters, I'm in BC.... something like 29 dollars for 946 or whatever ml ( the US quart equivalent). I'm on my tablet at work but when I get home I'll get you the info on it.
I just got some MCT oil (Alpha something?) at Nutter's last night. $25, with 20% off for their Power Tuesday- Score!
I would try local health food shops for the grass fed butter. Or if you know any friendly (smaller) farmers, or smaller dairies in your area.
Good luck!
Yep, there you go, I buy on power Tuesday too, lol. Our power Tuesday is the first Tues of the month. I buy the Alpha Supreme as well. To me it's tasteless - I take two TBLSP straight w. no gut issues and there is NO coconut flavour at all. Sometimes the oil slickness makes it hard to swallow but that's only if I'm in that 'texture' sort of moodiness.1 -
I am in Manitoba and buy Alpha's Supreme MCT oil. I like it and don't mind the price, it lasts me a long time.1
-
canadjineh wrote: »Yep, there you go, I buy on power Tuesday too, lol. Our power Tuesday is the first Tues of the month. I buy the Alpha Supreme as well. To me it's tasteless - I take two TBLSP straight w. no gut issues and there is NO coconut flavour at all. Sometimes the oil slickness makes it hard to swallow but that's only if I'm in that 'texture' sort of moodiness.
I called my nearest Nutters and of course they were out of stock on any of the large sizes. All they had was 16 oz (about 473 ml) for $22-ish. So my $5.99/250ml Co-op MCT oil deal kicked it's *kitten*. But if this Power Tuesday is coming up next week (would be 1st tuesday of March) I should try to make it out there before they close and check it out.0
This discussion has been closed.