Coconut oil?

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6/9/12 9:55 A

You know they used to say the same things about olive oil being the miracle food. But I wouldn't drink a tablespoon of that. My mom does the coconut oil and all the other fad diet things...she looses some weight but it never stays off. I have been watching her for years doing what ever hot new diet or health food there is to lose weight...because someone wrote a book on it. NONE of them have been successful in the long run and some of them I believe to be harmful. I am not saying that you shouldn't use coconut oil or that there are no benefits from it...but I would be very cautious about drinking it daily.

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6/9/12 9:08 A

I love coconut oil. My own personal experience, once I learned about it and started using it, I have noticed real improvements. It is a good fat. And it is a satiating fat for me. Before I started using it (along with real butter) I was having trouble staying within my calories for the day and I was constantly hungry. Once I started to add these good fats, I was feeling full for longer, and having no trouble staying in my calorie range. In fact, I really have to pay attention because many times I even have trouble getting enough calories.

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6/9/12 8:24 A

I agree...there's a lot of "coconut oil is a miracle food" hype out there but it's one of those things where someone took a smidge of science and put an out-of-context spin on it. Some oils have properties that make them better than other oils. But all oils are solid fat which has been extracted from their whole food sources.

You can choose to use any oil in moderation. Coconut oil may be a better option than some others. OR, you can choose to consume actual coconut in moderation. and get a whole lot of nutrients along with the fat.

We do need some fat in our diet. It is best to consume whole foods that contain healthy plant fats (nuts, seeds, avocado, coconut, cacao). If you choose to use oils moderation is important and some oils are definitely preferable to others.

Edited by: DANNIELLEMARIE at: 6/9/2012 (09:31)

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6/7/12 5:29 P

Be very careful of where you obtain your information on the topic of coconut oil. Just doing a "google search" does not bring about the most accurate of information.In fact the internet contains a host of inaccurate information and maketing scams.

Experts have analyzed the research data from controlled, peer-reviewed studies, that have been published in medical journals. In fact, the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database reports that there is insufficient evidence to rate the effectiveness of coconut oil for weight loss, lowering of cholesterol, diabetes, chronic fatigue, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel, and thyroid conditions.

Therefore it should not be used "tablespoons" daily. Rather use it as a flavor and texture enhancing oil in your foods where you want the cooking characteristic of coconut oil. But it should "not" be used for medicinal purposes as reported in the book you referenced--drink tablespoons daily

Hope this helps.

SP Dietitian Becky

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6/7/12 3:10 P

That is the "negative calories" myth.

It might make your body "burn it off just metabolising it", but it's not going to burn off more than 120 calories to metabolise 120 calories of oil. It is NOT burning more calories than it's putting in.

So it is a source of fats, and while this "medium chain" thing might offer some advantages, are they enough to offset the disadvantages of saturated fat and 120 calories? There are much healthier sources of fat that don't claim some sort of mythical negative calorie status.

I certainly wouldn't just eat a tablespoon of ANY oil just for the sake of it! Choose healthy oil based dressings on a salad or use it for cooking, but just drop it in a tea and drink it? Ewww.

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6/7/12 2:17 P

Wow, it sounds like you lost weight from the other changes you made, because I don't see how tbsp. of coconut oil is good for weight loss. It's true that it's a healthy type of oil and has many health benefits, however having that much kind of any fat is going to really make it hard to eat within your recommended fat for the day if you're on a low fat or low calorie diet. For example: I try to get between 30 and 40 grams of fat per day.

I'm not saying don't eat coconut oil at all, I'm saying maybe instead of using it as a supplement, use it to sautee your vegetables in. I'd probably cut back to 1 tsp. to 1 tbsp. per day.

Edited by: KFWOHLFORD at: 6/7/2012 (14:17)

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6/7/12 2:11 P

sounds like you've done your research, you may be interested in the Paleo diet (not really a "diet", more of a healthy way to eat). Good fats are good for the body, it's the breads that wreck the body.

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6/7/12 2:07 P

I recently read a book called Skinny Chicks Eat Real Foods by nutritionist Christine Avanti, and she claims that when you are trying to lose weight, coconut oil is very beneficial to consume. I know it's gotten a bad rap because most of the fat is saturated, but after doing some research on it, it seems that the types of fatty acids in it are fine (medium-chain fatty acids) and because they are medium-chain, your body burns it off just metabolizing them. Christine recommends eating 2 tbsp a day, one tbsp in the morning with tea and one tbsp in warm water before bed. I've been taking the morning dose (and feel great!), but one tbsp has 120 calories and 12 g saturated fat. Even though the research I saw points to the benefits, 2 tbsp and 24 g of sat fat seems like an awful lot to me.

Since implementing the basics of her program on Monday (eating a balance of protein, carbs, and fat at each meal; taking coconut oil; drinking lots of green tea; cutting out most refined foods and added sugar), I've dropped over 5 lbs and feel fantastic. But the 2 tbsp of coconut oil make me a little leery.

Any suggestions/recommendations?

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