The subject of this question is the source of a disagreement. Initially, the question was thought settled decades ago, when scientist Ancel Keys declared all saturated fats unhealthy. Coconut oil, which is solid at room temperature, is a saturated fat.
Today, advocates like Dr. Mercola and the Weston A. Price Foundation believe saturated fats should be entirely exonerated. Coconut oil is sold as a health food, and some eat it straight as a nutritional supplement. Literally eating a saturated fat like coconut oil from a spoon flies in the face of the recommendations of Ancel Keys, as well as the American Heart Association.
Saturated fat is not just one chemical; it's several. The structure of these chemicals is similar, but they differ in how many carbons they have. Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a medium-chain saturated fatty acid with 12 carbons. Saturated fats in animal products tend to be comprised of palmitic and stearic acid.
There's been a lot of criticism about the health benefits of Coconut oil. I think big agra is pushing this disinformation campaign about Coconuts and this article does a good job in explaining what's wrong with just assume saturated and unsaturated fats like what you see on the government nutrition labels are not as simple as they'd like it to be.
Like that article states we are talk about different fatty acids with different molecule structures. Coconut is a medium chain fatty acid and animal fat is longer chain fatty acid.
Anyone that has taken basic chemistry classes in high school knows that two molecules have have the same elements in them but one has an extra element will behave way differently and has different properties than the other one. For example, Carbon Dioxide and Carbon Monoxide, both have carbon and oxygen in them but the dioxide has two oxygen instead of one. The Carbon Monoxide is much more deadly gas and kills more people every year then Carbon Dioxide.
So the same knowledge can be applied to fatty acids. Some the body has been digesting for millions of years like coconuts and animal fat while others like soybean and canola oils the body cannot process very well and can damage the liver and heart if you eat to much of it.
This article does a good job and countering the narrative the media is portraying about coconuts. I suggest everyone read it.
http://www.alternet.org/personal-health/coconut-oil-myths-and-facts
It's also good for cleaning the teeth and killing bacteria in the mouth via oil pulling. Yeah it's a wonder supplement that big pharma will lie thru their teeth about evil little beings..
Ancel Keys was no "scientist"
I need to update my page about coconut oil - it has a lot of good properties, and inspired our logo!
http://www.frot.co.nz/design/health/coconut/
http://www.naturefoods.co.nz/nutritional-oils/coconut-oils
So much bullshit out there about health and wellness.
Considering the American Heart Association receives the majority of their money from AgriBusiness, it's best to look at anything they say very carefully. As more people quit eating garbage and return to real food, we can expect a lot more disinformation from AHA.
Coconut oil I think is a good thing to use for cooking as it releases less cancerogens when it burns and as it burns slower, it also nice for using to make some edibles and cocobutter.
It's great substitute for vegetable oil. Doesn't taste like ass either.
Great post! I think the medical community (via the pharmaceutical and insurance industry) is still hell bent on prescribing more statin drugs and surgery than admitting saturated fats like coconut oil and butter cause heart disease and arteriosclerosis. Oh and eggs cause high cholesterol too...NOT!!
Right, blame the good stuff while promoting the bad stuff. Typical tactics by the food and drug companies.
Great work! I mix coconut oil into my coffee and smoothies, and feel it's important healthy fat.
coconut is a magic drug =D
Any Weston A Price Foundation members, I'm trying to start a Steemit community. I approached the FB group page to advertise Steemit, they don't know enough about It and felt I was soliciting, so I will invite whoever is interested to follow my page, and try to keep it as updated as possible! Thanks!