[Rad Warrier]

The coconut has been a popular subject of many posts in diabetes related e-forums recently. Some posts, it would appear, raise its oil to the level of a miracle food that can do many wonderful things including keeping blood sugar levels within safe limits. Miracle mongering appears to be an entrenched trait of a majority of us human beings. But is coconut the miracle food it is portrayed to be?

Coconut is a favorite food for mine and I relish it in the many different forms we consume it. Since as long back as I can remember, coconut has been a very significant part of my daily diet. We consume it everyday in its various forms -- its grated meat, its meat ground into a paste form, and of course the oil pressed from its dried meat are all integral parts of the various curries we make in my tiny home state of Kerala in India. Everyday, when the coconut is broken, we as children would collect and eagerly drink the cool, sweet water inside it. And the milk obtained by pressing fresh grated meat of the coconut is a favourite ingredient in some curries and many sweet desserts. Before coming to Canada, we obtained enough coconuts from our own backyard for all the above purposes. After coming to Canada, we buy the oil and grated meat from stores here.

The coconut has been an important part of the daily diet not just for us, but also for my ancestors going back to time immemorial. Has the coconut, including its oil, been of help in diabetes control in anyway? Frankly, I do not know. I know that some of my immediate ancestors were diabetic. So were my late dad and late eldest sister. So are my older brother and another older sister. So are some of the nieces and nephews. And most important, so am I. We ended up as diabetics in spite of heavy use of coconut in our daily diet.

So, did the coconut help us with our diabetes? Perhaps it did. My dad and siblings could keep their BGs within safe limits in spite of eating a relatively high carb diet all their lives. I keep by BG well in the safe range even after continuing to eat all the things I used to eat before my diabetes diagnosis which are all high carb. Perhaps it is here that coconut really helped us all and is continuing to help us -- we are able to eat (of course in moderation) all the things we like in spite of our diabetes and still keep our BG levels safe. Just a thought.

Regards,
Rad

 

[jwags]

I was never a big coconut eater. When I added Coconut Oil, Coconut Milk and unsweet coconut to my meals my bgs did begin to lower. I do think it is a healthy type of fat and has benefitted me alot. If someone is experiencing higher bgs they should give it a try. Now, it doesn't allow me to eat higher carb but does prevent a lot of those high spikes I used to get.

 

[ConnieB525]

Sounds like I need to add more coconut to my diet!

 

[Strawberry]

Sorry if this question seems silly......but how do you add coconut oil to your diet? Do you add it to a salad or cook with it or both? Thanks for your patience.

 

[Shanny]

I fry things in it, I spread it on WASA rye crackers - actually I use it about like I do butter. I also add some to my coffee sometimes.

 

[jwags]

Like Shanny I fry all my veggies and meats and eggs in CO. I use it instead of butter or oil in my cookies, muffins and desserts. You also get the same benefit from canned coconut milk. I add that when I make my soups. Last night I made sweet potato bisque with sausage and coconut milk. My before bed reading was 80. I also spread it on crackers or mix it with almond butter. The best use of it is to make your own chocolate bars. Melt about 1/3 cup CO, mix in a few tablespoons of dark cocoa and some artificial sweetner. I also like to add peanut butter and nuts. When all mixed together pour into a plastic container like Glad and pop in freezer. It sets up very fast. Take out and break into pieces. I store mine in the fridge so it doesn't melt.

 

[Rad Warrier]

Like Shanny I fry all my veggies and meats and eggs in CO. I use it instead of butter or oil in my cookies, muffins and desserts. You also get the same benefit from canned coconut milk. I add that when I make my soups. Last night I made sweet potato bisque with sausage and coconut milk. My before bed reading was 80. I also spread it on crackers or mix it with almond butter. The best use of it is to make your own chocolate bars. Melt about 1/3 cup CO, mix in a few tablespoons of dark cocoa and some artificial sweetner. I also like to add peanut butter and nuts. When all mixed together pour into a plastic container like Glad and pop in freezer. It sets up very fast. Take out and break into pieces. I store mine in the fridge so it doesn't melt.

Thanks Jeanne, the chocolate is an innovative use of coconut oil. I will show this to my wife and hopefully she will make it. We we will have to buy dark cocoa -- does it come as a powder?

Regards,
Rad

 

[moon]

There might be a better one, but I use the powdered unsweetened Ghirardelli that comes in a can.

I made this within a day of seeing a post of Jeanne's about it and ... oh la la! I put plenty of peanut butter in it and store the broken chunks in a bag in the freezer cuz they taste as close to Reese's frozen cups as I thought I'd ever be able to get.

I wish never to run out of this freezer treat!

 

[Carvar]

Hi Rad,
Thanks for highlighting the importance of coconut with everyone.
I will increase the amount of coconut in my mom's diet, she is diabetic.

 

[lia]

Miracle mongering appears to be an entrenched trait of a majority of us human beings. But is coconut the miracle food it is portrayed to be?

Actually I've wondered about this too. While checking into the claims I was surprised to find that it used to be common in the US until the stats on trans fats prompted manufacturers to quit using it.

It could be that it is different from the other trans fats and doesn't have the same negative health effects, but I haven't read that anywhere. In fact I'm a bit suspicious about all the high fat recommendations around here and am not going to get into that myself, at least until I understand more.

 

[Patdart]

What I've read says it is a pretty harmless fat and really good for high heat cookery, but good eaten from a spoon even. It's a mid-grade fat and much healthier for us than those trans-fats we've been sold for years. I'm not scared of it at all...and I've got to try the chocolate/coconut recipe when I crave chocolate again...after my 3 year old bar is finished!

 

[Shanny]

Coconut oil is NOT and never was a trans fat. It is a medium chain triglyceride, and as such, is metabolized by a different healthier biochemical pathway than long chain triglycerides (most other oils).

The 'high fat recommendations' around here is never recommended for its own sake - this is a component of the low-carb way-of-eating. High-carb/low-fat has failed dismally to fulfill the claims made for it . . . low-carb/high-fat actually does what it promises - reduce both blood sugars & weight. And this isn't hearsay - the people on this board aren't following the latest diet guru - they're testing (and testing and testing!) and finding their own individualized meal plans which undergird good solid diabetes control.

 

[lia]

Oops, guess I goofed. I got that info from a website, but can't remember what I was searching for. I did another search for why we stopped using it in the 30s and 40s, and it seems like it pressure from farmers who wanted to use vegetable oils instead of importing oil.

But while I was poking around, another little concern surfaced. In the food count for coconut oil, 1 tbsp has 13.6 g of fat, and 11.7 of them are saturated.

Coconut Oil, for Candy Coatings, Oil Sprays, Roasting Nuts - Food Calorie Counter

Not that I'm an expert about it at all, but aren't the saturated fats supposed to be bad for you? Is coconut oil an exception to that?

 

[fgummett]

...aren't the saturated fats supposed to be bad for you? ...

That may be what we have been led to believe for the last few decades but there never was any evidence to back up that idea...
Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease

Conclusions: A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD. More data are needed to elucidate whether CVD risks are likely to be influenced by the specific nutrients used to replace saturated fat.

Notably one of the co-authors of this analysis is one of the world's most prestigious epidemiologists, Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology, in Harvard's School of Public Health.

 

[fgummett]

CSPI scared movie theaters into giving up coconut oil -- a perfectly natural, health-promoting fat.

 

[fgummett]

:hippie:

 

[Madea]

Anybody that is using CO.....Do you see any fluctuation in your Cholesterol levels? I wouldn't think there would be, but I'm just curious is all. I am still new to all of this.

Thanx for your help! <3

 

[foxl]

So far, the only thing that budges my lipids AT ALL is my thyroid status.

I can hardly tell any difference from a max dose of statin ... crazy, huh?

I have heard it can take some time on a low-carb diet, though, only been 2 yrs ... maybe one since starting CO, so who knows?

 

[Patdart]

How does thyroid budge your lipids? I'm taking it, but no clue as to what role it might play. Does it raise it or lower it?

 

[foxl]

Hyperthyroid state lowers ALL lipid values; hypothyroid increases them.

As my internist says, "It's ALL related!"