Coconut Oil

lauramangano

lauramangano

Cathlete
Okay, I purchased a jar of coconut oil on my SIL's advice. She said that it is a great moisturizer for skin and hair, but my question is: it is good (healthy/clean) to cook with and eat? I have tried to find the answer on the internet, but there are conflicting messages. Some people say that no, coconut oil is a saturated fat and therefore bad, but other articles say that coconut oil has a bad rap because any studies done that prove that it raises bad cholesterol were done with hydrogenated oil, not the unrefined, virgin coconut oil, and that it is actually good for your thyroid function and metabolism.

Anyone out there use this?
 
I don't eat it, but I use it in my hair all of the time. I have dry, brittle, wavy, frizzy hair and the coconut oil gives it a nice shine and some moisture. I've read that it is VERY good for your hair. I also use it on my face.....but I mosty use other shea oils on my face from the place I get my pure coconut oil...

I add a little bit of oil to my hair after blowdrying to calm flyaways and for shine and then once a week, I try to put a lot of oil in my hair and leave it in for a couple of hours and then shampoo it out. You can also use the pure shea oil from the below website and heat it in the microwave for a nice hot oil treatment.

www.sheaterraorganics.com

they have excellent products and decent prices.
 
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Hi Laura - I recently bought my first jar of coconut oil last week to cook with. I had heard bits and pieces about it being a healthy oil (and the benefits of good "primal" fats in general), and saw an article in "Mark's Daily Apple" that made me decide to try it.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/coconut-oil-health-benefits/

So far I've used it for sauteing vegetables and as a spread on toast, which was surprisingly tasty! I like it. :)
 
depends on the coconut oil

I use it in place of butter in my oatmeal. I get the unrefined kind from Spectrum.http://www.spectrumorganics.com/?id=87

It helps me get slim by bringing up my body temperature. My cholesterol seems to be good so I don't really think that you need to worry about the "sat fat." Also, on another note they are finding that not all saturated fats are created equal, the saturated fat in macadamia nuts seems to lower bad cholesterol and brings up the good cholesterol according to Dr. Oz.

It doesn't bake the same as butter because it has a higher water content. I don't like the waxy yellow stuff, go for the white stuff. It does bake ok but you need to add salt because it naturally has no salt in it. Its great for stir frying cause it can tolerate high heat without smoking.
 
lorajeanne said:
I don't eat it, but I use it in my hair all of the time. I have dry, brittle, wavy, frizzy hair and the coconut oil gives it a nice shine and some moisture.
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Is it hard to get all of that oil out of your hair? I remember a mayonnaise conditioning disaster from my teen years. I just couldn't get that stuff out of my hair, and then it smelled awful for days afterward! :eek:
 
You know, I thought it was going to be hard to get out of my hair, but it WASN'T! It came right out and left my hair noticeably softer and less frizzy. I love it on my skin, but even more, I like to eat it plain out of the jar. I know that sounds gross, but it is just so creamy and yummy tasting that I eat about a tablespoon a day!:eek:
 
lauramangano said:
I love it on my skin, but even more, I like to eat it plain out of the jar. I know that sounds gross, but it is just so creamy and yummy tasting that I eat about a tablespoon a day!:eek:
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Laura - I've done that too! NOT gross! :) It goes really, really nicely with almond butter...talk about a dangerous combination to be sitting on the kitchen counter. :eek:
 
I love coconut oil. It tastes great on grapefruit. And it is a great stir fry. I love the coconut flavor.
 
I love coconut oil. I just made a raw vegan strawberry cheesecake that called for coconut oil, and it is delish. I also love all the new coconut products (milk beverage (like for cereal and coffee), yogurt, and ice cream to DIE for).

I also love the Artisana raw coconut butter, which includes whole coconut, not just the oil. So it has more fiber and nutritional density, plus it's super yummy!

Amy
 
buffettgirl said:
What? Does this mean you always have a fever? Am I misunderstanding your statement?
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Robin - I may be able to help here. My body temp always runs very low - around high 95's to low 96's. My trainer told me that you want your body temp as close to 98.6 as possble, which is an indicator of balanced metabolism. I take ionic minerals to try to keep my body temp up, so I'm thinking that's what is meant by this. Could be totally wrong though.
 
L Sass said:
Robin - I may be able to help here. My body temp always runs very low - around high 95's to low 96's. My trainer told me that you want your body temp as close to 98.6 as possble, which is an indicator of balanced metabolism. I take ionic minerals to try to keep my body temp up, so I'm thinking that's what is meant by this. Could be totally wrong though.
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I didn't know this... thanks for that info. I've also heard coconut oil was good for losing weight, but I was always scared of trying it because it's fat and calories.
 
I looked for this coconut oil at the grocery store and could not find it. Where can you find it? Thanks!
 
I got mine at the health food store...they had lots to choose from. I got the virgin, unrefined oil, which is very white. I still am confused about the nutritiousness (is that a word?) of this oil, though. Is it clean? Good for you? Bad? I have found articles that support good and articles that support bad. Which is it, I wonder?
 
I have started "pulling" with coconut oil each morning and using it on my face. A friend told me about someone she met who uses it to rinse her mouth out with (you can google "oil pulling" ) and I thought Why Not! I am not sure if it is really doing any good yet, but my mouth does feel good afterwards :) I used to make my popcorn with coconut oil and it gave it a real nice fresh crunch to it :p
 
L Sass said:
Robin - I may be able to help here. My body temp always runs very low - around high 95's to low 96's. My trainer told me that you want your body temp as close to 98.6 as possble, which is an indicator of balanced metabolism. I take ionic minerals to try to keep my body temp up, so I'm thinking that's what is meant by this. Could be totally wrong though.
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Thanks Lorrie. I guess this kind of makes sense. My temp usually runs a little below normal too. I just find it a little hard to imagine something like coconut oil can actually raise your body temp. I'm no brain surgeon though, so maybe it's possible.
 
I think it's the healthiest oil to cook with, as it does not turn into a transfat when heated.

Many coconut oil labels state that 2-4 Tbsp a day are alright.

I think as with many things, moderation is the key (some people get so into the "X is good for you" thing--especially if "X" is something they like and wish were beneficial, like chocolate, wine or coconut oil--that they overdo).
 
kathryn said:
I think it's the healthiest oil to cook with, as it does not turn into a transfat when heated.
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Kathryn, are you saying that it is stable at high temps? I stir fry a lot and try to use the "right" oil (stable at high heat). I didn't know that coconut oil was good for high-heat cooking.

Always trying to avoid those free radical molecules! :eek: Thanks!
 
buffettgirl said:
What? Does this mean you always have a fever? Am I misunderstanding your statement?
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Not exactly. If you have a lower thyroid your body temperature is a tad low. I do notice I feel warmer if I have had my coconut oil, kind of like I do when doing an inversion in yoga. Or doing intense yoga. Yeah, I'm hot stuff :D
 
My brother swears by using coconut oil. He cooks with it everyday. He had a weight problem and said he has lost weight by using it. He even makes bread with the virgin coconut oil.

He told me to look into it on the internet. I am reading two books that are about Coconut oil. "The Coconut Diet" by Cherie Calbom and "The Coconut Oil Miracle" by Bruce Fife. Very interesting readings. It is said that you could lose weight, prevent heart disease, Diabetes, strengthen the immune system and beautify your skin and hair.

I have mixed feelings about using it. I have used coconut oil on my skin. It does absorb very quickly. If I remember I try to eat a tablespoon with crackers or toast.

I have used it in cooking. The only thing with cooking with it. everythings taste like coconut oil.:p
 
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