Coconut oil

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1/16/13 7:03 P

IMO the issue on several of those other oils is whether or not they are from plants that are GMO. That adds a man-type tinkering with nature that has a lot of potential fall out.

"Man" keeps thinking they can improve on nature. And currently, good ole' Monsanto has potentially severely damaged the honey bees and their work due to their round-up ready seeds that appear to have been one of the contributors to hive colony collapse.

http://www.infowars.com/monsanto-buys-top-bee-research-firm-after-being-implicated-in-colony-collapse/

http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/about/intheworks/honeybee.htm

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1/16/13 1:21 P

Yes, thank you Becky, for exposing the myths regarding coconut oil. Please keep up with the mythbusting!


So far as coconut oil being natural and other oils being man-made... Coconut oil is extracted from coconuts, canola oil is extracted from rapeseed or mustard plants, corn oil is extracted from corn, etc., so I don't understand how coconut oil could be more natural than these other oils. Besides, being natural doesn't make something good for you and being man-made doesn't make something bad for you. I can name plenty of man-made things that have saved countless lives and plenty of natural things that have killed lots of people. Personally, I'm staying away from coconut oil.

Edited by: LOVE4KITTIES at: 1/16/2013 (13:23)

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1/16/13 12:03 P

I appreciated the information in Becky's article as well. I am currently reading a book titled "Napoleon's Buttons" that addresses the chemistry behind many history-changing molecules and there's a chapter on oils/fats. It was weird to read that chapter and then Becky's article the next day that exactly mirrored what I'd read. I know several people who are all on the coconut oil bandwagon while I still have that "no tropical oils!" voice in my head. I had a jar at home that my son bought for making soap, so I tried it. I don't taste any real difference, so I'm thinking I'll just stick with olive oil, or canola if the temperature needs to be higher.

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1/16/13 11:45 A

I can't say much about coconut oil, since I don't currently use it. It does make great popcorn though...

But in response to Dids70...Canola is a cultivar, usually of rapeseed, that was first bred in Canada. It's a pretty common crop in western Canada and has pretty yellow flowers, similar to mustard.

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1/16/13 11:40 A

Ditto on the shout-out to Becky, and thank you for posting this thread. I've also been wondering if coconut oil is as great as everyone says it is. It's FAT, after all, and saturated fat! It didn't make sense that we should all be eating lots of this stuff. Someone gave me a small jar of coconut oil and it has a nice flavor for making curries, but other than that, I think I'll stick to olive oil.

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1/16/13 11:12 A

Thank you for your kind words.
This article required and intense amount of investigation and reading research studies to really get to the "heart" of this issue. It is so easy to get caught-up in all the myths being spread.
Regarding other uses, I would suggest you talk with your doctor, dermotologist, dentist...to determine the most appropriate treatment or care that is needed.

Keep Sparking.
Dietitian Becky

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1/16/13 11:00 A

I do use it in my smoothies sometimes and other dessert type items as I eat raw and I like the consistency. I didn't buy into the hype either and its not like i eat gobs of it daily. I eat maybe two or three tablespoons a week in desserts or smoothies if that.
i use it on knees, elbows, and heels for moisturizing. Tried it in my hair but since I have oily hair already, it made it moreso.
Still will choose coconut oil over the manmade crap like canola, corn, or veggie oils. I have yet to see a canola plant. And from what I heard Canola is short for canada oil.

My chiropractor and his group would also choose Coconut oil over the other oils on the market since it does have a high smoking point and would rather go real food over man made crap.

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1/16/13 10:50 A

I will pass the thread notification on to Becky!

Coach Tanya

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1/16/13 4:15 A

I used it after surgery on my scars to help minimise it (talking about scars full length of my upper arms and round under my shoulders) and it really helped with flexibility and healing.

Also use it as an intense conditioner for my hair every so often.

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1/15/13 9:19 P

I've been using it in my hair for years after I shampoo and condition because I love the smell and it makes it soft. And I'll usually rub a little on my hands too.

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1/15/13 9:10 P

I was trying to find a way to shout out a "thank you" to Becky Hand for her informative, helpful article on coconut oil.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=1799

I have been following the latest "craze" and people getting all hyped up about the amazing benefits of coconut oil. But I haven't bought into it, for many of the detailed, chemical reasons that Becky presented.

I had previously found a detailed article re. coconut oil and ran the whole thing by my chiropractor. He read through the fairly lengthy material and said that when all was said and done there was a lot of "smoke and mirrors" as to the actual health benefits of said oil. He said that nothing changes the reality that it is a medium chain fat and we tend to get a lot of this in our diets anyway. He said that it IS a high calorie food and at best should be used in moderation (as did Becky). As to miracle "cure," he said "pretty doubtful."

So my only other questions would be what about TOPICAL applications? I hear about people using it as part of a concoction for toothpaste, shampoo, face cream and so on. Any thoughts???

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