How Much Coconut Oil Should You Take?

Are you new to coconut oil? Wondering how much is generally considered safe? Curious how much you need to take to see some of the possible health benefits? Hoping to figure out how much you can give to your child?

You are not alone. My inbox almost always has at least one email per day from someone wondering the same thing.

So how much coconut oil should you take?

First, let me make sure we are all clear on one important thing. Coconut oil is NOT a pharmaceutical. While it is known for oodles of health benefits and has hundreds of uses, coconut isn’t a medication. As such, you really can’t overdose on it. But please don't take that as bonafide medical advice. I am not a licensed medical professional nor do I pretend to be one on this site.

Having said that, coconut oil is a pretty powerful gift from nature and some people do experience what is called “die-off” when they first begin consuming it. This isn’t necessarily a negative thing. Your body is getting rid of “gunk.” But, it can be unpleasant. (For more information on die-off, check out my post “Can You Overdose On Coconut Oil?”)

In order to lesson or possibly avoid die-off from coconut oil getting into your body and cleaning house, it is important to work up to your full daily intake of coconut oil. But before we get to that, let’s look at what is considered a daily coconut oil consumption goal.

Once again, I am not a medical professional nor to do I play one on this site. These daily recommendations are based on recommendations from other coconut oil gurus (learn more in these books). So please do not consider this a hard and firm “dose.” Personally, I consider these minimum daily intake goals. I use a lot more than what is recommended for my weight to the tune of a good 1/2 cup per day. But keep in mind, I have been consuming coconut oil for years.

Recommended Daily Maintenance Dose Of Coconut Oil

Let’s talk about what you should do if you are totally new to coconut oil. As in, you have never or sporadically have consumed it.

In all honestly, it is totally up to you how much you decide to consume. (Side note – there are a lot of fun ways to consume it too!) But I personally suggest you start out slow, especially if you have health issues you are hoping coconut oil will help with. For anyone over the age of 12, I suggest starting with one teaspoon per day for 3-5 days. If all goes well, increase by another teaspoon for 3-5 days. Again, if all goes well, add in another teaspoon and continue working up from there until you reach a comfortable daily amount. If you ever get to the point where you are feeling ill or experiencing some weird things going on “symptom” wise, take a 3 day break and start over again, stopping at the daily amount just before the one that started to produce symptoms. Stay there for a few weeks and let your body work things out.

Are you trying to tackle some pretty specific health issues? Well, you may need something more akin to a therapeutic amount. When I was working on some major health issues, I worked up to about one cup per day of coconut oil. That was a lot but I did see some major shifts in my health. It really is up to you how much coconut oil you want to consume if you are working on health issues. But if you can tolerate it, 1/2 cup to 2 cups is considered the therapeutic range.

There is always the chance that you have a true coconut allergy that until you started taking mega doses of coconut oil, you never knew about. So if you develop serious “side-effects” after consuming coconut oil, stop immediately and seek medical attention. And just because you are allergic to nuts, doesn’t mean you are allergic to coconut. Check out Coconut – Fruit, Nut, or Seed for more information on that.

For those experienced coconut oil consumers, share your experiences and words of wisdom with those new to the coconut oil scene? What did you experience when you first started consuming coconut oil?

Curious which coconut oils I use and love? Check them out here!