Organic Virgin Coconut Oil is Healthy!

As long as I can remember I was told and taught in school that fat makes you fat and the worst possible thing you can do is eat saturated fat... not only is this an incomplete truth, but it is dangerously misleading. This low fat commandment spawned a decade long craze of low fat high carb diets which continue exert significant influence in modern health care.

A great reference website for the health benefits of organic virgin coconut oil is available from Dr. Joseph Mercola and in Udo's book. Both describe in detail the history and benefits of coconut oil.

Excerpts from Mercola on Virgin Coconut oil:

Health Benefits:

• Promotes heart health and protects the heart
• Promotes weight loss when and if you need it
• Supportes your immune system health
  
• Supports a healthy metabolism - short chain sat fats and the EFA's in hemp and flax actually boost your metabolism!
  
• Provides an immediate energy source for you (your body preferentially burns short chain MCFA's (coconut oil) instead of storing them as fat)
  
• Helps to keep your skin healthy and youthful looking
• Supports the proper functioning of your thyroid gland
  

Why Use (fry with) Coconut Oil over Olive or Vegetable Oil?

The first, extra-virgin olive oil, is a better monounsaturated fat. It works great as a salad dressing. However, it is not the best oil to cook with. Due to its chemical structure, cooking makes it susceptible to oxidative damage. And polyunsaturated fats, which include common vegetable oils such as corn, soy, safflower, sunflower and canola, are absolutely the worst oils to use in cooking. Omega-6 oils are especially prone to this because of all the double bonds they have which are highly susceptible to heat damage. Why?

Reason #1: Most people believe that frying creates trans fats. That is not the major problem, in my opinion; although some are created, they are relatively minor. There are FAR more toxic chemicals produced by frying omega-6 oils than trans fats. Frying destroys the antioxidants in oils and as such oxidizes the oils and causes cross-linking, cyclization, double-bond shifts, fragmentation and polymerization of oils that cause far more damage than trans fats.

Reason #2: They contribute to the overabundance of omega-6 fats in your diet, and the imbalance of the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. As you know from my extensive writing on this subject, I believe that excessive omega-6 fats contribute to many health concerns.

There is only one oil that is stable enough to resist heat-induced damage, while it also helps you promote heart health, maintain normal cholesterol levels and even helps you lose weight -- coconut oil. So, whenever you need an oil to cook with, use coconut oil instead of butter, olive oil, vegetable oil or any other type of oil called for in recipes."

We personally use and recommend Tropical Traditons' Organic Virgin Coconut Oil.

Our list of recipes and information regarding coconut oil.