Because Alzheimer's is in my family I have volunteered in a couple of research projects. I know they have tested me; however, because it is research, the results of that testing is not available to me. I discussed with the Dr in charge of the research about taking the tests on my own. He discouraged it because if the gene is there it does not mean the person WILL for sure get the disease. On the other hand he said that some people with the disease DO NOT have the gene. His opinion was that the knowledge of the results of the testing might cause unnecessary worry in some individuals. Everyone must weigh the situation and make a decision they feel best for them. For me, I think I can take a lot of coconut oil for the cost of the testing.

Since alzheimers' has no cure, no way to slow the progress or no way to prevent, caregivers' will try any thing they think might help. I don't really think a caregiver will get false hope. Seems as if our hope is destroyed when your loved one is diagnosed. You just live each day and hope for a cure or someway to slow down this insidious disease.

I don't know anything about its help with Altzheimers but.....my daughter has been making cookies using it in place of
butter and they are quite good, she said its pricey to buy tho....I am going to try it one day soon....

coconut oil
 

My recipe for Coconut Breakfast Bars

1-1/2 c. chopped dates
2 c. chopped unsalted almonds (I use raw from the health foods store)
3-1/2 c. unsweetened coconut
1-1/4 c. melted coconut oil
1/2 c. honey (could also use real maple syrup)
1 t. vanilla or almond flavoring
1/2 c. raisins or dried cranberries
lots of cinnamon - not measured, just a really good shake

(Taste and add more cinnamon, if necessary. Also, you may need less honey if sweetened coconut is used.)

I spray a large glass cake pan. Dump the above into the cake pan and pack down with the back of a spoon. Pack really tight and then refrigerate. The honey and solidified coconut oil will hold the bars together although they are a little crumbly. They taste just as good from a spoon. Once they are hardened, cut and move to a sealed container or wrap individually.

Many of the ingredients in this recipe are available at the health foods store. Hope you like them. Enjoy!!!

I use it to pop popcorn. This is so yummy and so much better for you than the microwave kind. So darned yummy!

How about making trail mix with it? Any of you who can shop at the military stores the commisary also carries it. I think the main thing that is to get enough of it. We can cook with it but we have to watch and make sure that we are getting the right amount into our bodies to make it count. I'm so glad the quilting board isn't just about just quilting but so much more. Keep up the great work. Go quilters.

It sounds as if you cannot get an adequate amount from taking capsules. See this article:
http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/coconutoilcapsule.htm

It's a bummer, because I too cannot just "eat" 4 T of coconut oil a day. (I tried a small amount on a spoon yesterday -- Barlean's, which is supposed to be good quality.) That's why I'm looking at the recipe link I posted. Looks like smoothies are a good way of getting in a tablespoon or two.

Hopefully people know it's important with coconut oil to start out with small amounts and work up gradually to the 4T -- at least for people like me, who can have a pretty severe reaction to a sudden major change in diet.

You can make delicious coconut oil "kisses". I must add, (I stopped reading on page 2 so maybe this has been mentioned), Extra Virgin or Cold Pressed Organic Coconut Oil is best (Tropical Traditions or Global Goods have great prices) to use.

Take a cup of EVCO and mix in honey to taste (I whip mine in my KitchenAid with the whisk) I add a teaspoon or so of Vanilla or Almond extract and once it is whipped I make little dollops (that look like kisses) on parchment paper and put them in the freezer.

Once they are hard I keep them in a covered dish in the fridge. I pop one in my mouth whenever I feel like my blood sugar is low, it is a great BS stabilizer.

I wish I had known about coconut oil when my late FIL was diagnosed with alzheimer's. EVCO is an anti bacterial and anti fungal and has manyh, many health benefits.

Some folks use it in their coffee or tea instead of cream!

:) Thanks for the memories:) Growing up my folks had the theatre in town, made LOTS of popcorn with Coconut oil from the 50 lb can. Some of the customers liked their popcorn with butter, others liked it with the melted coconut oil on it.

I bought it at ACME grocery store....10.00 a jar....I haven't tried it yet...

I got mine at Super K-Mart for $7.95

Nutiva is an excellent coconut oil and is reasonably priced on their website or on Amazon. They recently had a special for 1 gallon and introduced 2 of their new products. My husband and I both use coconut oil so for us it is a good buy.
NancyG

Thanks to Suz for the recipe and everyone on their input about coconut oil. It is a very good thing to use for the health benefits. I use the organic pure version and put organic unsweetened flakes in the Vitamix blender to make coconut butter---YUMMMM!
Jan

and definitely not "hydrogenized". I think this was on tv and we all must have seen it. Gonna be trying to find it too.

Let's not forget that coconut oil, even non-hydrogenated, is high in saturated fat (commonly associated with heart disease) - one of the few vegetable oils that is that high. Like many things there is a risk-benefit trade-off.

The research I have read (I am in the medical field) indicated to purchase only the organic extra virgin coconut oil. It does NOT contribute to heart disease and has even been shown to help clean the arteries. Others are heat treated or hydrogenated (Lou Ana) which is NOT what you want! It is a medium chain triglyceride in its natural state but different companies process and treat it differently and that changes its beneficial properties. I have severe restless leg syndrome. The doctor has me on a medication for Parkinson's which has helped but in the evening and at night it would still kick in. Since I have started using the coconut oil (and I am still taking the RX also) I have had no bouts at night or in the evenings. I can't say that all symptoms have completely disappeared, as I still have some tingling in my leg and foot but I no longer have the constant uncontrollable urge to shift around and jerk my left leg. I figured if the Parkinson's med was supposed to help maybe this would also.
I shopped around on the internet and purchase Nutiva in 1 gallon plastic bucket. I cook and bake with it, put it in smoothies, add it to hot cereal, and even put a teaspoon in my hot chocolate when I enjoy that. It doesn't leave an oily slick feeling in your mouth so theoretically you could take a tablespoon or so of it without the nasty feeling that you would have if you did that with vegetable oil. There are big differences in price out there so shop around.
Ann in TN

If I lose my mind, I'm dead anyway!!

I buy the cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil and take 1-2 Tbsp a day for weight loss. 10# gone in 6 weeks. I like the taste of it from a spoon. I didn't know about all these other benefits. Thanks for the info.

I did a search and found that it does help slow down Alzheimer's but it also increases possible cardiac problems. One must weigh the two results. I buy mine Coconut Oil in the form of soft get capsules from Puritan Pride.

I have always thought too that it increases the risk for cardiac problems, but have seen a number of places where it is good to clear out the arteries and helps heart disease, so who do you believe? Maybe the 4T a day would help, but excess could cause problems, but don't see how it can clear arteries and add to the problems both at the same time.
Am wondering if a lot of the claims might be mind over matter. I have not tried it thus far because of heart problems but will keep reading and an open mind just in case.

Thank you Suz for the reminder and additional tips. Some I was not aware of.

LouAnn's brand of coconut oil uses solvents to express the oil. That's why it's so inexpensive. It's not giving you the benefits of the oil at all.
Walmart sells the organic cold pressed coconut oil in a pint jar, usually in the Asian food aisle. This is where I buy and the explanation of the expeller process. The site has terrific sales too: http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/ex...oconut_oil.htm

Coconut and Safflower oil are the only two oils I buy for cooking so it's the only oil I have on hand. I don't deep fry anything and for light pan frying I mix the two oils. I use coconut oil (the non virgin has no coconut taste) instead of butter on hot foods and it works great in baking instead of butter. I've been using coconut and safflower oil for years. I had to stock up when I found them. They weren't available in most stores.

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[TD="width: 492"][h=3]Coconut Oils Pros and Cons [/h][/TD]
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[TD="colspan: 2"]What keeps Don Draper's (actor Jon Hamm's) hair so sleek on "Mad Men"? Coconut oil. We YOU Docs don't actually know he uses it, but it would look the same if he did. Coconut oil has more saturated fats than lard, and that, along with the vitamin E it contains, makes it great for skin and hair. Just don't eat it, at least not much. (Do we YOU Docs differ on this? Maybe.)

Dr. Mike has always said coconut oil will put you on the fast track for the cardiac care unit: It's loaded with saturated fat. And that turns on inflammation-producing genes, clogs your arteries and breaks your heart. (Just like the boys on "Mad Men"!) But Dr. Oz says it helps prevent diabetes, improves calcium and magnesium absorption -- and isn't to blame for packing on pounds.

So, yes or no to coconut oil?

If you're a South Sea Islander eating coconuts as part of a fish-rich diet and leading a physically active life, that's one thing. But add coconut oil to our fat-drenched, inactive lives? That's another story. The bottom line is: Reduce your intake of all saturated fats, but if you must have some, coconut oil isn't a killer -- as long as it's not baked or cooked. Substitute it for other sat-fats in your diet; don't add it on. And remember, its most healthful benefits are for hair and skin: It moisturizes, is anti-microbial, anti-wrinkle and soothes eczema and psoriasis. Plus, it helps protect you from sun damage.

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We have Trader Joes here and it was around $6 for a pint.

I get mine at the Health food stores.
I get unrefined and organic, coconut oil...Virgin...

The connection between cardiac problems & coconut oil was made in a flawed study. It turned out that they used hydrogenated coconut oil in the study. As we all know now, any type of hydrogenated oil can cause cardiac problems -- not just coconut oil.

One simple test my Dr. does every year is to tell me the name of about seven things like shoe, fireplace, pencil..... and tells me to remember them. At the end of my check up he asks me to tell him all I remember. If I show signs of remembering less items then he will know that more tests need to be done. He's been doing this since my 40's. So far so good.

Might be an idea to start small and gradually increase the amount of oil daily, til the desired dose is reached. I had disasterous results with fish oil capsules....my digestive system (pretty wrecked by illness) cannot cope with too much oil of any description. Turns out I can't tolerate it at all. When I start any new regime, whether its prescription or supplements my Doctor and I have found out that "starting small" is the best idea.

Price doesn't come into play when buying really healthy food. you get what you pay for! I use Dr. Bronner's Magic "All in One!" fair trade & organic. It is fresh pressed, non- refined virgin oil. It is a better oil because the inside skin is left on during pressing so there is more nutrition in it. Coconut oil helps improve blood cholesterol by increasing the ratio of HDL to LDL cholesterol in the blood.

Someone else owns a Vita-mix. Wow! I love mine!
peace

You get get it in pill form at http://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-coconut-oil

they also sell the semi-liquid version too - reasonable rates