Given the bad press saturated fats have had over the years - being blamed for raising cholesterol and promoting heart attacks - it’s surprising that one of them has become such a firm favourite in the natural health world…..However, now that the advice around fat is being questioned and sugars and refined carbohydrates are the popular front-runners in the ‘bad food’ stakes; the health-promoting properties in fats are separating out and rising to the top in the ‘good food’ medley.
So beneficial is a particular saturated fat that it’s used in baby formulas and in hospitals to feed the critically ill. It is the subject of research into potential help for serious conditions like alzheimers, diabetes and epilepsy. Its make-up is 50% lauric acid – converted to monolaurin in the body - a powerful anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal. It has been implicated in improving thyroid function, weight management and cholesterol levels.
Any ideas which fat this is?..
Here’s a clue…
It’s found in the tropics where traditionally people have used it as a ‘cure-all’ for various health problems. Where it features highly in the diet, the population has a very low incidence of degenerative disease compared to those in more temperate climates. The fat is contained in a nut; when eaten in their natural state the nuts contain oil and protein along with minerals, vitamins and fibre. The nuts are crushed and the oil separated out, but the oil still contains some minerals and most of the fat soluble vitamins like vitamin E.
Guessed yet?
Answer is…….
So beneficial is a particular saturated fat that it’s used in baby formulas and in hospitals to feed the critically ill. It is the subject of research into potential help for serious conditions like alzheimers, diabetes and epilepsy. Its make-up is 50% lauric acid – converted to monolaurin in the body - a powerful anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal. It has been implicated in improving thyroid function, weight management and cholesterol levels.
Any ideas which fat this is?..
Here’s a clue…
It’s found in the tropics where traditionally people have used it as a ‘cure-all’ for various health problems. Where it features highly in the diet, the population has a very low incidence of degenerative disease compared to those in more temperate climates. The fat is contained in a nut; when eaten in their natural state the nuts contain oil and protein along with minerals, vitamins and fibre. The nuts are crushed and the oil separated out, but the oil still contains some minerals and most of the fat soluble vitamins like vitamin E.
Guessed yet?
Answer is…….
Coconut oil!!
As a saturated fat, coconut oil is in the same category as the fat found in beef, lamb, pork, butter, cocoa, shea nut and palm nut. Although specific properties – like the high lauric acid content -make it a particularly beneficial choice. Saturated fats have a more solid chemical make-up than mono or poly-unsaturated fats so they are more stable when heated. Coconut oil was used extensively for chocolate making due to its ability to remain solid until eaten, when the body temperature provides the perfect conditions for that well known marketing phrase ‘melt in the mouth’ - which it literally does.
Coconut oil is a great substitute for any cooking that requires heating a fat ( stir-fry for example) when it will quickly become liquid. It can be substituted where butter or likewise is called for, such as in baking, or used neat as an alternative to butter or other spread. Some advocates eat it by the spoonful for its beneficial properties and because it delivers a quick energy boost without a corresponding spike in blood sugar levels.
For balance, don’t discount the mono and poly-unsaturated oils (like olive oil and seed oils) but they are best used cold – as in salad dressings.
As a saturated fat, coconut oil is in the same category as the fat found in beef, lamb, pork, butter, cocoa, shea nut and palm nut. Although specific properties – like the high lauric acid content -make it a particularly beneficial choice. Saturated fats have a more solid chemical make-up than mono or poly-unsaturated fats so they are more stable when heated. Coconut oil was used extensively for chocolate making due to its ability to remain solid until eaten, when the body temperature provides the perfect conditions for that well known marketing phrase ‘melt in the mouth’ - which it literally does.
Coconut oil is a great substitute for any cooking that requires heating a fat ( stir-fry for example) when it will quickly become liquid. It can be substituted where butter or likewise is called for, such as in baking, or used neat as an alternative to butter or other spread. Some advocates eat it by the spoonful for its beneficial properties and because it delivers a quick energy boost without a corresponding spike in blood sugar levels.
For balance, don’t discount the mono and poly-unsaturated oils (like olive oil and seed oils) but they are best used cold – as in salad dressings.
As if the benefits of consuming coconut oil weren’t enough, the oil is rising in popularity as an all-round health product. Its ability to improve the moisture and lipid content of the skin make it a great moisturiser, and it’s a potent hair conditioner. It just needs to be warmed in the hands to turn it liquid and then applied. Hopefully you won’t burn in the sunshine, but coconut oil can be used as an effective after-sun treatment.
Another naturopathic use for coconut oil is the age-old Ayurvedic practice of oil pulling. This involves holding oil in the mouth and swishing it through the teeth before spitting it out (not in the sink where it will return to a hardened state!) then rinsing the mouth with salt water. The practice is thought to help all manner of mouth and teeth symptoms as well as keeping bacteria in the mouth under control. In addition to promoting a healthy mouth, the practice is thought to benefit the whole body as, in Ayurveda, each section of the tongue is linked to different organs and systems (similar to the principle of reflexology where the body is mapped out on the feet).
As a natural product, the best and most nutritious coconut oil would be found from freshly cracking a coconut and eating the flesh. However, then you’d have the problem of extracting the oil if you just wanted to use that……so, second best is buying a good quality coconut oil – look for words on the label as you would with olive oil – extra virgin, cold pressed, non GMO, organic. The product is unlikely to be a significant source of vitamins but worth trying for its health-promoting anti-fungal/viral/bacterial qualities, for cooking, substituting for other hard fats, or for using on the skin and hair and for oil pulling.
Another naturopathic use for coconut oil is the age-old Ayurvedic practice of oil pulling. This involves holding oil in the mouth and swishing it through the teeth before spitting it out (not in the sink where it will return to a hardened state!) then rinsing the mouth with salt water. The practice is thought to help all manner of mouth and teeth symptoms as well as keeping bacteria in the mouth under control. In addition to promoting a healthy mouth, the practice is thought to benefit the whole body as, in Ayurveda, each section of the tongue is linked to different organs and systems (similar to the principle of reflexology where the body is mapped out on the feet).
As a natural product, the best and most nutritious coconut oil would be found from freshly cracking a coconut and eating the flesh. However, then you’d have the problem of extracting the oil if you just wanted to use that……so, second best is buying a good quality coconut oil – look for words on the label as you would with olive oil – extra virgin, cold pressed, non GMO, organic. The product is unlikely to be a significant source of vitamins but worth trying for its health-promoting anti-fungal/viral/bacterial qualities, for cooking, substituting for other hard fats, or for using on the skin and hair and for oil pulling.
Coconut oil seems to be an all-round good guy and worthy of some space in your kitchen cupboard,
and maybe in your bathroom cupboard....
and perhaps in the medicine cabinet....
and maybe in your bathroom cupboard....
and perhaps in the medicine cabinet....