Coconut Oil News Story

Options
RacyTray
RacyTray Posts: 16 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I saw this news story about coconut oil (CO) yesterday. I use CO only a few times per week but I know many pp use it daily. Thoughts on this?
«1

Replies

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited June 2017
    Options
    Various articles about how the AHA says it's no better than butter, because high in sat fat -- which of course is hardly news (and it's not like I think butter is the devil -- in fact, I love butter). Question remains whether sat fat is a problem, especially in limited amounts which cooking oil is. I continue to think it's a perfectly good oil to use when it tastes best, and use it along with olive oil, butter, coconut oil, fat from bacon, duck fat, etc, all depending. (I do prefer extra virgin coconut oil, since I think it's healthier and anyway the point of it, for me, is the taste.)

    I see nothing to change my conclusions that are in line with these pieces: https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/12/24/ask-well-is-coconut-oil-a-healthy-fat/?_r=0

    and

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/dining/02Appe.html?pagewanted=all
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
    Options
    This is the article I've seen linked with the discussion about coconut oil: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/06/16/coconut-oil-isnt-healthy-its-never-been-healthy/402719001/#
  • Leslierussell4134
    Leslierussell4134 Posts: 376 Member
    Options
    I'm glad the AHA finally took a stance. People have a right to know the facts and be able to make healthful choices on which fats they want to include in their diets.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Various articles about how the AHA says it's no better than butter, because high in sat fat -- which of course is hardly news (and it's not like I think butter is the devil -- in fact, I love butter). Question remains whether sat fat is a problem, especially in limited amounts which cooking oil is. I continue to think it's a perfectly good oil to use when it tastes best, and use it along with olive oil, butter, coconut oil, fat from bacon, duck fat, etc, all depending. (I do prefer extra virgin coconut oil, since I think it's healthier and anyway the point of it, for me, is the taste.)

    I see nothing to change my conclusions that are in line with these pieces: https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/12/24/ask-well-is-coconut-oil-a-healthy-fat/?_r=0

    and

    http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/02/dining/02Appe.html?pagewanted=all

    Exactly. I feel like this AHA position is begging the question by telling us that coconut oil is unhealthy because it contains saturated fat. Okay, we all *knew* coconut oil was saturated fat (well, most of us did anyway), but I am not convinced that saturated fat -- in the context of a diet that is supporting a healthy body weight -- is bad for us. I'm not chucking a quarter cup in my coffee every morning, I'm using it to roast vegetables (and once or twice a year for pie crust).
  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
    Options
    After using coconut oil for a few years my cholesterol went up,I rarely use it daily anymore
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    Options
    I've never really seen anything that made me think coconut oil is a 'healthy oil', which isn't to say it's unhealthy or even that it's not healthy. I've just never seen any hard data saying it's better than other options for cooking.

    I don't like coconut and it's very expensive at the stores where I normally shop so I don't ever use it. I get by fine on the fats I've always used.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    Options
    For some of us genetically "gifted" individuals, sat fat is definitely a baddie.

    I have to watch my intake because I'm one of those "lucky" people. I save my sat fat intake for the dairy I consume and use olive oil for my added fat due to this.

    I think sensible consumption of coconut oil (for cooking when the taste is preferred) is something I'd do if I didn't have medical issues with saturated fat. Heck, I'd still use butter on my veggies too.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    For some of us genetically "gifted" individuals, sat fat is definitely a baddie.

    I have to watch my intake because I'm one of those "lucky" people. I save my sat fat intake for the dairy I consume and use olive oil for my added fat due to this.

    I think sensible consumption of coconut oil (for cooking when the taste is preferred) is something I'd do if I didn't have medical issues with saturated fat. Heck, I'd still use butter on my veggies too.

    Yeah, I should have been more specific with my wording. There are certainly some people who do need to monitor their saturated fat intake, when I made my statement I was thinking of those who are outside of that group.
  • YvetteK2015
    YvetteK2015 Posts: 653 Member
    Options
    I remember when coconut oil was being pushed as a "healthy" fat, the main reason was because it was thought to boost metabolism. I never got into it for cooking, although my mother and sister started eating it daily. I just use it for skin and hair. Best makeup remover out there.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    I've never really seen anything that made me think coconut oil is a 'healthy oil', which isn't to say it's unhealthy or even that it's not healthy. I've just never seen any hard data saying it's better than other options for cooking.

    This is how I feel, but I'd put any cooking oil in that category. There are some options I avoid, but I think the idea that adding a cooking oil will make you healthier is odd. So mostly, within the broad group of fats I use, I choose based on taste and the dish I am making. (I love coconut, so EV coconut oil sometimes makes the cut, although less often than my default olive oil.)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    For some of us genetically "gifted" individuals, sat fat is definitely a baddie.

    I have to watch my intake because I'm one of those "lucky" people. I save my sat fat intake for the dairy I consume and use olive oil for my added fat due to this.

    I think sensible consumption of coconut oil (for cooking when the taste is preferred) is something I'd do if I didn't have medical issues with saturated fat. Heck, I'd still use butter on my veggies too.

    Yeah, I should have been more specific with my wording. There are certainly some people who do need to monitor their saturated fat intake, when I made my statement I was thinking of those who are outside of that group.

    I also think it depends on where you want to use that sat fat. If I were worried about keeping sat fat quite low I might save it for cheese (one of my arguments for preferring lower fat greek yogurt and cottage cheese is that they taste as good to me as full fat and I eat cheese for my dairy fat so am hardly going without). But if I had a diet that was overall low in sat fat it might be a place to use it (especially since I cook with like a teaspoon of it anyway).

    If I were being very careful about sat fat it would be an easy thing for me to cut, though (same with butter).
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    Options
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
    I've never really seen anything that made me think coconut oil is a 'healthy oil', which isn't to say it's unhealthy or even that it's not healthy. I've just never seen any hard data saying it's better than other options for cooking.

    This is how I feel, but I'd put any cooking oil in that category. There are some options I avoid, but I think the idea that adding a cooking oil will make you healthier is odd. So mostly, within the broad group of fats I use, I choose based on taste and the dish I am making. (I love coconut, so EV coconut oil sometimes makes the cut, although less often than my default olive oil.)

    IDK I think there is enough data on extra virgin olive oil to safely call it a "healthy fat", as in you might actually be healthier for choosing it over other oils.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    For some of us genetically "gifted" individuals, sat fat is definitely a baddie.

    I have to watch my intake because I'm one of those "lucky" people. I save my sat fat intake for the dairy I consume and use olive oil for my added fat due to this.

    I think sensible consumption of coconut oil (for cooking when the taste is preferred) is something I'd do if I didn't have medical issues with saturated fat. Heck, I'd still use butter on my veggies too.

    Yeah, I should have been more specific with my wording. There are certainly some people who do need to monitor their saturated fat intake, when I made my statement I was thinking of those who are outside of that group.

    I also think it depends on where you want to use that sat fat. If I were worried about keeping sat fat quite low I might save it for cheese (one of my arguments for preferring lower fat greek yogurt and cottage cheese is that they taste as good to me as full fat and I eat cheese for my dairy fat so am hardly going without). But if I had a diet that was overall low in sat fat it might be a place to use it (especially since I cook with like a teaspoon of it anyway).

    If I were being very careful about sat fat it would be an easy thing for me to cut, though (same with butter).

    Yeah, that context is important. Since I don't eat dairy or meat, most of the saturated fat I get seems to be from coconut.

    I don't think of coconut oil as a "healthy oil" (aside from that we all need fat of some kind to live), so I'm in favor of pushing back against that "superfood" message. I'd just hate to see it spin back into "coconut oil is unhealthy" (which, to be clear, isn't what you're saying). Just as people can incorporate cheese or butter into a healthful diet, coconut oil can be regarded the same way. It's all about choosing which sources of saturated fat you enjoy the most.
  • AngryViking1970
    AngryViking1970 Posts: 2,847 Member
    edited June 2017
    Options
    The only reason I have a jar of coconut oil in my pantry is because I make my own body scrub.
  • ChantelleValarie
    ChantelleValarie Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    I choose coconut oil for cooking because it's been my understanding that olive oil becomes toxic at high temperatures whereas coconut oil doesn't. Ok, I admit a small cube of homemade chocolate using coconut oil once day for a couple of weeks every 6 months or so when I get a craving is naughty but it's my cooking oil of choice and it's great to do oil pulling with but I spit it out afterwards.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
    Options
    ChantelleValarie wrote: »
    I choose coconut oil for cooking because it's been my understanding that olive oil becomes toxic at high temperatures whereas coconut oil doesn't.

    This is not true.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    Options
    I tend to default to olive oil for cooking and salad dressings, canola for baking, and grapeseed for deep-frying and high temperature. However, if the cookbook specifies a particular oil, I do my best to procure it. (Toasted sesame has been wonderful with my Asian noodle recipes). I rarely have a recipe that calls specifically for coconut, but I do have a jar of it, should the need arise.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,002 Member
    edited June 2017
    Options
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    I tend to default to olive oil for cooking and salad dressings, canola for baking, and grapeseed for deep-frying and high temperature. However, if the cookbook specifies a particular oil, I do my best to procure it. (Toasted sesame has been wonderful with my Asian noodle recipes). I rarely have a recipe that calls specifically for coconut, but I do have a jar of it, should the need arise.

    ..and to spin off your comment, it doesn't get rancid like some other oils. I can keep it at room temp for a very long time without it changing in smell or taste. I like it in curried vegetables and soups.

    But yeah, it's mostly a hair and skin conditioner for me, and it's great for that.
  • sammyjo0218
    sammyjo0218 Posts: 108 Member
    Options
    Couple times a week wouldn't be bad all in moderation. If someone uses it daily or like in bulletproof coffee a lot then obviously it'll have negative effects down the road. Healthy or not too much of a good thing isn't always great!

Categories