Coconut oil and saturated fats...

Carraig95

I'm looking to get healthier and I've recently started using coconut oil as I heard it had numerous benefits, one being an increased metabolism and less snacking etc.

About 8 weeks in and i've noticed an unbelievable difference! A spoonful in the morning with some fruit and I have no urge to snack at all until lunch. I usually take a bit more after work before I got to train and feel I have more energy.

So I'm on the road to getting properly trim, now what should I do to take it up a notch?!

I drink green tea, eat wholemeal breads, plently of fish and no butter or cheese, no fatty or fried foods and lots of fruit. But every weekend I go on the booze and that doesn't help!

So any other suggestions? Train harder I suppose?!

siochain

coconut oil is good stuff it’s the only oil/fat I use for cooking,

With the small bit of info you have given I’d suggest
Change breakfast to either take out or replace the fruit with some protein (maybe egg’s or nuts) and keep the coconut oil.

Take out the wholemeal breads and reduce your fruit intake to two pieces per day. No starchy carb’s and no pasta. Up your veg intake to replace the wholemeal breads and fruit you’re taking out. Build meals around a good protein source, healthy fats and as much above the ground growing veg as you want.

Whatever amount of heavy stuff your lifting now do more of it.
Try all of above for two weeks and see how you feel and most important have fun doing it.

Carraig95

Thanks for that!

I'm definitely trying to lose weight and tone up. When it comes to my build, if I do any form of weights I bulk up extremely quickly and I'm as stocky as I want to be at the moment, so it's very little weights and lots of cardio. I don't want to get any bigger really, just lose the 'love handles' and get trimmer.

I've cut all butter, cheese, chocolate (except for an aul Yorkie at the weekends!) andything else not healthy and have actually found that I don't miss that stuff at all, you really do enjoy eating fruit etc after a while!!! But coconut oil really has been the big difference!!!

Thanks again!

Legits

Can I buy some of your coconut oil?

Any tips for bulking up extremelly quickly?

Brewie

Can I ask what type of Coconut Oil?

Is there a difference between the coconut oil you cook with and the coconut oil you take a spoonful of?

For the benifits you describe, a spoonful of coconut oil in the morning does not sound too difficult at all!!

LeinsterDub

Carraig95 wrote: »

About 8 weeks in and i've noticed an unbelievable difference! A spoonful in the morning with some fruit !

What did you have for breakfast before ? Was it fruit?

Carraig95

LeinsterDub wrote: »

What did you have for breakfast before ? Was it fruit?

The coconut Oil i've been using is 'Extra Virgin Coconut Oil'. You can get it in most health food stores. It has to be 100% coconut Oil, not regenerated stuff.

Basically a tablespoon in the morning with two or three pieces of fruit, and same again in the afternoon before working out always works for me. I find i'm snacking way less and have lots of energy.

Now the only thing about coconut oil is that it's high in saturated fats, but apparently is some good type of medium tri glyciride (have no idea what it's called, but they're good fats basically!) which is decent. That being said, replace the saturated fats you would normally intake with the coconut oil and ya should be flyin!!!

I know it's not the most masculine thing in the world, but i've notices my tan lasting longer when I hit the sun and my skin and hair better as well, schwear to gad!

Carraig95

LeinsterDub wrote: »

What did you have for breakfast before ? Was it fruit?

I used to have porridge which obviously is good, especially for energy, but have noticed even more energy with this.

Carraig95

Brewie wrote: »

Can I ask what type of Coconut Oil?

Is there a difference between the coconut oil you cook with and the coconut oil you take a spoonful of?

For the benifits you describe, a spoonful of coconut oil in the morning does not sound too difficult at all!!

Not sure what coconut oil is used to cook, but I just take a tablespoon in hard form and gulp it down, or ya could mix it in woth fruit for a smoothie as well, or whatever.

Cannot say enough about this stuff, absolutely brilliant!

Doug Cartel

Isn't coconut supposed to be really, really bad for you?

Carraig95

Doug Cartel wrote: »

Isn't coconut supposed to be really, really bad for you?

Depends on which camp you come from. Before I started using it I literally did hours and hours of research (whicle I was meant to be working....!) and felt confident enough to give it a go. The key is to replace the saturated fats (chocolate, buns, fried foods etc) with coconut oil and have a healthy diet.

Here's a balanced article, give the pro's and the negatives. Sure anyone can decide for themselves!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/jan/15/healthandwellbeing.foodanddrink

Carraig95

Wasn't actually going to mention it, but the main reasonI started using it was that ever since I was a young fella I have suffered from really bad yeast infections. After years and years of it wrecking my head I read somewhere that coconut oil worked.

I swear that after four weeks of two table spoons a day, it completely stopped. Fifteen years of monthly yeast infections in an area that no lad wants to get one....and all of a sudden, gone. Literally life changing for me so i'm all about the coconut oil!!!!

Fingers crossed, the damn yeast infections will stay away!!!

rubadub

Carraig95 wrote: »

The coconut Oil i've been using is 'Extra Virgin Coconut Oil'. You can get it in most health food stores.

It is in some dunnes and supervalus now too, usually a hell of a lot cheaper than health food shops. I get non-virgin, non-hydrogenated stuff in asian supermarkets.

siochain

rubadub wrote: »

It is in some dunnes and supervalus now too, usually a hell of a lot cheaper than health food shops. I get non-virgin, non-hydrogenated stuff in asian supermarkets.

excellent tip !

TommyKnocker

Doug Cartel wrote: »

Isn't coconut supposed to be really, really bad for you?

Why is Coconut supposed to be bad for you? Is it just because it is a source of saturated fat?

I also use Coconut oil to cook with and off a spoon. I did a fair bit of reserch before adding this to my diet and the vast majority of what I found was epousing the benefits of Coconut oil/products and debunking the assertion that it was bad. This is whay I am asking this question.

I did of course come across some stuff produced/backed by that bastion of healthy eating advice the US FDA. The group who's advice has created a nation where the majority are over weight/obese and if the reports I read are to be believed are staffed and supported by corn and soyabean gorwers (so no conflict of interests there then). So you will forgive me if I ignore their advice.

I am an experiement of one. I eat a healthy diet 99% of the time and I take regular exercise (both cardio & resistance) and don't drink or smoke. I believe I am in good shape for a 49yr old guy. I have a RHR of 41 bpm, a 32" waist, 13% BF and weigh 80KG. And although I don't go for checkups, I am an active blood platelet donor, so my blood is checked on a regular basis and I have never been made aware of any differences in the results since I added coconut oil to my diet almost 2 years ago now. The most concern they have shown is over my low resting heart rate for my age.

I won't make any miraculous claims about Coconut oil, but I did suffer with dry skin which seems to have cleared up greatly and while I have been lucky most of my life in that I haven't been susceptable to colds and infections, I have not had so much as a sniffle over the last two winters. Is this down to Coconut oil? I don't know tbh. But it certainly does not seem to be doing me any harm. Though maybe upon my death my authospy will show a bad cholestrol reading through the roof, my artries blocked with plaques and that my blood had turned to sludge....

....Watch this space

Carraig95

"I did of course come across some stuff produced/backed by that bastion of healthy eating advice the US FDA. The group who's advice has created a nation where the majority are over weight/obese and if the reports I read are to be believed are staffed and supported by corn and soyabean gorwers (so no conflict of interests there then). So you will forgive me if I ignore their advice."

Would you believe I came across the exact same in my research. The one place that was very much anti coconut oil was the US FDA, and from previous results it's very obvious that they have alterior motives.

And as for the other noticeable benefits (as opposed to energy, weight loss) I have noticed better skin, shinier hair, and as I said earlier, every time the sun does actually come out for a few days and I get a half decent tan it stays for a lot longer than usual. I checked this up as well and apparently it is noted as a prolonger for tan.

Mental shtuff altogether!!!

Antisocialiser

Joey Barton (premier league footballer) put up a blog post about the questionable effectiveness of isotonic sports drinks.

Strangely enough he names Coconut water as the way to go for sports rehydration.

On a side I've been meaning to pick up some coconut oil but neither asda or tesco stock it. I'll have to try H&B.

Carraig95

Antisocialiser wrote: »

Joey Barton (premier league footballer) put up a blog post about the questionable effectiveness of isotonic sports drinks.

Strangely enough he names Coconut water as the way to go for sports rehydration.

On a side I've been meaning to pick up some coconut oil but neither asda or tesco stock it. I'll have to try H&B.

Make sure it's the '100% extra virgin coconut oil', which is basically just pure coconut in a jar. Anything else is a waste of time really!

rubadub

Carraig95 wrote: »

Make sure it's the '100% extra virgin coconut oil', which is basically just pure coconut in a jar. Anything else is a waste of time really!

Have you or anybody else got links about this? i.e. non-virgin not being worthwhile. I have heard it said before, but usually by people only selling virgin stuff.

The stuff I get in asian shops is non virgin, but it not hydrogenated and has 0% trans fat. There is no real need for it to be hydrogenated since it is solid at room temp (irish room temp anyway).

I even saw a sign up in supervalu stating that all non-virgin stuff is all hydrogenated, it was a sign talking of its health benefits, supervalus own sign. I was going to complain at the time but was in a rush.

Bartyman

Iherb.com do a nice coconut oil and the shipping can be cheap enough, I always get coconut and flaxseed oil shipped together using DHL ($12.00)

Coconut water is on Amazon.com ( use parcel motel for free dleivery to UK)

Dr Bruce Fife has a good book on Coconut oil, well worth a read.

Doug Cartel

TommyKnocker wrote: »

Why is Coconut supposed to be bad for you? Is it just because it is a source of saturated fat?

Because there was a big-ish health scare about it not so long ago. I see though that hydrogenated coconut oil was the thing everyone was worried about then, and that non-hydrogenated oil is what you guys are talking about. I could easily believe that the non-hydrogenated oil is much less harmful than the hydrogenated kind, but I would have a hard time believing any of the benefits without some kind of evidence. New super-foods seem to pop up so quickly that if I was to try and sample them all I'm not sure I'd get any regular food. Also, most people already have enough saturated fat in their diet - most likely too much - so I don't see the need to supplement that.

While I'm at it. Is there any legal protection to the term "virgin coconut oil"?

Gummy Panda

Antisocialiser wrote: »

Joey Barton (premier league footballer) put up a blog post about the questionable effectiveness of isotonic sports drinks.

Strangely enough he names Coconut water as the way to go for sports rehydration.

On a side I've been meaning to pick up some coconut oil but neither asda or tesco stock it. I'll have to try H&B.

you cab buy it from myprotein.com

rubadub

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_oil#Hydrogenation

Hydrogenation

RBD coconut oil can be processed further into partially or fully hydrogenated oil to increase its melting point. Since virgin and RBD coconut oils melt at 76 °F (24 °C), foods containing coconut oil tend to melt in warm climates. A higher melting point is desirable in these warm climates, so the oil is hydrogenated. The melting point of hydrogenated coconut oil is 97–104 °F (36–40 °C).

In the process of hydrogenation, unsaturated fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids) are combined with hydrogen in a catalytic process to make them more saturated. Coconut oil contains only 6% monounsaturated and 2% polyunsaturated fatty acids. In this process, some of these are transformed into trans fatty acids.

My non-virgin stuff melts on a warm day, well below 36C, some can be partially hydrogenated though, but my bottle also says 0% trans fats, which I took to mean it is not partially hydrogenated as that should have some trans fat.

However there is a brand copha http://www.peerlessfoods.com.au/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=50
which wiki says is made from hydrogenated coconut oil, yet lists as no trans fat.

But maybe wiki is out of date and they changed it. I know solid fats like crisp n dry & cookeen no longer are hydrogenated and are trans fat free.

The question would also be is hydrogenated really the baddie, or is it the trans fats, and are people possibly wrongly presuming all hydrogenated fat will have trans.

Reading more it seems if it is below a certain % they can list trans fats as none. like 0.5% in some countries.

Antisocialiser

It's a bit late after I bought it but just a quick query about the Biona Virgin Coconut Oil. Is it tasteless? Can I eat it out of the jar? Use it in cooking? Is it definitely extra virgin?

Stench Blossoms

I've used that Biona one. Used it in place of anywhere I used oil. I couldn't taste it off the food but it left my kitchen smelling lovely.

I did make chicken with it awhile ago and someone asked me was there coconut on it. I couldn't taste it though.

I've no need for just taking a spoonful of it so I've no idea if it's tasteless or not.

rocky

Antisocialiser wrote: »

It's a bit late after I bought it but just a quick query about the Biona Virgin Coconut Oil. Is it tasteless? Can I eat it out of the jar? Use it in cooking? Is it definitely extra virgin?

It tastes of coconut. Also you're not supposed to use the Virgin/Extra in cooking.

Noticed the price, a bit expensive at 4£ for 200g jar

Stench Blossoms

rocky wrote: »

It tastes of coconut. Also you're not supposed to use the Virgin/Extra in cooking.

Noticed the price, a bit expensive at 4£ for 200g jar

Why aren't you suppose to use in cooking?

rocky

Heat degrades it faster than the refined one.

Same with virgin olive oil.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point

177 degrees for Virgin, 232 degrees for refined

Stench Blossoms

Interesting....I've loads of recipes that recommend using coconut oil instead of regular oil.

TommyKnocker

rocky wrote: »

Heat degrades it faster than the refined one.

Same with virgin olive oil.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point

177 degrees for Virgin, 232 degrees for refined

@Rocky: I believe you are incorrect.

Coconut Oil has a much higher smoke point and is therefore more suitable for cooking with. You should always choose extra virgin oils over processed oils, as processed oils are more likely to be hydrogenated and therefore have more trans fats (Bad).

Tipperary animal lover

"Extra virgin" coconut oil is just a money racket, use the ordinary coconut oil just read the ingredients on the back. I've been using coconut oil for a few years I buy it in holland & Barrett when they have it, I use it first think in the morning as a mouth wash melt a spoonful in your mouth and swish for up to ten minutes if you can, my teeth and gums are very healthy and teeth are a good colour.
I have a spoonful with breakfast and feel like I've loads of energy from it and seems or help me stop snacking aswell.
I suppose each to there own but I find the ordinary coconut oil(its all about the ingredients) great and the price is ok.

rocky

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Interesting....I've loads of recipes that recommend using coconut oil instead of regular oil.

You mean virgin as opposed to regular coconut oil?

TommyKnocker wrote: »

@Rocky: I believe you are incorrect.

Coconut Oil has a much higher smoke point and is therefore more suitable for cooking with. You should always choose extra virgin oils over processed oils, as processed oils are more likely to be hydrogenated and therefore have more trans fats (Bad).

rubadub has pointed out not all refined coconut oil contains trans fats.

That and I don't like all my fried food to taste of coconut.

Inspector Coptoor

I've started using it to scramble my eggs, cooks chicken breasts cut into strips & even to cook my steaks.
Great stuff, even if a bit expensive.

Locust

I stir a teaspoon of coconut oil into my coffee in the morning, aka bulletproof coffee -it's unbelievable! Lovely taste ( a bit oily on the surface although get used to it). Loads of energy to see me to lunchtime and all good fats. Fat gets such a rap these days - fats are ... well... misunderstood

Locust

The lads mentioned this already but coconut oil has a really high burning point, your other oils like olive oil and virgin etc will burn quickly in the frying pan and have impurities after a few minutes of cooking whereas the magic coconut oil of which you all speak For some reason will hold its own for a longtime before it starts to burn, another reason its healthier - or so a wise man once told me. Coconut and macadamia nut oil are supposed to be best in this regard. Although macadamia nut oil is a bitch to find and is more expensive

Antisocialiser

rocky wrote: »

Noticed the price, a bit expensive at 4£ for 200g jar

Is there anywhere online that coconut oil can be gotten cheaper?

rubadub

Antisocialiser wrote: »

Is there anywhere online that coconut oil can be gotten cheaper?

Dunnes, supervalu & asian shops are cheaper. If you insist on getting online I see amazon have non-virgin KTC oil at a good price, £6.78 for 6 250ml bottles. If you order over £25 worth of stuff on amazon delivery is free, and you can mix & match say dvds, clothes & coconut oil to reach this total limit.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/KTC-Pure-Coconut-Oil-Pack/dp/B006MVW5BS/ref=sr_1_4?m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1344942383&sr=1-4


This site sells KTC and makes the claim

The chemistry of coconut oil is unique in that it contains medium chain triglycerides which are the building blocks of the body's immune defence and hormones produced by the thyroid gland. These fatty acids are not affected by the refining process. Nutritionally, refined coconut oil is as good for you as the cold pressed oil. Our oil is not hydrogenated at any point in its production and naturally contains less trans- fatty acids than any other vegetable, animal or marine oils.

http://herbsgardenshealth.co.uk/KTC-100-Pure-Coconut-Oil-500ml

rocky

KTC - That's the refined one I use, 3 euro for 500g in asian shops.

Dunnes unrefined is 5 euro I think (4.99)

rubadub

Another bit on the KTC
http://180degreehealth.com/2010/11/refined-coconut-oil

Regarding the KTC coconut oil –
I just got the following email response from them:

"KTC Coconut Oil is 100% pure, refined coconut oil. The oil is not hydrogenated in any way and hexane is not used in the refining process."

Think I'll try it now.

Someone else said they got the same reply off KTC on another site.

That link is also worth a read, it is why the author recommends refined oil over virgin, basically for taste reasons, heat stability, and lack of nausea & diarrhea that some get with virgin. -and price of course.

siochain

rubabud good link, this line is class ' You could drop a nuclear bomb on a jar of coconut fat and it’s going to come out the other side unharmed'.

banquet

I buy extra virgin out of superquinn. It's a 500 ml tub for 6 euro which is quite a reasonable price at 12 per litre as I think oils like sesame and peanut are around 14 euro a litre.

Carraig95

Tipperary animal lover wrote: »

"Extra virgin" coconut oil is just a money racket, use the ordinary coconut oil just read the ingredients on the back. I've been using coconut oil for a few years I buy it in holland & Barrett when they have it, I use it first think in the morning as a mouth wash melt a spoonful in your mouth and swish for up to ten minutes if you can, my teeth and gums are very healthy and teeth are a good colour.
I have a spoonful with breakfast and feel like I've loads of energy from it and seems or help me stop snacking aswell.
I suppose each to there own but I find the ordinary coconut oil(its all about the ingredients) great and the price is ok.

I just heard on the radio that the lads in Athlone IT recommend coconut oil as being great for teeth and gums. Did a bit of research on the net and apparently there is a thing called 'oil pulling' where you swish around a tablespoon of coconut oil for ten minutes and spit out, resulting in healthier gums and especially much whiter teeth. Have you honestly noticed a difference? Definitely gonna give it a shot!

Antisocialiser

Extremely dumb question alert.

How do you get the coconut oil out of the KTC bottle (shaped like a ketchup bottle) when it's a solid?

Tipperary animal lover

Carraig95 wrote: »

I just heard on the radio that the lads in Athlone IT recommend coconut oil as being great for teeth and gums. Did a bit of research on the net and apparently there is a thing called 'oil pulling' where you swish around a tablespoon of coconut oil for ten minutes and spit out, resulting in healthier gums and especially much whiter teeth. Have you honestly noticed a difference? Definitely gonna give it a shot!

Honestly yes ive seen a difference, I do it every morning before I have breakfast between 10/15 mins I used to have bleeding gums but using the oil and flossing it has stopped and my teeth feel really clean.

Orla K

Antisocialiser wrote: »

Extremely dumb question alert.

How do you get the coconut oil out of the KTC bottle (shaped like a ketchup bottle) when it's a solid?

There are no stupid questions, just stupid answers.
Saucepan with hot water put the bottle in and the coconut oil should melt.
It may be a good idea to transfer it to a different container.

King of Kings

Carraig95 wrote: »

I just heard on the radio that the lads in Athlone IT recommend coconut oil as being great for teeth and gums. Did a bit of research on the net and apparently there is a thing called 'oil pulling' where you swish around a tablespoon of coconut oil for ten minutes and spit out, resulting in healthier gums and especially much whiter teeth. Have you honestly noticed a difference? Definitely gonna give it a shot!

indeed - 3 cheers for coconut oil.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19435442

Coconut oil attacks the bacteria behind tooth decay and could be used in dental care products, according to research.

Scientists found that coconut oil which had been treated with enzymes stopped the growth of Streptococcus bacteria - a major cause of tooth decay.

Tooth decay affects 60% to 90% of children in industralised countries.

Speaking at the Society for General Microbiology's conference, the Irish researchers say that coconut oil also attacks the yeast which causes thrush.

The research team from the Athlone Institute of Technology in Ireland tested the impact of coconut oil, vegetable oil and olive oil in their natural states and when treated with enzymes, in a process similar to digestion.

The oils were then tested against Streptococcus bacteria which are common inhabitants of the mouth.

Only the enzyme-modified coconut oil showed an ability to inhibit the growth of most strains of the bacteria.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

It is important that we turn our attention to new ways to combat microbial infection”

Dr Damien Brady Athlone Institute of Technology

It also attacked Streptococcus mutans, an acid-producing bacterium which is a major cause of tooth decay.
Active acids

It is thought that the breaking down of the fatty coconut oil by the enzymes turns it into acids which are active and effective against bacteria.

Previous research found that enzyme-modified milk could stop Streptococcus mutans from binding to tooth enamel.

Researchers now want to look at how coconut oil interacts with Streptococcus bacteria at the molecular level and which other strains of harmful bacteria it can inhibit.

Dr Damien Brady who led the research at the Athlone Institute of Technology with Patricia Hughes, a Masters student, said coconut oil could be an attractive alternative to chemical additives.

"It works at relatively low concentrations.

"Also, with increasing antibiotic resistance, it is important that we turn our attention to new ways to combat microbial infection."

Their studies are also looking into the workings of antibacterial activity in the human gut.

"Our data suggests that products of human digestion show antimicrobial activity. This could have implications for how bacteria colonise the cells lining the digestive tract and for overall gut health," said Dr Brady.

Burkatron

Just to add to this! I started taking Coconut oil off the spoon 2 weeks ago & my eczema has cleared up! I've also been oil pulling & my gums are far stronger then they were! Using Virgin olive oil from Supervalu but I see they have the KTC brand for half the price! I'll be trying that next!!

Gummy Panda

Burkatron wrote: »

Just to add to this! I started taking Coconut oil off the spoon 2 weeks ago & my eczema has cleared up! I've also been oil pulling & my gums are far stronger then they were! Using Virgin olive oil from Supervalu but I see they have the KTC brand for half the price! I'll be trying that next!!

How big a spoon? teaspoon a day?

Zamboni

Orla K wrote: »

Saucepan with hot water put the bottle in and the coconut oil should melt.
It may be a good idea to transfer it to a different container.

This is why I come to boards. That never even crossed my mind. :pac:

Carraig95

Gummy Panda wrote: »

How big a spoon? teaspoon a day?

For incorporating Coconut Oil into my diet I started off taking a tablespoon in the morning with fruit and one after work at 5 before going to the gym. As time has progressed I've knocked it down to a tea spoon at the said times.

The key is to replace as much saturated fats in your normal diet with the saturated fats in coconut oil. If you don't then you'll just be increasing your overall saturated fat intake (even though the saturated fats in Coconut Oil are good fats)

I've started taking a good tea spoon in the morning and one in the evening and doing the oil pulling with it. It's important to spit it out afterwards. Did a good bit of research and seems interesting. Apparently it's an ancient technique from India. And they know their stuff.

Carraig95

Burkatron wrote: »

Just to add to this! I started taking Coconut oil off the spoon 2 weeks ago & my eczema has cleared up! I've also been oil pulling & my gums are far stronger then they were! Using Virgin olive oil from Supervalu but I see they have the KTC brand for half the price! I'll be trying that next!!

That's mental isn't it! I've been taking it 5 months now and have noticed some amountof changes - clearer skin, waaaay more energy, snacking less etc. Gonna try the oil pulling now as well, if I could just get the gums stronger and teeth to whiten up now i'd be flying!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_pulling