Thyroid and Coconut oil

[WordKeeper]

I have been having a difficult time with my thyroid and my weight. I recently began taking armour thyroid but my weight did not alter. Then I began taking coconut oil internally. I began dropping weight quiet rapidly.

Because I dislike the taste and texture of the coconut oil I lapsed and BOOM the weight popped back up. Started back taking coconut oil and it dropped again.

I don't like it but it looks as if it makes a significant difference.

[Dimond]

Why don't you try using it in recipes like smoothies, chocolate, puddings, etc. This way you can enjoy consuming it. Let me know if you need any recipes.

[Honeywith4bees]

WordKeeper,

I started taking coconut oil too, but absolutely could not tolerate eating it plain. Ugghh!! Then, I started melting a tablespoon into my morning tea and found it quite tolerable.

How much do you take and how do you consume it?

Also, I hear that the brand you use matters as far as taste goes.

[WordKeeper]

Well I have been taking it by the spoonfuls. It is just gross. But then it is better than being porked up with hair falling out in clumps and what is left being brittle and anorexic looking, with no eyebrows and dry aging skin - nice image, yes?

I will definitely try it in tea right now.

I am using Garden of Eden Extra Virgin. I have tried Jarrow's and still use that on my skin and hair because I have it.

How do you use it in smoothies? I would think it would not work in cold foods.

[rhonda524]

Originally Posted by WordKeeper

I have been having a difficult time with my thyroid and my weight. I recently began taking armour thyroid but my weight did not alter. Then I began taking coconut oil internally. I began dropping weight quiet rapidly.

What is the mechanism of coconut oil and weight loss? Why does it work?

[Dimond]

Just add it to smoothies and blend. Tastes good with bananas especially. Also with orange juice. Works very well with cold food. Coconut oil, water, meat, shreds are usually a staple for raw diets.

[WordKeeper]

Rhonda - here is an explanation. It is more information than you asked for but I think the rest is interesting so I am including it. It came from a website about natural remedies: Natural Remedies for Thyroid, Hypothyroid, Goiter, Hypothyroidism, Underactive Thyroid. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. Canada.

"Consumption of soybean oil and soy products (soy has proven thyroid suppressing properties). This is why soybeans are used so extensively in feeding livestock, as they cause reduced metabolism and more rapid weight gain. On the contrary, the lauric acid in coconut oil stimulates thyroid function. In the 1940's, farmers tried giving their livestock coconut meal as a cheap food, and found that their animals became lean rather than fatter."

[sepiagal]

If you don't melt the coconit oil you end up with small pieces of the solid oil in your smoothie. If its summertime then the oil may be partially liquid. But you really have to liquify the oil to blend it well in a smoothie.

I use cocnut milk. You can get coconut cream concentrate. This is sometimes called coconut butter I think. Its coconut pulp ground to a fine powder. Coconut pulp is pretty high in fat and has good amounts of fiber. Coconut milk has low amounts of carbs. Coconut milk is basically the cream concentrate with some water added. Some brands dilute the milk more than others. I look at fat content to tell which milks are more diluted.

Coconut milk is tasty. Its usually more readily avalable locally than the cream concentrate. For different or high quality brands of milk you can try different ethnic stores like Philipino, Indian, Asian, Hispanic or health food stores.

I use coconut oil to cook with.

[Dimond]

Originally Posted by sepiagal

If you don't melt the coconit oil you end up with small pieces of the solid oil in your smoothie. If its summertime then the oil may be partially liquid. But you really have to liquify the oil to blend it well in a smoothie.

If you have a cheap blender maybe. I've never ever had an issue with the oil blending and I barely need to run it. Never heard anyone else have an issue either.

Processed coconut milk, besides being unhealthy, doesn't work the same as the oil for thyroid and other health benefits.

[rhonda524]

Originally Posted by WordKeeper

Rhonda - here is an explanation. It is more information than you asked for but I think the rest is interesting so I am including it. It came from a website about natural remedies: Natural Remedies for Thyroid, Hypothyroid, Goiter, Hypothyroidism, Underactive Thyroid. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. Canada.

"Consumption of soybean oil and soy products (soy has proven thyroid suppressing properties). This is why soybeans are used so extensively in feeding livestock, as they cause reduced metabolism and more rapid weight gain. On the contrary, the lauric acid in coconut oil stimulates thyroid function. In the 1940's, farmers tried giving their livestock coconut meal as a cheap food, and found that their animals became lean rather than fatter."

Thank you WordKeeper I love information, so the more the better. I am pretty analytical and like to understand things. I really appreciate the reply.

[WordKeeper]

Rhonda - I'm glad you liked the information. The more the better for me as well.

Sepiagal - I have no idea what is happening to your posts. I have had similar issues on other sites but not on this one. Does it happen every time you post? If so do you ever lose them - i.e. do they sometimes never re-emerge? If that is the case you may want to write them on a document and then copy them to the site so that you have a backup. Although that would be extra work. It does sound frustrating. Hope you find a solution.

[sepiagal]

Originally Posted by Dimond

Processed coconut milk, besides being unhealthy, doesn't work the same as the oil for thyroid and other health benefits.

How is the fat in coconut milk different from the oil?

Why exactly is coconut milk bad (unhealthy)?

[liamona]

Originally Posted by sepiagal

How is the fat in coconut milk different from the oil?

It's fine if it's from a fresh coconut. But canned coconut milk is processed, and usually has preservatives.

You can find extra-virgin coconut oil that's fairly low-heat processed. I think even raw food diet people can consume it.

[sepiagal]

Originally Posted by liamona

It's fine if it's from a fresh coconut. But canned coconut milk is processed, and usually has preservatives.

You can find extra-virgin coconut oil that's fairly low-heat processed. I think even raw food diet people can consume it.

You haven't explained why pastuerized coconut milk should be considered inferior.
Because coconut oil is considered OK by raw foodists doesn't explain anything.

Fresh coconut milk won't last long before it turns to vinegar. What is so bad about pastuerization? What is the problem with preservatives? How do those things change the fat? The fat in pastuerized milk isn't hydrogenated. Processed coconut oil is not the same as pastuerized coconut milk.

[dice]

For everyone who dislikes the taste:

Think of icecream!


I really like the taste, maybe its the brand I have, but its like a very mellow icecream to me

[Honeywith4bees]

That's funny that you think of icecream when consuming your EVCO, because I just can't but help feeling like I am eating LARD. (I've never actually eaten a spoonful of lard, but I imagine that it would be exactly the same!!)

I have gotten used to melting a tablespoon in my tea every morning though.

[liamona]

Originally Posted by sepiagal

You haven't explained why pastuerized coconut milk should be considered inferior.

I never said it was pasteurized. Even if it weren't, I can't imagine that coconut milk in a can with preservatives and thickeners is as good as coconut milk made from fresh coconuts.

Tropical Traditions sells a really great coconut cream concentrate that you can add hot water to to make coconut milk. I prefer using this to the canned kind (although I do use it from time to time).

Because coconut oil is considered OK by raw foodists doesn't explain anything.

Maybe not, but I threw it out there since raw foodists tend to believe that nutty idea that it's best to eat foods in the freshest state.

I'm pretty sure they don't consume canned coconut milk.

Fresh coconut milk won't last long before it turns to vinegar.

Yes—and that's a good thing. I'll bet canned coconut milk turns rotten after a while, much like pasteurized milk (whereas raw milk merely sours and clabbers).

What is so bad about pastuerization?

It tends to kill enzymes and other things in food that make them live and fresh.

What is the problem with preservatives?

They're chemicals that are best avoided as much as possible. But if you generally have a healthy diet, a can of it here and there probably won't kill you.

How do those things change the fat? The fat in pastuerized milk isn't hydrogenated.

In most brands they are. Heat definitely affects the properties of fat.

[sepiagal]

Originally Posted by liamona

Quote: How do those things change the fat? The fat in pastuerized milk isn't hydrogenated. In most brands they are. Heat definitely affects the properties of fat.

That's absolute nonsense. Heat doesn't make a fat hydrogenated. Adding a hydrogen molecule makes it hydrogenated. If canned coconut milk had hydrogenated fat it would have to have number of grams of trans fat listed on the label. Canned coconut milk doesn't have trans fat.

You talk about how enzymes are destroyed; this thread is about coconut FAT and thyroid.
The fat in coconut milk is not effected by pastuerization.

[funchy]

I have been having a difficult time with my thyroid and my weight. I recently began taking armour thyroid but my weight did not alter. Then I began taking coconut oil internally. I began dropping weight quiet rapidly.

I had not heard this before. Why would coconut oil help a thyroid?

Originally Posted by WordKeeper

"Consumption of soybean oil and soy products (soy has proven thyroid suppressing properties). This is why soybeans are used so extensively in feeding livestock, as they cause reduced metabolism and more rapid weight gain. On the contrary, the lauric acid in coconut oil stimulates thyroid function. In the 1940's, farmers tried giving their livestock coconut meal as a cheap food, and found that their animals became lean rather than fatter."

Can you point me to the source of this statement (as in studies)?

I'm a horse person. Soy is often found in horse feed as a good source of protein. Racehorses for example will also get soy as part of their feed. Racehorses do not get "fat". Their diets are intended for for speed/metabolism not for weight/bulk gain. Therefore, forgive me for saying, but I am a little suspicious of the claim soy causes weight gain. If it slowed metabolism, I'd think it would slow the racehorse's metabolism, yes?

Why would soy cause weight gain? What is the causative process?

The asians eat quite a bit of soy in their diet, and have for quite some time. When we generalize about the asian countries usually words such as "fat" and "tired" don't come to mind to describe asians.

[WordKeeper]

funchy - first - I have no interest in "proving" anything to you. Second, you are a poor reader as the answers to most of your questions are in this thread, third, I could care less what you believe or don't believe and fourth your ignorace is clear - orientals eat fermented soy - significant difference. Do your own research.

[funchy]

Originally Posted by WordKeeper

funchy - first - I have no interest in "proving" anything to you. Second, you are a poor reader as the answers to most of your questions are in this thread, third, I could care less what you believe or don't believe and fourth your ignorace is clear - orientals eat fermented soy - significant difference. Do your own research.

If the answers were in the thread, why would I be asking you for them? I asked for a study or something scientific. I saw one link given: to an un-referenced paragraph from a commercial web store selling thyroid remedy, which you copy-and-pasted. By "study" I meant scientific research which examines the causative factors or attempts to establish a strong correlation through double-blind study.

If you have no idea, it's ok to say so. But I don't see the need for you to get angry with me for asking for further information. If you're going to announce health claims as fact, I don't think it's unreasonable for people to ask you for more info.

Orientals do eat raw soy as well as fermented. Ever tried Edamame? It's yummy!

[WordKeeper]

REPEAT - I have no interest and no obligation to PROVE anything to you. NONE. Do your own research.

[Peek]

For some research info there is this link
First there is the explanation in a simple to understand way, at the end are the reference notes
Article 10065-The Fat That Can Make You Thin

I heard about coconut oil and magic, and I'm glad we have somebody here who has a real good experience about it.

So I took my virgin coco oil bottles out and use 2 tablespoons a day in my cereals and 2 over my apple with cinnamon one hour before dinner.
I do feel that I need less food. (Still the ultimate test is next week when those monthly cravings are setting in )
And it might be water, but I lost 1 kg of body weight.

Oh and......I feel so good the last couple of days....so let's see next week

Take care,

[liamona]

Originally Posted by sepiagal

How do those things change the fat? The fat in pastuerized milk isn't hydrogenated.

Originally Posted by liamona

In most brands they are. Heat definitely affects the properties of fat.

Originally Posted by sepiagal

That's absolute nonsense. Heat doesn't make a fat hydrogenated.

No, it doesn't, and that's not what I meant. I was assuming that you knew that store-bought milk that is homogenized is often also pasteurized. I assure you that I know that they're different processes! LOL.

You talk about how enzymes are destroyed;

Only because YOU asked:

Originally Posted by sepiagal

What is so bad about pastuerization?

this thread is about coconut FAT and thyroid.

Oh really? I didn't know that.

The fat in coconut milk is not effected by pastuerization.

Do you have any documentation on that? I couldn't find any. I think that the fat, because it's saturated, is more stable than heat-processed vegetable oils, but I doubt that the fat in canned coconut milk is the same as what you'd get from fresh coconuts.

[liamona]

Originally Posted by funchy

I

Why would soy cause weight gain? What is the causative process?

The asians eat quite a bit of soy in their diet, and have for quite some time. When we generalize about the asian countries usually words such as "fat" and "tired" don't come to mind to describe asians.

Personally, I gain a lot of weight when I eat unfermented crappy soy products like certain soy milk brands and fake soy meats.

I don't think Asians have historically eaten that much soy, and they only did so in order to supplement meat (or for the poor, to replace meat when it wasn't available). They also didn't used to eat crap like isolated soy protein (which seems to be a really popular ingredient in the U.S.).

As for edamame, it's a snack served in one-cup portions (skin and all). That's not very much soy in one sitting.

I have to admit, I'm going from memory from a trip I took to Japan back in the 90s, and also everything else was served in one cup portions. Their sodas also come in tiny bottles/cans.

Now they probably do consume more soy because of all the hype.

[liamona]

Originally Posted by Peek

For some research info there is this link
First there is the explanation in a simple to understand way, at the end are the reference notes
Article 10065-The Fat That Can Make You Thin

That's a really great article by Bruce Fife. I have a couple of his books, including the excellent cookbook Cooking with Coconut Flour, which I use all the time.

[sepiagal]

Originally Posted by liamona

Do you have any documentation on that? I couldn't find any. I think that the fat, because it's saturated, is more stable than heat-processed vegetable oils, but I doubt that the fat in canned coconut milk is the same as what you'd get from fresh coconuts.

If heating coconut oil was a problem then the containers the oil comes in would say not to use it for cooking.

What oils are not used for cooking? None that I know of. High temps mean you burn the oil (like olive oil) and it develops a bitter or burnt flavor. But other than burning oil how does cooking with oil or fat cause the fat to change?

If you can use coconut oil for cooking how can pastuerization make coconut milk fat unhealthy?

[funchy]

Originally Posted by liamona

Personally, I gain a lot of weight when I eat unfermented crappy soy products like certain soy milk brands and fake soy meats.

Forgive me for beating a dead horse, but I still am not convinced.

I can give anecdotal evidence, too. I've been vegetarian for over 15 years. I've gone through phases where I ate alot of soy and I've gone through periods where I ate little to none. My weight changed in response to my calorie intake, age, activity level, hormones, and health issues... but never in response to how much soy I ate. I have my thryoid checked regularly as part of an in-depth physical my doctor gives me, and it's never come back with any unusual findings, which logically should not happen if I eat so much soy.

I don't think Asians have historically eaten that much soy, and they only did so in order to supplement meat (or for the poor, to replace meat when it wasn't available).

You assume people don't eat meat because they can't afford it. I don't have the SAD-diet perspective, so I don't see it that way. I believe many Asians just didn't see the need to have a big hunk of meat at every meal and didn't see soy as being horrible.

Here is my overall frustration with the soy topic:

In my readings, I come across health articles that discuss the pros and cons of soy. However, some articles are totally anti-soy and claim soy has no redeeming qualities -- yet these seem to be the articles that never cite scientific sources. They're all just summaries or reprints of someone else's anti-soy opinion or excerpt of a book someone is trying to peddle. And then I hear scare-tactic claims such as "soy makes men into women", "soy causes the thyroid to malfunction", and "soy is the reason all Americans are so fat"... and admittedly at that point I put on my Skeptic's Hat.

The anti-soy articles sometimes make such sweeping generalizations. Most of them don't address that 90% of American soy is now GM, so it's not clear which soy they're looking at. These articles rarely address the changes in soy that occur in the different processing steps to make the different soy products. They aren't addressing that simply cooking soy can change its properties. They aren't comparing green soy (eg. Edamame) with dried, processed, and stored soy beans. So how can we say "all soy is evil" when not all soy is the same?

And if soy is so bad for mammal, shouldn't the livestock be sick, if soy is so detrimental? It seems like those most upset about soy seem to be saying "go back to milk and meat instead of that yucky soy." But if soy is toxic, why isn't anyone worried about meat built from it? It seems inconsistent to say we can't eat soy but animals can and there's absolutely no problem with eating soy-fed meat or dairy.


Here is one article I found interesting, which weighs in on the pros and cons of eating soy:
TMUSCLE.com | Soy: What's the Big Deal?

Author's closing statement:

"In the end, as we have often have discussed, there's a simple rule of thumb that most people somehow forget... repeatedly. And it's this: You don't often go wrong with whole, unprocessed foods. Where the problems typically occur is with processed food, in all forms.

This rule of thumb is also true with soy.

Whole, unprocessed soy is just a food. It's not a political agenda. It's not a public health crisis. It's not a way of life. It's not a medicine. And it's not a panacea.

It's one food. One of a few thousand foods people can include in their diets. It's nothing more.

So, as the title of this article hints at, we want people to re-freakin-lax when it comes to soy. Moderate doses of whole-food soy proteins really are no big deal."

[liamona]

Originally Posted by sepiagal

The fat in coconut milk is not effected by pastuerization.

Originally Posted by liamona

Do you have any documentation on that? I couldn't find any. I think that the fat, because it's saturated, is more stable than heat-processed vegetable oils, but I doubt that the fat in canned coconut milk is the same as what you'd get from fresh coconuts.

Originally Posted by sepiagal

If heating coconut oil was a problem then the containers the oil comes in would say not to use it for cooking.

Extra-virgin coconut oil isn't heated during processing. However, the fat in canned coconut milk is.

Even so, canned coconut milk is probably okay to consume—it's not as great as what you can make from fresh coconuts, but they're not always available (and even when they are, they're often irradiated and fumigated).

Bruce Fife (the coconut "expert") recommends canned coconut milk in The Coconut Oil Miracle.

Surprisingly, he doesn't say anything about the fillers and preservatives that a lot of companies use. Not to mention heavy metal leaching from the cans.

What oils are not used for cooking? None that I know of.
High temps mean you burn the oil (like olive oil) and it develops a bitter or burnt flavor. But other than burning oil how does cooking with oil or fat cause the fat to change?

Historically, lard and other saturated fats were used extensively because they are solid at room temperature, and don't oxidize very easily.

Vegetable oils, because they're refined, tend to oxidize. They have a bad smell, but manufacturers now deoderize rancid oils so they don't smell. It's kind of creepy when you think about how many packaged foods contain crap like refined soybean oil.

If you can use coconut oil for cooking how can pastuerization make coconut milk fat unhealthy?

It's just not as good as what comes from fresh coconuts, but it won't kill you. Soon anyway.

[liamona]

Originally Posted by funchy

Forgive me for beating a dead horse, but I still am not convinced.

I can give anecdotal evidence, too. I've been vegetarian for over 15 years. I've gone through phases where I ate alot of soy and I've gone through periods where I ate little to none. My weight changed in response to my calorie intake, age, activity level, hormones, and health issues... but never in response to how much soy I ate. I have my thryoid checked regularly as part of an in-depth physical my doctor gives me, and it's never come back with any unusual findings, which logically should not happen if I eat so much soy.

I totally believe you! This is probably why you're a successful, healthy vegetarian, and why I couldn't be one. I'm sensitive to soy, and you're not.

I'll bet you're not "hooked" on fake soy meats, either, like I was. I would eat them for two out of three meals every day, for years.

You assume people don't eat meat because they can't afford it.

No, I'm going by food history. Historically, people preferred to eat meat if it was available, but would eat stuff like soy if they had to.

And if soy is so bad for mammal, shouldn't the livestock be sick, if soy is so detrimental? It seems like those most upset about soy seem to be saying "go back to milk and meat instead of that yucky soy." But if soy is toxic, why isn't anyone worried about meat built from it? It seems inconsistent to say we can't eat soy but animals can and there's absolutely no problem with eating soy-fed meat or dairy.

You're absolutely right. Ruminants like cows shouldn't be eating soy either, and they ARE sick because they're fed it and grains.

Here is one article I found interesting, which weighs in on the pros and cons of eating soy:
TMUSCLE.com | Soy: What's the Big Deal?

That's a pretty good one.

So, as the title of this article hints at, we want people to re-freakin-lax when it comes to soy. Moderate doses of whole-food soy proteins really are no big deal.

I agree, except I don't think that fermented soy products are in the same category as junk food like soy dogs. Also, the article neglected to mention that soy has one of the highest phytic acid contents of any legume, and that's something to take into consideration.