Coconut Oil—Healthy or Not?

Coconut Oil—Healthy or Not?

Coconut oil is back in the news, and once again, it’s getting a bad rap. USA Today says it isn’t healthy and never has been. BBC says it’s as unhealthy as beef fat and butter. So what’s going on? Coconut oil is getting too popular. That’s what’s going on. You can find it on every grocery store shelf and even in big box stores. Once again it’s slicing into too much of the market share of the unhealthy oils—safflower, sunflower, soy, corn, and canola. Don’t be fooled. This is exactly what happened right after WWII. The seed and vegetable oil industry didn’t want coconut oil to be imported again because they had taken the oil market during the war when the ships couldn’t get through the waters. So they had to convince Americans that coconut oil was bad for them. Well, here they are again.

I’ve been sharing for years why coconut oil is good for you. Here’s why it’s one of the best cooking oils on the market.

The Benefits of Cooking With Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is much more durable than other oils and doesn’t oxidize as easily when heated.  I don’t recommend corn, safflower, sunflower, canola, and soy.  All these oils oxidize easily, which causes inflammation in the body. Inflammation produces insulin resistance. Insulin resistance produces weight gain. Weight gain generates inflammatory cytokines leading to more insulin resistance and more weight gain. And even more serious, inflammation contributes to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

Coconut oil is made up primarily of MCTs (medium chain triglycerides). They are super fuel for your cells. And your liver likes to burn them to they are helpful for weight loss. Dr. Mark Hyman, M.D. says “Your cells burn MCTs for energy while storing very little as fat, boosting your metabolism and supporting your immune system. MCTs also help balance many hormones, including the ones that control your appetite. They keep you feeling full and satisfied. They actually improve your cholesterol profile.” (1)

“One study found that consuming MCT oils helped reduce body fat and triglycerides more than omega 6 vegetable oils. After eight weeks, the experiment showed the MCT oil group lost more weight, body fat and subcutaneous fat, all while experiencing a 15 percent drop in triglycerides and LDL.”(2)

Yes, coconut oil is a saturated fat. Does saturated fat actually raise cholesterol? Let’s look at the whole cholesterol issue. It’s the small dense LDL particles accompanied by high triglycerides that are of concern. These particular LDL particles actually triple your risk of heart disease. But what causes them to elevate? High carb, low-fat diets have been found to increase them, and they go down when fat is added back into the diet, including saturated fat. Interestingly, countries that use lots of coconut oil have some of the lowest incidences of heart attack and stroke.

Dr. Hyman says, “Studies show saturated fat raises LDL (your so-called “bad” cholesterol) but it improves the quality of the LDL and increases its size making it less likely to promote heart disease. It also raises HDL (“good” cholesterol). On the other hand, sugar lowers [good] HDL.  Ultimately, the ratio of total [CHL] to LDL cholesterol and particle number and size are a far bigger predictor of heart attacks than LDL itself. One study among lean, heart disease- and stroke-free Pacific Islanders who consumed up to 63 percent of their calories from coconut fat found total cholesterol rose but so did their “good” HDL.” (3)

Don’t let the media moguls fool you. Coconut oil is good for your heart and your hips.

Notes:

1 http://drhyman.com/blog/2016/04/06/is-coconut-oil-bad-for-your-cholesterol/

2 Ibid

3 Ibid

Recipe

Coconut Meal Pie Crust

If you have a special occasion coming up, this gluten free pie crust is delicious and perfect for your favorite pie.

• 3/4 cup finely ground almonds
• 1/4 cup flax meal (ground fine)
• 2 tablespoons. almond flour (can be omitted, if preferred)
• 1 1/2  cup coconut flakes (freeze-dried is ideal)
• 1/2  teaspoon Celtic Salt
• 1/2  teaspoon agar flakes
• 3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons water

Mix dry ingredients. Melt coconut oil and add to dry ingredients. Add water. Drop onto a pie plate and pat crust into place. Fill with favorite filling.