Coconut butter/oil

[supersonic_528]

I was wondering how many of you here eat coconut oil or butter. What benefits have you seen? I have recently started adding coconut butter in my green smoothies. I have read it's a superfood and really beneficial. So I would like to hear about any first hand experience that you guys have had. Also, how do you use them?

Which one is better - coconut butter or coconut oil?

[Pitaya]

they are different - as in processed differently - not sure if one is better than other. most obvious difference is consistency.

i have plenty of both in a week - but most of all my skin drinks it up everyday - my skin feels softer and overall i feel better not taking in so much chemicals through beauty products

weight loss is one of the big claims of daily coconut oil because generally the population is deprived of good fats.

drinking water of young coconut is like getting a blood transfusion too.....the meat inside is just as delicious too.

happy coconut-ing!!

[DwightLight]

Coconut Butter/Oil is the same thing, just different terms describing the same substance.

It's highly digestible, metabolized almost instantly providing the body with energy. (Rawsome)

It contains both short and medium chain fatty acids, and when combined with Flax or Hemp Seeds or Oils converts to long chain Omega-3 fatty acids that our brain needs (David Wolfe)... pretty sweet!

I've enjoyed it in most anything... LOOVE making chocolate with it, with Cacao Butter, Nibs & Agave

[Gaius]

I ordered 54 oz of it on Amazon. I'm going to start eating it more instead of just putting it on my skin.

[commoncents]

I put it in my smoothies daily. I am losing weight, but don't know if I can attribute this to the Cocunut oil. Also used it to make my strawberry cheesecake last month.

[murphydoodle]

commoncents- Does the coconut oil in your smoothie make little balls, or do I just have a cheap blender? I'm usually happy with my Osterizer, but I know it's not the best around. Every time I try to add coconut oil, it hardens into tiny balls and after I take a drink my mouth feels disgustingly oily. Since you seem to like coconut oil in smoothies I'm wondering if you do something differently. Any thoughts?

[LivinItRaw]

The coconut oil probably hardens when it's placed in a cold smoothie...I don't know that it would make much difference what type of blender you use.
In my smoothies I use coconut water, versus the oil. I save the oil for yummy chocolate treats where I can truly appreciate it's wonderful flavor. Seems a waste to put it in a smoothie, and not very appealing if it's not fully blending in the smoothie.

[LilacLavender]

Depends what you are trying to do...coconut butter is nice to make creamy fillings to things...coconut butter makes nice pudding because of its low temperature of turning to liquid.

[raw_danceruk]

coconut oil I put on my skin and just eat straight up!

for deserts yeah firms things up lovely, I prefer coconut butter for richness in this instance

[MelanieC]

I also don't put mine in my smoothies - I'd rather eat it and enjoy the flavor.

What brands does everyone use. Right now I'm using Artisana organic Raw Coconut Butter/oil. This one has coconut pieces in it too. I sometimes just eat it off a spoon :)

[Funkalicious]

Coconut Butter/Oil is the same thing, just different terms describing the same substance.




According to Artisana there's difference

[http://www.premierorganics.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=82&Itemid=35]


Butter = Whole coconut meat…ground into a creamy butter

Oil =Pure extra-virgin coconut oil. Our extra virgin coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the coconut.

[MelanieC]

I know the Artisana coconut butter I have was in the oil section at Whole Foods and it contains bits of coconut flakes in it.

[kidkid]

uh oh. I just spent a bunch of bucks on coconut oil, only to open it, use it, and then look on the jar and see that it was "Refined". Does this mean heated? Ruined? Devoid of nutritional value? any or all of the above? or can i still use it for something?

[DebB]

I started browsing through David Wolfe's new book on Super Foods.

He states that coconut butter is made from the mature, hairy, brown coconut's meat. That it takes several hours (24? - oh don't make me go downstairs and get the book - ha!) hours to process it into butter.

I don't know which is better - I didn't know the difference before between oil and butter, so I found that interesting. *Ü*

[bellamausi]

I love using coconut oil for making chocolate covered bananas. They are just to die for. :)

[buffalogal]

Kid kid - if your coconut oil says "refined", it probably isn't raw. So, if you're really trying to stay "raw", I wouldn't use it to put inside your body, but you sure can use it on the outside! It's great for your skin and hair, so use it up there. I use it for the OCM (oil cleansing method) as well as for oil pulling. When it's used up, make sure you get raw coconut oil the next time!:)

[Funkalicious]

I love using coconut oil for making chocolate covered bananas. They are just to die for. :)


^^^^ reciepe please !!!!

[SekhemNefer]

commoncents- Does the coconut oil in your smoothie make little balls, or do I just have a cheap blender? I'm usually happy with my Osterizer, but I know it's not the best around. Every time I try to add coconut oil, it hardens into tiny balls and after I take a drink my mouth feels disgustingly oily. Since you seem to like coconut oil in smoothies I'm wondering if you do something differently. Any thoughts?

It is a cheap blender issue. Coconut oil will turn into solids when touch with cold items. However, my Vitamix will whip up any coconut beads that I have never had this issue. My Vitamix with make the oil become part of the molecules of the foods I am blending it with.

And I can put my smoothie back in the fridge and the oil doesn't solidify one bit.


The Vitamix is awesome!

[kidkid]

thanks Buffalogal! I actually did use it on my skin and hair. Funny thing though -- it seemed to dry it out more than moisturize it. Especially my hands. They came away all rough and flaky. The rest of my skin seemed smoother though.

I bought some Artisina coconut butter and OH MY GOD it tastes AMAZING. It's just a little sweet and melts in your mouth and of course tastes like coconut. The refined stuff didn't have any taste at all.

[SekhemNefer]

Because of this thread, I decided to buy some raw coconut butter at Whole Foods. I am becoming bored with the oils. This jar said it is the oils with actually coconut bits all through it. Sounds like something I could just eat from a spoon than coconut oil.

[supersonic_528]

kidkid, yes it tastes really amazing. Earlier I had been putting it in green smoothies but that way I can't get the great taste. So I decided that I'll not put it in smoothies any more and will just eat 2 TBSPs out of the jar each day. I also have the Artisana brand.

Thanks everyone for answering, but I was hoping for more replies telling about the benefits you experienced from using coconut oil or butter. Also nobody clearly answered which one is better - oil or butter? I would think the butter, because it has everything - the oil plus the flesh of coconut. Right?

[Sunboy]

As surfers, we use organic coconut oil for our skin, mainly cuz the ocean and sun is so very rough on things. I put 1tbs in each green smoothie, along with powdered hemp, chia, flax seeds, spirulina, bee pollen, and aloe vera fillet, etc. Our vitality and skin look great!

[juliew]

I just buy the young coconuts and scoop out the meat and use it with the coconut water for super yummy smoothies. I add raw chocolate or bananas or dates or almond butter with cinnamon, maybe raw honey, or tahini or maca...lol the list goes on, but I did lose weight when drinking those smoothies several times a week. I was also eating tons of avocados, so I'm not sure which worked...
But to answer the question, I don't know if the oil or the buter is better...I'd say try one and then the other and see which you like. To me the oil seems concentrated and lacking the cofactors that naturally come with it, but that's just my opinion :)

[SekhemNefer]

I just made my first raw dessert. A banana covered with coconut butter, cashew butter and royal jelly honey mixed to make a sauce for the bananas. Then I sprinkled chopped almonds and sprinkled cinnamon and nutmeg.

Man, that coconut butter is worth getting! That was delicious!