[bigrosiegreenbaum]

Hi all,

I've notice on a lot of forum members' 'signatures' that a lot of you take 3 tsp - or tbsp? - of coconut oil per day. I'm wondering what benefit this has been to you and how you take it. Orally, by the spoonful, or do you put it directly into your food? Also, does it have a taste to it - like, duh, coconut?

 

[Rad Warrier]

Hi all,

I've notice on a lot of forum members' 'signatures' that a lot of you take 3 tsp - or tbsp? - of coconut oil per day. I'm wondering what benefit this has been to you and how you take it. Orally, by the spoonful, or do you put it directly into your food? Also, does it have a taste to it - like, duh, coconut?

Well, my signature does not say anything about my coconut oil consumption, but coconut oil is in my genes, figuratively speaking of course :smile:. My forefathers, as far back as collective memory goes, have all been liberal consumers of coconut oil. How did they consume coconut oil? In the curries that formed a major part of their everyday food, and which continue to be a major part of our everyday food too. In other words, coconut oil is our primary cooking oil and had been that of my ancestors from time immemorial. Besides oral consumption, we apply it externally on the hair, and on the skin just before our daily bath. Not just the oil, but the nut too in various forms constitutes a major ingredient of our normal diet.

How much coconut oil do I consume per day? Self and wife finish off approximately a liter (1000 ml = approx 200 teaspoons) of the oil a month. Which means that I consume a little over three tea spoons per day. How does coconut oil taste? Since it is "in my genes" the very scent of it is an appetizer for me. The aroma of a curry just cooked in coconut oil is wafting from the kitchen. Off I go to my supper ...

Regards,
Rad

 

[Darbro]

This thread is old now, but I had a question about coconut oil too. Does anyone know the basis for the 3 tablespoon per day limit? I think it even indicated that on my jar of Nutiva ("enjoy up to 3 tbl...").

What happens if you eat 4 table spoons per day

 

[smorgan]

This thread is old now, but I had a question about coconut oil too. Does anyone know the basis for the 3 tablespoon per day limit? I think it even indicated that on my jar of Nutiva ("enjoy up to 3 tbl...").

What happens if you eat 4 table spoons per day

My guess is that it is nothing but fear of frivolous lawsuits. I dont personally usually eat more than that but sometimes I do and I don't see any reason why not. You might get too much energy and not be able to sleep at night, however.

 

[marshagolightly]

I was wondering why you take it? Is it a benefit to diabetics or just overall health?

 

[Patdart]

When you go low carb, in a bit your body learns to use fat rather than carbs for energy, so you burn fat. Many of us use it daily.

 

[marshagolightly]

Thank you!

 

[smorgan]

Google MCT or medium-chain triglycerides for another answer. Truly amazing nutrients found few other places other than coconut oil. Although a "fat", they are metabolized via a completely different pathway than all other fats - in fact differently from all other foods.

They are more prone to quickly producing ketones which is a big help for those trying to maintain ketosis. They are in fact a quick energy source, reaching the cells much more quickly than any other fat and just about as fast as glucose - without the obvious downside for diabetics.

Bodybuilders discovered the wonders of MCTs long ago but in typical western arrogance weren't content to just eat beautiful, natural coconut oil but felt compelled to remove other wonderful nutrients in the oil and isolate the MCTs which you can see for sale as "MCT Oil".

My favorite is what they now call "virgin" coconut oil which simply means it was pressed from fresh coconuts without any chemicals being used. You can also buy "refined" CO where the coconut meat was dried for storage or transport and subsequently re-hydrated (hot water) and pressed then usually "refined" until there is no more coconut smell or taste. I find the tasteless one disgusting but if someone dislikes real coconut smell/taste it might work for them. My understanding is the nutritionally they are identical (barring any ugly chemicals used in the refining process).

You have to be careful with refined ones (especially if there is a picture of hair on the bottle), because some processors use unpleasant chemicals in the process. I stick to the virgin one because I absolutely love the taste and smell.

 

[mbuster]

[QUOTE="smorgan"/]
Bodybuilders discovered the wonders of MCTs long ago but in typical western arrogance weren't content to just eat beautiful, natural coconut oil but felt compelled to remove other wonderful nutrients in the oil and isolate the MCTs which you can see for sale as "MCT Oil".[/QUOTE]
Can we credit typical western arrogance for not being satisfied just eating the coconut and being compelled to isolate the oil?

 

[smorgan]

I wouldn't but I guess you could if you want.

Green coconut meat and water,
ripe coconut meat,
coconut milk (simply squeezed from the meat), and
coconut oil (floats to the top of the coconut milk just like cream on milk)

Are all very different foods which serve different purposes. No chemistry set required, they have all been eaten for millenia. When they obsessed with JUST MCTs (they are beautiful, I can empathize) it was kind of dumb to remove lots of other fantastic components of the natural product, IMO.

Can we credit typical western arrogance for not being satisfied just eating the coconut and being compelled to isolate the oil?

 

[mbuster]

Could more coconut oil be included in the diet to offset fats from dairy or meats? Should sources of fat be ratio'd, as are fats, proteins, and carbs in one's diet?

 

[douglasjones56]

Where's the best place to get virgin coconut oil without paying a fortune.

Doug

 

[MCS]

I get the two kinds, both from Wally World. The Spectrum Virgin processed, which is devoid of any coconut flavor, odor, taste. I use this for my coffee, baking, light frying. I also get LouAnn coconut oil there, again completely devoid of coconut flavor or taste. I hate coconut. I use this one, its cheaper to deep fry in. Wally World has got the best price that I have found. They recently went up from $5.68 to $6.29, but still cheaper than anywhere else.

 

[GretchenRS]

douglas I get mine from Vitacost when they have it on sale. I buy the 54 oz jar for about $24.00. None of the health food stores nor pharmacies in my area stock it. I have also seen good prices at Amazon. But Vitacost will ship for free if your order is over $49.00.

I have seen some Diabetic books that just lump coconut oil in the saturated fats category to be avoided. Obviously the authors were totally unaware of all the fantastic benefits that derive from using coconut oil. Among those benefits is that it helps to regulate blood sugar. It supplies energy to the cells without adding stress to the pancreas. It enhances insulin secretion. Coconut oil raises metabolic rate and thus helps to promote weight loss. These are just the benefits for diabetics. There are many other healthful benefits of coconut oil.

I primarily use it for cooking, or as a spread on whole grain toast. It has a wonderful taste and aroma.

Gretchen

 

[douglasjones56]

What is the difference between the CO at Wally World and Vitacost, besides the price being extremely different?

 

[MCS]

What is the difference between the CO at Wally World and Vitacost, besides the price being extremely different?

There are a multitude of brands out there so it would depend if you are comparing apples to apples.

 

[GretchenRS]

Well when I checked it wasn't available at my WalMart. But I am sure the costs MCS is quoting you are for the 1 lb jars, whereas the jar I get from Vitacost is 4.5 pounds. And it is virgin coconut oil, very high quality. Most places I checked were charging around $8 - $9 per pound so the WalMart price is pretty good. The only place I found that carried it locally was about $13 a pound, unacceptably overpriced.
Gretchen

 

[stewchi]

The LouAnn is a very large jar probably around 32 oz or more. The smaller 1lb jars maybe 10oz or so I can find at whole food, earth fare, publics even wallmart are in glass jars and have a cocnut flavor. I fry in the LouAnn, I use the more expensive version when making chocolate or sweet things that I don't mind the cococnut flavor. I also have coconut spread which is the oil and the meat all mashed up into a very thick almost chaucky spread, it has a strong co**** flavor, which I can put in drinks or add to sweet things to eat. I happen to love the flavor of cocnut.

 

[smorgan]

What is the difference between the CO at Wally World and Vitacost, besides the price being extremely different?

There are basically two kinds of CO. Most manufactured CO is make from kopra (dried coconut meat) which is then re-hydrated and squeezed to get the oil out. This process can be clean using only hot water but sometimes not so much and other not so nice chemicals might be involved.

This first category can then be divided into two (aside from the chemical-free vs. not) which is deodorized or not. The deodorized has no smell (or, I'm assuming taste) whatsoever. The "not" still smells and tastes like coconut similar to the "virgin".

The second category is the one squeezed from fresh coconut meat as soon as the nut is broken open. Recently, this one has come to be called "virgin" or "extra virgin". If you like the taste/smell of coconut, this one is fantastic. It has a very fresh and wonderful taste and smell of fresh coconut. It tends to be substantially more expensive.

In areas where coconut oil is used traditionally, the factory-made type would be the one on the store shelf while the fresh-made would be made in homes or in small village factories. There are some like that in Kenya where customers can drop off their coconuts and then come back in a couple of days for their freshly made oil.

I believe they are nutritionally identical, so other than watching out for possible chemical contamination in the factory varieties, it all boils down to a matter of individual taste. I much prefer the "extra virgin" (get it from VitaCost) and I'm willing to pay a little extra for it.