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Coconut Oil

3K views 37 replies 12 participants last post by  Photojess 
#1 ·
This is probably my new love. I use it for everything I'd use other oils for. I sautee with it and I use it in place of butter/margarine. Like if I make garlic bread, I put coconut oil on it. Same if I make a vegan grilled cheese.

It's so healthy for you and tastes good! Coconut oil raised HDL and has antimicrobial and antiviral properties. It's has a beneficial impact on HIV viruses! Not saying it cures it but some things I've read show a benefit from people with HIV taking coconut oil. Better viral load and what not.

It can also be used on the skin. My girlfriend rubs it on her skin every night before bed and she says, and she looks, great! She's in her 50's and it makes her skin smell so nice (not that it doesn't anyways).

Anyone else here use it?
 
#2 ·
I used to use it in place of lotion, but I stopped because it got too hard in the winter. I would basically have to put it in a bot of boiling water every time I wanted to use it because it was so solidified. But now that it's warming up, I'll be able to skip that soon, and I'll definitely go back to that. I loved the way my skin felt and smelled when I was using it. I also use it in food, but less frequently.
 
#4 ·
Yes, you can melt it. But, even better, cook your popcorn in it. I have my doubts about the health benefits - it seems like there is some evidence, but it's not quite enough for me to start cooking a lot with coconut oil. However, we got some coconut oil and vegan butter flavored salt (Flavacol) to make movie theater style popcorn at home.
 
#5 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by RunnerVeggie View Post

Yes, you can melt it. But, even better, cook your popcorn in it. I have my doubts about the health benefits - it seems like there is some evidence, but it's not quite enough for me to start cooking a lot with coconut oil. However, we got some coconut oil and vegan butter flavored salt (Flavacol) to make movie theater style popcorn at home.
thanks! i'm gonna give it a shot. and that Flavacol sounds good too.
 
#6 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by PiSis View Post

thanks! i'm gonna give it a shot. and that Flavacol sounds good too.
Flavacol is what they use at Marcus theaters. You might be able to order some online, or at a concessions or restaurant supply store. You have to buy a pretty large container (around 1 qt), but it's not too expensive.

Flavacol has no health benefits, as far as I know.
 
#7 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by RunnerVeggie View Post

Flavacol is what they use at Marcus theaters. You might be able to order some online, or at a concessions or restaurant supply store. You have to buy a pretty large container (around 1 qt), but it's not too expensive.

Flavacol has no health benefits, as far as I know.
thanks again! cuz i'm going shopping tomorrow and was going to look for it.
 
#9 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by RunnerVeggie View Post

Yes, you can melt it. But, even better, cook your popcorn in it. I have my doubts about the health benefits - it seems like there is some evidence, but it's not quite enough for me to start cooking a lot with coconut oil. However, we got some coconut oil and vegan butter flavored salt (Flavacol) to make movie theater style popcorn at home.
What are you doubtful about? Evidence points that it raises HDL. Also, you're doubting the health benefits of coconut oil and using Flavocol which contains Salt, artificial butter flavor, FD&C yellow #5, FD&C yellow #6??? Odd...at least coconut oil is a real food.
 
#10 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doktormartini View Post

What are you doubtful about? Evidence points that it raises HDL. Also, you're doubting the health benefits of coconut oil and using Flavocol which contains Salt, artificial butter flavor, FD&C yellow #5, FD&C yellow #6??? Odd...at least coconut oil is a real food.
Why does this seem strange to you? It's not contradictory in the slightest. Flavacol tastes good - I even said weren't any health benefits. I started using coconut oil for popcorn because of the flavor as well.

I'm just not ready to jump on the coconut oil bandwagon yet - there seems to be some evidence that it is beneficial, but I'm not going to start consuming it in place of other oils like canola and olive oil until there are more studies.
 
#11 ·
Understandable. I just posted that because that ingredient list is gross and it shouldn't be considered a food lol. I still used other oils but just use coconut oil the most. I love olive oil as well.
 
#12 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doktormartini View Post

Understandable. I just posted that because that ingredient list is gross and it shouldn't be considered a food lol. I still used other oils but just use coconut oil the most. I love olive oil as well.
Yeah, it's not really a food. It's just salt with some color and flavor -- you use a pretty small amount of it. At least it doesn't have animals in it.
 
#13 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by RunnerVeggie View Post

Yeah, it's not really a food. It's just salt with some color and flavor -- you use a pretty small amount of it. At least it doesn't have animals in it.
Yeah
You could also put salt and nutritional yeast on popcorn.
 
#14 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Digger View Post

I love coconut oil. I use the Nutiva brand. I'm hoping it gives my HDL a boost and helps get my triglycerides down.

Glad to see there are others here who aren't terrified of fat!
I wouldn't call it terrified. I was an obese diabetic once, and I was unable to reverse this til I stopped adding extracted fat to my diet. There really is more than enough fat in a whole foods diet to keep people healthy, and there is nothing magical about any extracted fat that should make people add it to their diet if they are not already fat addicted. If a person absolutely must add extracted fats to their foods, there are better and worse choices, but coconut oil isn't a superfood that is going to cure anything, and people are still better off without it than with it.
 
#15 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doktormartini View Post

It can also be used on the skin. My girlfriend rubs it on her skin every night before bed and she says, and she looks, great! She's in her 50's and it makes her skin smell so nice (not that it doesn't anyways).
Wait, your girlfriend is in her 50's?
 
#16 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by *AHIMSA* View Post

Wait, your girlfriend is in her 50's?
I made a thread about it AWHILE ago in the relationship forum.
 
#17 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by SomebodyElse View Post

I wouldn't call it terrified. I was an obese diabetic once, and I was unable to reverse this til I stopped adding extracted fat to my diet. There really is more than enough fat in a whole foods diet to keep people healthy, and there is nothing magical about any extracted fat that should make people add it to their diet if they are not already fat addicted. If a person absolutely must add extracted fats to their foods, there are better and worse choices, but coconut oil isn't a superfood that is going to cure anything, and people are still better off without it than with it.
It's not a CURE ALL but it has been shown to help raise HDL levels so you can incorporate into your diet and be healthy. Like use it for suateeing every once in awhile in place of olive oil (or other oils) and use it in place of butter/earth balance...etc
 
#18 ·
According to Dr Esselstyne, and I have his book here in front of me, it's a superficial raising of HDL....it still isn't doing anything heart healthy for you. "Monkey's consuming monounsaturated fats did have higher levels of HDL cholesterol, and lower LDL, but autopsies showed that they had deveolped just as much coronary disease as those fed saturated fat". The study was replicated on rodents also....(not his own studies)(from the journal article Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and VAscular Biology, Dec 1995, along with another long titled citation)
 
#19 ·
I use coconut oil as a moisturiser and it's pretty good, although nothing fantastic, and like other oils it is very greasy. I did eat some for two weeks, to see if it would help my skin, but sadly it did not have any noticeable effect, and it was like eating wax.
If you live in a cold environment during the winter months, simply use a knife to cut out some of the solidified oil, and rub on your skln, the heat of your body will melt the oil quickly.

Should we believe the findings of cruel vivisection, Photojess?
Don't you have any far more relevant human studies to share on this subject?
 
#20 ·
well, I said they weren't his studies.....it's a saturated fat, and if you read the whole book, you'd see how damaging even olive oil is.....technically, we could equate being bombarded by the oil industry as much as the dairy industry...that milk (or oil) is good for you....I have a hard time believing that eating a solid, saturated fat like coconut oil is good for you internally, although I have some in my cupboard because I jumped on the bandwagon like everyone else did. Don't forget, they are all out to make money on their product, which is "the best for your health". I could possibly see some external benefits maybe, but like you said, it's greasy.

He has a whole chapter on why the Mediterranean diet really is unhealthy, compared to a whole grain, fruits, veggies, and legume diet, with no added oils. When that study comparing a typical Mediterranean diet to a standard Western diet, was done in the 90's, the participants fared far better than the control group, so they summized that the Med diet must be healthier...but when you look at the outcomes down the road, those people on the Med diet were still experiencing cardiovascular events.
 
#21 ·
But saturated fats aren't bad for you. That study you linked to is from 1995 so it's a little outdated. Modern research and a review of much of the research show that saturated fat isn't really linked to heart disease.
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA40091...rated-Fat.html
 
#23 ·
I have already relayed this info to runnerveg, i guess facts fail to convince some, here is the run down of why coconut oil is healthy:

Yes coconut oil has saturated fats, however these sat fats are very different than sat fats from animal sources. Saturated animal fats are made of long chain fatty acids, where as saturated plant fats are made of medium chain fatty acids. This makes these 2 kinds of fats VERY different.
This details the health benefits of MCFA's: http://www.nutritionreview.org/library/mcts.php
Lauric acid is another component of coconut oil that boosts its health benefits: http://www.lauric.org/index.html

And here is a list of peer-reviewed studies about coconut oil, lauric acid and MCFA's: http://www.coconutoil.com/peer_reviewed.htm

Coconut oil is great. I use it in all of my baking, it is a great replacement for butter. I also use coconut oil exclusively for my work (massage therapy) as it is great for skin, not too greasy feeling like jojoba oil, and doesn't stain sheets/clothes/carpet! I moisturize the ends of my hair with coconut oil when it gets dried out from weather and swimming. Coconut oil also makes a great lube (if ya know what I mean....)
 
#24 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doktormartini View Post

But saturated fats aren't bad for you. That study you linked to is from 1995 so it's a little outdated. Modern research and a review of much of the research show that saturated fat isn't really linked to heart disease.
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA40091...rated-Fat.html
You seem to be under the impression that the food manufacturing industry cares about your health. It cares about one thing. Profit. Modern "research" convinces you to purchase its products because it knows how to tell you what you already want to believe about the stuff you like to eat. I don't really care if other people want to chug gallons of plant fats, but "modern research" also told us at one time that cigarette smoking was very healthy, and that smokers enjoyed health benefits not available to those who didn't smoke.

You can get all the "heart healthy" plant fats you need from a whole foods diet, in the macronutrient proportions that are optimal for human health. Suggesting that it is not necessary to coat foods with added oils isn't the same thing as advocating a fat free diet. There is no such thing, unless a person is eating nothing but sugar sweetened protein powder. But if you are going over 15% of your calories from fat, that dietary fat is doing a whole lot more at the cellular level that is detrimental to overall health than just providing added calories.

Go ahead and eat extra fat if you want. Just understand that it is not necessary or healthful, and please do not try to frighten people into thinking they will suffer from deficiencies if they don't pour fat all over their foods. That's just food manufacturing industry propaganda. The soybean oil lobby nearly wiped out the coconut oil industry, and now they are fighting to get their share of the market back. That's what motivates your "modern research".
 
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