Fats- Yes or No? What's working for you?

[Kristin Davis]

Do you think fats are helping or hurting your health and then your weight loss? I LOVE avocados and coconut oil. And what about thyroid health and coconut oil. Ugh! I understand oils are calorie dense but are they empty calories? And are they making you healthy or unhealthy? What's your thoughts and experiences?

[Christine]

So long as I'm not eating fruits and fats together I feel good! :) I actually haven't had coconut oil before, my mom's sort of warned me away but now that I know the benefits of the raw coconut oil...well maybe I ought to try it sometime. I don't know anything about thyroid health's connection to coconut oil though...

[Rgibbe2]

I prefer to have a little bit of fat in my food everyday. If I don't get enough, my skin starts acting funny and I get terrible cravings. My 3 favorite fats are coconut oil, olive oil and avocados. I tend to have about 1 to 3 total servings per day. At this point I think as long as I use them in moderation it's not detrimental to me. I certainly feel better when my body has had enough. The fatty foods that hurt my weight loss have been nuts. I never lose weight when I eat a lot of nuts. I try to restrict my intake of these to a couple of servings or less per week.

As far as coconut oil goes... I don't know what I ever did before it came into my life! I use it on my hair, in my food, on my skin... even my cat likes it. A jar is only about $10 and lasts a long time.

[Kristin Davis]

Thanks for the info. Would you say that seeds fall into your Nut catagory too? I've really cut back on the nuts to pretty much none but I really like having seeds lke, pumpkin and sunflower. They seem to be so healthy and I love the tastes.

Yeah, I do the coconut too and I give my dogs the oil as well. One of them does the "bootie scootie" on the ground and I read that coconut oil is really good for keeping their back end "clean and clear". :-) How do you use coconut on your hair, like a conditioner? Wash it out or leave it in?

And when do you know when your body is getting enough or too much oil? Lastly, how did you figure out that the oil was helping your cravings?

Sorry for the ton of questions. :-0

[Rgibbe2]

Yeah I tend to lump seeds into the nut category. A handful every once in a while will do me. I used to be in love with pumpkin seeds and eat them all the time, but after a while just their smell made me nauseus. The same with sesame seeds.

I add the coconut to my hair like a leave-in condition/hair gel. I like it because I can add it in the morning, then when I shower at the gym in the afternoon, there's still a little bit of oil in my hair from the morning. My hair never dries out from the shower. The same with using it as a body oil. It seems to just keep everything supple and smooth.

When I get too little oil - I want to cheat on raw and eat fried foods and anything oily.
When I get too much oil - it seeps out of my pores. My face gets oily and breaks out. I also get lethargic.

The way I found out was by eating an avocado. I adore them, so I started having 1 per day for breakfast (sliced with salt & pepper & a pinch of flax seeds). After that, most of the cravings stopped. Now I try to have a serving of oil first thing in the morning.



Kristin Davis said:

Thanks for the info. Would you say that seeds fall into your Nut catagory too? I've really cut back on the nuts to pretty much none but I really like having seeds lke, pumpkin and sunflower. They seem to be so healthy and I love the tastes.

Yeah, I do the coconut too and I give my dogs the oil as well. One of them does the "bootie scootie" on the ground and I read that coconut oil is really good for keeping their back end "clean and clear". :-) How do you use coconut on your hair, like a conditioner? Wash it out or leave it in?

And when do you know when your body is getting enough or too much oil? Lastly, how did you figure out that the oil was helping your cravings?

Sorry for the ton of questions. :-0

[Kristin Davis]

Thanks! I going to try it! :-)

[Cheyenne]

I believe that coconut oil is an amazing thing. Its so good for just about anything, skin, hair, your BRAIN, and believe it or not, saturated fats are good for you and your heart. I don't want to start a whole debate about saturated fats in general, but I know that coconut oil is beneficial to anyone.

Coconut oil is antibiotic, antimicrobial, antifungal and it is o so yummy! I use it when I'm cooking for my family as a butter/vegetable oil substitute and in tea as a dietary supplement for myself.

I have been trying to convince my family for about 5 years about the greatness of coconuts. Then recently my stepfather went to to a clinic in Ecuador for a type of cancer treatment that is illegal in the US. He had stage 4 throat cancer and he came back enamored with coconuts and WITHOUT his cancer. All blood tests are negative for cancer and indicators keep improving. He drinks coconut milk daily along with an alkaline diet rich in raw foods.

[dmd]

Wow, Hi there Kristin. This is a great question. I know what has worked for me. In the past I have been able to use Avocados, olive, flax and coconut oil as long as I don't have more that two tab. a day in a 1400-1600 calorie a day diet. Now, I said diet because I was not eating Raw, but rather vegan. I lost 35 pounds eating this way in conjunction with 3 days of weights and Bikram yoga 5X's a week. This was 4 years ago. Flash forward...............currently I have 20 of those pounds back and I am still using the same fats but, this time in a High Raw eating style. 40 ounces of Green smoothie (1 tab coconut oil = 2-3 tab. Chia, fruit, kale and spinach.) a large green salad w/1/4-1/2 avocado , a few nuts and usually a favorite flaxseed oil dressing I love to make. I also include 1 meal of either a bean soup, or a roasted veggie = Gluten Free veggie burger, or a favorite...lentils and brown rice with vegetables. My plan is to slowly go more raw and add more raw recipes as my kitchen gadgets and raw food books grows.

[Laura K]

Just some canine info...That "bootie scootie" your dog does is probably an indication his anal glands are full and need to be squeezed by the vet. Not to be gross, but you said it first!! Lol! Regarding fats, I'm much more of a believer in natural fats in whole form, such as coconut, avos, nuts and seeds than concentrated oils which are pretty hard, I think, on the body. Sure, use a little oil once in awhile, but try and get your fats the natural way. As an afterthought...ever watch Rachel Ray on Food Network, 30 minute meals? She boasts all the time how her family and she are big on EVOO, how it gives her a "glossy" coat, as in shiny, healthy hair and skin. Yes, her skin looks good and her hair is glossy. But...she is chunky in weight. I love Rachel Ray, so no offense intended. But that thought always occurs to me that all that fat can cause big time issues not only with weight, but on the inside, too, where it matters.

Kristin Davis said:

Thanks for the info. Would you say that seeds fall into your Nut catagory too? I've really cut back on the nuts to pretty much none but I really like having seeds lke, pumpkin and sunflower. They seem to be so healthy and I love the tastes.

Yeah, I do the coconut too and I give my dogs the oil as well. One of them does the "bootie scootie" on the ground and I read that coconut oil is really good for keeping their back end "clean and clear". :-) How do you use coconut on your hair, like a conditioner? Wash it out or leave it in?

And when do you know when your body is getting enough or too much oil? Lastly, how did you figure out that the oil was helping your cravings?

Sorry for the ton of questions. :-0

[Kristin Davis]

Heya Laura. Thanks for your info. on the oil. Yeah to keep the "bootie scootie" at bay I give them the coconut oil. I'm not grossed out by the full glands, I even release them myself when they get full. LOL! It's smelly but I'm good like that., tough. :-) As far as EVOO, I have pretty much discontinued using it, I have no need for it. I still take my coconut oil,sometimes Tahini and I'm working off my almonds. Then I'm going to stay off the nuts and seeds for a while. We'll see I guess, I don't know- but I think I need to start to watch my food combinations.
:-)

Laura K said:

Just some canine info...That "bootie scootie" your dog does is probably an indication his anal glands are full and need to be squeezed by the vet. Not to be gross, but you said it first!! Lol! Regarding fats, I'm much more of a believer in natural fats in whole form, such as coconut, avos, nuts and seeds than concentrated oils which are pretty hard, I think, on the body. Sure, use a little oil once in awhile, but try and get your fats the natural way. As an afterthought...ever watch Rachel Ray on Food Network, 30 minute meals? She boasts all the time how her family and she are big on EVOO, how it gives her a "glossy" coat, as in shiny, healthy hair and skin. Yes, her skin looks good and her hair is glossy. But...she is chunky in weight. I love Rachel Ray, so no offense intended. But that thought always occurs to me that all that fat can cause big time issues not only with weight, but on the inside, too, where it matters.

Kristin Davis said:

Thanks for the info. Would you say that seeds fall into your Nut catagory too? I've really cut back on the nuts to pretty much none but I really like having seeds lke, pumpkin and sunflower. They seem to be so healthy and I love the tastes.

Yeah, I do the coconut too and I give my dogs the oil as well. One of them does the "bootie scootie" on the ground and I read that coconut oil is really good for keeping their back end "clean and clear". :-) How do you use coconut on your hair, like a conditioner? Wash it out or leave it in?

And when do you know when your body is getting enough or too much oil? Lastly, how did you figure out that the oil was helping your cravings?

Sorry for the ton of questions. :-0

[Angie]

I tend to need a lot of good fats, and I have discovered that as long as I'm eating "my" diet (all raw except oat groats, wild rice, and very occasionally some cooked natural beef, salmon, etc.), this is how it works for me: the more I eat what I crave, the easier my weight balances and the better I feel. The last two weeks I have finally figured out and gotten back to "my diet" (the main thing for me was cutting out agave), and I have finally started losing weight after a long period of messed up weight & blood sugar issues. The last 3 days I've been eating more food than I have in a long time, including tons of fat, and I've lost about a pound per day. I've been eating lots of nuts, seeds, and avocados. I eat virgin coconut oil & olive oil that is cold-pressed AND unfiltered (Bariani is the brand I like), but lately I've been wanting more of the whole foods & not so much the oils. I also find that having plenty of good fats in my diet is a big key to improving my insulin sensitivity.