Organic Coconut Health Benefits – Dieting, Lice, Eczema & More!

I wanted to let you know that I tried using the virgin coconut oil for half of the oil called for in an organic cake mix today and it was great! Remember, I don’t normally like the taste in recipes, but this was subtle and really good. For the rest of the oil I used some butter and some of the no-taste coconut oil. I melted it all first, then continued with the recipe. Much healthier than using canola, safflower or another unhealthy oil.

Our favorite way to take coconut oil is through coconut bark. I just posted the recipe on my blog, but basically it is coconut oil, butter, a little peanut butter, vanilla and stevia all mixed together, frozen, then cut into squares.

Yum!

Jessica
http://www.practicalnourishment.com

Coconut oil is very common in my Country Suriname.We use it to cook,
as a medicine against fever for babies ,and even to clean certain metals on furniture.
To soften the strong coconut taste in food we heat up the oil until it smoking hot,then let it cool down again.Some foods like our famous”moks-alesi” need the strong taste of coconut oil to make it perfect.Suriname has a district called Coroni where coconut is something like the official fruit!

I heated a pan and put a couple of spoonfuls (1/4 C?) of coconut oil in the pan. I put 8 boneless skinless chicken breasts in the pan. I used up the last of some dried Italian seasoning then threw in some fresh herbs from my window sill (basil, thyme and rosemary) I splashed a little hot sauce on each one and sprinkled with sea salt. I covered the pan with a tight fitting lid and then let them cook until done, I think it was about 30 minutes. I planned to turn them and get them brown, but they looked so happy just simmering in the juice that I let them be. They were kind of white, but when everyone tasted them they quit questioning it.

Hi Kathleen,

Here are some testimonies: http://www.coconutoil.com/diabetes.htm, but if you do a Google search with the words “coconut oil diabetes”, you’ll find much more.

Don’t take my word for it, do some research and see what you find.

Be sure to let us know how it helps you!

Kelly

Hi Anne,

I’m not a doctor, so don’t take my suggestions as your only source of information, just use it as a beginning of your research. I have 3 suggestions:

1. Read my post under the label (over to to the right in the blue section) “ringworm/fungal infections” – something in there might help. Especially note the part about needing to heal your immune system with probiotics before you can totally heal a fungal infection.

2. For weight gain, you probably need to watch the carbs – look under the label “dieting/weight loss” for help with that.

3. Lastly, you may want to find a good local natural doctor/naturopath to guide you with all this.

I’ll say a prayer that you are led to the answers that help you get completely healthy.

Kelly

Hi there Kelly,
Great blog! This is my family’s most absolute favourite way to get our daily coconut oil fix (plus all those extra healthy antioxidants) – CHOCOLATE!:

1/2 cup of Raw Organic Cacao Powder
1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
1 tsp Vanilla Essence
Maple Syrup to taste (I usually use 1/8 – 1/4 cup)

Melt Coconut Oil over a a very low heat then remove. Gradually add Raw Cacao Powder, Vanilla Essence, and then Maple Syrup to your desired sweetness. Stir together until well mixed and smooth (and your mouth starts watering looking at all that yummy healthy melted chocolate!). Pour into molds (we usually use small ice cube trays), then place in freezer for approx 30-40 mins. Bang them out and and enjoy!

Hi Kelly,

Sorry – I’m from “Downunder”….”vanilla essence” is probably what you know as vanilla extract. Here we can get either imitation vanilla (which is obviously artificial flavour, in an alcohol base) or something more real which is the actual vanilla bean extract in a thicker syrup-type form (not sweetened).

One thing to know though, the chocolate ends up a bit like a truffle – it does not have the hardness of commercially made chocolate. This is because of the melting point of the coconut oil (just over standard room temp) and the lack of processing.

Cheers
Freddo

I have these bumps on my legs that best I can tell are from wearing stretch jeans. If I go a few days wearing dress pants they tend to go away. They aren’t like pimples. Anyway I discovered last summer that if I put coconut oil on them after my shower, my legs stay smooth and bump free. It is also the best eye makeup remover ever.

Please elaborate about coconut and getting rid of lice. Thank you.

Mom,

You had asked me why I use coconut oil and I couldn’t remember why, I just knew it was good for us.

This is the lady (Kelly) who told me so. There is a wealth of information on nutrition on her site! I get her emails every day and love her writing style (short and easy). I think you’ll like it too.

I love you,

Annie

Hi – I was wondering in regards to head lice and coconut shampoo. Would I need Coconut Oil Shampoo or Coconut Milk Shampoo? Thanks

Hi Kelly! I’ve been reading your site and it looks great. I’m trying to understand more about the health benefits of coconut. Is it only the Virgin Coconut Oil that is healthy for us, or would Coconut Milk also be good for us? I love coconut milk, but it is filled with saturated fat! Any information would be great! Thanks!

Sorry to be a bug…but your reasoning for the fats is that it is natural, and that people used to eat everything with all the fats in it, and if that is the way the food is made, that it should be eaten that way. To counter this, the average lifespan of adults has more than doubled over the last 200 years, and even more important is that Americans have become much more sedentary. I can see a farm boy needing all the fat/calories he can get when he’s working 16 hour days and easily burning 5000 calories/day, whereas someone working a desk job would only need say 1400 cal/day. So to me, logically, I would want to avoid EXCESS fat, and saturated fats…yes?

Thanks for the information! The videos made logical sense to me. I’ve changed my diet around over the last year or two, but I think I have created an imbalance – too little fat and too much sugar (albeit usually natural sugars like fruits, or desserts with whole wheat and other healthy ingredients). It makes sense that fat free yogurt + jam would be worse for your body than simply light or full-fat yogurt. I have noticed some adverse health affects as well, which matter to me because I am an athlete. I will change my eating habits – less desserts! Sucks for my sweet tooth!