Cocoanut Oil

[bayview]

I have heard several people on news and show talk about coconut oil and perks. Has anyone used it on the trail?

[TrappedInsideACube]

It tastes good and adds calories...not sure what perks you're hoping for.

[bayview]

I have heard it helps with muscle recovery

[TrappedInsideACube]

I have heard it helps with muscle recovery

Yeah, you can go pretty far down the rabbit hole reading about MCT oil/coconut oil and you'll see a lot of claims about energy and recovery. I wouldn't necessarily say it's bunk, but it's certainly not a "miracle food."

[Deadeye]

It's just the latest fad food, no miracles. Like Trapped said, tastes good & adds calories. Also useful as personal lubricant ! Stops squeaks in packs! Waterproofs shoes! Sooner or later, the demand will cause a worldwide coconut shortage and the price of Mounds and Almond Joys will go through the roof...

[devoidapop]

I like to cook with it. You can eat it "raw". it's supposedly a good saturated fat. I don't think it has any real benefits over butter, ghee, or good ole bacon fat.

[MuddyWaters]

Imparts sweet flavor to stuff. Not especially good. I used it to make tortillas once, family didnt like it.
Oh yeah, it melts at about 78f, so sometimes its solid, sometimes it aint

Lots of different oils out there. Nothing special about it imo.

[WalterB]

If anybody here is interested. Here is a short video about coconut oil and is usage. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi-mWA6i6c0

[becfoot]

I've used it for years to make moisturizer but I doubt that's relevant here.

[Dogwood]

Just ask the experts here. It's obvious they know all about coconut oil through their extensive research.

Yes, I use it on trail for it's readily available source of energy - MCT's - medium chain fatty acids that are metabolized differently than long chain fatty acids, sometimes referred to as healthy fats. Coconut oil is more than 60% three MCT's with noted health benefits - caprylic acid, lauric acid, and capric acid. In addition coconut oil provides anti-fungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties, high amounts of Vit E and polyphenols, multiple uses as a moisturizer, appetite suppression, when I want my energy source to be fats rather than sugars(helps in several ways with one side benefit it lowers the food wt needed to be hauled for energy needs), and several other widely held and discussed possible benefits. It still gets a bad wrap in some scientific circles because it's still believed by some saturated fats are the always the enemy.

There's no sugar calories in coconut oil despite opinions saying it imparts a sweetness.

I find these small individual packets in Earthfare and sometimes Whole Foods and elsewhere.https://taldepot.com/vita-coco-organ...FUs9gQodvdIP4A

A few months ago I posted this about finding .51 oz(wt of product) in individual packets in a 14 packet box at Trader Joes than on sale for $3.99. https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/sho...ut-Oil-Packets

[MuddyWaters]

There's no sugar calories in coconut oil despite opinions saying it imparts a sweetness.

Not sure why anyone would equate sweetness to having sugar. Sucrose is not very sweet. Artificial sweeteners are roughly 200x as sweet, thats why companies force them on you. Saves them $$$$. Just like with drugs, most of what you see is just filler.

I produced an intermediate for a new sweetener for nutrasweet some years back, 8000x as sweet as sugar.

Its big money but to point, trace compounds impart taste.

[CalebJ]

Just ask the experts here. It's obvious they know all about coconut oil through their extensive research.

Yes, I use it on trail for it's readily available source of energy - MCT's - medium chain fatty acids that are metabolized differently than long chain fatty acids, sometimes referred to as healthy fats. Coconut oil is more than 60% three MCT's with noted health benefits - caprylic acid, lauric acid, and capric acid. In addition coconut oil provides anti-fungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties, high amounts of Vit E and polyphenols, multiple uses as a moisturizer, appetite suppression, when I want my energy source to be fats rather than sugars(helps in several ways with one side benefit it lowers the food wt needed to be hauled for energy needs), and several other widely held and discussed possible benefits. It still gets a bad wrap in some scientific circles because it's still believed by some saturated fats are the always the enemy.

There's no sugar calories in coconut oil despite opinions saying it imparts a sweetness.

I find these small individual packets in Earthfare and sometimes Whole Foods and elsewhere.https://taldepot.com/vita-coco-organ...FUs9gQodvdIP4A

A few months ago I posted this about finding .51 oz(wt of product) in individual packets in a 14 packet box at Trader Joes than on sale for $3.99. https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/sho...ut-Oil-Packets

Dogwood said it better than I ever could. It's an excellent source of fat energy with a good flavor. Various side benefits like the ability to use it as a natural lubricant. Multiple health benefits. Far better than the more common canola or vegetable oils. It's a bit quirky to deal with because of the melting point. Also probably hard to find along the trail in some places? Not sure, since I'm always a section hiker (so far).

[zelph]

I find these small individual packets in Earthfare and sometimes Whole Foods and elsewhere.https://taldepot.com/vita-coco-organ...FUs9gQodvdIP4A

A few months ago I posted this about finding .51 oz(wt of product) in individual packets in a 14 packet box at Trader Joes than on sale for $3.99. https://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/sho...ut-Oil-Packets

Your post is what got me interested in coconut oil. I now use it on morning toast with raisins spread in the middle and then folded like a hot dog. I use it for frying eggs in one egg wonder. I like the taste.

[Farr Away]

Your post is what got me interested in coconut oil. I now use it on morning toast with raisins spread in the middle and then folded like a hot dog. I use it for frying eggs in one egg wonder. I like the taste.

I like it to fry potatoes in. And that actually got my son to like fried potatoes.

-FA

[Kaptainkriz]

Will it burn in a stove?

Your post is what got me interested in coconut oil. I now use it on morning toast with raisins spread in the middle and then folded like a hot dog. I use it for frying eggs in one egg wonder. I like the taste.

[Keto]

Coconut oil has a lot of health benefits as Dogwood said. The individual packets at TJ's are the easiest way to carry it. We tried carrying it in mylar bags but it melted and leaked and was a huge mess. (Pack didn't squeak though).

I have also had problems with extra virgin coconut oil going rancid, so for the boxes I shipped over a month in advance I used refined coconut oil.

I like to add coconut oil to a Thai curry spice packet and some dried shrimp for dinner.

I am writing a cookbook on high fat recipes for backpacking, you can see some recipes and sign up for the book release on https://ketogenicbackpacking.com/about/

[chknfngrs]

A little coconut oil and whiskey in the hot cocoa makes for the perfect after dinner treat

[Just Bill]

A little coconut oil and whiskey in the hot cocoa makes for the perfect after dinner treat

When winter camping I like a hot toddy of some sort before bed. I've been doing an orange spice/chamomile tea with a dollop of coconut oil and whiskey (as opposed to the pat of butter I used to use for fat).
But this also sounds rather yummy

[Slo-go'en]

A friend of mine won't eat anything with cocoanut in it as he says it tastes like suntan lotion

[Keto]

The refined coconut oil doesn't have this issue. Trader Joe's jar proudly states "no flavor"