Talk to me about coconut oil
 

I'm tryingt o get it through my thick head that I SHOULD add this to my smoothies.

All my years of low-fat dieting are screaming "NONONONO!"

Does ti really make a difference? I remember trying ita few years ago and my eggs tasted like coconut :/ And I love coconut! But not in eggs.

I don't remember WHY I tried it and now my sister's telling me how great she feels and such.

Thoughts?

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

I've started using it any time I would use olive oil. Like when I cook chicken breast for meals. I'm not totally convinced either but I've slowly started adding it to our diets.

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

I don't use it, but I'm increasingly curious about it thanks to Dr. Mercola's rave reviews. http://www.mercola.com/forms/coconut_oil.htm

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

I use it in all my baking instead of butter (dairy free here too).

I use it many times I would use olive oil.

BUt for oiling pans and other things I'd use shortening for I used organic pressed palm oil :)

There is so much good about coconut oil but I don't have time. gotta get offline :O Hopefully LIsaM will post she is very informative about coconut oil :)

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

I just started using it. :) I read over on MDC about folks just eating a bit right off the spoon and I tried it and it was like a jolt of caffeine for me! But better! ;) I felt really energized and I find that it really helps me feel fuller so I don't end up eating as much. Good stuff! :tu

I have the Nutiva brand, btw. It is very "coconutty" and it is not hard to eat off the spoon at all. :no (the texture is a bit strange, though)

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

Oh my goodness, get some coconut oil. :yes

Simon just woke up, so I only have a minute. I probably won't get to it until next week because we'll be gone this weekend and tonight I have to pack, but in my book The Healing Power of Food there are PAGES of benefits to CO. It is even being investigated for an anti-HIV medication because it's antiviral properties are so good.

I had a cold sore starting and I put some CO on and it was gone in two days. :yes

It really helps w/ weight loss. :yes

ALL the studes that were done decades ago that showed heart disease from coconut oil were done using 100% hydrogentated coconut oil, which is chemcally altered coconut oil, not natural coconut oil. :rolleyes

Natural, God-made saturated fat is not bad for you but is very, very necessary for your health. Anti-cancer, anti-depression, on and on.

You want virgin coconut oil, preferably organic. It is cheaper online than in the stores, but stores often have good sales. I don't buy refined coconut oil. I haven't done enough reading on it.

We do use it for our eggs. I had to get used to it, yes. Some brands have more coconut flavor than others. I know really like my eggs cooked in CO. Whenever I saute anything, I put a little CO and a little butter or olive oil in the pan.

There are books on coconut cookery that document the research on this. I used to be a low-fat fanatic, too. Looking back, I was in rotten health (not acute infections or anything, just not eating the way God created food and having all kinds of cravings) One of the mainy reasons I know that this is how God wants me to eat is that I am eating whole, natural foods, closer to the way people at hundreds and thousands of years ago, I'm eating as much as I want and not feeling deprived, and I've lost over 20 pounds doing it.

more later when I have time.

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

Okay, I'm paraphrasing from The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, ND as fast as I can. May have to stop at any moment, but I'll pick it up again next week.

1. Approx. 50% of the fatty acides in coconut is in the form of lauric acid, a health-promoting fat whols only other abundant source in nature is human milk. :tu In the body, lauric acid is changed into monolaurin--an antiviral, antibacterial, andn antiprotozoal fat that destroys a wide variety of harmful organisism. Studies have demonstrated that monolaurin destroys fat-coated viruses including cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simples 1, HIV, influenzae, measles, and others (that I don't recognize :blush). Pathogenic bacteria killed by it include Listeria, staph, several strains of strep, and Heliocobacter pylori. It also kills or inactivates a number of fungi, yeast, and protozoa, including several types of ringworm, Candida albicans, and Giardia lamblia (which is a parasite easily caught in European tap water). Lauric acid has also been shown to interfere with virus assembly and maturation (meaning they can't muliply in your body) I'm too rushed to go back and italicize all the Latin. Sorry.

2. 6-7& of the fat in coconut is capric acid. The body converts this to monocaprin, which has antiviral efffects against STDS inclduing chlamydia, herpes simples 1 and 2, Neisseria gonorhoeae, and HIV.

3.Coconut oil protects against heart disease and promotes healthy weight. A study which used coconut oil as part of a high-fat diet demonstrated that CO did not increase body fat but actually decreased the white-fat stores.

There's more, believe it or not, but my DH has to get on the computer. In this whole book, coconut oil has the MOST amazing benefits, more than any other food.

bbl

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE coconut oil, and I do like my eggs cooked in very coconutty coconut oil :)

I add it to smoothies, hot coco, use it as the cooking medium in about half my cooking, the other half I use EVOO. I DO feel better since I started using it, and my skin is much less dry.

Go for it! Saturated fat is GOOD for you, hydrogonated fats are bad :)

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

I bought some recently, but I haven't used it yet. :popcorn

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

oh sara, you MUST get you some raw virgin coconut oil!!!! :yes i read SO MUCH on it when i started having yeast issues, lisa's posts are excellent. i can't wait to be using it PP, because i really believe it will help with weightloss - 1st, because the good fat helps keep you satisfied so you are less likely to reach for refined carbs etc, and 2nd, because it can really affect your mood and energy (which of course is a huge componant of weight loss/healthy eating).

i personally don't care for it in smoothies - IMO it makes them chunky. :shifty i honestly don't mind it right off the spoon, i take it the same way i take my CLO. :) i have yet to use in in baking (because i haven't benn doing any baking, lol) but i'm sure it would be good. the info i read said you can eat up to 3 T. of the stuff per day, but be sure to increase gradually.

another good way to eat it is the "candy" i posted on crystals thread. :yum

because of this yeast issue i have, i've been having to cut out refined sugars and refined carbs - and i've been eating TONS of good fats - coconut oil, CLO, salmon, butter, full fat yogurt, etc - and my weight has actually been holding steady, even as my baby grows bigger. i'm convinced that it's because of the good fats/eliminating junk. i am taking in more calories but i think the "bad fat" on my body is starting to go away. and oh! the way it makes your skin feel!!!! :heart


try it again for awhile. :yes

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

We buy our unrefined, extra virgin, organic coconut oil from UNFI but I just discovered you can get 7# for $24.50 from Country Life Natural Foods. www.clnf.org :tu FOr reference 8# is a gallon :)

I am in a buying club so I don't know how it would be to just orde this - I don't pay shipping.

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

My mom swears by it! She takes a tablespoon a day (right off the spoon) and feels so much better... She has lost weight too, and says it has helped with her diabetes and blood pressure... I admit, I'm skeptical too, but seriously thinking of trying it. :shrug

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

Another really good place to buy it is trpical traditions.com.They also have a buying club and they have many other coconut products.I love their oil and coconut cream :heart

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

here's some links i dug up:
http://www.regaininghealthnaturally....onut_Oil.shtml

http://www.transformyourhealth.com/g...conutoilnb.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txWk1vWJjJM


:)


i bought the tropical traditions oil, and i have to say, i wasn't too impressed... :shifty it was a good price, but not smooth like the nutiva.

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

good to know. i also bought the tropical traditions...once it's gone, i will try the nutiva...

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

so is yours sort of chunky, too? i thought maybe i got a not so good batch... :scratch i don't like the taste as well, either....

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

don't know...i have been a bit afraid to try it. I haven't had it very long...

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

oh! you haven't tried it yet... why afraid?

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

I just wasn't 100% sure what to do with it. I kept meaning to post about it and look up some ideas...I just never got around to doing it. :O

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

To get started, a good way is cook eggs in 1/2 coconut oil and 1/2 butter on lowish heat. You don't ever want to use high or med high--it destroys more nutrients and the fats can lose some of their wonderful qualities.

If you ever have dry skin, a tiny bit of CO will melt right into your skin--prevent infection, stop itching, relieves pain of eczema, etc. etc. etc.

Also, it helps cure cold sores. Just a tiny bit once a day.

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

Could I have a link to the nativa{Thats the better right?}please :heart I havent tried any but the tropical traditions but I would like a better consystancyits not chunky tho.

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

http://www.amazon.com/Nutiva-Organic.../dp/B000GAT6NG

you can maybe get it for sheaper elsewhere... :think

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

:ty :rose

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

A couple of "confessions"

I have tried a bunch of times on cold sores, it does NOTHING for mine -- I gave up after day 4 or 5 and used my homeopathic remedy which cleared it right up.

For me, coconut oil was totally a "acquired taste". I can't eat it plain, can't eat it with eggs and can't tolerate it on toast (instead of butter - we are dairy free). It took a long time for me to manage to eat it when it wasn't cooked :O Now I can tolerate it in dehydrated cookies and in almost all of our baked goods as well as over popcorn :) I can also enjoy it in lukewarm tea (like lisa said don't want to destroy all its properties ;) I want to try it plain but am afraid cuz the smell makes my stomach turn :sick I was thinking of trying it in smoothies but think it would be chunky :shrug

I do LOVE it on my skin but it didn't help with dh's fungal rashes or with savana's skin rashes. For savana only plain aloe helped. I don't know why it was like this for us. Maybe my oil was too old by the time I tried it on these things. Now that I go through a gallon every 3rd month or so, it would be stronger.

I also use Nutiva. I was actually going to email CLNF to find out their brand good to know about the tropical traditions - I am so picky about this coconut oil thing that I probably shouldn't change brands EVER :hiding .

Only posting this to be honest and maybe figure out what I am doing wrong that it's not working on cold sores, fungal infections, etc. :scratch

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

I'm using NOW Virgin Coconut Oil. I want to use it in baking. Do you just replace the butter with the same measurement?

Also, does anyone take it in capsules? I gag when I take it and it makes me feel icky for about 1/2 hour after. I think it's the feel of it. For some reason I can do olive oil, but not co.

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

Yes, I use it exact amounts. :yes

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

Do you use it in only your dehydrated recipes? Or do you use in regular oven baking, too? I tried replacing butter w/ CO in our pizza crust and in a cake recipe and it was AWFUL. (we bake them in the oven--no dehydrator :violin) We threw both out, they were so bad (me throwing out chocolate--it's gotta be bad). :yes2

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

Yep, oven baking (cake, brownie, sweet breads), pancakes, waffles, dehydrator recipes, bread, rolls, etc. IN fact, my chocolate brownie recipe with Coconut Oil and sweetened with cane juice is . . . well. .fantastic :O -- not to brag but everyone is always asking for the recipe which I laugh and tell them better homes and gardens with a few changes ;).

I do not make pizza crusts anymore though - we buy sourdough pizza crusts cuz Luke doesn't like my pizza crusts :rolleyes

We coconut oil for everything except frying eggs :haha and greasing stuff (like greasing the pan before baking the brownies) and buttering bread. Sometimes I even use it in tomato sauces instead of olive oil :shrug I will say that I am moving towards palm oil for my bread cuz the bread is softer than when made with coconut oil -- found that out when I ran out of coconut oil. It's our "staple" oil. :) THat's why we go through a gallon every 3 months or so - I have gone through a gallon in two months before if I was on a "baking spree" :O

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

I love CO!!! I've known about it for quite a while but after my 3rd and 4th babies I forgot all the good fat info I had learned though WAPF, NT, and Dr Mercola, and I went low fat hoping to loose weight. Well, I gained!! I recently went over some of my dietary info and :scratch I realized I needed to add CO into my diet. I immediately lost 5lbs w/o trying. This after being unable to loose no matter what I did and being bigger than ever.
I us it ase a moisturizer also and it works great. :yes
You all have reminded me that I should use it for some scalp issues I'm dealing with.
I recently bought a gallon from mountain rose herbs for a very good price and it tastes great (I don't generally have a problem with Coconutty flavor anyway)! :heart
For more detailed info you can check out Dr mercola and weston a price foundation web sites. :smile

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

Anybody have a storage suggestion? I have the nutiva brand and am constantly making a mess with it! Our home is warm enough (right now) that it stays in liquid form. Maybe I should store it in the fridge? Or put it in a squirt bottle? I'm so over all the oil messes that need cleaning!

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

Ok, I went and bought the oil a couple of days ago. I love the texture of the oil and can hardly wait to try it in lieu of butter in my next banana bread. I realized that or cooking, it needs a little salt to counter the sweetness of the oil for the way that I cook.

I used it when making Annie's noodles, because the sauce always seems so thin with just the milk. It made it really really creamy with only a teaspoon of oil in addition to the normal milk. The difference was amazing.

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

yummy...I love it in buttermilk biscuits....makes them so flakey.
we use it for eggs, frying foods, eye make-up remover, personal lube, eczema.....
I buy the Nutiva brand also. It is my favorite. I get it at www.vitacost.com
http://www.wildernessfamilynaturals.com/ this is also a good place to get it I think cost wise..not sure on the brand though...there site is very informative.

LisaM do post about losing weight on it? I haven't experienced that yet...must be doing something wrong..and all my books are in storage still....

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

wow, that's a LOT cheaper than buying it at the HFS!

Ok, I bought two different things of the oil. One is Nature's Way and it was in the supplement section and the other was Spectrum "Refined" in the cooking section. The Spectrum is less coconutty smelling, and is what I've been using in my cooking regular savory cooking.

Have any of you used these brands *and* the Nutiva? If so, how do they compare?

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

I have used the spectrum but prefer the coconuty flavor of the nutiva. I have used the spectrum topically....right now we have the jarrow coconut oil for topical use.

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

isn't the refined stuff not so good for you? :scratch

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

see, I couldn't remember, and that's why I bought one of each.

I used the oil as a moisturizer after my bath today, including on my face, and I'm amazed at how well it was absorbed.

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

:jawdrop Holy schmoly you guys need to be in a co-op :yes $54 for a gallon is good :hunh I am so shocked. I pay way less than that.

Allison, I have used spectrum and nutiva (started with spectrum till I realized I needed unrefined). Nutiva is definitely way better but spectrum works fine :) .

I have heard that you should have ex virgin, unrefined, raw but I don't know that refined is "bad" just not as good I think :think

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I got a bottle of Jarrow coconut oil just for lube and moisturizer. I was afraid to cook with it.

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

afraid because of the taste?

Re: Talk to me about coconut oil
 

Because I don't know how it will cook. So I have no idea which recipes it will go best in. All fats impact recipes differently. And I can't stand to waste food on experiments.