The FastDay Forum

I love the thought that eating coconut foods is a healthy way to take fats and fibre into our diet, as I love the taste and texture of all things coconutty. I am alarmed to read this week that in the processing, such products are hydrogenated, and thus contain trans fats, unless the label specifically states that it does not. Can this be so? How can we find out? e.g. copha seems to fall into this category. How about the cheap blocks of solid coconut cream? Is this copha?
I do like to use fresh foods, but coconut is an exception, they are lovely, but I find them very difficult to manage, and the range of processed goods is so versatile, that I really do want to continue using them, but am now concerned about the trans fats.
Any advice out there, please?

Hi 140lbs

I can't help with the cooking type oil, but I use Tiana from Holland & Barrett.
Its pure but expensive £14.99 a jar. I have it in coffee and Almond milk shakes with strawbs. A jar lasts me a while and I've just stocked up with two in their sale.

Chris x

Hi 140lbs Hope some good Info comes re this as I love coconut milk and would love to use coconut oil more than the teaspoon in home brewed coffee.

Chris that shake sounds devine!

Chris, thanks for tip, will visit H & B asap. as I believe Tiana is best oil. My worry is the other coconut products that i like to use as well. Label info is just so scanty.

I've read only this morning that hydrogenated coconut oil is used as a rat food in nutrition experiments but this is not related to human-consumption virgin coconut oil which is cold-pressed and very definitely not hydrogenated. All the suppliers go to great lengths to point this out on their websites...

Yeah I think if you stick with anything labelled 'virgin' you should be fine. I got a huge tub of Biona coconut oil for about £17 from my local health food shop - works out a bit cheaper than Tiana. Love the Tiana jars though! And Tiana's fair trade, too. You feel virtuous just buying it, although your purse cries.

I have read lots on american food blogs about coconut butter and I bought a small jar of Tiana 'coconut butter' which turned out to be cooking fat that doesn't taste of coconut, not like the spread that I've read about. It's great for cooking eggs in though so it will get used (on non-fast days) but I wondered if you could get coconut butter in the uk? Maybe it's just not possible to spread coconut butter in this country as you'd have to carve it out of the tub in our cold climate!

I use my cooonut oil just like I would butter - leave it somewhere warm and just spread it on whatever you fancy! The great thing is it does not go "off" no matter how many times it melts and solidifies. I sometimes put my butter dish (with a pat of coconur oil) on top of a mug of something hot and it's spreadable in a jiffy. I am going to start buying it in bulk, so much cheaper, because it stays fresh forever (well....ages!).

where from?

I'd be happy to buy in bulk but unsure where to start. Was getting all confused yesterday in H & B.

where from?
I'd be happy to buy in bulk but unsure where to start. Was getting all confused yesterday in H & B.

I get my coconut oil from Coconoil; they have several bulk or multi-buy offers and they deliver free in the UK (though unfortunately not to France where I live )

Thanks everyone. H &B confuse me with their pricing(!) so I will also look at Coconoil too, as I like the sound of free p and p. but if H & B are truly doing things bogoff, then that is easy isn't it.
Any more thoughts on coconut cream, creamed coconut, coconut butter, regarding the dreaded trans fats issue, please?

H & B is buy one get one 1/2 price at the moment, makes it a expensive buy, but its my little luxury.

I am going to buy the Coconoil recommended by Keheira, and if I like it then I will get the large 4.6kg size. I go through the H and B stuff quickly, and can't always wait for their buy one get one half price sale. The Coconoil ha a nice story behind it too - started up in the wake of the tsunami disaster so hopefully the profits generated will help do some good...

Me too.

I'll cook with it and see how I get on. Going sort of down the paleo path a wee bit due to it being the diet of choice for Crossfit. However, not giving up dairy!

BBT053, I realise I started this thread on coconut products, but after reading your post, I think I too, appear to be going down the paleo route, but including dairy, same as you. I have just looked up what the paleo diet entails, and mine certainly fits the description. I don't know the ratio of carbs, protein and fat in Paleo, but as I intend to continue down the very low carb, high saturated fat route, I am trying to reduce the dairy fat with vegetable fat as much as possible, hence needing to be absolutely sure of any trans fats in the coconut things.
It's not that I am afraid of animal fats, as I will still use dairy cream, full fat Greek yogurt and butter, I just want as good a variety of items possible in my diet. Mind you, it is difficult sourcing grass fed red meat where I live, so along with most diet systems, there seems to be a degree of modification needed.
I just love my new diet, and feel so much better than what I was being advised to eat by NHS guidelines for type 2 diabetes. I have now sourced raw chocolate nibs to use in desserts, giving me the nutrients from chocolate in as safe a way as possible. Of course, I bought a small bar of raw chocy, which is very, very low in sugar, but in view of the tremendous benefits I am enjoying, I will certainly keep the quantities eaten in moderation, as I intend to keep the health issue top of my priorities.

It's very interesting reading. Have a look at Robb Wolf's website & links from there. I'm not quite there but higher fat, lower carb seems to suit me. I've no pain for the first time in years.