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Most of us grew up in this society thinking that coconut oil is a source
of “artery-clogging” saturated fat. However, a few years ago, when I read
Udo Erasmus’ book, “Fats that Heal/Fats that Kill ,” I switched to coconut
butter for cooking. I learned from his book that for browning or frying,
which can heat food up to 375 F, coconut oil is the best type of oil to use.
Most of the images and metaphors relating to coconut oil that circulate in
our culture are false and misleading. This article will offer you a counter
image of this wonderful food. Most of the information you’ll read is a
summary of Bruce Fife’s wonderful book; “The Healing Miracles of Coconut
Oil.”
How did coconut oil become a despised “artery-clogging” villain?
The credit for the negative media blitz in the 1980's against coconut oil
goes to the American Soybean Association (ASA). Coconut oil was portrayed as
a health threat. Coconut oil, the media proclaimed, was a saturated fat that
would cause heart attacks. ASA wanted to eliminate competition from imported
tropical oils. During the 1960’s and 1970's, research indicated that some
forms of saturated fat increased blood cholesterol. Since elevated
cholesterol was recognized as a risk factor in the development of heart
disease, saturated fat was, consequently, regarded as an undesirable food
component.
Capitalizing on the public’s fear of saturated fat, the ASA set out to
create a health crisis. The crisis they planned would be so terrifying it
would literally scare people away from using tropical oils. Many misguided
public interests like the Center for Science in the Public Interest joined
in the battle against tropical oils.
Because of the frenzy stirred up by the ASA, the fictional message they
trumpeted against tropical oils won out over scientific facts.
What is the scientific truth about coconut oil?
Over the years the tropical oils have been replaced in most foods by
hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils. Hydrogenation is a process
where an unsaturated vegetable oil is chemically altered to form a more
saturated fat. Increasing the saturation makes the oil less susceptible to
spoilage. Hydrogenation involves heating oils to high temperatures while
bombarding them with hydrogen atoms, thus creating toxic trans fatty acids.
These artificial fats are structurally different from natural fats. Our
bodies can process natural fats, but trans fatty acids have no place in our
bodies and are linked to many health problems. Shortening and margarine are
two hydrogenated oil products which should be completely eliminated from
your diet.
Coconut oil is a highly saturated fat. One distinct advantage that all
saturated fats have over unsaturated fats is that they don’t have any
missing hydrogen atoms. This means that they are not vulnerable to oxidation
and free radical formation like unsaturated fats are. Food manufacturers
have known this for decades. They’ve added saturated fats (often coconut) to
foods because they
help prevent spoilage caused by free radicals. Saturated fats can be exposed
to heat, light, and
oxygen without undergoing any appreciable degree of oxidation or
free-radical formation. For this reason, they are preferred in use with
food, especially if the food is going to be cooked or stored for any length
of time. Saturated fat remains stable even when heated to normal cooking
temperatures.
Replacing the refined vegetable oils you may now be using with coconut oil
can help eliminate the many health problems caused by consuming oxidized
oils. While coconut oils apparent harmlessness is a definite advantage, it
is not the primary reason it is considered a remarkable health promoting
food. Following is a list of it’s most incredible healing properties.
Nature’s Marvelous Germ Fighter:
One of the most amazing aspects of coconut oil is its ability to fight
infections. When coconut oil is consumed, the body transforms its unique
fatty acids into powerful anti microbial powerhouses capable of defeating
some of the most notorious disease-causing microorganisms. Even the super
germs are vulnerable to these lifesaving coconut derivatives. Coconut oil
is, in essence, a natural anti bacterial, anti viral, anti fungal, and anti
protozoal food.
Coconut oil’s anti microbial effects come from its unique composition of
medium chain fatty acids (MCFA). Coconut oil is composed of 48 percent
lauric acid, 7 percent capric acid, 8 percent caprylic acid, and .5 percent
carproic acid. These medium-chain fatty acids give coconut oil its amazing
anti microbial properties and are generally absent from all other vegetables
and animal oils with the exception of butter.
MCFA are natural substances the body knows how to use for its benefit. They
are harmless to us while they are deadly to certain microorganisms. For
example, most bacteria and viruses are encased in a coat of lipids (fats).
The fatty acids that make up this outer membrane or skin hold together the
organism’s DNA. Lipid coated viruses and bacteria are easily killed by MCFA,
which primarily destroy these organisms by disrupting their lipid membranes.
MCFA, being similar to those in the micro-organisms’ membrane, are easily
attracted to and absorbed into it. Unlike the other fatty acids in the
membrane, MCFA are much smaller and, therefore, weaken the already nearly
fluid membrane to such a degree that it disintegrates. The membrane
literally splits open, spilling its insides and killing the organism. Our
white blood cells quickly clean up and dispose of the cellular debris. MCFA
kill invading organisms without causing any known harm to human tissues.
The potential coconut oil has in treating and preventing a wide assortment
of infections is truly astounding, ranging from the flu to life-threatening
conditions such as AIDS.
A new weapon against heart disease:
Probably the most dangerous dietary substances to the heart and arteries are
oxidized lipids (fats). When fats go rancid they oxidize, during this
process free radicals are formed. It is interesting to note that only
oxidized fats and oxidized cholesterol are found in arterial plaque.
Non-oxidized fats and cholesterol do not accumulate in plaque. Only those
fats that have been damaged by oxidation are harmful to the heart and
arteries.
The only way to stop a free radical is with an antioxidant. If antioxidants
are readily available in the bloodstream they can protect the arteries from
free radical injury and reduce risk of heart disease.
We can get antioxidants in fresh fruits and vegetables, but most people
don’t eat enough of these to provide significant protection. Another way to
fight free radicals is with coconut oil. Coconut oil is chemically very
stable and is not oxidized easily. In fact, it is so resistant to free
radical attacks that it acts as an antioxidant helping to prevent the
oxidation of other oils. Coconut oil can help protect the heart and arteries
from free radical induced injury and, therefore, helps reduce the risk of
heart disease.
Some research also shows that there is a relationship between chronic
infection and atherosclerosis. It appears that there is a cause and effect
relationship associated with persistent low-grade infections and heart
disease. The herpes virus is one such viral infection and also the ulcer
causing bacteria; helicobacter pylori. The MCFA in coconut oil are known to
kill these atherogenic organisms.
Coconut oil is not only heart friendly, but provides some degree of
protection against atherosclerosis and heart disease.
Better digestion and nutrient absorption:
For at least five decades researchers have recognized that the MCFA were
digested differently than other fats. This difference has had important
applications in the treatment of many digestive and metabolic health
conditions and since that time MCFA have been routinely used in hospital and
baby formulas.
MCFA are broken down almost immediately by enzymes in the saliva and gastric
juices so that pancreatic fat-digesting enzymes are not even essential.
Therefore, there is less strain on the pancreas and digestive system. People
who suffer from malabsorption problems such as cystic fibrosis, and who have
difficulty digesting or absorbing fats and fat soluble vitamins, benefit
from MCFA. They can also be of importance for people suffering from
diabetes, obesity, gallbladder disease, pancreatitis, Crohn’s disease,
pancreatic insufficiency, and some forms of cancer.
Unlike other fatty acids, MCFA are absorbed directly from the intestines
into the portal vein and sent straight to the liver where they are, for the
most part, burned as fuel much like a carbohydrate. In this respect they are
more like carbohydrates than like fats.
Another advantage of using coconut oil is that the MCFA help with the
absorption of calcium and magnesium. This is why hospitals include coconut
oil in baby formulas to give to premature and sick infants and treat
children suffering with rickets which involves a demineralization and
softening of the bones similar to osteoporosis in adults.
Losing weight with coconut oil:
Using coconut products to lose weight! Sounds impossible isn't it! But, if
you replace the fats you now eat with coconut oil you can lose unwanted body
fat. How is that possible?
All fats, whether they be saturated or unsaturated, from a cow or from corn,
contain the same number of calories. The medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) in
coconut oil, however, are different. They contain a little less. Because of
the small size of the fatty acids that make up coconut oil, they actually
yield fewer calories than other fats. Medium-chain triglyceride oil (MCT),
which is derived from coconut oil and consists of 75 percent caprylic acid
and 25 percent capric acid, has an effective energy value of only 6.8
calories per gram. This is much less than the 9 calories per gram supplied
by other fats. Coconut oil has at least 2.56 percent fewer calories per gram
of fat than long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). This means that by using coconut
oil in place of other oils your caloric intake is less.
This small reduction in calories is only part of the picture. The amount of
calories coconut oil contributes is in effect closer to that of carbohydrate
because it is digested and processed differently than other fats. The MCFA
are not packaged into lipoproteins and do not circulate in the bloodstream
like other fats, but are sent directly to the liver where they are
immediately converted into energy-just like a carbohydrate. So when you eat
coconut oil, the body uses it immediately to make energy rather than store
it as body fat. It has been well documented in numerous dietary studies
using both animals and humans that replacing LCFA with MCFA results in a
decrease in body weight gain and a reduction in fat deposition.
Dr. Julian Whitaker, a well-known authority on nutrition and health looks at
coconut oil as a diet-induced thermogenesis (fat-burning food). In one study
researchers found that coconut oil given over a six-day period can increase
diet-induced thermogenesis by 50 percent. When combined with a high-fiber
diet, using coconut oil and coconut products can have a remarkable effect on
your weight and your health.
Coconuts and coconut products:
For cooking, nothing beats coconut oil. It isn’t absorbed into foods as much
as other vegetable oils. However, it is not recommended that you cook foods
beyond 375 F. If you overheat, any oil, including coconut oil, it will
produce toxic byproducts.
Coconut oil is very stable and does not need to be refrigerated. It will
stay fresh for at least two or three years unrefrigerated. If kept in a cool
place it will last even longer.
Buy virgin coconut oil which is made from fresh coconuts. Virgin coconut oil
is not hydrogenated. Of course, cold pressed virgin coconut oil is the best.
Besides pure coconut oil, another source of the oil comes directly from
eating the fruit or nut of the seed. Fresh coconut meat is about 33 percent
oil.
Coconut is a good source of fiber. One cup of dried, shredded coconut
supplies 9 grams of fiber.
Besides fiber, coconut supplies a wide variety of nutrients necessary for
good health. It contains as much protein as an equal amount of green beans,
carrots, and most other vegetables. It contains vitamins B-1, B-2, B-6, C,
E, folic acid and the minerals calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus,
potassium, sodium and zinc, among others.
Another common coconut product is coconut milk which is a good source of
MCFA. It contains about 24 percent oil. It makes a wonderful substitute for
cow’s milk and cream in most recipes. You can use it to make creamy fruit
smoothies, rich sauces, gravies, and soups, or you can pour it over a bowl
of fruit or breakfast cereal.
How much coconut oil do you need?
Coconut oil is essentially nontoxic to humans or animals. You can consume
more than 3 1/2 tablespoons a day of coconut oil without worry.
Even one tablespoon a day can be beneficial. It has been shown that the
equivalent of 1 tablespoon a day can significantly reduce the viral load in
HIV-infected patients.
The oil will solidify under 76 degrees. You can easily scoop some of the oil
from the jar for your use. Or you can place your coconut oil jar under hot
water for a couple of minutes and you’ll get enough melted oil available for
your daily use.
You could get a daily dose of MCFA by taking coconut oil like you would any
other liquid dietary supplement, by the spoonful or mixing it in a beverage.
Another way to get coconut oil into the body is by applying it on the skin.
Oils are readily absorbed by the skin. Spreading a thin layer of coconut oil
over the entire surface of the body after a shower is one convenient method
you can use, especially if one is very sick and may not be able to take
coconut oil orally.
Reference:
This article is a summary of Dr. Bruce Fife’s book on coconut oil; The
Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil. His book is a great resource if you wish to
obtain more details. He supplies the reader with some great recipes that
include coconut meat, milk and oil. If you want to acquire his book, the
ISBN number is 0-941599-51-5.
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