I can't eat coconut oil, shall I try MCT oil?

Bluebell

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I love the taste of coconut oil, but I can't eat it.

What happens is I get extremely bad GERD which is very painful and even stops me sleeping.

I have tried the refined stuff, but I still get the same problem.

So I was wondering, shall I try MCT oil to get some of the same benefits of coconut?

Does anyone else here take it?
 

burtlancast

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maybe it would be better to try to solve the GERD ?

Do you eat mostly non packaged foods ?

You can have additives hiding in just about every pre conditioned food, like yoghourts, frozen pizzas, conserves, ...

I solved overnight my years standing GRED by eating entirely non conditioned, including avoiding packaged fruit juices.

:2cents
 
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Bluebell

Bluebell

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No, I eat 100% Peat, no packaged foods. All natural foods, strained fresh squeezed OJ, etc.

The GERD only occurs if I eat coconut oil, in fact maybe I should call it "stomach irritation" not GERD. If I don't eat coconut oil, I have no stomach problems at all.
 

burtlancast

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Then i guess you're allergic to coconut.
Can you eat coconut ?
 

burtlancast

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Well, you could always try MCT oil, although i believe it's medium chain fatty acids are extracted from coconut.
 
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Bluebell

Bluebell

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burtlancast said:
Well, you could always try MCT oil, although i believe it's medium chain fatty acids are extracted from coconut.

Yes, that's why I'm asking, because MCT comes from coconut oil so I'm hoping for some of the same benefits.
 
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Bluebell

Bluebell

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Haagendazendiane said:
Can you use coconut oil topically?

I'm not sure, the last time I used it topically was while I was eating it and getting the bad effects (I didn't realise for a while it was the coconut oil).

When I've used it topically, my skin doesn't seem to benefit from it that much - it doesn't moisturise much & seems to make little pieces of skin form tiny balls & come off so it feels rough when I rub it in.

I wonder if I should try tropical traditions refined, the only I reason I haven't is because I'm in the UK and it costs so much to send it here.

The refined one I tried was Omega Nutrition.
 

HDD

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I buy the less expensive (not refined) Lou Ana coconut oil for frying and using on my skin. There was a thread with a study Mittir posted about babies being massaged with coconut oil and sunflower oil. It showed that there was a change in the blood when used topically. Even if you don't like it as a moisturizer, you could receive benefits a long as you don't have an allergic reaction.
 

Peata

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Haagendazendiane said:
I buy the less expensive (not refined) Lou Ana coconut oil for frying and using on my skin. There was a thread with a study Mittir posted about babies being massaged with coconut oil and sunflower oil. It showed that there was a change in the blood when used topically. Even if you don't like it as a moisturizer, you could receive benefits a long as you don't have an allergic reaction.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who uses this brand. I mean maybe a lot of people here use it, but I never saw it mentioned til now. They used to give you a little more for the same price (because I had one of the older jars and noticed the difference when they switched packaging), but I guess they had to cut corners like everyone these days. Anyway it's a good value when you are using a lot for frying besides just everyday use. I also like that you can just pick it up at the store most anywhere.
 

HDD

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IIRC, Ray Peat recommends refined because of allergens. I don't have a problem with the Lou Ana and I could not afford to use the refined for frying.
 

Cantonpixie

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Hallo blue bell, how much do you eat at one go? Back in WAPF days I tried to down 1 tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil at one go but it gave me awful feelings like nausea etc. plus i hated the smell!

now, I'm using the refined version (I got mine from a local health foods store and they told me their source is omega nutrition) and in the mornings, I make half boiled eggs and stir just a teaspoon of the refined oil into the runny egg yolk which emulsifies it somewhat. I wonder if that will help you. Throughout the day I drink little shot glasses of grape juice and I like to put a teaspoon of the refined oil into it.

I also use the refined version to stir fry veges etc and I find it doesn't give me the awful feelings that eating a tablespoon of the unrefined caused me. Let me know how it goes:)
 
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Bluebell

Bluebell

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eeleen said:
Hallo blue bell, how much do you eat at one go? Back in WAPF days I tried to down 1 tablespoon extra virgin coconut oil at one go but it gave me awful feelings like nausea etc. plus i hated the smell!

now, I'm using the refined version (I got mine from a local health foods store and they told me their source is omega nutrition) and in the mornings, I make half boiled eggs and stir just a teaspoon of the refined oil into the runny egg yolk which emulsifies it somewhat. I wonder if that will help you. Throughout the day I drink little shot glasses of grape juice and I like to put a teaspoon of the refined oil into it.

I also use the refined version to stir fry veges etc and I find it doesn't give me the awful feelings that eating a tablespoon of the unrefined caused me. Let me know how it goes:)

Hiya!! :)

Yes, I was eating a lot, like a tablespoon stirred into oatmeal. I was using virgin, and I liked the taste. I didn't notice any immediate bad effects. The stomach issue crept up over days. That meant I didn't realise that the coconut oil was the issue for months. Once I stopped it, it faded away over a few days and stayed away.

When I tried the refined stuff, I think I was having quite big amounts (by this time on Peat) - around 15g per day, dissolved into hot milk drinks. Same stomach issue came up.

When I pluck up the courage to try it again (maybe tropical traditions if I can afford it), then I will try much smaller amounts, that sounds like a good suggestion. Thanks!
 

burtlancast

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After reading the above post, i'm not certain it would be accurate to say you're intolerant to coconut ?

Taking coconut oil is supposed to be progressive; start with little, and build up progressively the digestive tract's tolerance.

Real intolerance is people taking a tiny amount of a substance and getting really bad reactions, like eating one peanut and nearly chocking to death on it from the allergic effect.
 

messtafarian

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Coconut oil has a reputation for wreaking havoc on naive digestive tracts -- the stock explnation being increased gut motility -- in other words it passes through you too fast and brings all the other food you eat along with it.

But my intuition about how this works is that because MCT bypasses normal digestion and is quickly delivered to cells for respiration, ultimately your appetite is severely dulled. I think the sensation you are feeling ( and me too) is the same sense you get at a table after a feast: no thanks, no more food of any kind, thanks!

Other potentials: Caprylic acid is causing a cascade of healing effects. Unlikely but overeating it can cause a shift in gut microbiota.

The liver is ramping up metabolism and burning off stored toxins; or more precisely, burning through them.

Sometimes too much of a change in diet can be inconvenient. If I were you I would lay off MCT for a week and use olive oil for cooking if you need it. Then add it back a teaspoon a day at a time. This is all you need really anyway.
 
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Bluebell

Bluebell

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Thanks burt & mess.

I'm not eating MCT oil by the way, I've never tried it. I'm not eating coconut oil either, I haven't for months.

What I get from coconut oil is a burning terrible pain all the way up my from my centre/right from stomach. It stops me sleeping more than about 3 hours at night and it tends to occur when I lie down. It's a delayed pain, appearing fully after a few days (not just after the coconut either). I don't know for sure what it is - could be stomach irritation, GERD, liver issue, an ulcer, intolerant or allergic to coconut. It feels like the descriptions I've read of GERD. All I know is when I stop coconut, the problem goes away completely & stays away.

I'm fine about not having coconut oil as long as the pain stays away! I was just wondering if maybe MCT might give me the benefits of coconut without the issues. I am a bit hesitant to try it though, as the issues with coconut build up over a few days before fully showing themselves, then take a few days to fade away again.
 

messtafarian

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Well...I don't know. I think MCT is expensive and can't possibly have any flavor. Although theoretically it might give your metabolism a boost.

I've been watching my nutritional values over the past couple weeks and I've realized this diet is -- or can be -- extremely low in fat. With standard recommendations -- nonfat milk, juice, coffee with milk and sugar, and protein -- there really is no fat in it. So theoretically, to balance an extremely low fat diet and get some lipids, you'd choose what is now considered in alternative circles the healthiest fat.

All fats are thermogenic to some degree. I don't see why you couldn't just use butter, cream, ghee, etc.
 

Rachel

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Haagendazendiane said:
IIRC, Ray Peat recommends refined because of allergens. I don't have a problem with the Lou Ana and I could not afford to use the refined for frying.
Just to clarify...
LouAna is a refined coconut oil. It's refined, bleached, and deodorized. The expensive coconut oils are unrefined, hence the term virgin.
 

HDD

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Thanks, Rachel.

This is what RP said:

"Most cities have wholesale grocers that either stock it (in five gallon buckets) or can get it, and they usually charge about $50 per bucket. GloryBee in Eugene is one place I have bought it, and Tropical Traditions has a good one, called expeller expressed, non-certified, and I think it's shipped from Nevada.

It's just filtered, usually through diatomaceous earth, to remove materials other than the fat; the main problem with the unfiltered oil is that it's allergenic for many people. It also degrades quicker."

http://www.dannyroddy.com/main/2011/12/ ... tandi.html


My husband makes a lot of popcorn and I make french fries frequently, which is why I started buying the Lou Ana.
 

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