Coconut Oil

Frank Bullitt

Been advised to take this by the nutritionist I go to, been taking it a few days now and i love it,definitely feel more hungry since iv been taking it.

Anyone else use this amazing stuff?

LeahK

Makes your more hungry? was going to try it but will hold off if it increases your appetite!:eek:

columok

LeahK wrote:

Makes your more hungry? was going to try it but will hold off if it increases your appetite!

Never heard this. Go ahead and use it. Its' spectacularily good for you!

LeahK

Its on the shopping list,

I've heard a load about it recently but am unsure about how to take it etc. What does it actually do?

El_Dangeroso

Never heard of coconut oil increasing appetite, in fact livestock farmers in the 1950's tried supplementing their animal's diets with coconut oil in an effort to fatten them up only to find that they got leaner as a result! Different digestive systems than humans obviously but I though it was an interesting result.

If you still find it increases your appetite then it makes a great moisturiser and make-up remover.

Ruu_Old

It can be used as a regular cooking oil. Don't be fooled by the amount of saturated fat and that saturated fats are all bad. Majority of it is available for the body to use quickly.

Macha

I just bought a jar of the biona organic virgin coconut oil. Have to say it's quite yummy and is also helping with my sunburn

Is there a recommended brand? And do we need to buy virgin for food and skin purposes?

El_Dangeroso

taconnol wrote: »

I just bought a jar of the biona organic virgin coconut oil. Have to say it's quite yummy and is also helping with my sunburn

Is there a recommended brand? And do we need to buy virgin for food and skin purposes?

That's the brand I get, I'd be very surprised if there was any difference in other brands tbh.

I actually haven't seen non-virgin oil for sale but I've only been looking in healthfood shops.

I use mine as a tanning oil so I can maximise vitamin D production in the skin in a shorter space of time (20 mins midday sun) - DON'T do this if you have fair or freckly skin - I also endevour never to get burnt. It seems to result in a more brown tan although I could be imagining that.

columok

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

That's the brand I get, I'd be very surprised if there was any difference in other brands tbh.

I actually haven't seen non-virgin oil for sale but I've only been looking in healthfood shops.

How much does it cost you in the hf shops? I get it for €2.30 per 500ml in the asian market on Mary St. The labelling is spartan to say the least. Reckon there's a quality difference?

metamorphosis

I also get the small jar of Biona. Do you just put it on your skin like EVOO or Sunflower? Is it good for sunburn? Im a bit burned after waterfall diving in the sun yesterday

anneboleyn

is it good for digestion?

metamorphosis

anneboleyn wrote: »

is it good for digestion?

Works wonders for you if you are finding yourself in a bit of a bind 2 tspns will do the trick

sillymoo

I use it on my hair its fantastic!

Frank Bullitt

When i say it makes me more hungry,I think thats because it pumps up your metabolism a lot.

Frank Bullitt

sillymoo wrote: »

I use it on my hair its fantastic!

What do you do with it for your hair?

El_Dangeroso

sillymoo wrote: »

I use it on my hair its fantastic!

I slather it on my hair too, you need to melt it first though. You need to shampoo the heck out of it to get it off but it's worth it.

It really has replaced so many bottles in my bathroom it's not funny.

Re: the virgin/non-virgin question, I reckon if it's not hydrogenated then it's ok.

Macha

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

It really has replaced so many bottles in my bathroom it's not funny.

What else can you use it for? I've heard mixing it with sea salt makes a good body scrub.

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

Re: the virgin/non-virgin question, I reckon if it's not hydrogenated then it's ok.

Through my shameless use of wikipedia, I think if it isn't virgin, it's RBD - refined, bleached and deodorized. Although I'm not sure what impact that would have on the characteristics of the final product.

brianthebard

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

That's the brand I get, I'd be very surprised if there was any difference in other brands tbh.

I actually haven't seen non-virgin oil for sale but I've only been looking in healthfood shops.

My stuff doesn't explicitly say its virgin oil, I got it from the asian shop. They also have special jars for hair care and stuff, dunno if there's any difference, the cosmetic stuff might possibly be processed to be soft enough to squeeze out or something. Must check/buy some when I'm in again.

El_Dangeroso

taconnol wrote: »

What else can you use it for? I've heard mixing it with sea salt makes a good body scrub.


Through my shameless use of wikipedia, I think if it isn't virgin, it's RBD - refined, bleached and deodorized. Although I'm not sure what impact that would have on the characteristics of the final product.

You'd know about it if it were deodorised, the smell is distinctive when it hasn't been. Why the hell would they bleach it? Isn't is already white? I guess refined usually means heated and some solids are removed.

I use it as:

Hair mask
Make-up remover
Body moisturiser
Face moisturiser
Lip salve
Spot cream (it's antibacterial)
After-sun
Tanning oil

It's supposed to be great for eczema too..

JackieO

So i finally got my hands on some coconut oil today. Got the Holland & Barrett tub for €15.99. Think I can probably get it a bit cheaper somewhere else but was just dying to try it out after hearing so many good things about it.

Used it to fry some veg for dinner and I have to say the taste of the veg was amazing. Totally different taste to other oils.

Also had a bite of the oil off the spoon and it wasn't too bad. Is it good for constipation?

I also put a little bit on my arm in the car on the way home. It blended into my skin nicely but I think the smell would put me off using it as a moisturiser.

Sapsorrow

It makes a great overnight hair masque, you can add in a few drops of chamomile oil for blonde hair or rosemary oil for dark hair too. If your hair is really damaged add a few egg yolks and cover your head in cling film for a few hours, totally repairs it! You can add nice essential oils to it to make it more appealing as a moisturizer too, I make one with coconut oil, cocoa butter, citrus (orange, lemon, mandarin, grapefuit and lime) and bergamot esential oils it's excellent and smellls really tasty
Geez that would want to be one hell of a tub for 16 euro though :eek: I think you got burned there!

rubadub

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

I actually haven't seen non-virgin oil for sale but I've only been looking in healthfood shops.

Asian shops as mentioned. I got 1L for €6 in the spice bazaar shop in blackrock market in dublin -"double horse" brand

Temple_Grandin wrote: »

Re: the virgin/non-virgin question, I reckon if it's not hydrogenated then it's ok.

If it is hydrogenated it should have trans fats. My stuff had nutritional info and trans fats listed as 0g. Dunno why they would hydrogenate it unless it is in really hot countries or something.

taconnol wrote: »

Through my shameless use of wikipedia, I think if it isn't virgin, it's RBD - refined, bleached and deodorized.

Mine is not virgin, and definitely smells of coconut. Wiki is often wrong, esp. on stuff like that, dunno why they would be so definite about all of it having all 3 processes.

Sapsorrow wrote: »

If your hair is really damaged add a few egg yolks and cover your head in cling film for a few hours, totally repairs it!

I steal those plastic bags for meat or bread in tesco, they are a perfect fit for my head! I leave them on overnight. I have (had!:D) scalp psoriasis and used it to moisturise, along with UVB light therapy and my psoriasis is now 99% gone after only about 5 weeks. The UVB is what really did most.

alanajane

Whats the best way to get good quantities of coconut oil into you. Recommended is 3 tablespoons a day, 1 with each meal?
I wasnt eating anything that I could put oil into so had some with orange juice and hot water but felt really sick afterwards, my mouth tasted like I had soap in it! Yuk! Any advise I dont wanna give up after one try.

rubadub

alanajane wrote: »

Whats the best way to get good quantities of coconut oil into you.

I cook with mine, like oat pancakes with lots of oil, I like greasy food so it is no problem for me. Or cook eggs in it, I put some chilli in it like franks hot sauce as the coconut taste on its own can seem a bit odd with some foods. I imagine it would go very well with curries as many would have coconut anyway.

I fry on a low heat.

Crann na Beatha

This post has been deleted.

rubadub

Obaraten wrote: »

does it go great with oatmeal?

Dunno about straight with it, but flapjacks were mentioned the other day. It is solid at room temp so should work well.

ingalway

Apparently 3 tablespoons a day is the optimum amount of coconut oil to take - it is very hard to eat large amounts of coconut oil or any fat. I have been experimenting with it for a few weeks and find the easiest way to take it internally is to melt a tablespoon it in a little boiled water, top up with milk or water and add a few drops of vanilla extract and drink - it shouldn't be nice but it is lovely. I have it every morning on my cereal, do the above but I leave out the vanilla and pour over my cereal, really nice. I have spread it on toast instead of butter which I thought I would hate but again it is lovely and if I am frying any food now I use it. I have found a huge difference in my skin - much softer, clearer and tans much easier than ever. It also stops food cravings, I don't want so many sugar hits anymore and eat far less bread. Energy levels much better and PMT much easier to handle. I also rub on my skin and hair after a shower. I would only use raw organic oil as anything else has been tampered with which takes away the beneficial properties - it costs more but is well worth it. I have been using Biona which is good but last week bought Veridian which is expensive but is very high quality. There are some videos on YouTube and the link here is a good starting point to find out more on the basics.
http://www.coconut-connections.com/faqs.htm

Sapsorrow

Why not use extra creamy coconut milk, it's easy to incorporate into foods (add to smoothies, porridge, fruit salads etc) and has a very high fat content, plus it's delicious!

rubadub

A tip for coconut oil if it is in a bottle is to heat it in hot water and pour it into an old sauce jar. Then you can spoon it out easier. I have some in the fridge now and it goes very hard, I was able to scrape it with a fork and it all flakes off and looks like dessicated coconut.

I then grated some sweet potato, diced some onion, mixed in an egg, franks hot sauce and garlic, cornflour and some water and then mixed my cold scraped coconut oil in. I put it in one of those "tosta bag" things and popped it on a george foreman after squashing it down flat. These toasta bags are great since they keep the grill clean and keep all the oil in, also the moisture coming off steams the food so cooks it well.

Mine is not an actual tosta bag but the magic brand ones.

brianthebard

What's the end result like, a potato cake/rosti sort of thing? Sounds interesting, I'm trying to like sweet potatoes more lately.

eightyfish

I doubt the health benefits, but it's a great replacement for sunflower oil if you want to cook authentic-tasting Indian food.

rubadub

brianthebard wrote: »

What's the end result like, a potato cake/rosti sort of thing? Sounds interesting, I'm trying to like sweet potatoes more lately.

Yes, it was nice, the kitchen still smells of garlic! I might try it without the cornflour next time. I am cutting out the "nightshades" which are mainly white potatoes, tomatoes, peppers -they can supposedly be bad for some peoples skin, and other things like arthritis. I am still having chilli peppers since I figure the amount I add of them is tiny, but no bell peppers.

Sweet potatoes are from the morning glory family. I never had one before until a few weeks ago, they are nice to work with, when you grate them there is not starch falling out like normal spuds, it looks more like grated carrot.

brianthebard

eightyfish wrote: »

I doubt the health benefits

Why?


Rubadub: Sounds good, grating other veg in might also help and lessen the sweetness of the potatoes (for me anyways).

eightyfish

That recipe does sound good.

brianthebard wrote: »

Why?

I'm immediately suspicious of people who call themselves "nutritionists" as it is not a protected term. I'm also sceptical of anybody saying "take this every day and you will be healthier." Vitamins, etc. Also, the research page on that website in post 27 is a joke. So I doubt, that's all.

It's a fantastic cooking ingredient though.

EDIT: I just did a quick search of coconut oil in scientific papers. The first medical paper that came up concludes its abstract as follows :

Nevertheless, the possible negative effects of the saturated fatty acids and the absence of the essential fatty acid linolenic acid from all coconut constituents suggest that the coconut milk, oil and cream should not be used on a regular basis in adults.
Source: WEST INDIAN MEDICAL JOURNAL Volume: 49 Issue: 2 Pages: 128-133 Published: JUN 2000

brianthebard

eightyfish wrote: »

That recipe does sound good.



I'm immediately suspicious of people who call themselves "nutritionists" as it is not a protected term. I'm also sceptical of anybody saying "take this every day and you will be healthier." Vitamins, etc. Also, the research page on that website in post 27 is a joke. So I doubt, that's all.

Did anyone post those claims though? I don't think the page in post 27 is a research page either, but so what? Also I don't think possible negative effects is enough of an endorsement of your argument tbh.

eightyfish

brianthebard wrote: »

Did anyone post those claims though? I don't think the page in post 27 is a research page either, but so what? Also I don't think possible negative effects is enough of an endorsement of your argument tbh.

The OP said : Been advised to take this by the nutritionist.

All I said is I doubt the health benefits. It was an aside. My main reason to post was to recommend it as an ingredient in Indian cooking. And because it's a slow day in work.

columok

eightyfish wrote:

The OP said : Been advised to take this by the nutritionist.

All I said is I doubt the health benefits. It was an aside. My main reason to post was to recommend it as an ingredient in Indian cooking. And because it's a slow day in work.

Out of interest what manner of professional would you need the opinion on coconut oil to come from before you would consider it legitimate? If I've taken you up wrong apologies. I wouldn't put a huge amount of faith in the unprotected title of nutritionist or the protected title of dietician either because I suspect there is a huge variance between the various schools of thought. Many bonafide medical professionals would recommend the conventional food pyramid which I think most sensible folks have left behind.

eightyfish

columok wrote: »

Out of interest what manner of professional would you need the opinion on coconut oil to come from before you would consider it legitimate?

I wouldn't look for an opinion. I'd look for some research papers that I could read, or a meta-analysis of papers. But I haven't looked for them. As I said, my remark was only an aside.

columok

eightyfish wrote:

I wouldn't look for an opinion. I'd look for some research papers that I could read, or a meta-analysis of papers. But I haven't looked for them. As I said, my remark was only an aside.

Fair enough. I'd get the majority of my advice from people within the paleo community and if I'm honest I'd take their advice on faith (as I have little time to check their background data or sources). Obviously this isn't ideal.
Therefore when the likes of Loren Cordain, Robb Wolf, Eades, Sisson et al recommend coconut oil for it's health benefits I listen without necessarily needing bringing a cochrane review into the picture.

Sapsorrow

Everyone's always giving out about nutritionists

Oh I forgot to mention coconut milk is obviously fantastic in curries too, but you can add it to pretty much any sauce or stew too. I still think it'd be way easier than using the fat.

brianthebard

Sapsorrow wrote: »

Everyone's always giving out about nutritionists

Oh I forgot to mention coconut milk is obviously fantastic in curries too, but you can add it to pretty much any sauce or stew too. I still think it'd be way easier than using the fat.

A little can of coconut milk and some water with whey protein is an awesome shake.

columok

brianthebard wrote:

A little can of coconut milk and some water with whey protein is an awesome shake.

It's a daily occurence now tbh!!! Goes well with choc, strawberry, vanilla etc.. I find the Chaokoh is the tastiest and only 94c for 400ml can!

eightyfish

Sapsorrow wrote: »

Oh I forgot to mention coconut milk is obviously fantastic in curries too.

Absolutely. Tin of coconut milk, couple of tablespoons of fish sauce and a couple of tablespoons of green curry paste. Add meat. Season to taste. Quick Thai curry.

Unregistered39

Gintonious wrote: »

Been advised to take this by the nutritionist I go to, been taking it a few days now and i love it,definitely feel more hungry since iv been taking it.

Anyone else use this amazing stuff?

Hi there,

Apologies for bumping this thread but I was wondering if you're still taking the CO and how it's working out for you? I only started taking it a week ago - I take about 1.5 tablespoons on toast for my breakfast and I'm starving an hour later! Usually the toast alone would keep me going a lot longer. I'm wondering is that purely my metabolism being kick-started. If it is it's powerful stuff! The worst thing now though would be if I just keep eating because it's making me hungry and pile on weight. Be interested to hear how it's going for you. Thanks.

columok

Unregistered39 wrote:

Hi there,

Apologies for bumping this thread but I was wondering if you're still taking the CO and how it's working out for you? I only started taking it a week ago - I take about 1.5 tablespoons on toast for my breakfast and I'm starving an hour later! Usually the toast alone would keep me going a lot longer. I'm wondering is that purely my metabolism being kick-started. If it is it's powerful stuff! The worst thing now though would be if I just keep eating because it's making me hungry and pile on weight. Be interested to hear how it's going for you. Thanks.

Ditch the toast. You're not only undoing any positive benefit from the coconut oil but you're actually causing net harm to your weight loss. If you need to bump your metabolism and improve fat burning then you shouldn't be eating any high GI foods such as bread, pasta, rice, potatoes.

Unregistered39

columok wrote: »

Ditch the toast. You're not only undoing any positive benefit from the coconut oil but you're actually causing net harm to your weight loss. If you need to bump your metabolism and improve fat burning then you shouldn't be eating any high GI foods such as bread, pasta, rice, potatoes.

I know. The toast was just to make the oil a bit more palatable. I'm going to switch to Ryvita and a banana with it instead. I'm just amazed at how hungry I am so soon after eating a big heap o' fat! Thanks for the input.

vim de santana

re the biona brand, i used to use it alot, cause it was the only half decent brand in shops here, i then tried the nutiva brand purchased online, based on an friend recomendation, and wow there was such a huge inprovement compared to biona. VCO definately varies alot brand to brand

El_Dangeroso

vim de santana wrote: »

re the biona brand, i used to use it alot, cause it was the only half decent brand in shops here, i then tried the nutiva brand purchased online, based on an friend recomendation, and wow there was such a huge inprovement compared to biona. VCO definately varies alot brand to brand

How so? I've only ever tried one brand.

vim de santana

Well, at times ive gotten jars of biona and they only mildly smelled of coconut, some were bad enough that they had the consistency/taste of wax. I dunno, maybe I got a bad jar, but the minute I opened the nutiva jar, i was greeted with the strongest most pleasant sent of coconut, and the taste didn't disappoint either. next on my list to try is Artisana coconut butter. its meant to be delish, only I just cant warrent the price + delivery for the time being.

http://www.red23.co.uk/Raw-Organic-Coconut-Butter-454g_p_1126.html

_Whimsical_

I'd love to try this but I can't have any stimulants as I have a problem that makes my heart rate very high at times. As a result I'm wary of anything that boosts metabolism,

If this increases your metabolism does anyone find it causes problems like a stimulant eg. palpitations or anything like that ?

Unregistered39

chilly wrote: »

I'd love to try this but I can't have any stimulants as I have a problem that makes my heart rate very high at times. As a result I'm wary of anything that boosts metabolism,

If this increases your metabolism does anyone find it causes problems like a stimulant eg. palpitations or anything like that ?

Hi Chilly,

I take it in the mornings with Ryvita/toast and a big cup of coffee and while I am hungry an hour or so later (assume that's my metabolism kick starting), I haven't noticed any palpitations at all and I would tend to react to stimulants (more than one cup of coffee and my heart is yammering). The only thing I've noticed apart from the hunger is that I get a little warmer after eating it.

A surprising side effect is that I have a scar on my arm and since I've been using the CO as a moisturiser and eating it (only a week!) it seems to be rapidly disappearing. The brand I use is Barlean's.

That said, everyone reacts differently so probably best to run it by your doc!