Is Coconut Oil a Bad Fat?
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Coconut oil has gotten a bad rap nutritionally, as far as I'm concerned, if we're talking about raw, virgin, organic coconut oil. Coconuts provide MCFA's or medium chain fatty acids, healthy fats the body can easily assimilate. I'm happy to add these delicious natural coconut products to the wellness library for your nutritional health and wellbeing.
If you recall, just a decade or so ago, health professionals were telling us to eat margarine instead of real butter. Now, you read that butter is actually better in moderation because of the trans fats in margarine. I predict there will come a day when the naysayers against eating coconut oil and coconut products will be retracting their advice as well. Until then, if you are under a doctor's care for high cholesterol or heart disease, please check with your doctor before adding coconut products to your diet. If your doc says coconut is ok, please choose only pure, virgin, organic coconut products.
Buying Coconut Products: Look for all these words: Certified Organic (preferrably by an organization other than USDA), unrefined, extra virgin, and cold-pressed. You want cold pressed because expeller-pressed uses heat that can destroy some of the coconut nutrition.
What about MCT?
Another product making news these days for health benefits is MCT Oil. Extracted from coconuts, MCT oil is said to provide even more concentrated health benefits.
I personally prefer the whole coconut oil but many rave about MCT for brain fuction enhancement and say it helps with focus and concentration due to the part of the oil that is extracted. However, not all MCT oil is created equal. There is something called upgraded MCT oil. It's pricy so not everyone can afford it. I've tried this and I had a roommate who loved it but she also had to be careful not to use too much, as she would get diarrhea.
In my own bulletproof coffee recipe, I'm using unrefined, organic, virgin coconut oil, organic coconut sugar, organic coconut milk powder, Mt. Capra goat whey and (every other day) a teaspoon of organic cacao.
Nutritional Health Disclaimer: If you are under a doctor's care for high cholesterol or heart disease, your doctor may not permit you to use coconut oil, despite the healthy benefits of the MCFA's in virgin, organic coconut oil. Check with your doctor before adding natural coconut products to your diet. The information on this page is for nutritional purposes only and never intended to replace any needed medical testing, evaluation or treatment.
