Hey everyone,
Today I would like to talk a bit about coconuts and all products made from them available in the market. Being honest, normally I don’t consume this stuff since I am from the region where people are not really eating these products regularly and therefore all the time when I see them in stores it looks a kind of exotic to me. Nevertheless, I do agree they taste good. However, whether coconut is a health- oriented product or not is really a disputable question for many researchers and scientists. Therefore I aim to present opposing ideas for you to decide whom to believe.
Among main advantages of coconut oil, milk and cream consumption is availability of MCTs (Medium-chain triglycerides) which make oil of cocount to be different from all other fats and gives coconut a unique character and healing properties. In fact, there are few foods that nowadays contain those MCTs. Further to uniqueness and properties, coconut oil protects against heart disease by improving the ratio good vs bad cholesterol. Coconuts also kill different kinds of bacteria and viruses due to antimicrobial effects of its fatty acids. It also helps diabetics by slowering sugar release into body’s bloodstream and prevents brain disorders and strokes including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Additionally, it increases energy and boosts metabolism level since it is more likely to be used as a fuel for burning than stored as a part of body fat. Lastly, coconut oil is easy to digest and absorb.
Among main disadvantages of coconut oil is the fact that coconut oil is very much fat itself. According to the Heart Foundation coconut oil is unhealthy saturated fat and therefore should be avoided. The senior manager of Food Supply of the Heart Foundation believes that since it contains a high amount of unhealthy saturated fat it rasises bad cholesterol levels, clogs the arteries and can rise the probability of heart disease risk. Importantly, different kinds of research often overlap each other providing opposing ideas such as whether it balances the ratio of bad vs good cholesterol or simply increase the level of bad cholesterol. In addition, DAA spokeswoman Tania Ferraretto agrees with remarks of the Heart Foundation stating that its high saturated content (85-90%) should be avoided.
On the whole, coconut is a kind of food which can be viewed from both perspectives: from a good and a bad one. It does contain a high amount of saturated fat but still has a number of benefits which help our body to work properly.
romanmyko 
Very informative! Thank you 🙂
The information supplied from the heart foundation is total nonsense. Coconut oil is a healthy fat and its consumed and burnt quickly by the body hence its healthy characteristics it does not convert to artery clogging plague like saturated fats from say beef from corn fed cattle. The whole fitness and health industry is littered with out dated views on fat consumption.
Thank you for your comment. Thanks for sharing information with us. It is appreciated. 🙂
Thanks for the post. I use coconut oil for my skin. It is the greatest moisturizer.
I don’t quite agree with the Heart Foundation. While coconut oil is high in saturated fats, it is considered good fat because they are medium-chained fatty acids. These medium-chained fatty acids are easier to break down and is also converted into energy rather than stored as fat. Also, when heated to high temperatures, coconut oil does not change into trans fat (as other oils do when heated to high temps). I absolutely love coconut oil, I sometimes cook with it but I mostly use it as a hair and skin moisturizer.
I agree with u 🙂
I hear that it’s good to add a bit of unsweetened coconut flakes to your cereal during breakfast, but I can never find them unsweetened. Have you heard of this/is it worth it to do?
I agree with Nesa and trustykovacs. All the current info about coconut oil is very positive as far as it being an extremely healthy fat, plus it is actually not stored or metabolized by the body as a fat. If you read any of the posts I’ve done about coconut oil on my Self-help Health blog you will be amazed at all the health benefits and uses, both internally and externally, this great oil has, including helping prevent and reverse Alzheimer’s.
And to Katy Hancock, you can buy unsweetened coconut flakes at a discount price from Vitacost.com. I’m sure there are a number of other on-line sources, as well. They also should be at your local health food store, but will likely be more expensive there.
What about coconut sugar? (I just bought a $10 sack of it so I’m hoping it’s good for you!)
Dont believe everything heart foundation says. Late studies show that food pyramid by them
Were totaly wrong. All they did was adding more obese by in incouraging people to eat more carbs and less fat. Coconut oil is a healthy fat like the fat we get from nuts and seeds. Avocado oil, flaxseed oil and olive oil as well. Thanks for writing about the benefits of coconut oil though I totally agree with them! Thanks!!!!:)))
Coconut sugar is much more healthier then regular sugar for sure:) I use it for my kids cereal!
Too much of everything is not a good thing. Moderation is always the key to consuming anything combined with daily exercise. Thank you for sharing this informative post. Also, thank you for liking my Mapo Tofu post @ Anna’s Cuisine. Have a great day. 🙂