Coconut oil and saturated fats...

rocky

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Interesting....I've loads of recipes that recommend using coconut oil instead of regular oil.

You mean virgin as opposed to regular coconut oil?

TommyKnocker wrote: »

@Rocky: I believe you are incorrect.

Coconut Oil has a much higher smoke point and is therefore more suitable for cooking with. You should always choose extra virgin oils over processed oils, as processed oils are more likely to be hydrogenated and therefore have more trans fats (Bad).

rubadub has pointed out not all refined coconut oil contains trans fats.

That and I don't like all my fried food to taste of coconut.

Inspector Coptoor

I've started using it to scramble my eggs, cooks chicken breasts cut into strips & even to cook my steaks.
Great stuff, even if a bit expensive.

Locust

I stir a teaspoon of coconut oil into my coffee in the morning, aka bulletproof coffee -it's unbelievable! Lovely taste ( a bit oily on the surface although get used to it). Loads of energy to see me to lunchtime and all good fats. Fat gets such a rap these days - fats are ... well... misunderstood

Locust

The lads mentioned this already but coconut oil has a really high burning point, your other oils like olive oil and virgin etc will burn quickly in the frying pan and have impurities after a few minutes of cooking whereas the magic coconut oil of which you all speak For some reason will hold its own for a longtime before it starts to burn, another reason its healthier - or so a wise man once told me. Coconut and macadamia nut oil are supposed to be best in this regard. Although macadamia nut oil is a bitch to find and is more expensive

Antisocialiser

rocky wrote: »

Noticed the price, a bit expensive at 4£ for 200g jar

Is there anywhere online that coconut oil can be gotten cheaper?

rubadub

Antisocialiser wrote: »

Is there anywhere online that coconut oil can be gotten cheaper?

Dunnes, supervalu & asian shops are cheaper. If you insist on getting online I see amazon have non-virgin KTC oil at a good price, £6.78 for 6 250ml bottles. If you order over £25 worth of stuff on amazon delivery is free, and you can mix & match say dvds, clothes & coconut oil to reach this total limit.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/KTC-Pure-Coconut-Oil-Pack/dp/B006MVW5BS/ref=sr_1_4?m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1344942383&sr=1-4


This site sells KTC and makes the claim

The chemistry of coconut oil is unique in that it contains medium chain triglycerides which are the building blocks of the body's immune defence and hormones produced by the thyroid gland. These fatty acids are not affected by the refining process. Nutritionally, refined coconut oil is as good for you as the cold pressed oil. Our oil is not hydrogenated at any point in its production and naturally contains less trans- fatty acids than any other vegetable, animal or marine oils.

http://herbsgardenshealth.co.uk/KTC-100-Pure-Coconut-Oil-500ml

rocky

KTC - That's the refined one I use, 3 euro for 500g in asian shops.

Dunnes unrefined is 5 euro I think (4.99)

rubadub

Another bit on the KTC
http://180degreehealth.com/2010/11/refined-coconut-oil

Regarding the KTC coconut oil –
I just got the following email response from them:

"KTC Coconut Oil is 100% pure, refined coconut oil. The oil is not hydrogenated in any way and hexane is not used in the refining process."

Think I'll try it now.

Someone else said they got the same reply off KTC on another site.

That link is also worth a read, it is why the author recommends refined oil over virgin, basically for taste reasons, heat stability, and lack of nausea & diarrhea that some get with virgin. -and price of course.

siochain

rubabud good link, this line is class ' You could drop a nuclear bomb on a jar of coconut fat and it’s going to come out the other side unharmed'.

banquet

I buy extra virgin out of superquinn. It's a 500 ml tub for 6 euro which is quite a reasonable price at 12 per litre as I think oils like sesame and peanut are around 14 euro a litre.

Carraig95

Tipperary animal lover wrote: »

"Extra virgin" coconut oil is just a money racket, use the ordinary coconut oil just read the ingredients on the back. I've been using coconut oil for a few years I buy it in holland & Barrett when they have it, I use it first think in the morning as a mouth wash melt a spoonful in your mouth and swish for up to ten minutes if you can, my teeth and gums are very healthy and teeth are a good colour.
I have a spoonful with breakfast and feel like I've loads of energy from it and seems or help me stop snacking aswell.
I suppose each to there own but I find the ordinary coconut oil(its all about the ingredients) great and the price is ok.

I just heard on the radio that the lads in Athlone IT recommend coconut oil as being great for teeth and gums. Did a bit of research on the net and apparently there is a thing called 'oil pulling' where you swish around a tablespoon of coconut oil for ten minutes and spit out, resulting in healthier gums and especially much whiter teeth. Have you honestly noticed a difference? Definitely gonna give it a shot!

Antisocialiser

Extremely dumb question alert.

How do you get the coconut oil out of the KTC bottle (shaped like a ketchup bottle) when it's a solid?

Tipperary animal lover

Carraig95 wrote: »

I just heard on the radio that the lads in Athlone IT recommend coconut oil as being great for teeth and gums. Did a bit of research on the net and apparently there is a thing called 'oil pulling' where you swish around a tablespoon of coconut oil for ten minutes and spit out, resulting in healthier gums and especially much whiter teeth. Have you honestly noticed a difference? Definitely gonna give it a shot!

Honestly yes ive seen a difference, I do it every morning before I have breakfast between 10/15 mins I used to have bleeding gums but using the oil and flossing it has stopped and my teeth feel really clean.

Orla K

Antisocialiser wrote: »

Extremely dumb question alert.

How do you get the coconut oil out of the KTC bottle (shaped like a ketchup bottle) when it's a solid?

There are no stupid questions, just stupid answers.
Saucepan with hot water put the bottle in and the coconut oil should melt.
It may be a good idea to transfer it to a different container.

King of Kings

Carraig95 wrote: »

I just heard on the radio that the lads in Athlone IT recommend coconut oil as being great for teeth and gums. Did a bit of research on the net and apparently there is a thing called 'oil pulling' where you swish around a tablespoon of coconut oil for ten minutes and spit out, resulting in healthier gums and especially much whiter teeth. Have you honestly noticed a difference? Definitely gonna give it a shot!

indeed - 3 cheers for coconut oil.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19435442

Coconut oil attacks the bacteria behind tooth decay and could be used in dental care products, according to research.

Scientists found that coconut oil which had been treated with enzymes stopped the growth of Streptococcus bacteria - a major cause of tooth decay.

Tooth decay affects 60% to 90% of children in industralised countries.

Speaking at the Society for General Microbiology's conference, the Irish researchers say that coconut oil also attacks the yeast which causes thrush.

The research team from the Athlone Institute of Technology in Ireland tested the impact of coconut oil, vegetable oil and olive oil in their natural states and when treated with enzymes, in a process similar to digestion.

The oils were then tested against Streptococcus bacteria which are common inhabitants of the mouth.

Only the enzyme-modified coconut oil showed an ability to inhibit the growth of most strains of the bacteria.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

It is important that we turn our attention to new ways to combat microbial infection”

Dr Damien Brady Athlone Institute of Technology

It also attacked Streptococcus mutans, an acid-producing bacterium which is a major cause of tooth decay.
Active acids

It is thought that the breaking down of the fatty coconut oil by the enzymes turns it into acids which are active and effective against bacteria.

Previous research found that enzyme-modified milk could stop Streptococcus mutans from binding to tooth enamel.

Researchers now want to look at how coconut oil interacts with Streptococcus bacteria at the molecular level and which other strains of harmful bacteria it can inhibit.

Dr Damien Brady who led the research at the Athlone Institute of Technology with Patricia Hughes, a Masters student, said coconut oil could be an attractive alternative to chemical additives.

"It works at relatively low concentrations.

"Also, with increasing antibiotic resistance, it is important that we turn our attention to new ways to combat microbial infection."

Their studies are also looking into the workings of antibacterial activity in the human gut.

"Our data suggests that products of human digestion show antimicrobial activity. This could have implications for how bacteria colonise the cells lining the digestive tract and for overall gut health," said Dr Brady.

Burkatron

Just to add to this! I started taking Coconut oil off the spoon 2 weeks ago & my eczema has cleared up! I've also been oil pulling & my gums are far stronger then they were! Using Virgin olive oil from Supervalu but I see they have the KTC brand for half the price! I'll be trying that next!!

Gummy Panda

Burkatron wrote: »

Just to add to this! I started taking Coconut oil off the spoon 2 weeks ago & my eczema has cleared up! I've also been oil pulling & my gums are far stronger then they were! Using Virgin olive oil from Supervalu but I see they have the KTC brand for half the price! I'll be trying that next!!

How big a spoon? teaspoon a day?

Zamboni

Orla K wrote: »

Saucepan with hot water put the bottle in and the coconut oil should melt.
It may be a good idea to transfer it to a different container.

This is why I come to boards. That never even crossed my mind. :pac:

Carraig95

Gummy Panda wrote: »

How big a spoon? teaspoon a day?

For incorporating Coconut Oil into my diet I started off taking a tablespoon in the morning with fruit and one after work at 5 before going to the gym. As time has progressed I've knocked it down to a tea spoon at the said times.

The key is to replace as much saturated fats in your normal diet with the saturated fats in coconut oil. If you don't then you'll just be increasing your overall saturated fat intake (even though the saturated fats in Coconut Oil are good fats)

I've started taking a good tea spoon in the morning and one in the evening and doing the oil pulling with it. It's important to spit it out afterwards. Did a good bit of research and seems interesting. Apparently it's an ancient technique from India. And they know their stuff.

Carraig95

Burkatron wrote: »

Just to add to this! I started taking Coconut oil off the spoon 2 weeks ago & my eczema has cleared up! I've also been oil pulling & my gums are far stronger then they were! Using Virgin olive oil from Supervalu but I see they have the KTC brand for half the price! I'll be trying that next!!

That's mental isn't it! I've been taking it 5 months now and have noticed some amountof changes - clearer skin, waaaay more energy, snacking less etc. Gonna try the oil pulling now as well, if I could just get the gums stronger and teeth to whiten up now i'd be flying!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_pulling

rubadub

Orla K wrote: »

It may be a good idea to transfer it to a different container.

+1 I stuck mine in an old salsa dip jar, they are wide mouth and low so easy to scrape oil out. I store it in the fridge, you can get a fork and ruffle up the top layer and it shreds up finely, then this can be added easier as an ingredient to stuff like pancake batter.

I also have an ice cube tray for mini ice cubes and have made "coconut cubes" in it.

The KTC was going cheap on amazon a while ago.

annieoburns

I use coconut oil as skin lotion, conditions the skin and some absorbed into body also put thru hair to condition it and protect, maybe before a swim.

Antisocialiser

Orla K wrote: »

There are no stupid questions, just stupid answers.
Saucepan with hot water put the bottle in and the coconut oil should melt.
It may be a good idea to transfer it to a different container.

Genius! I found out that the local tesco has an Asian foods section now; KTC for 99p a bottle

rubadub

annieoburns wrote: »

I use coconut oil as skin lotion.

I was using it on my scalp. Some posters were warning about it clogging pores or something, can't remember the term. I think it might be OK on some parts of the body but you might be better off with other oils on your face & other places.

Burkatron

Gummy Panda wrote: »

How big a spoon? teaspoon a day?

I go for a heaped teaspoon everyday & that's all it's taken

Carraig95 wrote: »

That's mental isn't it! I've been taking it 5 months now and have noticed some amountof changes - clearer skin, waaaay more energy, snacking less etc. Gonna try the oil pulling now as well, if I could just get the gums stronger and teeth to whiten up now i'd be flying!!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_pulling

It's crazy, I've suffered with my skin for 17 years & this is the best results I've had without using topical steroids! This thread & This pubmed article (amongst other articles)after researching convinced me to try it!

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

picked some of the extra virgin stuff from superquinn this morning

got a teaspoon and tried to swallow it but couldnt force myself so I just did some oil pulling instead
put another tea spoon stirred into a cup of rooibos so that's how I'll get it into me in the mornings in future.
be interesting to see if I notice any changes. I have rosacea and my skin can be pretty bad so if it helps even a little it'll be worth the six euro easily. I'll do the oil pulling for a few weeks and report back if I notice anything.. my teeth are quite stained from years of smoking/tea/coffee so I should notice even a small whitening.

hopefully it'll be a worthwile addition to my general diet too. been trying to lose weight and while i'm happy with the amount that I'm eating now (hunger wise and money wise) a few people have mentioned that I'm not getting enough calories from it.

Carraig95

Burkatron wrote: »

I go for a heaped teaspoon everyday & that's all it's taken



It's crazy, I've suffered with my skin for 17 years & this is the best results I've had without using topical steroids! This thread & This pubmed article (amongst other articles)after researching convinced me to try it!

I have never started a thread on Boards before but after using this I actually felt it was worth getting the word out there, great stuff, that's a great result for ya! And so many benefits, very interested to see how the whole oil pulling works.....

rubadub

This oil pulling might have some other effects. They had athletes swishing sugary drinks around their mouth and spitting it out and it was meant to increase performance or something. It is like the body is expecting to get the carbs and triggers a response. So this oil in the mouth could have some similar effect, besides the antibacterial one.

Like chewing gum will stimulate saliva production.

Ole Rodrigo

Another way is Thai curries. You can get a good paste in an asian grocery. Sweat the paste in coconut oil before adding in the coconut milk.
I spent a few months backpacking in Thailand years ago, I think it was probably the best diet I've ever had. Plenty of coconut each week in various forms. Possibly as much to do with the absence of grains and dairy as anything else. When I think about it, it resembles the paleo diet quite closely..

But yeah - thai curries to get your dose of coconut in .If you exercise they make great post training meals..

tommyboy2222

I am currently using coconut oil to lose fat, heal a fungal nail infection and as a mouthwash (oil pulling)!

Tis a miracle food :pac: