@Yvonne Smith I just finished breakfast. I scrambled 3 eggs using a pat of butter and a tsp of VCO. They turned out great, moist instead of dry, and with a very slight coconut taste. I had the second slice of toast with peach jelly on it and washed it down with a glass of V8. Very good!
You can use coconut oil in smoothies; but it is a complicated process, or you have little chunks of hardened coconut oil. I tried adding some to my smoothies and even the protein drinks, but no matter how much I blended, the coconut oil had hardened into little bitty chunks in the smoothie. Then I tried making a smoothie with left over bulletproof coffee, and that worked fine. So if you blend the coconut oil thoroughly into something warm first, and then let it cool, then you can add that to a smoothie or other cold drink, and the coco oil will stay emulsified. I also read (but haven't tried it yet) that if you warm just the oil, and then add it to the smoothie as it is blending in a very small bit at a time, then the coconut oil will emulsify before it hardens. Thus far, I am having better luck adding it to hot foods. However, @Joe Riley bought some of the fractionated coconut oil for cooking, and that stays liquid; so I think that this would add into a smoothie with no problems. I haven't seen this kind at the store; so I will have to look for some and see how it does. Even though it would not be the VCO, it is still very healthy, and I can't see how it would be any different than using it for cooking. For cooking my eggs, I like my coco-butter mixture, Joe. I just softened up both the butter and the coco oil (I used the yellow popcorn one for this) and then usd the stick blender until they were thoroughly mixed and fluffy. It is still cool enough that it can sit out on the counter, and this keeps it soft enough to use easily. I don't know how it would be used as a spread on toast; but for cooking my eggs, it gives them a wonderful buttery flavor, and is an easy way for me to get my 2 tbsp of coconut oil.
I can eat a spoon of hardened coconut oil ...no problem. Does it have to be heated first? It feels more waxy than anything else.
I can eat a spoon of it hardened, too, @Chrissy Cross ; but I prefer having it mixed in with something rather than just eating a spoon of it. Plus, if it is going to deter your appetite, it is better for you to take it along with some food, that way you do not miss eating your breakfast or dinner. I have found that I actually sleep better when I have a spoonful before I go to bed at night, and my dreams seem more settled. At first I was afraid that it would keep me awake because of how it energizes me; but it does not do that for whatever reason. One way that I like it at night is to heat up some Silk coconut milk (any milk would work), and then add just a little sweetener, some cinnamon, and the VCO, and then blend that. It has no caffeine, and the combination of the VCO and cinnamon in the hot milk is perfect for me at night.
Here is the link to Bruce Fife's coconut website, and he goes into depth about the uses of coconuts, and coconut oil in particular. There are a number of articles on the website that explain different facets of using coconut oil in different ways. Most of this is also in his book, The Coconut Oil Miracle; but you can read it for free here on the website. I signed up for his newsletter a few years ago, and it comes maybe once a month, and is always interesting, too. http://coconutresearchcenter.org/home/savethechildren/
@Yvonne Smith Instead of trying my first "dose" of coconut oil in my morning coffee, I decided to try some in my morning smoothie. This smoothie consists of some great grains cereal, banana, plain yogurst, walnuts, and almond milk. I added half a teaspoon of the coconut oil to this smoothie and when I blended everything together...it all blended just fine, even the coconut oil. I didn't want to try more than half a teaspoon to begin with because in one article I read that some people with allergies could get stomach upset with it. So now I'm waiting and hoping this smoothie with some coconut oil in it will do just fine in my digestive system so I can find out if it will be of benefit to my health. I tasted a bit of it on the spoon and the flavor was nice and mild tasting coconut so even if I did decide to just eat it straight off the spoon it would be easy to do. I'll update as I go along with this.
@Yvonne Smith Did you ever get a headache after taking the coconut oil? I'm getting one and I usually don't have headaches in the morning.
I have never gotten one; but it does detox your body; so if it is getting rid of toxins , the toxins that are being expelled will sometimes give you a headache or make you feel not good. Check the coconut researcher website that I linked, and you can see what the symptoms of detox can include. If you are having a detox of poisons in your body, that is a good thing; but keep the dose of coconut oil low and gradually increase it as the toxins get flushed out of your body. Once those are gone, your whole body should start feeling much better, and a lot more energy. Your brain can function really well on the MCT's; so you should not have morning brain fog either.
This is my second day on the coconut oil. Yesterday when I took a half of teaspoon of it in my breakfast smoothie I got a nice headache with it. Later in the afternoon I added another half teaspoon to my decaf tea and it didn't bring on another headache. This morning I just ate a half a teaspoon straight from the spoon and no headache came. So now I am having another half teaspoon in some more decaf tea. I do notice my brain feels less fatigued, although my body really doesn't feel more energetic. I also notice that my GERD which has been giving me so much trouble lately...is calmer today and I'm not experiencing as much heartburn as I have been. I do feel some dizziness too, but this was also mentioned as possible with removing the toxins from my body. So far so good.
We have gotten the book and my wife is reading it. We are both taking VCO by spoon before breakfast and supper, using the CO cooking oil for baking and frying. Our appetites have seemed to decrease, and body in general feels more energetic and less aches. Digestion and bowel movements seem improved. The book suggests 3 tablespoons a day, but we are at about 2 teaspoons or more. Will continue and enjoy it's benefits. We have thrown out the canola oil, and veg. oil.
I don't bake at all and don't fry either. I just ate it using a spoon, didn't like it in my coffee because it made me jittery. Don't need to lose any weight so the one benefit wasn't a benefit for me, don't need to gain either.
Not deep frying, but fried and scrambled eggs, hash browns, fried potatoes, when I fry them. Waffles, muffins, banana bread etc.