by EllenD » Mon Oct 24, 2016 12:47 pm
Coconut oil can be very, very healthy for humans, birds, dogs, etc. but it has to be the correct type of coconut oil, and it has to be used either as a substitute for other oils to cook food in, or if using it as a supplement and actually just giving it to your bird or dog, it must be in a very small quantity.
As stated above not all coconut oil is solid at room temperature. Most of the containers of coconut oil you see in stores are solid at room temperature because they are unhealthy coconut oils that are processed in a way that makes them unhealthy. There are a few things that you need to read on the label for coconut oil to be beneficial. First of all, it must be UNREFINED. If coconut oil is "refined", this is just another way of saying it has been changed from it's natural form. Next, coconut oil must be EXTRA VIRGIN, just like you want olive oil to be. Honestly, EXTRA VIRGIN is just another way of saying UNREFINED, but in my experience the really good coconut oils say both UNREFINED and EXTRA VIRGIN on their labels. Lastly, and this one is the characteristic that typically raises the price tag, coconut oil must be COLD PRESSED instead of "Expeller Pressed". If coconut oil is "Expeller Pressed" it is exposed to extremely high heat while being processed, which changes it's molecular structure. COLD PRESSED processing keeps the heat very low during processing, to the point where the oil is almost RAW. Coconut oils that are liquid at room temperature are COLD PRESSED or even better DIRECT MICRO EXPELLED (hard to find yet) and these two processing methods keep the coconut oil in it's most natural, unchanged, raw state. DIRECT MICRO EXPELLED coconut oil is basically processed out in nature instead of in a factory, but it is difficult to find coconut oil that is processed this way as of yet. Most coconut oil you'll see in stores is Expeller Pressed, in fact I ran out of my usual coconut oil and Trader Joe's was out of it, so I went to 3 different stores-Walmart, Wegmans, and Weis- and none of the 3 had a single coconut oil that was COLD PRESSED...I was a little surprised. Also, you never, ever want to buy a coconut oil that says it is "Hydrogenated" or "Fractionalized", which are just more ways of refining oil after it has already been refined. Also, you need to make a choice about whether to buy Organic coconut oil or not, but this has little if no impact on the health benefits or hindrances of the oil. I have found that the healthiest, rawest coconut oils are typically organic, so by default I buy organic. Pesticides aren't really a big factor with coconut farming, but there may be an impact from the fertilizer used. By the way, HEALTHY COCONUT OIL SHOULD LIGHTLY SMELL AND TASTE LIKE COCONUT! UNHEALTHY, OVERPROCESSED COCONUT OIL HAS ABSOLUTELY NO COCONUT TASTE OR AROMA!
So in short, there are coconut oils out there that are not at all harmful to birds, animals, or people if ingested in small quantities, and in fact these types of coconut oils are beneficial to people, other animals, and birds, albeit again in small quantities. You want to buy a coconut oil that is liquid or almost liquid at room temperature, and that lightly tastes and smells like fresh coconut, rather than having no aroma or taste, or having a dirty or burnt kind of smell or taste. You want the label on the coconut oil to say EXTRA VIRGIN and/or UNREFINED, as well as COLD PRESSED or DIRECT MICRO EXPELLED. Most raw/healthy coconut oils that possess these qualities are also ORGANIC by default. If the label says anything other than what I just stated it should say, like "Hydrogenated", "Fractionalized", "Expeller Pressed", or most notably "Refined", do not buy it.
Also as an FYI, if you're going to use coconut oil externally on your skin or hair, or on your bird's feet or beak (which my certified avian vet highly recommended to me for my Quaker whose feet are always very dry and chapped), it's better to used an oil with these same healthy, raw qualities because the coconut oil that is refined and solid at room temperature (for the most part) can actually cause skin issues by clogging pores and infecting hair follicles.
Just so everyone knows, I have a bachelor's degree in Health Science/Pre-Med with a minor in Animal Health Science, and did my classroom year for my master's in Physician Assistant studies. I decided I did not want to become a PA, Doctor, or Veterinarian, but would rather do research. I have always been an exercise/sports nut, and honestly even though I don't necessarily eat as healthy as I should, I do work out 3-4 times a week, I rarely if ever eat red meat or any pork products and only eat poultry and fish/seafood as proteins. I eat absolutely NO fast food as in McDonald's, Burger King, etc. and I never drink soda. Sticking to this plan has kept my weight steady, my cholesterol and lipid panels perfect, and I still enjoy ice cream, potato chips, and some candy and other sweets. I SWITCHED OVER COMPLETELY FROM EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL TO COCONUT OIL about a year or so ago. I pretty much only use it to cook with and sometimes on pasta, salads, etc. I do use it on my hair as a hydration treatment once monthly, and as directed by my avian vet I use it on my bird's dry, chapped feet, and it works great! I've seen many people use coconut oil on their bird's feet and beaks, and I have a friend that swears by it on the feet of his Moluccan Cockatoo who is 12 years old and has a pretty serious problem with his feet cracking and badly bleeding. The coconut oil works wonders for his feet, and he also gets a teaspoon a day to eat for his feathers.