The FastDay Forum

One common food item which is very popular on this forum (and that has even been promoted on one of my own posts) is coconut oil, and the reason why it is so popular (and that is not just in this forum, or indeed with the 5:2 diet community in general) is because of various health benefits which that is perceived to bring.

However, I have just found this article which claims that there is actually no scientific evidence to support the idea that these health benefits actually exist. I was therefore wondering what you all think about that article.

I have never used coconut oil before, and it's not something that I have been able to find very easily in my local supermarket. My own preference has therefore been to use olive oil which is considered (according to that article at least) to be healthier as it contains mostly unsaturated fats, whereas coconut oil contains most saturated fat which is said to be bad for you. Furthermore, olive oil is much more readily available at my local supermarket.

However, a lot of the advice that I have received so far on this forum has gone against the grain of that of the so-called health 'experts' and yet, I have found that following that advice which has been given to me on this forum has worked very well for me until now. I therefore wouldn't be surprised if taking coconut oil fell into that category, and that is why it will be interesting to hear people's views on that.

Hi John,

Like you, I hate to think I'm missing out on something which the rest of the world, OK the 5:2 world, believes is nothing less than miraculous so I bought it, literally! It's OK but I hate doing the 'pulling' thing and as my dental health, according to my dentist, is excellent then that one went out the window. I love coconut but I have to admit I'm not in love with coconut oil and I have 2, yes you read that correctly, 2 LARGE jars of the stuff, mmmm. I do quite like it blended with coffee and cream sometimes and that is it, can't see me use it in cooking or drizzling on salads etc. So, if you wish to try it, go ahead and I hope it becomes wonderful for you but it just didn't happen for me, sorry to all the lovers out there.

Ballerina x

I'm not really a fan of coconut oil myself, and that is one reason why olive oil (or sometimes sunflower oil) is what I prefer. Generally, I might think of trying out some coconut oil if I spotted it on a supermarket shelf, but it is not really something that I would go out of my way to look for. However, I know that everyone has different tastes and from that, I can understand why there are a lot of people out there who love it.

Who is the author of your link John, look like another article to me

I can remember when avocado was bad for you

All things in moderation I say and it is off a tree... Gotta go and oil pull see ya

If it helps with Alzheimer then I'm having it. But, I use it externally, mostly, hair and skin, and for a night time dry mouth (I just rub a bit of it around the roof of my mouth and over my tongue. It along with dry eys etc. can be a sign of a more serious condition called Sjogren's Syndrome.

Saturated fats, along with fasting and salt have had tremendous bad press for 20+ years, yet all of my Grandparents believed in natural high fat foods and all of them lived till their 90's.

Who is the author of your link John, look like another article to me

I can remember when avocado was bad for you

All things in moderation I say and it is off a tree... Gotta go and oil pull see ya

The author of that link is a woman called Naomi Tupper whose bio can be found here. From what I have read, she is an Australian registered Dietician/Nutritionist.

I agree with other posters. All things in moderation. I know olive oil is execellent for your health. I do live in one an olive oil producing country and get mine bio from a friend. But I have also heard of the wonders of coconuts. Avocado is something that I always have in my diet as it it super healthy and helps with healing processes, something I am going through now. I think we should listen to our bodies, not our naughty brains that want wicked food, but our bodies. If something actually mskes us feel good then we should go for it, in moderation. You know what I mean like that wonderful feeling in the middle ofthe summer when you drink down a cold glass of water.

From what I have read it is healthy, and better for you than some unbalanced seed oils which have too much Omega 6. I don't believe the saturated fat scare stories any more and as a non-meat-eater coconut is one of the few ways to get saturated fat. It withstands heat better than olive oil so is safer for frying. On my third tub at the moment...

I have been rubbing it into my hair and leaving in for an hour and a half then washing out once a week for about five months. My hair has become thick and strong and stopped falling out.
I also rub it into my hands and feet and my skin has become soft.
I have a teaspoon of coconut butter most days, it tastes lovely and is filling.

I use coconut oil in cooking and especially baking whenever butter is called for, but I do use other oils as well, more for cost and availability reasons than because I think they are better for me. If I could use coconut oil instead of olive oil all of the time I probably would!

I use olive oil for salads and (very) low heat cooking, but if I want to cook at higher temperatures, I use coconut oil as it is much more stable at higher heats. I steer clear of most other oils, the only other fat I use is butter (or ghee). Then there is plenty of good fat in my diet with avos, nuts, seeds. I also don't trim fat on meat I eat.
I very much go with "all things in moderation", although if something is pretty gross (margarine, canola oil) I tend to leave it out entirely.
I think you can find pros and cons of EVERYTHING, with studies to back it, on the internet. Often the studies are dubious, but I really don't have the time or patience to go through everything, so shortcut it often with the moderation principle.

It's a must have for me! I love it with butter in coffee, it also makes laaaaaaavly chocolate - although I do add a sweetener as the cocoa is a bit too bitter for me without it... Draws the clack! It's expensive though, so I try to buy in bulk whenever it's on offer! I can usually last offer to offer that way!

I think you can find pros and cons of EVERYTHING, with studies to back it, on the internet. Often the studies are dubious, but I really don't have the time or patience to go through everything, so shortcut it often with the moderation principle.

Yeh I have read plenty of pros when it comes to 5 2 diet. But it feels so good and listening to my body I just know that it is atleast a great option for me. It makes me laugh when I read these health books saying how important breakfast is. Hmmm!!! I guess you can convince yourself of anything in this life.

I suppose you can say that I am a coconut oil convert because I have found it to be useful & helpful in particular with moisturising my husbands scalp & keeping his solar keratosis at bay & eating a spoonful on fast days that seems to stop me feeling hungry throughout the day. I have also oil pulled & find that in addition to using toothpaste it leaves my teeth cleaner & shiny, it removes coffee stains & between teeth discolouration which is helpful because I drink a lot of fresh coffee. I am as sceptical as the next person but I was impressed by the research mentioned in books written by Dr Bruce Fife who admittedly is rather evangelical about it. The question of saturated fat has been answered because it is not the so called harmful type but the saturated fat found naturally in breast milk that supports the immune system. I also enjoy Thai & Indian food & it is brilliant for stir frying

[carorees]

The notion that saturated fat is bad for us and that unsaturated fat is good for us is not really accurate. If you eat a high carbohydrate diet then in order to obtain the essential fatty acids that your body needs, you should eat plenty of unsaturated fats. However, if you eat a low carbohydrate diet, too much unsaturated fat can be inflammatory and so, while you should eat enough unsaturated fat to meet your body's requirements, if the remainder of your fat consumption is composed of saturated fats, that is more healthy than over-eating the unsaturated fats. So, coconut oil is healthy for people who have cut down on carbs. Maybe less so if you eat a high carb diet.

Of course, this does not mean that the health claims have not been over-stated! I certainly wouldn't force myself to eat coconut oil in the hope I would lose weight faster!!! But as I like the taste, I do use it in cooking and, I really like it as a moisturizer and to rub into the ends of my hair. On the skin, it does appear to kill several types of Candida organisms according to the research I have seen. So I use it on my feet too. I can't get on with oil pulling though