Welcome back to the last of my series on coconut oil! :) If you haven’t read the other posts in this series, here’s part 1, part 2, and part 3.

photo credit

So in my last post I said that I would cover some good coconut oil sources. Since (unfortunately) most of us do not have palm trees in our backyards, we must buy coconut oil. We get ours from Nutvia. It has regular sales, so be watching for when the prices go down, as coconut oil is not cheap. You can also buy it from Tropical Traditions. These are only a few of the many sources out there.

There are sooo many ways you can use coconut oil in your baking and cooking. I prefer using it not only because it’s healthy, but also because it gives food such a great flavor and texture.

Here are some foods I like to use coconut oil in:

Granola

Whole wheat chocolate chip cookies

Cinnamon baked oatmeal

Deep frying doughnuts (it’s a safe oil to heat because of its high smoke point)

Frying eggs, pancakes, and french toast

Popping popcorn

Stir-frying vegetables or meat

Blended in coffee. Yes, I thought it was a weird idea too until I tried it. Now it’s one of my favorite ways to drink coffee! For an energy boost that lasts, blend 1 cup coffee with 1-2 Tablespoons coconut oil and a few drops of stevia and vanilla extract (optional) for 20 to 30 seconds. The oil emuslifies, producing a rich, creamy drink. What a treat!

Coconut oil fudge: this is a delicious AND healthy way to satisfy your sweet tooth or chocolate craving! Wish I had a picture to show you…that would really tempt you into making it. :p

2 cups softened coconut oil
1 cup chopped nuts (any kind, we like walnuts)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar
1/2 cup chopped dried fruit (I like rasisins, cherries, and Craisins)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, optional

Simply stir all ingredients together, mixing well. Spread into an 8×8 or 9×13 inch pan. Refrigerate or freeze until firm. Enjoy!

Alrighty, well that wraps up this series on coconut oil! I hope y’all enjoyed it. I certainly enjoyed writing it, and the lovely comments you left were very encouraging. :)

So tell me, if you buy coconut oil, what are some ways that you use it? I’d love more ideas!

photo credit

Click here for parts one and two if you haven’t read them already! :)

Now that we’ve talked about why coconut isn’t bad for you, let’s consider the vast majority of benefits it provides. An article by the Coconut Research Center states,

“If you do a search on PubMed for ketones, as they relate to MCTs and diet, you will find about 25,000 studies. Combining these studies with the 10,000 on coconut oil and MCTs, we have a total of over 35,000 studies describing the effects of coconut oil on health. Is that enough evidence? There is far more evidence demonstrating the safety and efficiency of coconut oil than there are for most FDA approved drugs.” (Fife, 2012)

Let’s consider how coconut oil relates to obesity, diabetes, viral diseases, heart health, Alzheimers, and toxins in the body. Because coconut oil is one of the best sources of MCTs, it provides incredible health benefits.

Obesity is one of the biggest and fastest growing health problems in America. In the 1980s researchers started investigating the use of MCTs and weight loss. Researchers from McGill University are now recommending coconut oil for weight loss in Canada and elsewhere. Why is this? Because research concludes that the consumption of foods containing medium chain triglycerides (like coconut oil) boosts the metabolism and diminishes fat deposition. (Fife, 2012) Indeed, consider this rather humorous experiment done by farmers back in the 1940s: they tried feeding their cows coconut oil, assuming it would help them grow big and fat. But their plan backfired, and the cows instead became lean and active. This was certainly not the result they were hoping for, but it’s an interesting example of what coconut oil does in the body! (Mercola, 2011)

Coconut oil is also beneficial for those with diabetes, because it helps to stabilize blood sugar levels by improving insulin sensitivity and secretion. Thus it helps to treat the root cause of diabetes. (Fife, 2012)

In 1960, Jon J. Kabara, PhD and a professor of pharmacology at Michigan State University, discovered the incredible antimicrobial effects of MCTs. Vast amounts of research has indicated that MCTs are capable of killing disease-causing viruses, fungi, parasites, and bacteria. Used both topically and internally, MCTs are used to prevent and fight off infectious diseases. Because coconut oil is mostly composed of MCTs, it can be used as a powerful antimicrobial in the body, as evidenced in laboratory and clinical studies. (Fife, 2012)

But what about heart disease? Surely if people are consuming so much saturated fat they will be at higher risk for this deadly killer. Research has supported otherwise. In fact, MCTs are readily used by the heart as fuel because of the “ketones.” While some MCTs are used immediately to produce energy, others are converted into these ketones, which are a superfuel for the heart and the brain. They have shown to increase oxygen delivery by 39 percent and heart function by 28 percent. They are now being recommended by researchers at University François Rabelais in Francbe as a treatment for curing heart disease! So coconut oil is not only NOT harmful to the heart, but it has also been shown to have a therapeutic effect on the heart! (Fife, 2012)

The ketones produced from MCT metabolism has also been shown to reduce neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, ALS, stroke, narcolepsy, brain trauma, and brain cancer. They can prevent and reverse these diseases by providing high quality energy for the brain and activating proteins for brain cell maintenance, repair, and growth. It is now being used to treat such diseases and has proved to be a successful dietary treatment for such diseases. (Fife, 2012)

Coconut oil has also been shown to negate the effects of cancer, evidence of its anti-cancer properties. When cancer is chemically induced in lab animals and then coconut oil is added to their diets, the oil has shown to actually negate the carcinogenic effect of those chemicals. Coconut oil can also reverse the effect of toxic substances such as alcohol, bacteria, chemicals, and drugs in places such as the liver, intestines, colon, kidneys, and pancreas. (Fife, 2012)

With so much evidence and research supporting the use and consumption of coconut oil, it is hard to doubt its benefits. So much of the public has been falsely informed, but in time the negative assumptions behind coconut oil will diminish and disappear altogether as it is proven over and over again as a super food. Indeed, fats in their natural form as a whole are a critical and key component of a healthy diet, and it is important to be well-informed and make wise choices about what we eat.

So in conclusion, yes, the soft white lump on the spoon I offered my friend was indeed a saturated fat. But there is so much more to the story. Oh, do I have some things to tell her now! :) 

Sources:

Fife, Bruce. “The Coconut Oil Miracle: Where is the Evidence?” Coconut Research Center, 2012.  Web. Accessed July 10, 2013 from

[http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/The%20Coconut%20Oil%20Miracle-Where%20is%20the%20Evidence.htm]

Mercola, Joseph. “Coconut Oil Benefits: When Fat is Good For You.” The Huffington Post, February 14, 2011. Web. Accessed July 10, 2013 from
[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/coconut-oil-benefits_b_821453.html]

***In my next post, I’ll finish out the series by briefly covering some great coconut oil sources and ways to include coconut oil in your diet!

photo credit

Just joining? Click here for part one of these series on coconut oil!

The main reason that coconut oil, although a saturated fat, is not bad for your health is based in its unique chemistry makeup. Essentially, it all boils down to the way our body metabolizes coconut oil as opposed to other fats. Authors and nutritionist Marianita and Brian Shilhavy state,

“Researchers have known for quite some time that the secret to health and weight loss associated with coconut oil is related to the length of the fatty acid chains contained in coconut oil. Coconut oil contains what are called medium chain fatty acids, or medium chain triglycerides (MCTs for short). These medium chain fatty acids are different from the common longer chain fatty acids found in other plant-based oils. Most vegetable oils are composed of longer chain fatty acids, or triglycerides (LCTs). LCTs are typically stored in the body as fat, while MCTs are burned for energy. MCTs burn up quickly in the body. They are a lot like adding kindling to a fireplace, rather than a big damp log.” (Shilhavy, Marianita and Brian, 2013)

So because coconut oil is primarily composed of MCTs, it is uniquely burned as fuel in the body. Consider this succinct description of what coconut oil does in the body once it’s eaten. According to author Bruce Fife, N.D, an internationally recognized expert on the health and nutritional aspects of coconut and related products,

“…MCTs (medium chain tryglycerides) digest differently than other fats. When swallowed, most fats travel down the esophagus (throat), through the stomach, and into the small intestine where they are broken down by digestive enzymes and bile into individual fatty acids (long chain fatty acids). These fatty acids are then absorbed into the intestinal wall where they are repackaged into bundles of fat, cholesterol, and protein called lipoproteins. These lipoproteins pass into the bloodstream. As they circulate in the bloodstream they release little particles of fat and cholesterol that are utilized by the cells or stored as body fat…the process is completely different with MCTs. When MCTs are consumed, they digest very rapidly and begin breaking down immediately. When they pass from the stomach into the small intestine, they are already completely separated into individual fatty acids (medium chain fatty acids) and, therefore, do not need pancreatic digestive enzymes or bile for digestion, thus relieving stress on the digestive system. Since they are already in the form of fatty acids when they enter the small intestine they are immediately absorbed into the portal vein and sent directly to the liver. In the liver they are metabolized into energy.” (Fife, 2012)

Because of the unique way they’re metabolized, MCTs, unlike LCTs, do not enter the cholesterol cycle, are not deposited in fat depots, and do not cause obesity.

Sources:

Shilhavy, Brian and Marianita. “The Health Benefits of Virgin Coconut Oil.” CoconutOil.com, 2013. Web. Accessed July 10, 2013 from  [http://coconutoil.com/health_benefits_virgin_coconut_oil/]

Fife, Bruce. “The Coconut Oil Miracle: Where is the Evidence?” Coconut Research Center, 2012.  Web. Accessed July 10, 2013 from
[http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/The%20Coconut%20Oil%20Miracle-Where%20is%20the%20Evidence.htm]

***In the next post, we’ll talk about the benefits of including coconut oil in your diet. We will see how it relates to obesity, diabetes, Alzheimers, and viral diseases in the body.