Everyone these days wants to lose weight fast. Perhaps it’s those extra pregnancy pounds that just aren’t coming off despite all the nursing in the world. Maybe it’s the midlife spreading waste line. Or maybe you’ve always just been a little bit overweight.
Assuming that you’re already eating a diet of mostly real food (food that’s sustainable, organic, local, and traditionally-prepared) and that you’re not a total couch potato, you may be wondering why the weight isn’t falling off. One of the things you can do to easily drop pounds without radically changing your lifestyle (besides going ultra-low carb and ditching grains altogether) is to eat coconut oil.
In America’s recent past, coconut oil got an undeserved bad name.
Why?
Because it’s high in saturated fats, and they were unjustly demonized. Cutting-edge research has pretty much shredded most of The Lipid Hypothesis — the theory that there is a direct correlation between saturated fat and cholesterol intake in the diet with incidence of coronary heart disease (source). We now know, for example, that most of the studies which showed dietary intake of saturated fats (particularly those using coconut oil) were bad for you were actually proving that trans fats are bad for you.
But unrefined, virgin coconut oil is an excellent and traditional fat and contains no trans-fats whatsoever.
How can Virgin Coconut Oil boost your metabolism and promote weight loss?
A few things:
- It’s high in medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs). A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found patients lost weight when they included MCFA’s in their diet. In fact, when you compare a diet including olive oil or MCFA’s, it was found patients lost more weight using MCFA’s. And a 2018 study showed that medium chain triglycerides increase cellular metabolism.
- It’s high in lauric acid. Lauric acid is an MCFA so it will not only possibly help you lose weight (per the study above), but it’s also documented to have amazing antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal properties. In other words, it fights everything from the common cold to serious lipid-coated viruses such as HIV and herpes!
- It may reduce your food cravings. When you add coconut oil into your diet, you’ll feel more full and eat fewer calories over all. Hey, it worked for rats, so…
Ways to Add Coconut Oil to Your Diet
- Add it to your coffee. By now, adding butter and MCT oil/coconut oil to a morning cup of joe is all the rage. I admit that I’ve even succumbed to the pressure to try it, and persuaded my husband to join me. Each morning he whips together butter, refined coconut oil, gelatin, and coffee with a tiny bit of honey to create a drink fit for gods.
- Cook with it. Some meals taste great cooked in coconut oil. I love frying up bites of sweet potatoes in a half coconut oil, half bacon grease mix. The half and half mix is also perfect for making tasty fried rice. If you don’t like the subtle flavor of coconut cooked into your scrambled eggs, then skip the virgin oil and head straight for the refined stuff (which is quite flavorless, kinda like lard). I go more in depth on how to find a good coconut oil to match your needs and tastes in this post.
For recipes and practical instructions for eating this way (low-carb and high-fat), I highly recommend Bacon & Butter — the Ultimate Ketogenic Diet Cookbook
With this New York Times bestselling book, you’ll begin dropping pounds immediately — and learn how to keep them off for good — by following a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet packed with tasty, wholesome meals that you’ll love.
It’s the simplest way to get started, and at the moment, the printed version of this cookbook is 100% free to Food Renegade readers. You just pay shipping & handling.
How To Get 10% Off Coconut Oil
For a limited time, my friends over at Wilderness Family Naturals are offering every single one of my readers a 10% off store wide discount! Just use coupon code FOODRENEGADE at checkout. New customers even get free shipping.
(Click here to get 10% off sustainably-produced organic coconut oil.)
Interested in the environmental impact of coconut products?
You may want to read more about coconut sugar production.
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Interesting! I didn’t even know coconut oil existed.
I wasn’t able to watch the video (no sound at the moment) – can coconut oil be a substitute for canola/veg oil in cooking?
Is there any other good methods for weight loss with the coconut oil? (like a tablespoon a day or something)
Absolutely. In fact, I would advise you to NEVER again use canola or vege oil. They are far inferior to coconut, evoo, hemp, etc. The omega 3’s in canola become rancid when subjected to the tremendous heat needed to extract the oil, then they are deodorized which turns them into transfats. I agree with Jonny Bowden who says that the hype of canola is from brilliant marketing. The science behind it tells us it is poison. I have never and will never use that oil.
I use extra virgin coconut oil every day to scramble my eggs, saute veggies, even spread it on toast. Gives food a wonderful taste and aroma!
Jon R. M.Ed
Hi, I just found your site and have really been enjoying it. Great tips and content! We love coconut oil. Luckily, my husband works for Barleans Organis Oils. We get coconut oil, flax oil, cod liver oil, flax meal, greens, and other produts all for free! I told him he can never quit because we are all addicted to thier prooducts now and could not afford to buy them. He makes coconut oil french fries and they taste soooo good! If you can’t be so extravagant with your oil try hash browns with a 2-4 tablespoons of c.oil. It makes baked goods delicious also. We use it in our ginger cookies. I also use it to sweeten the kids oatmeal. Good fats and it gives a great flavor and sweetness. Amazing stuff.
Hi, there! I am intrigued by your husband making french fries with coconut oil. My understanding is that it is not a high smoke-point oil, so how do you ‘french-fry’ your potatoes? Also, how can you scramble eggs with coconut oil? My eggs didn’t turn out well…the oil sticks! Thank you.
Patricia-love your ideas! We make fresh popcorn in a whirlypop. What type of oil would be best being that we have to use high heat?
Please share your husbands coconut oil french fries-sounds yummy!
Thanks
@Teresa – Maybe you’ll see this, your post is so recent on such an old thread. I used to work at Wabash Valley Farms, makers of the Whirly Pop Stovetop Popcorn Popper and we ALWAYS recommended using coconut oil in the popper. We used to sell it in the store and if you used any of the flavor packets, coconut oil was one of the reasons you often needed to knead the oil portion to warm it up and liquify it.
Coconut oil is super for high heat applications.
Does coconut oil have a particularly ‘coconuty’ taste? I’d love to start using this for my family, but my husband can’t stand the taste of coconut.
I can not STAND coconut flavored things, but now can’t stand cooking my eggs of *YUM* sweet potatoes without it!!!
Wow very interesting indeed!
Amanda
I’m having trouble visualizing it because I’ve seen it sold in a solid state. Is is liquid or solid? I bought some from a farmer’s market that is from the Philippines and is organic, but solid.
tribal talk
It’s a saturated fat so think of butter, when cold it’s a solid, when warm it can be a liquid.
It’s absolutely wonderful stuff.
We bought coconut oil for the first time last night for an awesome recipe I wanted to try, but my husband is skeptical. Do you know much about how coconut oil is made, or how it has been used in traditional diets?
Thank you for this post. I currently live in Portugal and have Philippino babysitters. They have the oil shipped to them from home and eat a tablespoon everyday to help prevent illnesses. They also use it on their hair and skin. Tropical Traditions ships free to my FPO address – so, I just placed an order. Thank you for reminding me of the benefits of this oil!
But what about all that evil saturated fat!?!?!?! Lol. I love the coconut… one of the resons southeast asians have traditionally been very healthy (this is changing with the advent of teh western diet there). Consuming coconut milk actually fires my metabolism up enough that i can sweat! Lol it is awesome
The SoG
Son of Grok
Semi… your husband wont notice.
Tribal talk… at room temperature it is in a solid state like a gel. Warm it up a little bit and you get delicious oily liquid.
Son of Grok
Excellent post – more people need to read this. Coconut oil tastes wonderful!
Throwback at Trapper Creek
Troy — Yes, you would use coconut oil instead of veggie oil in cooking. Many people do try to take coconut oil as a weight loss supplement instead of just cooking with it. They’ll melt 1 tbsp of coconut oil in a cup of warm water and drink it. Some even build that up to 2 or 4 tbsp per day.
SemiCrunchyMom — The extra virgin coconut oil *will* taste and smell like coconut — particularly to someone who’s sensitive. The more refined oils taste less like coconut, but they also have fewer health benefits. Many have bought the extra virgin for the health benefits, then used it in recipes that “hide” the flavor. Others have simply started introducing it on occasion and building up a tolerance. I’ve never had this problem because I *love* the coconut flavor.
TribalTalk — Coconut oil is solid at temperatures lower than 76 degrees. So, if you’ve got a warm house, it will be liquid in the summer. Otherwise, you’ll need to warm it up before using it like an oil.
Amber — Coconut oil is a traditional oil in all tropical climates, including Latin America and Asia. It’s been made for thousands of years. How it is made depends on the company making it. Of all of the oils I linked to above, the one made using the most traditional method is the Tropical Traditions Gold Label oil. They do the ENTIRE process *by hand* in the Philippines (hence the price). The link I gave you in the post above describes the entire process in great detail.
SoG — Wow. I’ve never had that experience drinking coconut milk. Maybe I would if I had significantly more muscle than I do. (Working on that now thanks to CrossFit.)
Thanks for the article. I went to Nutiva’s website and was very glad to find discounted high-quality, good-tasting coconut oil without having to join a membership (Tropical Traditions).
I have been eating coconut oil for a while, for eating straight out of the jar as well as flavoring other foods (gluten-free pancakes, veggies, smoothies, etc.). I have noticed that when I eat enough good fats (CLO included), my blood circulation is a whole lot better and I am not as cold. I eat it as a snack in between meals so that my blood glucose doesn’t get off-balance and for energy.
I just made some coconut milk ice cream last night – truly divine without any dairy inconveniences (for me!).
Please post the recipe for the coconut milk ice cream!
Thank you for the resources! I must look into
Michelle @ Find Your Balance
Nutiva is great.
We’ve actually switched to Jungle Brand ourselves — http://www.junglepi.com/products/coconut_oil.html Not SUPER pricey, and it tastes great.
I love coconut oil for baking and most sauteeing. It’s fantastic for curries. And I love the flavor that it adds to risottos and stir-fries.
Jungle sells both organic extra-virgin coconut oils and red palm oil (which is another great alternative fat we’ve been using). Great tocopherols in the red palm… and a fantastic nutty flavor.
Super old post here…but WHAT is red palm oil? I’ve seen it in the store and had no clue whether it was a bad or good oil
The only times I don’t use coconut oil are:
Salad dressings – I use olive oil for this. I do not ever heat olive oil, as it turns into trans-fat when heated.
Cookies – Gotta be butter in cookies! There are a few exceptions, but for the most part, I use regular, unsalted butter in cookies.
Deep Fat Frying, some pastries – I use unhydrogenated lard from a farmer I know and trust for deep fat frying potatoes. We have these rarely, but I keep some lard just in case.
I use coconut oil for every other purpose in my kitchen, even “buttering” my toast. My family hasn’t noticed any difference in the flavor or texture of food. I lost weight very, very slowly (2 pounds a month) with absolutely no other changes. I don’t take coconut oil medicinally yet, but I’m considering it.
One note on price comparisons: check the shipping before placing your order. Some sources I researched charge as much for shipping a gallon of coconut oil as they do the oil itself. Other sources offer free shipping on a qualifying size order. It can be confusing, so be sure you are comparing the same quality of oil across the board.
Local Nourishment
How does butter fit into this?
Any reason I should avoid the only coconut oil available in my area? I’m sure it’s not organic. I can’t even remember the name of it, I keep almost buying it when I go to the grocery store.
I live in a remote area, no organic or natural food stores. I am financially limited so I have to be careful what I order online. All that shipping adds up.
Genie
You can use ANY coconut oil for it’s health benefits…even the cheap, non OG, highly processed stuff.
In my experience Tropical Traditions has a lot of sales and special offers and seems
to be willing to work with its customers. Another thought is a gallon tub of their coconut oil lasts forever, so one can cut down on a lot of orders (and a lot of shipping) by buying one large economical size in bulk. I have to disagree that it is a good idea to use anything of less quality, particularly anything “cheap and highly processed”. I am on a budget too, but this is the best deal in my entire house.
I’m curious about hemp oil. I’ve never heard anything about it and no one has commented on it. Any thoughts?
I LOVE coconut oil, before I went Paleo I used it in baked goods. I use to drink it in warm water as well, but the consistency invoked my gag-reflex. Bleah!!
CrossFit by Imperium
Semi-Crunchy Mama,
My husband also hates all things coconut. Coconut oil, however, even if smells of the offending substance, carries no “tropical” after taste.
~Anna
Anna
Genie — I use butter from grass-fed cows all the time. Sooo tasty! As to whether or not to avoid the coconut oil in your local store, I’ll need more info. Some things to watch out for:
1. Is it hydrogenated? If it is, avoid it like the plague.
2. Is it refined? Refined coconut oils are still better for you than the junk oils (corn, soy, canola, veggie), but they don’t confer many of the same health benefits. So, it probably won’t help you lose weight or be good for medicinal uses, but it’s still an improvement.
If the online shipping price intimidates you, try to find at least one other person to order with you. The more you buy, the more you save! I *really* recommend getting good quality oils, as I firmly believe that besides eliminating JUNK the single best thing you can do for your diet is to switch to healthy fats.
Julie — I’m doing research on it right now. Nutiva recently discovered my site and sent me some samples of everything they sell (surprise!), so I’m going through their marketing materials and scouring the internet to see what I can find out about it & how to use it. I’ll be sure to write a post on it when I know more. In the meantime, does anybody else know anything?
I’ve read some things about hemp that made me not get it, but I don’t remember where. I’d appreciate that update you mentioned too.
I don’t like the coconut taste either, but I’m trying to get used to it. I have shredded coconut, and it’s not to bad. I get Lou Anna coconut oil, which I think is probably one of the worst brands, but I like it because it doesn’t have the coconut taste, and because it’s cheap.
Maybe I can work my way up to a more coconutty tasting oil .
But it is great, it fills me up!
Thanks for this article. I didn’t know this about coconut and I avoided the oil.
Fluffy2002
I use coconut oil when I’m frying anything and also in pie shells (half butter, half coconut oil). It adds so much flavor to these foods…I would say that it doesn’t really taste like coconut, but you can tell that there is an added flavor. However, if you were to just taste some directly, it does taste like coconut.
I tried the Wilderness Family Naturals and it was pretty good. I have heard about Tropical Traditions. I think that I may give that one a try and use it in my smoothies. Hopefully, it won’t taste too oily…
Claudine
I use coconut oil and coconut creme from Tropical Traditions. The creme, which is actually 70% coconut oil, still doesn’t melt easily like the straight oil, so I put it in a pan of water and heated it until it was creamy, then mixed it with coconut milk and some brown rice syrup I had. Wow, it made it SO creamy and yummy! Now I can use it in my morning yerbamate or dandyblend or even coffee for a delish flavor! It tastes so good I could eat it off the spoon or use it as a spread. The oil is very, well, OILY! I am always trying new ways to get down the oil/creme for health and weight loss. Would love to get up to three tablespoons a day. I love the taste and smell of coconut, it’s just the OIL part that makes my gag reflex kick into gear! If you add the oil/creme to something COLD it will curdle so if you’re making salad dressings or thinking of adding to a cold smoothie, be warned.
i just got on cocnut oil kick and i love. ive been ingesting and moisturizing with cocnut oil for about 1 1/2 weeks now and immediatly felt a boost. my skin is more clear too. i ve been playing with ways to enjoy this wonder food. i first add a good amount in a plastic pastry bag and snip the bags tip- makes it so easy to measure (i even squeeze a little on my cats treats he loves it, but wont eat it straight). *mix 1-2 tbsp with hot water, unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 tsp xylitol -delicious sweet treat thats so good for you. * mix coconut oil baking soda xylitol and mint drops for an excellent natural toothpaste. * core fresh strawberries and fill middles with coconut oil-* use in any brown rice, cous cous. or any multi-grain pasta, then add steamed or raw veggies soo good.* use to marinade asparagus then grill or broil. i could go on and on- one other thing i use it in my hair which is very dark, lets just say i now love my hair and dont fear white shirts anymore!! i hope my ideas helped a little
I was trying to eat the coconut oil before meals, but I found it started making me feel very funny and sick feeling, etc. I usually ate it in hot water like the Eat Fat, Lose Fat book recommends. Any suggestions?
I did feel full, etc., it was just the usual upset feelings that bothered me. Eating it in food, etc. is fine with my body though.
Great article – thanks for the tips. Just bought Nutiva locally – my Frontier co-op would have been cheaper but still more than Mountain Rose Herbs – will order from them next time if I’m sure I get through that much oil this year. It’s the only thing I use on my skin anymore… Even put it on a mosquito bite the other day! Best result ever!
I don’t question the idea that eating these three oils (hemp, olive, and coconut) instead of corn oil will dramatically improve your health. But your post says, “This is all these ladies did. They switched to good fats, period.”
But the video shows them replacing Doritos, mayonnaise, soda, and other highly-processed foods with salads and kale. Clearly, they went from eating a junk-food laden diet to one that was heavily weighted with fresh produce. Anyone would lose weight with that approach, right? Just as if they ate potatoes fried in coconut butter all day long, they’d probably not lose much at all.
I guess this video struck me as just another infomercial promising weight loss to willing believers. I’d much rather see something that showed the results on their cholesterol levels or energy.
Dana –
I think that’s the point. Doritos, mayonnaise, etc. all contain unhealthy oils. In order to switch to good fats, you’ve got to give up the bad fats. That not only applies to which fats you use to cook, but also to the fats in the foods you buy. It pretty much means that you can’t eat processed crap anymore (at least not most processed foods).
Thanks for this info i have been using MeritVCO..extra virgin cocnut oil from http://www.excelcombine.com it eazily aviable in india…
I have heard so many bad things about coconut oil, and tropical oils in general. But I lived on Maui for over ten years, and my dearest friends were Hawaiian and Phillipino. They all use the oil, and have very healthy lives. The extra virgin stuff seems to be the best, and thanks so much for making people aware of the goodnes that the coconut has. It truly has been maligned.
Veronica
I’ve been using coconut oil for some time now and love it – it adds a nice flavor to all the foods I cook, not to mention it is good for you if you lick the spoon clean after dropping the oil in the pan. 🙂
I was curious after reading your recommendations what brand I had been using so I had to run down and check, I recently finished off a jar of Nutiva but currently am using the “Whole Foods Market” brand since it was on sale. Both I would say are great. I did notice something interesting though, we have another brand in reserve (gotta love those sales) made by “Now Foods” both are cold-pressed unrefined organic coconut oil but the Now Foods brand is liquid at the top third of the jar while the Whole Foods brand is still solid. Do coconut oils have different melting points?
Earth Friendly Goodies
Reading the article and all the replies, I’m sold! Thanks!
.-= Marg
I saw more diet and health info and chemical stuff on coconut oil at
http://www.rainforestcoconutoil.com
Didn’t know that cocnut oil has so many benefits. Although I am still a bit skeptical on how effective it is.
.-= Justin
Dana above makes an excellent point. In order to get weight loss benefits you need to replace “bad” fats w/ “good” fats. I read the study noted above and I think it’s important to recognize that this study used pure Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs… or MCFAs as you call them), not coconut oil. They compared two groups, both with weight reduction diets, giving the control olive oil and the study group the pure MCT. They found a modest –1.67 ± 0.67 kg wt loss over 16 weeks.
Coconut oil has a place in your kitchen, as do good fats such as olive and canola, as long as they are not eaten in excess.
– Sarah, MPH, RD, CNSC
Coconut oil is great with white rice (including bhasmati or jasmine rice), usually I add garlic to make a heart-healthy garlicky white rice. It’s also good with raw cacao, in raw cacao (chocolate) smoothies and raw ice cream.
It can also be used in pastries.
Another oil that most Americans don’t know about is palm oil, which is reddish in color and rich in beta carotene and other wholesome ingredients: this vegetable oil is metabolized into pure energy when consumed, instead of being stored as fat, so it’s a great, energy-efficient oil. But it’s an ‘exotic’ taste that most Americans aren’t used to. I use palm oil when making fish dishes: especially tilapia, also salmon and codfish. It’s great with fish, the flavors combine very well.
Palm oil is used to make Snickers and other chocolate bars, so people do consume it but they don’t know how to cook with it. It’s staple in African cuisine.
I just made my first batch of Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) by blending the fresh coconut meat with the liquid and some water until liquified and then straining and pressing through cheesecloth. I then left the liquid in a cabinet for 18 hours until the oil separated. I refrigerated it to harden the oil and then popped it off. There is some liquid still left and I was wondering how to drain it completely from the oil. It is lovely stuff!
Wow!Thanks for sharing this Maggie. I live in a city that is teeming with coconuts, yet no one produces coconut oil. This is a great idea for making my own!
Great post I have found that eating natural healthy foods works for me, I no longer diet, I actually eat more than before and I have my weight undercontrol for the first time in years. I have coconut oil every second day.
.-= Rose Weight Loss´s last blog post …The Weighing Game =-.
I have changed all my eating habits and have not known about coconut oil before, but after reading these posts and some additional research i see how Coconut oil will be a great addition to my daily routine.
I’ve been using coconut oil for awhile, but I’ve just been using the inexpensive LouAna brand that’s available locally. It says it’s non hydrogenated, but how would I know if it’s refined? All it says is that it’s 100% pure all natural, of course… Any ideas? Oh, they do have a website: louana.com and an 800 number, but I know better than to call and trust anything they would tell me.
I personally know people who have built their health back from Cancer using Lou Ann’s coconut oil. It is refined, bleached and deodorized but it is still saturated fat….which is highly beneficial and protective.
.-= Jenny´s last blog post …Baked Cheesy Potato Shreds =-.
Great to see this information posted online. As a Holistic Nutritionist, I am a saturated fat fan. I have many friends who are on “low fat” kicks or diets. You are providng an easy resource and with solid information to spread to the people! Keep it coming 🙂
I love Tropical Traditions ‘Coconut Cream Concentrate’. Someone mentioned it earlier. I warm up the container, dump the softened result into a glass dish, mix it up so the oil is distributed and then put it into the fridge. After it has cooled I break off chunks and eat it plain. It’s like a mildly sweet crystalline fudge but it’s low sugar. Very filling!
I’m unclear regarding the claims that coconut oil helps with weight loss in an almost magic way by raising the metabolism, etc. It’s filling so it can reduce appetite which means a person might eat less, which is another benefit to diets that contain more protein and fat than the SAD, but I haven’t seen convincing evidence that there’s more to it than that. Can anyone direct me to well designed studies, preferably metabolic ward studies because they are usually more trustworthy, that prove that calorie by calorie it truly does anything to the metabolism, etc. that results in greater weight loss? My understanding is that in order to do rev up the metabolism enough to make a difference in calories burned per hour, the body has to go into a heightened state, like it does during exercise or on amphetamines or during a fever, but of course there are downsides to all of those things. If coconut helps the thyroid when thyroid hormone levels are low, then I can see how it might help in a modest way, but not enough to produce significant weight loss.
.-= Lillea Woodlyns´s last blog post …Buy Quinoa? Where to Find the Best Tasting Brands =-.
Most recently my daughters and I relied heavily on using MERITVCO to soothe and repair the effects of our unfortunate first-of-the-summer sunburns, I observed that by using vco on my sunburn, not only did it heal and moisturize my skin; the peeling seemed less dramatic than in sunburns of the past
I live in Southeast Asia, and there is such an oversupply of fresh local coconut. Not just the bottled oil, canned milk or cream, but the REAL thing. Hack it open with a butchering knife, stick a straw in and drink the “natural Gatorade,” then get a spoon and dig out the smooth ‘meat’…heavenly.
The problem is that the fear of fat, especially all things saturated, is so well-planted here that modern folks avoid coconut. A lot of local desserts are eaten with coconut milk/cream poured on top, but most locals tell the food stall owner to skip the coconut. When people buy the fresh coconut , I see a lot of people drink the ‘cooling’ coconut water and throw out the shell along with the meat…in my head I’m screaming no no NO.
Same with lard…where did the tradition of stir-frying in lard and adding lard to sweet yam paste desserts?
And when I eat out at the local coffee shop for some traditional Kaya Toast, I always tell them to skip the butter because I know modern ‘butter’ here is not the kind from cows but the inferior kind from hydrogenated vegetable oil.
Such a shame.
what is a good brand of coconut milk?
The best that I have found and I use alot..is Native Forest…it is delicious and they don’t use that nasty BPA in the lining of the can. Very important.
Hi what a post. I have never tried cooking with coconut oil but have been using coconut milk on rice and sauces. I use it in stew also and it is good to note about the coconut oil. I will embark on checking cooking with the oil and see how it goes.
Thanks for sharing this here and how many people have responded.
.-= Mineh´s last blog post … =-.
this is funny! I just recently blogged about this very thing! Dr Perricone reccomended it and said he puts in it in his green tea. mmmmmm, I don’t know if that sounds any good. However, I absolutely love it in my herbal coffee with cream. I drink 1/2 caff coffee mixed with Teeccino with coconut oil and real cream. I never gain a pound unless I have something sweet with it. It’s the sugar that gets you, not the fat!
.-= Misty´s last blog post …Affordability of Whole- Organic Foods =-.
Extra Virgin Coconut oil and Palm oil are great and I love using them. For those of you wondering about places to buy them at a very love price, try your local Indian an African stores. I buy my coconut oil from an indian store and it is super cheap (a gallon for less that $6 and I use it for cooking, for my super dry skin, and for my hair) and I buy the palm oil from african stores (the ones that sell art, crafts, clothings, groceries/food, etc from Africa) and again, it is way cheaper than buying this over the net and you are able to see exactly what you are getting. Hope this helps.
If you have an ethnic grocery store around you (especially Asian and African stores), definitely go in and ask about these products. If they do not have it, they may be able to tell you where they get it from.
Thoughtful and interesting, thank you. I was brought up in the philipines but moved to america at such a young age I can hardly remember anything apart from the delicious food. I finally found some authentic Filipino recipes if you want to have a look, I thought I’d share it with you!
I love coconut oil! I originally started eating it daily to help an underactive thyroid (it did!) and it is now a vital part of my high-fat, grain and sugar free diet. I’ve never felt better in my life! I have more energy, have lost over 30 pounds and my skin looks healthier and younger. thanks for the great info!
I jumped on the bandwagon of coconut oil for weight-loss purposes and gained 3 lbs. in 2 days!!!!!!!!! Actually, the scale showed a 2lb. gain from morning weight to evening weight without eating hardly anything! What gives?
I have the same problem as well. Can someone please let me know if they had the same experience? I am hoping that this will change if I keep using it. I have been taking 1 tablespoon a day for 2 weeks and gained 6lbs.
Yes i’ve been using coconut milk as well each day in my coffees and herbal teas and certain foods instead of olive oil. Totally off junk food . This for the last couple months – still waiting to lose the weight too.
It still has 120 cals/tbs.
I am confused about one thing in particular. Many of these posts mention that various oils turn into transfats when heated. Is this true? I first read about canola oil turning rancid out of the bottle, now one post says that olive oil turns into transfats when heated. I don’t know what to think.
Great info. I’m actually eating some right now! It is also great for tanning! The fat inside virgin coconut oil blocks uv rays and is actually the best sun block around! It also keeps skin from aging while sun bathing. I plan to use it A LOT this summer.
Cooking wise, I’ve eaten it on waffles, made popcorn on the stove with it (which works well!) and made kraft mac n cheese. I used a bit to much so it was a little nutty but good! I’m trying to cut out butter all together. I stopped eating canola oil almost a year ago and switched to virgin olive oil.
Is the ‘coconut cream’ people are talking about here, the same thing we call ‘santen’?
Santen comes in blocks and tastes heavily coconutty and sweet, but I don’t think it’s been sweetened.
I used it instead of the heavily sugarred stuff called ‘coco-bread’, slices of coconut-and-sugarsyrup which you can put on bread. My daughter loved it so if it’s the ‘okay’ stuff, I’ll start buying it again 😉
@Briatanica: As a doctor (dermatologist) I must tell you that coconut and/or any components therein DO NOT protect you in ANY WAY from UV sun damage. Regarding its topical use, the best that can be said is it may provide some soothing/moisturization. Please do not risk possible skin cancer–do more research on what comprises an effective sunscreen and limit your daily exposure whenever possible.
I share your passion for coconut, it really does have health benefits. Have you tried a raw paleo diet? This has been my life for a couple of years now and I am in the best health ever. If you fancy check out my new blog http://mypaleodietblog.com where I am starting to tell the wolrd about my experience with raw paleo.
Hi
I have been trying a teaspoon of Virgion Coconut oil three times a day as a weight loss aid, skin looks great – but I have put on weight !! why ?? Anybody else have the same reacion
I live in Cancun Mexico and I have been using Coconit oil for years off and on just for my skin never really drank it or cooked with it tho but I think ima start…..
Do you eat the coconut oil right out of the jar in its solid state or do you warm it up to get your 1-5 tablespoons a day?
I have been able to completely get rid of all my “chemical” moisturizers and anti aging creams (which all women secretly know deep down dont work) and even my sunscreens and conditioners! This oil is a miracle oil! I discovered ita few years back when I recieved the worst blistering sunburn of my life. Within three days or applying this oil to my blistered monster skin I shluffed it all off to reveal pink perfect healthy unscarred skin. Since then I have used it everyday and cook with it as often as possible. It cured my moms chronic cracking of her feet, my dogs bad breath is gone, and I swear my skin actually looks younger. This is not hype! Do your own research, stay away from marketed pricey versions, and just by it from your organic shop and you will change your life forever! Perfect for pregnant and nursing mothers! A must use oil MUST USE. 🙂
Do you lose the healthy benefits and nutrients of the coconut oil when heated? I put it in my tea, but was told to make smoothies and keep it cold to get the full benefits.
Thank You 🙂
I too put on a few pounds from it and my Maltese also had gotten heavier.
I am happy to see this page espousing the benefits of coconut oil. Kerala, a state in southern India uses coconut oil (almost exclusively) for all their cooking needs – frying, sauteeing, baking, etc. They also use freshly grated coconut and coconut milk – yummy! But some people cannot stand the strong taste of coconut in everything so use sparingly.
I also want to add that coconut oil is massaged into the scalp to promote hair growth and also on the skin as a moisturizer in India. It is even use in “oil swishing” to remove toxins from the body. It is a very versatile oil.
ABSOLUTELY! Coconut oil has wonderful properties. I’ve recommended that my patient start giving it to their parents with Alzheimers. I happened to catch this news report:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls6VE3ZagUI
I’ve started adding to my diet everyday and way less brain fog.
Hi, I love the coconut oil and coconut manna (Nutiva), I have a few weeks ago gone over from a very unhealthy diet to every other day fasting (500 kcal) and eating what I like the next, I am using coconut oil, manna, hemp oil, hempseed, chia seed, blue green algae etc. Trying to very happily eat very healthily. First few weeks I lost about 3kg, and now I checked my weight after 10days and it looks like I’m starting to put weight on, and I do not eat as much as I used to, and I have changed my fats, WHY am I putting weight on?? I have read the comments and many people have asked the same question but not gotten any replay. Please if anyone knows what I and the others do wrong please let me/them know. Or does some put weight on with coconut oil and others not??? I would very much like to know because I want to continue with my diet, but I don’t want to put more weight on than I already have (TOO MUCH).
Thank you for the great article.
I hope to get a reply, please.
Many Thanks
I started using coconut oil because I wanted or want to get healthy, I have an autoimmune disease, hypothyroidism. I tried it in my coffee but I don’t like it, I tried it on my bread again the same. I can cook with it okay, I can put it in my soup or hot chocolate etc no problems. After consuming it for more than a week (coconut oil, coconut water and coconut sugar) I DO feel healthier and without focussing on weight loss I have noticeably lost quite a bit of weight around my waist which is fantastic since I was / am overweight due to my slow thyroid.
Wonderful, what a webpage it is! This blog gives valuable information to us, keep it up.
To those interested, last year I stumbled across a website while trying to find a way to lose weight I had put on from poor eating habits that developed after a back injury and all-day headaches. I don’t follow the eating plan really, I just eat the foods recommended and have to say that even without exercising (I’m just pretty active and I try to walk as much as possible)I have lost about 25 lbs. This is not a “diet” per se, as it is just a change in the food choices you make, which include things like getting away from sugar (use Stevia or Xylitol instead), processed foods, most flours, etc. The site tells you why the food choices are better for you and also gives recipes, some of which I have tried with great success and I’m a pretty picky eater. The name is beyonddiet.com and I cannot recommend them highly enough. They have a members area so after you pay the $40 or whatever it is, you are in for life and you can track your weight loss, ask questions from other members, share recipes, etc. etc. Good luck to everyone in their quest to live a healthy and happy life!!
I was wondering what you know about grape seed oil. Is it any good?
I was wondering if Organic Coconut Oil is good for weight loss or does it have to be virgin coconut oil?
An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a co-worker who
was doing a little homework on this. And he in fact bought me
breakfast simply because I stumbled upon it for him…
lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!!
But yeah, thanks for spending the time to discuss this issue here on your web site.
I am a dietetic type 2.. Having troubles with really dry skin n hair. Wonder which would b the best. Ty
I’m 61 years old and have lost 15 pounds in the past six months; by incorporating Coconut Oil in my diet 5’2″ I weighed 140 pounds, Now, 125.
I also do oil-pulling with Coconut Oil. My teeth and guns have never been healthier.
Coconut Oil is a wonder.
Waist not waste….hard to take your advice seriously when you don’t know the difference between trash and the middle of a human
Great info, I am definitely adding coconut oil to my diet.
Thank you!
I want to begin getting the health & weight loss benefits with coconut oil & starting keto way of eating. I read your article on coconut oil, refined vs unrefined etc. I read it as unrefined is better, but the taste of coconut is stronger. Im not a huge fan of coconut. So it seems it would be best for me to buy the refined. More odorless & tasteless sounds good for me. But will the benefits still be good enough, for me? Please advise with your opinion/ suggestions. Thanks! 🙂