Is Coconut Oil Good for You, or the latest health fad?
When the American Heart Association issues a Presidential Advisory turning the tables on coconut oil, suggesting canola oil instead all kinds of people are scratching their head.
USA Today leads with Coconut oil isn’t healthy. It’s never been healthy, citing a report by Frank Sacks, MD saying, “You can put it on your body, but don’t put it in your body”. There’s bound to be confusion over something we thought was good for us. Is it a debunked myth or have we learned something new?
The report suggests using vegetable oil instead of coconut. It is based out of concern about how fats relate to cholesterol and heart disease. Saturated fats can increase LDL and HDL, but the report doesn’t give the whole picture of cardiac health. To get a complete picture we need to look at the particle number. When the American Heart Association issues a bunk report suggesting the converse of what we know to be true it leaves a person wondering if it knows what it is talking about. We know vegetable oil is highly processed and high in omega 6, which leads to inflammation.
Chalene Johnson calls the AHA statement “bull”.
Chris Kresser issues a report on why saturated fats aren’t the culprit.
Food Babe wonders… Can you trust the American Heart Association with health information?
Dave Asprey seems to believe coconut oil is Bulletproof and the AHA is backing big pharma in a scare tactic campaign.
While we chew on that let’s take another look at what we know about coconut oil.
Coconut Oil Uses
- Coconut oil is good for hair. The nourishing oil has been used for centuries making it suitable for all hair types. It can also be used as a hot oil treatment, mask, or in homemade hair products.
- To moisturize and nourish skin. The same qualities that make it good for hair also make it good for skin. Many people use it as a natural moisturizer.
- Aids in digestion. Its antimicrobial properties can help fight irritation and infection from Candida
- Great fat for cooking. It is a stable oil, so it doesn’t breakdown easily at high temperatures like other oils do. It doesn’t go rancid easily either. It has a multitude of uses. It is good for grain-free baked goods, eggs, stir-fries. I used it to make sweet potato chips and granola this week.
- It gives a mental boost via MCT oil. MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides, which are fats found in foods like coconut oil. They are metabolized differently than the long-chain triglycerides found in most other foods and have health benefits.
- It is a natural sunscreen, with minimal protection. Depending on the source it carries an SPF on 4-15%. Not for use as full protection, but possibly a mild everyday use.
Which kind is best? Expeller or cold-pressed?
The oil needs to be extracted from the roughage. Expeller or cold-pressed are the most common methods and can be found in both refined and unrefined varieties. Expeller has been used since ancient times and is chemical free. Essentially the expeller acts like a screw, goes into the nut, and causes the oil to run. In a mechanical process, the nut is squeezed, the temperature rises and chemicals are often used during the process.
Cold-pressed is done in a heat controlled environment where temperatures don’t exceed 120 degrees, resulting in a high-quality oil. Expeller-pressed may be processed at around 210 degrees. The term “cold-pressed” isn’t regulated in the United States like it is in Europe, so it could mean anything processed under 400 degrees.
Refined or unrefined?
Refined oils are processed at upwards of 400 degrees, which degrades the quality of the oil. Some people choose a refined oil despite its lessened nutritional qualities because it can typically withstand higher cooking temperatures before reaching its smoke point. Most coconut oil on the grocery shelf, unless otherwise labeled are refined. The oil comes from dried coconut meat called the “copra”. Copra is defined by the industry to mean the meat was removed from the shell and needs to be refined further to produce oil. Oil that comes from the copra needs to be dried, sometimes using chemicals in the process, usually in the Philippines.
Unrefined oil is referred to as “virgin”. Coconut oil by nature is refined because it doesn’t come directly from the meat of a coconut picked off a tree. Unrefined can still be a good choice. The oil is extracted from fresh coconut meat rather than dried. A quick drying method is commonly used. When wet milling is used the coconut milk is expressed from the fresh meat before it is boiled or separated from the milk by way of a centrifuge. It’s such a quick process that it doesn’t require any additives and isn’t exposed to high heat.
As for me and my house, we will continue using and ingesting coconut oil. What about you? Will you continue to use coconut oil and if so which kind? Won’t you share your thoughts in the comments?
Nicole, thanks for clearing that up! It’s kind of sad that we can’t trust what some of our leaders say because of their influencers. It also amazes me that people who haven’t been through all the years and years of schooling are able to decipher fact from fiction. I feel like I can trust the things you research which is wonderful! One question…how do you feel about vitamins and how they aren’t regulated in our country. I recently started taking collagen and biotin and a multivitamin and whenever I buy them I wonder if I’m wasting my money. Could they be full of who knows what and actually be dangerous to my health?
Hi, Patty! Glad you stopped by and found this helpful. Regarding vitamins, they are a boost for people who cannot consume the necessary nutrients from food alone. One mom recently told me they make her feel better because they boost a diet that offers fun food. Some vitamins are not absorbed well into a body’s system. Just because someone takes vitamins doesn’t mean they can be absorbed. That said some vitamins are better absorbed than others. The source and the ingredients deserve special attention because they are not regulated. Nutrition supplements are currently under fire for this very reason. I’ll gladly do some additional research and share my findings. Hope this helps in the meantime. Thanks for your question.
I call this a paid report!
First of all coconut oil does not contain any cholesterol.
And second of all, it actually transforms the “bad” cholesterol into a substance called Pregnenolone. Pregnenolone helps us boost our brain functions, fights stress and fatigue. So, for me coconut will continue to be part of my diet.
Thanks for the share, Nicole!
Hi, Milica! Thanks for stopping by. I sense your anger. I was just as angry and confused by the AHA report because coconut oil has so many great uses. There is no chance I am replacing coconut based on this report. Plus, one as educated as Mr. Sacks ought to know that putting coconut oil on your body means that it will be ingested into the blood stream without filters. I believe he knows this and am unsure why he would suggest coconut oil is okay to put on your body, not in your body. It’s really the same thing. There must be some other motivation. Interesting, I think you may have hit the nail on the head as to what it might be in the first line of your comment, “I call this a paid report!” Have a great day!
Yes, you could be very accurate. An acquaintance of mine, Dr. Mary Newport, was attempting to present the benefits of Coconut Oil and MCT, medium chain triglyceride to the Alzheimer’s Organization. She went to the extreme of purchasing a booth at one of their symposiums.
When it was discovered that she had evidence that Coconut Oil was more effective on her late husband’s Alzheimer’s battle than all the available test drugs on the market, she was refunded her check and asked not to come to their symposium. Yes, this is a fact and he did get involved in a clinic trial of an experimental AD drug at that time.
Thank you very much for sharing this article. The original presentation of these facts reminded me of the “egg” rating, rerating and again rerating of the egg.
Hi Brian!
So glad you dropped in with valuable information. Interesting how “healthy” something is one day, and suspect the next. I’m not completely sure why all the backlash against coconut oil (other then stated within the piece), but I believe it has value and continue to use it for various reasons. You seem to agree.
Humorous–your account of the egg rating. Reminds me of milk and dairy, but that’s another subject entirely. 😉 Hope to see you back soon.
Thanks for your research and passion to give us reliable information, Nicole!
Hi, Judy! Glad you found this helpful. Thanks for your time to comment. Always glad to help. If there’s something you wonder about please share it. I’ll do my best to keep you informed.
Totally agree Nicole. I heard that although your “bad cholesterol” levels may rise they are not the same fatty substance as the other ones – they are “fluffy”. Have you heard about this? My good cholesterol rose substantially and my ratio is great. Thank goodness my doctor isn’t concerned with the higher bad level. I have gone to adding a variety of oils for cooking including avocado and walnut oil. I use olive oil for salads and drizzling. I agree fats are good for you.
Blessings
Janis
Janis, you are thorough and another great healthy resource. I’ve heard the “bad cholesterol” levels rising as it relates to something else taking part in the person’s life. It sounds like coconut has been a good improvement for you. Glad to hear you are watching those levels so closely. The variety of oils you use probably help too. Sending healthy wishes.
Thank you, Nicole. I used this deciding on my coconut oil. I was previously using a lower-quality coconut oil and not realizing the benifits I am now.
And you know my favorite use of coconut oil! In my coffee. I also spread it on homemade biscuits like I butter. My daughter and also used it to detangle one of her doll’s hair. And lately we’ve been feeding our puppy a little bit to boost her health.
Hi Shayne! Glad you are a faithful reader and commenter. My favorite use of coconut oil is in coffee. Not too sure about using it in the doll’s hair though. I think the doll’s hair might be forever changed. Hope your daughter’s experience was a good one. Fantastic that the puppy gets extra healthy benefits too.