8-12 tablespoons of Nutiva Organic Toasted Hemp Seeds
4 tablespoons of sea salt
4 tablespoons of Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Cooking Instructions:
1. Thoroughly wash and scrub yams, cut several small slits in each yam skin for thorough cooking. Place the yams on a pan or wrap them tightly in foil. Bake them at 350°F (177°C) for an hour or a little less or more, depending on your yams size.
2. If you like, toast the hemp seeds. Slightly grease pan with Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut oil and toast the seeds by medium temperature about 3-5 minutes in toaster or regular oven at 325°F (163°C) until they are little brown. Mix with sea salt after toasting.
3. Slice open baked yams lengthwise and add a tablespoon of with Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut oil to each yam. Scatter with salted hemp seeds and place them on a serving dish.
Not all of fats are harmful for health. This is often wrongly blamed to fats, so there are full of low-fat or fat-free products in markets but they are not saving humanity. Today many people know more about obesity and are not in trouble from low-fat propaganda.
If healthy diet plan is to include natural nutrients, it should include good fats. Because fats are found widely in natural products such as tallow and lard in animals, fish oil in fish, oils in vegetables and fruits – olives, avocado, canola, nuts, seeds and coconut. And the most important sources: milk. You can see that fats are everywhere.
Essential vitamins such as A, D, E and K are soluble in fats. If you lack of fats, you bereave absorption of these vitamins. Actually, there are good fats and bad fats. Omega-3 is the example of good fat. Most of bad fats are long chain fats like in lard and butter.
Coconut oil was considered harmful for health because it contains full of saturated fats. But the fact is; not all saturated fats are the same. There is a big different between saturated fats from coconut oil and from others. Saturated fats in coconut oil are mainly Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) those constructed from medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) while other fats in vegetables and animals are long chain triglycerides (LCTs). The molecular length specifies how a fat is metabolized. Long chain fatty acids are more difficulty used and they are stored in our body in adipose (fat) tissue. This is opposite from MCTs which are easily burned by our cells similar to carbohydrates and quickly release energy for activities. Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is pure coconut oil, so it contains plenty of medium chain fatty acids especially Lauric acids.
As described, it’s not the fat type that matters but the molecular size, medium is better than long.
Researches in Epidemiology found that people from Africa and Pacific have no significant relation between coconut oil consumption quantity and obesity or high cholesterol level. They use normally use coconut as staple food.
Coconut Oil – The Miracle of Nature.
Coconut oil is the organic phenomenon which prolongs and enriches life by its excellent and undeniable benefits.
It would be nice if you eat until you’re full and satisfied and enjoy your dishes without any worries about diet and weight gain. This is possible if you consume coconut oil between your weight loss programs. It’s like a dream for anyone who is on diet.
Essential fatty acids in coconut oil enhance metabolism and improve thyroid function. They also improve your immune system too and finally total health. Many modern researches indicate that there is a relationship between weight loss and coconut oil consumption quantity.
The best coconut oil for consumption is virgin coconut oil. Production of virgin coconut oil maintains natural original nutrients because most factories use low temperature and don’t use chemical solvents, additive and preservatives. So, it is normally more expensive than non-virgin coconut oil.
Why must lose weight?
Nowadays, obesity is like an epidemic. It is spreading around the world; people get more and more weight from bad eating habit. Obesity brings us many bad things – heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, intra cerebral hemorrhage, diabetes, cancer, depression, corporal imbecility. And the most obvious thing is losing confidence by terrible body shape. Whatever, it destroys your quality of life, no reason to keep overweight.
Why use Coconut Oil for Weigh Loss.
There are several benefits of coconut oil for weight loss as shown below:
Coconut oil has fewer calories than other vegetable or animal oils. It is also less stored in our body because it is burned to release energy quickly. This can avoid gaining weight.
Additional energy from it makes you burn more calories, this supports weight loss.
Our digestive system can easily digest coconut oil.
Substances in coconut oil help thyroid functions and reduce pancreas stress. It leads to weight loss by increasing metabolism.
It is obvious that tropical people are often slim and not overweight although their cuisines include much of coconut oil. This is a good example that coconut oil is not an important factor of obesity.
Coconut Oil Action Mode.
You can used coconut oil as a good appetite suppressant by applied the oil about a 30 minutes before your meal. It activates the brain’s satiety center and then your hanger reduced. This makes you feel fuller than usual and eat less. There are researches shows that if someone uses coconut oil, he/she is satisfied and feel full sooner than usual. Furthermore, it keeps this effect a long time and then you are still full after meal, don’t feel like to eat something else. Finally you get fewer calories and lose your weight.
Coconut oil increases metabolic rate of your body, this means the excess energy will be burned. Calories will be burned more even in resting time. In addition, it gives you more energy to activities, workouts and be active.
Coconut oil is a natural thermogenic which makes your body burn more calories to release heat and keep you active and warm. The thermogenic is one of the most beneficial properties in weight loss. Many of weight loss products in markets use this process in their commercial products.
Coconut oil supports functions of thyroid gland system. It sustains thyroid gland health and then it well produces Thyroxine hormone at sufficient amount. Thyroxine works like a car accelerator that it boosts your body. Thyroxine quantity in your blood specifies calories burning rate, if there is much of Thyroxine, it is similar to step on a car accelerator. The car burn more fuel and you burn more calories. Children have more Thyroxine than adult and you can see that they are more active, and eat a lot without gaining much weight.
People with abnormally low thyroid functions have lower metabolic rate. They lose their weight more difficult than normal because they have lower thermogenesis. Coconut oil can help at this point to optimize thyroid functions and improve weight loss.
The medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil support oxidation of fats. Your body will burn fat more and also use the collected fat. This reduces your body’s fat content.
Fats in coconut oil is not transformed to carbohydrates and is not stored as fats. Medium chain fatty acids have a property to enter body cells and directly utilized by Mitochondria – the power generator of the cell, to release energy. This is one of the best things of coconut oil that makes your body uses up fats and doesn’t keep them.
Last but not least, all properties of coconut oil explained above are proven, studied and verified by clinical research studies. It is not a bedtime story.
Further Reading about Coconut Oil and Weight Loss.
Dietetic supplementation with coconut oil does not cause dyslipidemia and seems to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity.
Source: http://www.springerlink.com/content/02ngg2413wm2w630/
MCT (MCFA) increase energy expenditure may result in faster satiety and facilitate weight control when included in the diet.
Source: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/132/3/329.abstract
MCFA hold potential as weight loss agents.
Source: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0024320597011430
Consumption of a diet rich in Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT) results in greater loss of adipose tissue compared with Long Chain Triglycerides (LCT), perhaps due to increased energy expenditure and fat oxidation observed with MCT intake. Thus, MCTs may be considered as agents that aid in the prevention of obesity and potentially stimulate weight loss.
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12634436?dopt=Abstract
Consumption of MCT enhances Energy Expenditure and fat oxidation in obese women, when compared to LCT consumption. Substitution of MCT for LCT prevents long-term weight gain via increased EE.
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12532160
Oxidization of dietary fat results in diminished fat storage, loss of Body Weight and reduction in subcutaneous adipose tissue. Furthermore, MCT consumption stimulates Energy Expenditure and fat oxidation.
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12975635
Some Cautions.
Nothing in the world is perfect, even the beneficial coconut oil. Although adverse effects are rarely because coconut oil is natural, there are some people who are sensitive with coconut oil than other oils. The following suggestions maybe helpful:
Some people have loose stool if consume large quantity of undiluted coconut oil (for example: 2-3 tablespoons and 3-4 times a day). Because those people’s digestive system can’t tolerate pure oil. This can be avoided by start eating the oil with small amount and increase gradually in the next days. Using coconut oil in cooking instead of directly eating may avoid this symptom.
If you experience constipation, raise your water intake.
Antibiotic properties of coconut oil may cause “Die-Off” symptoms if you consume large quantity of pure coconut oil. This can be helped by exercising to remove toxins from your body.
It doesn’t matter how your weight loss program is, exercising is the thing you must do. Coconut oil normally contains 120 calories per a tablespoon. Your 1 pound weight (0.45kg) equals 3500 calories. This means you will gain weight in long term if you don’t exercise.
You may be allergic to coconut oil and have a rash. This is suggested to test allergy before use of coconut oil. If you experience the symptom, use antihistamine to heal.
If the allergic symptoms still last longer than 1 week, stop using coconut oil and products. You should use other oils such as olive oil.
Now you know much about benefits of coconut oil for weight loss. If you want a good virgin coconut oil for your program, try Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. You can find the oil at stores and online store. There are various sizes and value packs.
This is the frequently asked questions about virgin coconut oil that people often wonder. If you want basic info, please read Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil page. You maybe fond of Coconut Products, you can visit the store.
What is different between Coconut Oil and Extra Virgin Coconut Oil?
The term “Extra Virgin Coconut Oil” generally means coconut oil that is extracted from fresh coconut meat without using high temperature, chemical solvents (such as hexane). Common method for extracting is using expellers to press coconut meat and get the oil, it’s called “cold-pressed” because it uses mechanical force rather than heat. Furthermore, virgin coconut oil is not refined, bleached and deodorized. So it’s maintained almost natural substances and nutrients especially essential fatty acids (medium chain triglycerides – MCTs) such as Lauric acid, Carpric acid and Capryric acid those are good for health. While the term “Coconut Oil” means ordinary simple oil made from coconut. It’s usually produced by simple process like other industrial vegetable oils such as RBD (Refined- Bleached-Deodorized). Moreover, it maybe hydrogenated (fill hydrogen to make saturated oil) to be more stable and longer shelf life. For those processes, simple coconut oil loses natural nutrients and is harmful from hydrogenation that produces trans-fats.
Among extra virgin coconut oil from several brands, they are still different. Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil has enjoyable aroma and light buttery flavor. Once you have tasted, you may not change your mind from Nutiva, this maybe the reason why Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is the best seller in North America. Many other brands have light sour, bland taste or over smell but Nutiva’s tastes like fresh coconut. It is pure white color when it is solid and contains no grey part from the over-processed oil.
Coconut oil melted into liquid after buying from store. On shelf it was solid, is something wrong?
It’s all right to use that coconut oil because it’s normal property of the oil that melts down at over 76°F (24.4°C). Below that point, it’s in solid state.
How to bake with Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil?
You can replace Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil to other oils, butter or shortening at the same quantity. You should mix ingredients at room temperature or pre-melt the coconut oil before use to mix well. This is a better choice to use virgin coconut oil rather than other vegetable oils which may contain harmful trans-fat or GMO.
Why no need refrigeration?
Virgin coconut oil is much stable by its natural preservatives; only keep it away from sunlight and air but no refrigeration is needed. You can refrigerate the oil, but it won’t be comfortable when use because it’s solid like a rock.
How long is Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil’s shelf life?
The unrefined coconut oil is quite stable, so the shelf life is about 2 years.
What are tiny specks found at the bottom of the container?
They are natural fibers of coconut, not dangerous at all and have some nutritional value, similar to tiny bits of cork in wine (but they have no nutritional value).
Is it said that coconut oil is bad for health?
This is true for some coconut oil products those extracted by solvents, produced with RBD process (Refined-Bleached-Deodorized) and hydrogenation that creates harmful trans-fat. In the other hand, Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil cholesterol-free, trans-fat free and contains plenty of medium chain fatty acids about 50% such as Lauric acid that is excellent for your health. Moreover, It is being researched about antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties that can protect our health.
How can virgin coconut oil help weight loss?
It increases metabolism, easy to burn and makes you feel full for long time.
Cooking with coconut oil, how to?
Coconut oil can replace other oils for cooking. You can mix it with beverages such as tea, coffee or smoothies. It’s great to spread on toast especially cinnamon toast. Making popcorn and used as a topping is good too.
How much is an appropriate dose for a day?
It is recommended to consume about 3 tablespoons of virgin coconut oil in a day.
How about using virgin coconut oil for skin and hair treatment?
Other than culinary uses, Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is also great for skin and health care. For skin moisturizing, rub your skin with coconut oil, it absorbs quickly and makes your skin very soft and smooth, and leaves light coconut scent. Just melt the oil into liquid at 76°F before use. For hair, bathe your hair and scalp with coconut oil before taking a shower, this makes your skin shine and smooth. Coconut oil is also nice for using as massage oil. It is used widely for massage therapists.
What material is the Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil’s container?
Nutiva uses clear PET and white HDPE for packaging virgin coconut oil. And for HDPE type, it’s easier for shipping via UPS or USPS between summer periods.
Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut oil is one of the best brands in markets that is accepted by people who care their health around the world.
Features of Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Non-GMO.
Certified Organic USDA standard.
Produced by cold-pressed method.
Unrefined oil.
No chemical substances in processing.
Unfermented oil.
Unbleached oil.
No deodorization.
No hydrogenation.
No solvent in extracting.
White in color likes fresh coconut.
Fresh coconut aroma.
Fresh coconut taste.
Made with Fresh Is Best™ commitment of Nutiva.
Ingredients
100% organic extra virgin coconut oil.
Nutrition Facts of Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Serving Size: 1 tablespoon (14g)
Serving Per Container: 59
Amount Per Serving
Calories 130
Calories from Fat 130
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14g
22%
Saturated Fat 13g
63%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesteral 0mg
0%
Sodium 0g
0%
Total Carbohydrate 0mg
0%
Protein 0g
0%
Not a significant source of dietary fiber, sugar, vitamin A and C, calcium and iron.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is available in famous stores such as Amazon.com. There are many sizes (15 Oz, 29 Oz, 54 Oz, 1 Gallon and 5 Gallons) and value packages to save money. You can visit and shop here:
There are many brands in the market that left coconut meat many hours before chopping and pressing for oil. This method badly affects the flavor of virgin coconut oil. Techniques in extracting coconut oil are the key to get the best taste, smell and other good characteristics of the oil. Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is produced by cold-pressed method; it has nice flavor and soft taste, clear white color, good aroma. This cannot be compare with other industrialized coconut oils which are tasteless, lessened aroma and not pure white color. Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil may contain some little brown specks at the bottom of the container, which are the natural coconut fiber and have no effect to quality of coconut oil.
Fatty acid is an important nutrient. There are many types of fatty acid classified by molecular size. The medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) are composed from medium chain fatty acids which have medium long molecule. So they are easier to burn and are difficulty collected in our body. Coconut oil contains Lauric acid about 50%. Lauric acid is rare medium chain fatty acid in nature, it can be also found in human mother milk. It increases metabolic rate and has the antifugal, antibacterial and antivital properties (being researched now). So it helps protection of our health. In addition, Americans often get too much of the Omega-6 fat, which exists in coconut oil about 1%. 92% of coconut oil is saturated fats.
Coconut Oil’s Nutrition
There were many reports indicated that coconut oil is unhealthy food because of its fats could cause clog the artery especially in the period of 60s. In fact, the actual cause of clogging is hydrogenated fats that used in the studies. They were not coconut virgin oil that we are talking about. Hydrogenation is an industrial process to add additional hydrogen molecule to vegetable oils to produce trans-fat and results in more stable oil (prolong shelf life). Hence, there are many products in markets provides harmful hydrogenated fats such as some hydrogenated soy, canola, corn and other vegetable oils. Not only trans-fat in those oils but also hexane solvent used in extraction that is dangerous for health. These oil products are being used in packaged food industries, and American are fatter and fatter and get diseases.
Virgin coconut oil is trans-fat free and cholesterol free, it contains 1% of Omega-6 fats but is plenty of medium chain fatty acid “Lauric acid” which is a good fat for health. Virgin coconut oil then can be included in recipes for baby.
As explained above, Lauric acid is full of benefits such as promote metabolism and protect out health. It has anti-biotic properties (for virus, fungi and bacteria). It is found in human mother milk and rarely found elsewhere but in coconut oil which is 50% of Lauric acid. This medium chain fatty acid is currently being researched and may become popular as Omea-3 fats nowadays. There is news that report the Monsanto Company has just developed a GMO canola. This modified canola can yield oil with more Lauric acid like coconut oil. Consuming too much Omea-6 fats is harmful for health, but it can be made up by eating virgin coconut oil just about 10-13 tablespoons a day.
Coconut Oil and Trans-Fat
The assumptions such as “fat-free is better”, “tropical fats aren’t good” or “vegetable oils are really benefits” are now outdated and are more questioned if it’s really true. In the other hand, Nutiva has offered products with “good fats” such as coconut and hemp oil that’s good for health. The actual devil nutrients is trans-fat, so FDA has forced labeling that shows quantity of trans-fat in products since 2006 and as a result the entire fat category is undergoing a review of its traditions and assumptions.
It is quite unbelievable that Pacific islanders consume large amount of coconut and coconut oil but they are low risk to heart disease or obesity. But western people that follow modern diet by consuming other vegetable oils are now facing diseases those related to fats, especially in USA.
Not only good nutrients, but Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil also provides benefits for skin and hair. You can use it as skin moisturizer, body massage oil and other uses. Last but not least, you can find variety of yummy recipes by coconut products.
Taste of Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil has:
An enjoyable aroma.
A light taste.
White pure color when solid.
You may see many coconut oil in markets have only little aroma, tasteless and off-white in color. Because they are Refined-Bleached-Deodorized oils (RBD Oil). But Nutiva uses the processing that optimizes its taste and aroma. There are several methods described in the table below:
Fresh coconut meat is ground and conveyed through a hot-air dryer, then cold-pressed.
Dry Refined, bleached and deodorized
White/ Yellowish
No odor or flavor
> 220° F
Produced from weeks or months old sun-or fire-dried coconut meat (copra), which is then refined, bleached, and deodorized to remove off-flavors.
Wet Centrifuged (Cold) Extra-Virgin Coconut Oil
White
Light coconut flavor/light aroma
< 118° F
Fresh coconut meat is made into milk, utilizing the centrifuge process to separate the oil. Oil is removed within several hours of shelling.
Wet Village Scale, Extra-Fermented Virgin Coconut Oil
White
Sour coconut flavor/light to strong aroma
Fermented at ambient temperatures; sometimes heated
Fresh coconut meat is made into milk, stored for 10-24 hours during which the water portion is fermented and then oil is skimmed off.
This is the policy of John W. Roulac, the Nutiva founder and president:
“We’re pleased to offer our customers a super-healthy medium-chain fat with a rich aroma and an enticing light flavor. Until now, it has been hard to find high-quality extra-virgin coconut oil in natural food stores.”
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) – The Good Fats
Nutritionists and physicians support that the “Good Fat” or essential fatty acids (EFAs) is necessary for our health like minerals and vitamins. Someone may not believe because they have bias that every kind of fat is not good.
It’s the same as essential amino acids, they are necessary to us because we can’t produce them by ourselves. So we have to receive EFAs regularly. There have been many researches for longer than 50 years indicate that EFAs enhance human health. They take care about rheumatoid arthritis, brain functions, immune system, cancer, cardiovascular system, diabetes, skin conditions (e.g. eczema and psoriasis), infant development and cancer prevention.
90% of Americans lack of Omega-3, the most important essential fatty acid. It is found in deep sea fish, hemp seeds, flax and walnuts. There are also Omega-6, Omea-9, GLA and SDA fatty acids in hemp, these substances are quite rare.
Nutiva gets seeds exclusively from Canada and records their date carefully. Omega-3 fatty acid is easily oxidized by oxygen, sunlight and heat. So raw materials such as seeds must be store in appropriate places, which is cold and dark, e.g. refrigerators.
What Can You Do with Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
Coconut oil provides variety of benefits. There are so many ways to take care yourself by coconut oil:
Cooking: Use Nutiva coconut oil to replace butter or other vegetable oils. This can reduce consumption of trans-fat and also makes your dishes have nice differnet aroma and taste. It's also good for your diet program because fats in coconut oil is easier to burn and increases your metabolism.
Baking: Coconut oil is known good for baking sweets and bakery.
Skin Treatment: This is the great moisturizer for your skin. It makes your skin healthier and can be used for massaging.
Hair Treatment: Coconut oil is good for hair and scalp, it makes your hair shine and strong.
There are many good books those can guide you for weight loss, with coconut oil. We recommend you some books as following:
The Coconut Diet: The Secret Ingredient That Helps You Lose Weight While You Eat Your Favorite Foods
Authors: Cherie Calbom, John Calbom Pages: 336 ISBN-10: 0446693456 ISBN-13: 978-0446693455 Publication Date: January 6, 2006 Publisher: Grand Central Life & Style; Reprint edition
Eat Fat, Lose Fat: The Healthy Alternative to Trans Fats
Authors: Mary Enig, Sally Fallon Pages: 394 ISBN-10: 0452285666 ISBN-13: 978-0452285668 Publication Date: March 28, 2006 Publisher: Plume; Reprint edition
Coconut Cuisine: Featuring Stevia
Authors: Jan London Pages: 159 ISBN-10: 1570671966 ISBN-13: 978-1570671968 Publication Date: April 1, 2006 Publisher: Book Publishing Company (TN)
The Coconut Oil Miracle: (Previously published as The Healing Miracle of Coconut Oil)
Authors: Bruce Fife, Jon J. Kabara Pages: 256 ISBN-10: 1583332049 ISBN-13: 978-1583332047 Publication Date: September 9, 2004 Publisher: Avery Trade; 4 edition
Coconut Oil: For Health and Beauty
Authors: Cynthia Holzapfel, Laura Holzapfel Pages: 128 ISBN-10: 1570671583 ISBN-13: 978-1570671583 Publication Date: October 1, 2003 Publisher: Book Publishing Company (TN)
Additional note for the product size 1 and 5 Gallon:
Since we had a problem about leaky pails of 1 and 5 Gallon product, Nutiva has improved the new stronger containers. It is more difficult to open the pail’s lid. It may be removed by hand but requires quite much force to do.
As described above, if you buy the size 1 and 5 Gallon of Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, you may want the Pail Opener. There are various models of pail opener available in stores.
