Coconut Oil

This is a reproduction of a popular article I wrote for another publication.

There is a lot of hype around about various natural substances, each one touted as a miracle nutrient or miracle drug. Coconut oil has taken center stage in a lot of areas lately, and you, as I, might be wondering whether there is any truth to the claims.

First of all, you need to understand that I am very skeptical about most claims of miracle potions. Especially if they claim too many things that don't relate to one another. I prefer to see scientific evidence of efficacy before I jump in.

I am very careful about what I consume. Some people who decide to “go natural” will use anything that claims to be natural. I don't. I generally avoid herbs unless I have personal experience or a very high assurance that they won't harm. I don't use much in the way of over the counter medications either.

So this fall, when my blood sugar started to climb, and we had no health insurance, I started asking questions about possible natural options to bring it down. You see, I am allergic to insulin, so I could not use that, which I did in fact have a prescription for. The amount that I could safely eat dropped, and my weight spiraled downward (I had it to lose, but still...). We could not get insurance for another two months, and I did not want a pre-existing diagnosis of diabetes if I could help it, so I really had to wait (the insulin was from a pregnancy, and I did not have a diagnosis of diabetes).

When people began telling me to try coconut oil, I was very skeptical. After some intensive research online, where I found all kinds of claims, I was able to find just enough information that sounded like it had been given some solid testing, that I felt it was worth trying. Since it was suggested to help blood sugar, heart disease and high blood pressure (all of which are frequently interrelated), it sounded like it was plausible. It was also mentioned that it is suspected to speed up metabolism.

I went looking for a brand, and ended up, of all places, on Amazon.com. I checked the features of each brand, and found one that was both cold-pressed, and fresh pressed. This category of coconut oil is classed as “extra virgin”. It is reputedly the healthiest. The Nutiva brand also happened to be one of the most economical, so I bought two jars.

When it arrived, I began mixing it into my morning hot chocolate (sugarfree, of course). I started with a tablespoon, because I was warned that it could be very laxative. It was not for me, so I increased it to 2 tablespoons within a few days.

The first thing I noticed is that about 20 minutes after using it the first time I felt a flush of heat. It lasted about 10 minutes and then went away. The next day it was less. The third day it was not there at all. Cayenne, which also reportedly speeds up metabolism, will do the same thing.

Two days later, I noticed that my blood sugar levels were lowering. From 190 (2 hours post prandial after 15 gms of carbohydrate), down to under 140 on 30 gms of carbohydrate. Within a week my blood sugar levels had normalized (120 at 2 hours post prandial after 60 gms of carbohydrate)– or at least normal for me, which means I can eat fairly normally as long as I don't have excess sugar or concentrated carbohydrates.

After about a week, I noticed my skin was oilier. I also have sceborrhetic dermatitis, which causes scaling and itching, and can cause scabs on certain areas of my face and scalp. That began to improve. (borage oil also helps this, so I could see a connection). This is not a condition of dry skin, but certain oils, if used internally, do help it. It appears that for me, coconut oil is one of them. I had to change from conditioning shampoo to regular shampoo to keep my hair looking good.

After about two weeks, I developed a raging appetite. Now, I am overweight, and pretty self-conscious about my appetite, especially since I try to control my diet for health reasons. I was hungry all the time though! I knew I was eating more... a LOT more. But I did not gain any weight, and in fact, lost a couple of pounds.

I ran out of coconut oil, and had to do without it for about two weeks. My appetite reduced again, my blood sugar started to go off, and my skin got scalier again. So I ran around Cheyenne looking for some, and finally found a tiny bottle (astronomical price) which I started using at half the amount I had been before (hoping to make it last until I could order some more online). Even at that, my blood sugar is fine, my skin is improving, and my appetite has come back full force – not sure what to do about THAT!

I don't have any more energy than normal, but my blood sugar now consistently balances better, and I still get hungry frequently. My weight is stable in spite of the increased intake, and I have only noticed one negative side effect: If I use more than 2 tbsp in a day, I get a headache. This happens to me with a range of foods, if I eat more than a certain amount I develop a raging headache, so apparently it has something in it that is similar to the other foods that do this to me. It seems to be an individual thing, because I have not heard of anyone else having this problem, and some of my family members are trying it.

I don't believe in miracle drugs, foods, or nutrients. But I am persuaded after testing it that coconut oil is a helpful supplement for me. You can purchase the brand that I use here.

I have continued to use coconut oil long term, and feel that it is safe enough even to use when I am pregnant. One of the reasons I determined to use it is that it has long been a major food item in certain parts of the world. It has a long history as not just something people use now and again, but something that people use in large quantities.

I use coconut oil once a day, in my breakfast drink. It can be stirred into hot chocolate, or blended into a smoothie. I also purchase a cheaper brand at my local grocery store, which we use for cooking. We use it as a replacement for shortening in all our baked goods. I save the expensive brand for use as a supplement. My husband now uses it in his daily chocolate milk as well. We order it in larger quantities to reduce the shipping costs.

There is a difference in coconut oils - If the oil smells coconutty, and looks white and clean, it is good oil. If it looks slightly yellowish and has a barely transparent appearance, it is hot-processed, and not as healthy. If you heat coconut oil in a pan on the stove, you can first smell the coconut smell - as it heats though, it is replaced by an oily almost chemical smell, which is the same as the smell of hot-processed coconut oil.

We use the cheap hot-processed oil in cooking, where it is going to get overheated anyway. But as a nutritional supplement for the benefit of the oil, we use extra-virgin oil. 

Written by Laura Wheeler, Owner of Firelight Business Enterprises, Inc.