Coconut Oil

I just read a fascinating book called The Coconut Oil Miracle. I have been using coconut oil for over a year, and thought I understood what it was all about. It turns out that my understanding was just scratching the surface.

I can remember in the 80’s when there was a lot of ‘news’ about how bad all saturated fats were. Up until that time most manufacturers of food products used coconut oil as their fat for their products. It created a smooth texture and made for a very long shelf life. It was also very cheap. Then came the scare about saturated fats. It turns out that there were more articles and press releases from the soybean producers than from actual scientists. There was some actual facts about animal based saturated fats, but these producers saw a way of linking that science to the plant based saturated fats such a coconut oils and palm oils. The consensus of all this ‘information’ was that if we continued eating saturated fats from any form we would all die of heart disease.

Manufacturer’s pulled all the coconut and palm oils from their products. They replaced them with soybean, corn oil and canola oil. These oils have a much shorter shelf life, so they had to add more preservatives to their products. They also cost more. The cost of prepared foods went up, while the quality and shelf life went down.

Fast forward to 2010, heart disease is almost epidemic in our country. Someone jokingly (?) said that they ought to put statin drugs in the water supply because so many people of all ages are showing signs of buildup in their arteries. Obesity is also in epidemic portions. Childhood obesity is at an all time high.

During this last thirty scientists such as Bruce Fife, C.N, N.D. began looking around the world at different cultures to compare their diets and health to ours. One thing that they found was that people in tropical areas that at the food of their ancestors stayed slim and strong, with very little heart disease, diabetes, obesity, or even dental problems. When those same people began eating ‘modern’ prepared foods they caught up to the rest of the world in these areas. A closer look at their diets revealed that as much as 50% of their diets came from coconuts in one form or another.

These people lived long, healthy lives, under a hot sun. Many of them were out in the sun the majority of the day. Why weren’t they riddled with skin cancer? Watching them for a period of time it was discovered that not only did these people use coconut (or palm oil in some areas) as food, but they also used it as skin care. Both internally and externally these people were infusing their tissues with coconut. When you think of Pacific Islanders you think of the slim young person. That ‘young’ person may turn out to be middle aged, but they are keeping their youthful appearance and vitality.

People that arrive in these regions sick, or get sick after they arrive are typically given food and medicine made of coconut. I can almost hear someone saying ‘of course, if that is the only plant available everything would be made from it.’ The amazing thing is the number of people that recover quickly from their illness, even with such ‘primitive’ treatment.

Scientists began to do studies on introducing coconut products into the modern diet. They found a remarkable improvement in multiple areas. It seems that the human body will utilize nutrients given to it in ways that it feels are most important. The body seems to know how to prioritize its nutrients. The first priority of the human body is the ability to sustain life. You see this when you see people who have osteoporosis. Their body has robbed their bones in order to maintain the proper balance of calcium and potassium to keep the heart functioning. When new nutrients are introduced the body has a way of determining where those nutrients are needed first. It doesn’t know if it will get any more of it. If more do come in it will choose whether to use it for the same purpose, or another one.

Heart Disease

Studies show that coconut products, especially the oil, are useful for people with heart disease. People who eat a lot of coconut fat typically have very low cholesterol levels compared to those that eat vegetable oils. Although lower cholesterol levels are not proof that you won’t have heart problems, modern doctors use the cholesterol levels in determining risk factors for heart disease.

Oxidized fats are one of the major sources of heart disease. The free radicals formed by oxidized fats are the culprit. Because of the medium chain saturated fats in coconut oil it doesn’t oxidize as fast as in vegetable oils. Many of the vegetable oils on the market today are slightly oxidized or rancid before they even go into the bottles. If they are in clear bottles they continue to oxidize while in transit to the grocery store and while on the shelf. We don’t realize how rancid they are because we are used to the way they taste after months in the bottle.

Germ Fighter

Coconut Oil has been shown to be a very effective systemic germ fighter. There are numerous cases of bacterial diseases suddenly going away after the introduction of coconut oil into the diet. Many of these cases were ones where antibiotics were not helping the person. Viruses are not killed by antibiotics, but can be controlled with coconut oil. Fungal infections, such as yeast infections respond to coconut oil. There are even cases where parasites are dispelled from the body after eating coconut oil. It even works well on the outside of the skin. There it is broken down by the good bacteria on our skins to become an antimicrobial substance. This strips away the outer shell of the bacteria and viruses, in effect killing them.

Weight Loss

Who would believe that increasing your fat intake could make you lose weight? That is the results many people have when they begin including coconut oil in their diets. One of the reasons is that instead of the traditional 9 calories per gram coconut oil contains 6.8 calories per gram. It is also processed differently from other fats. Instead of being broken down by the bile as it enters the small intestine the body treats it more like a carbohydrate, but without the spike in blood sugar. This is great for people that have had their gallbladders removed. They no longer have a storage unit for bile, so they have problems digesting a lot of fats. There is evidence that coconut oil can raise your energy levels without raising your blood sugar levels. This is great for people with diabetes. Many times they store the blood sugar so fast and efficiently that they have no energy for their day to day activities.

There are many other uses for coconut oil. Among them are skin care and hair care. It has also been shown to be useful in digestive disorders, as a dietary supplement for the very young and very old, for osteoporosis, gallbladder disease, chronic fatigue, AIDS, and numerous other diseases and problems plaguing our world today. Check out the book and see if it may help you with what you are struggling with in your life.

I am not currently carrying coconut oil on our website, mainly because you can purchase it at almost any grocery store. Make sure you get a good quality Organic Coconut Oil. Some have a more strong coconut flavor than others, so if you can find several brands give more than one a try until you find one you like.