Coconut Oil's Bad Wrap (and why it's just what the Doctor Ordered) - ig2go

Coconut Oil’s Bad Wrap (and why it’s just what the Doctor Ordered)

by Linda Baldwin
.
February 25, 2012

coconuts

Weight Loss. Ridding lice. Removing moles. Curing yeast infections. Moisturizing skin. Curing acne. Fighting plaque.

Oh yeah, and causing heart attacks.

Coconut Oil is one of the most misunderstood oils on the market. It has been demonized for over a decade, and suddenly, it has made a triumphant return as the cure for, well, just about everything.

The story behind Coconut Oil’s fall and rise in the American consciousness is dramatic for something I spread on whole wheat toast with honey and cinnamon in the morning. Ten years ago it was blamed for clogging arteries faster than a fried Twinky at a county fair. Now, health nuts everywhere are clamoring for a high-priced jar.

The Oil Wars

The reasons behind Coconut Oil’s villainization are murky. One story goes that corn, soybean, and canola oil producers created a smear campaign against tropical oil producers to eliminate the competition. That’s a little too much of a conspiracy theory for me (Michael Pollan fans may disagree).

What we do know is that Coconut Oil got thrown in with butter, cheese, cream, and Palm oil – the dreaded Saturated Fats of the 1980s. But, the oils being studied then were hydrogenated coconut oil instead of virgin coconut oil, and the studies reported to the public didn’t bother to differentiate. When scientist found the correlation between saturated fats and heart disease, all coconut oil was thrown under the bus.

Nearly thirty years later and half a world away, researchers noticed that residents of a small island off of Papua New Guinea, who ate a lot of coconut calories, had very low levels of heart disease. A more recent study looked at the population in another area of the South Pacific – all devoted Coconut eaters – and found almost no incidents of stroke or heart disease. People eating ungodly amounts of saturated fats weren’t keeling over. Something was up.

Shaking up the Coconuts

Coconut oil does have saturated fats – the same fatty acids in fact that are found in mother’s milk, which are prized for antibacterial, antimicrobial and antiviral properties. It’s the man-made Trans-fatty acids that are the real problem, which are found in margarine. Coconut oil itself has no trans fat, and studies have shown that natural saturated fats are good for you in moderation.

So what about all those health benefits coconut oil supposedly bestows?

Well, it’s not all truth, but it’s not all fiction either. Coconut oil has what are called medium chain triglycerides (MCT) that do in fact stop bacterial growth, fungi and viruses. MCT oils actually enhance the immune system by fighting off bacteria, viruses, and even parasites.

But, from the limited studies that have been conducted to prove those attributes, people have extrapolated many claims that haven’t been tested. Does coconut oil work as a toothpaste to fight plaque? I haven’t seen the study on it, but you’re welcome to try!

Want more coconut oil in your diet? Try spreading it like butter on whole-grain toast with cinnamon and honey – two other ingredients with great health benefits!

Contact us at Intelligent Gourmet to find out how we can help you eat healthier and live happier the smart way.

Share this Article

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Category
Tags
acai bowls acne diet adrenal fatigue adrenal glands aging alkaline diets all natural anti-inflammatory antioxidants aphrodesiac foods aphrodisiacs apple recipes apples arthritis artificial sweeteners aspartame Atkins Autism auto immune Balanced Diet be grateful beauty best foods for skin big food corporations BMI bone broth bpa in plastic brain chemistry brain foods brain foods bread breville juicer Broccoli broth brushing skin brussels sprouts brussels sprouts recipes burdock root cacao health benefits Calcium Camel Milk cancer cure Cancer Fighters cauliflower Cauliflower Colcannon causing cancer chemicals in our food Chia Recipes choclate cake Christmas chronic fatigue Clean Eating coconut oil coconut water Cold Remedies cold season cold-fighting superfoods collagen, conscious eating cookie monster Cruciferous Vegetables dairy-free dandelion greens december Delicious Delivery Dessert Detoxing dewey complextion dewier complexions, Diabetes Diet and Exercise diet myths Diets draining lymph Drinks easy fall salads easy healthy food easy juice cleanse eat clean eating local Ethnic Foods Excercise exfoliating fall recipes fall salad recipes Fall superfoods families Fast Food fat free fat sick and nearly dead Fathers Day Menu Fatigue feel good foods fig recipes Fighting colds Fish fitness myths Flexitarianism Florida Florida Superfoods flu flu fighting foods food Food Energetics Food Gift Ideas food matters food myths food pyramid food sources of iron food storage food to reduce stress foods for adrenal fatigue Foods for Anxiety foods for colds Foods for Depression foods for flu foods that help your brain foods to boost sex drive fourth of july recipes Fresh Herbs Fruit Popsicles Fruit Smoothies fruits and vegetables Fun Glucosemine Gluten Free gluten free brownie gluten-free recipes glycemic index GMO goji berries good fats good for you good mood foods gourmet Great Food that's Great for you green bean casserole recipe Green Juice Green Tea growing heirloom tomatoes from seed growing quinoa halloween party treats healing Healing with Food healing yourself with juice Health health benefits of blueberries health benefits of broccoli health benefits of coconut water health benefits of eggs health benefits of figs health benefits of mushrooms health benefits of pumpkin health benefits of pumpkin pie health benefits of summer squash health benefits of sweet potatoes health food health food myths Health Food Studies health stories in the news healthy healthy appetizer recipes healthy appetizers healthy cookies healthy desserts healthy drinks recipes healthy during the holidays healthy eating healthy fall recipes healthy food healthy fourth of july recipes healthy green bean casserole healthy halloween treats healthy holiday baking healthy holiday cookies Healthy Holiday Desserts Healthy Holiday Party Recipes healthy ingredients Healthy Irish Food Healthy Irish Recipes healthy kids food healthy oils healthy party recipes Healthy Popsicles Healthy St. Patrick's Day healthy thanksgiving recipes healthy thanksgiving side dishes Heart heart disease heart health heart healthy eating heart-healthy foods Herbal Tea herbs high energy high fiber foods holiday baking holiday cookies holiday dinner Holiday Recipes Holiday Superfoods holidays holistic health Hormones how to correct insulin resistance how to prevent insulin resistance hype vs healthy foods Ice Cream immune system immune system boosters immunity inflammation insulin resistance insulin resistance and exercise intelligent gourmet Intuitive Eating Iodine joint pain juice juice cleanse Juice Detox juice fast juice pulp Juice Recipes juice shop juices juicing juicing for health juicing in tampa juicing or blending Kids lemon peels life by daily burn lingonberries losing weight low fat low fat thanksgiving recipes low glycemic foods Low in sodium low-carb recipes low-fat gravy recipe low-fat lunch low-fat recipes low-glycemic diet mama nature meatballs medicinal juicing memory Mental Wellbeing Move Inspired Health & Fitness natural aversion natural flavors natural healing natural medicine Natural Remedies naturally made new year new you new year's resolution New Year's Resolutions New Years niman ranch Non Fat Diet non-fat november Nutrition nutritional coaching Nuts oils omega 3 omega 3 skin organic organic produce ph balance plastic microwave pms popcorn recipes practice preservatives preventing acne with omega 3 Probiotics promotes relaxations pumpkin pumpkin butter pumpkin butter recipe pumpkin healthy pumpkin recipes quinoa raw food raw vegan lasagna recipe raw vegan recipes recipes resolutions restful sleep rituals roasted salad safe to heat plastic in microwave salads sandwiches sea beans seasonal seasonal recipes seasonal vegetables selenium selfcare skin foods skincare diet Smoothie Recipies Smoothies sodium nitrites in food sometimes food Soup soup recipes spices spoiling food and cosmetics spring cleanses spring florida spring fruits Spring Superfoods spring vegetables stevia stress busting foods stress eating stress food Stress-Busting Superfoods substances in your food sugar bomb Sugar Free Diet summer Summer Party Foods summer superfoods super-foods superfood pairings superfoods Superfoods for Dad Sushi Tampa tampeaeats Tea Tea Health Benefits thanksgiving thanksgiving dinner thanksgiving recipes thanksgiving turkey recipe things to practice daily thyroid foods trustworthy sources turkey brine recipe turmeric turmeric root Valentine's Day vanilla health properties vegan Vegan Diet Vegan Food Tampa Bay vegan soup recipes vegan tampa vegetarian Vegetarian Side Dishes vitamin d vitamins walnuts water watermelon watermelon health properties Weight weight loss weight loss superfoods wellness whole food Whole Foods why eat seasonal why organic is healthier will-power winter soups workout Yogurt zucchini noodles
Archives
ig2go