Coconut Secrets for Optimal Health
- Helps Prevent Obesity by speeding up metabolism, providing an immediate source of energy with fewer calories than other fats. People, who consistently use coconut products, report a stronger ability to go without eating for several hours with no affects of hypoglycemia.
- Improves Heart Health by providing healthy short chain and medium chain fatty acids (MCFA) that are essential to good health. Close to 98% of all fatty acids consumed are composed of long-chain fatty acids (LCFA), which are very different from MCFA that have no negative effect on cholesterol ratios and help to lower the risk of atherosclerosis and protect against heart disease. Studies have shown that populations in Polynesia and Sri Lanka, where coconuts are a dietary staple, do not suffer from high serum cholesterol or heart disease. Unlike other fats, the unique properties of coconut also contain a large amount of lauric acid, which is the predominant fatty acid found in mother's milk.
- High in Dietary Fiber rivaling other fiber sources such as psyllium, wheat bran, oat bran, and rice bran. Coconut supplies an impressive 61% dietary fiber! Foods contain two types of carbohydrates - digestible and non-digestible. Digestible carbohydrates (soluble fiber) consist of starch and sugar and promote calories. A non-digestible carbohydrate (insoluble fiber) contains NO calories. Since the body cannot digest the dietary fiber in coconut, no calories are derived from it and it has no effect on blood sugar.
- Low Glycemic Index (GI) measures how fast available carbohydrates in food raise blood sugar levels. Coconut fiber slows down the release of glucose, therefore requiring less insulin to utilize the glucose and transport it into the cell where it is converted into energy. Coconut also assists in relieving stress on the pancreas and enzyme systems of the body, in turn, reducing the risks associated with Diabetes. Coconut Nectar and Crystals have a very low GI of only 35 (compared to honey with a GI of 55-83, and sugar with a GI of 65-100.)
- Reduces Sweet Cravings and improves insulin secretion and utilization of blood glucose. The healthy fat in coconut slows down any rise in blood sugar and helps to reduce hypoglycemic cravings.
- Improves Digestion and many of the symptoms and inflammatory conditions associated with digestive and bowel disorders, by supporting absorption of other nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids while also providing beneficial dietary fiber.
- Quick Energy Boost that provides a super nutritious source of extra energy. Coconut is utilized by the body to actually produce energy, rather than to store it as body fat. It supports improved endurance during physical and athletic performance. As well, it promotes healthy thyroid function and helps to relieve the symptoms of chronic fatigue.
- In addition, coconut contains No Trans-Fats, is Gluten-Free, Non-Toxic, Hypoallergenic, and also contains Antibacterial, Antiviral, Antifungal, and Anti-parasitic healing properties. Coconut helps to aid and support overall Immune System functions.
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Health Benefits of Saturated Fats
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Taped on my refrigerator in my home, is an old,
tattered verse that I cut out of a magazine nearly a dozen years ago that so
aptly sets the tone for this topic about saturated fats. It reads as follows:
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A Short History of Medicine
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"I Have an Earache..."
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2000 BC: Here, eat this
root.
1000 AD: That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
1850 AD: That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this
potion.
1940 AD: That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
1985 AD: That pill is ineffective. Here, take this
antibiotic.
2000 AD: That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root...
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During my 32 years of experience consulting in
the fields of natural/organic products and wellness, it has become apparent
that so many things that are thought to be good and healthy, eventually are
seen to be bad and unhealthy, and then miraculously many moons later, are once
again proven to reign supreme at the top of the list of the most healthful,
beneficial foods to consume.
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The western world's knowledge and beliefs around
the subject of saturated fats, were sadly shunned to this road too often travelled
when in the 1920's, American agribusiness embarked on one of the most
successful ad campaigns of all times ~ to steer the public away from the
traditional saturated fats consumed by our ancestors (such as butter, coconut
and palm oils, and animal fats like lard, tallow and suet), and instead, to
embrace domestically produced unsaturated fats (such as soy, corn, canola,
safflower and sunflower seed oils) which were cleverly touted to be safer, low
cholesterol, heart-healthy alternatives. Hence, the medical establishment
jumped onboard, and the fate of saturated fats was set into motion. The rest is
now imprinted onto the history of a generation replete with the very conditions
these 'superior' fats were supposed to prevent.
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THE CIRCLE OF TRUTH
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Eighty years and an entire generation later, the
American mindset is finally coming full circle, and recognizing / remembering
the basic foods of their ancestral roots. The truth has a persistent way of
always shining its light through every adversity...
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It is now understood that saturated fats do not
create high cholesterol, do not contribute to heart disease, are not
cancer-causing, do not draw from the body's reserves of antioxidants, and do
not clog arteries.
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On the contrary, it's now known that saturated
fats play many vital roles in the body to help strengthen the immune system,
promote healthy bones, provide energy and structural integrity to the cells,
protect the liver, and assist the body's metabolism of essential fatty acids.
Most importantly, saturated fats actually have cholesterol lowering properties
and are the perfect dietary adjunct for a strong, healthy heart. As well, the
short and medium chain fatty acids inherent in saturated fats have important
antimicrobial properties, protecting us against harmful microorganisms in the
digestive tract.
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Below are commonly held misconceptions regarding
the health benefits of saturated fats in the body. Whether you gravitate toward
a raw food vegan lifestyle, or you prefer to include eggs, dairy and meat in
your diet, it is important to understand the new (yet old) scientific research
and decide for yourself what feels right in your own body. Truly consider the
wisdom of the traditional diets referenced throughout our most revered
spiritual texts, that have stood the test of time and proven themselves to be
not only healthful, but life-sustaining across generations.
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MISCONCEPTION:
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Consuming saturated fat causes high cholesterol.
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NEW RESEARCH:
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Your body makes both saturated fats and
cholesterol - approximately 2000 mg per day. As an antioxidant, cholesterol
protects us against free radical damage that leads to heart disease and cancer.
Cholesterol is the body's repair substance, manufactured in large amounts when
the arteries are irritated or structurally weak. The body's natural healing
substance then steps in to repair the damage - and that substance is
cholesterol! "Blaming heart disease on high serum cholesterol levels is
like blaming the firemen who have come to put out a fire, for starting it in
the first place!" (quote by Mary Engg PhD and Sally Fallon, President of
The Weston A. Price Foundation)
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MISCONCEPTION:
·
Saturated fats and cholesterol cause clogged
arteries.
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NEW RESEARCH:
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In a three-year study conducted at the
University of Washington, researchers examined the diets and coronary artery
conditions of 235 women in the United States with an average age of 66. It was
found that women who had regularly eaten the highest amounts of saturated fats
had the least amount of additional plaque buildup in their arteries. Also,
women who ate more saturated fats had a healthier balance of good and bad
cholesterol and more desirable blood concentrations of various kinds of fats.
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Another interesting study is the ongoing
Framingham Heart Study, in which researchers found that, "The more
saturated fat one ate, the more cholesterol one ate, the more calories one ate,
the lower the person's serum cholesterol. It appeared that the people who ate
the most cholesterol, saturated fat, and calories - weighed the least, and were
the most physically active."
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A revealing medical evaluation performed at the
Wynn Institute for Metabolic Research in London regarding the kind of fat found
in clogged arteries, showed that only about 26 percent is saturated fat. The
remaining 74 percent is unsaturated fat, of which more than half of that is
polyunsaturated fat. (Felton, CV, et al, Lancet, 1994, 344:1195)
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MISCONCEPTION:
·
Consuming foods rich in saturated fats and
cholesterol make people prone to heart disease.
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NEW RESEARCH:
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It is now believed that cholesterol is not the
cause of heart disease but rather a potent antioxidant weapon against free
radicals in the blood, and a repair substance that helps heal arterial damage.
High serum cholesterol levels often indicate that the body needs cholesterol to
protect itself from high levels of free-radical-containing fats. It is needed
in a poorly nourished body to actually protect our bodies from a tendency
towards heart disease and cancer.
The cause of heart disease is no longer attributed to saturated fats and cholesterol, but rather a number of factors inherent in modern diets, including an excess consumption of vegetable oils and hydrogenated fats. The onset of pathogenic plaque leading to heart disease, has now been associated with the disappearance of antimicrobial saturated fats from the food supply that once protected us against viruses and bacteria, such as tropical oils like coconut and palm, as well as animal fats like raw dairy, lard, tallow, etc.
In a study published over a decade ago on cooking oils in the Journal of the Indian Medical Association, a New Delhi hospital compared modern day polyunsaturated oils (such as sunflower, safflower, soy and corn oils) to coconut oil in relation to heart disease and Type II diabetes. The researchers found that while heart disease and diabetes had increased with consumption of polyunsaturated vegetable and seed oils, it decreased with traditional oils like coconut oil.
The cause of heart disease is no longer attributed to saturated fats and cholesterol, but rather a number of factors inherent in modern diets, including an excess consumption of vegetable oils and hydrogenated fats. The onset of pathogenic plaque leading to heart disease, has now been associated with the disappearance of antimicrobial saturated fats from the food supply that once protected us against viruses and bacteria, such as tropical oils like coconut and palm, as well as animal fats like raw dairy, lard, tallow, etc.
In a study published over a decade ago on cooking oils in the Journal of the Indian Medical Association, a New Delhi hospital compared modern day polyunsaturated oils (such as sunflower, safflower, soy and corn oils) to coconut oil in relation to heart disease and Type II diabetes. The researchers found that while heart disease and diabetes had increased with consumption of polyunsaturated vegetable and seed oils, it decreased with traditional oils like coconut oil.
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Numerous population studies have shown that
people living in countries where large quantities of coconut oil and other
saturated fats are consumed, have remarkably good cardiovascular health.
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At first this observation confused many
researchers, because they did not recognize the difference between medium chain
fatty acids (MCFA) and other fats. New research however, has demonstrated that
the MCFAs in coconut oil protect against heart disease.
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MISCONCEPTION:
·
Saturated fats are unhealthy for diabetics.
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NEW RESEARCH:
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The body requires insulin to process
carbohydrates, but NOT to process fats. And even though fat contains more
calories than carbohydrates, it is actually carbohydrates that are stored in
the body as fat.
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Before the discovery of insulin, the only
treatment for diabetes was a very high-fat, zero-carb diet. Because fats slow
down the entry of sugar into the bloodstream, it is good for diabetics, and for
everyone, to eat fats together with carbohydrates. Dietary fats assist in
lowering the glycemic index of carbohydrate foods and help to stabilize blood
sugar.
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Saturated fats do not cause insulin resistance.
Trans-fats are the culprits that cause insulin resistance, yet sadly
researchers often confuse trans-fats with saturated fats. When people are told
to stop eating saturated fats, unfortunately they can end up eating more
trans-fats instead.
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Consuming saturated fats (coconut oil, butter,
lard, and meat fat) helps to protect against the damaging effects of
polyunsaturated vegetable oils and trans-fats, which are relatively new to the
human diet.
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MISCONCEPTION:
·
Saturated fats contribute to obesity.
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NEW RESEARCH:
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It might sound odd to a large majority of people
who think fat makes us fat, but coconut oil and other saturated fats actually
contribute to weight 'loss' not weight
gain. In a lab experiment, animals were fed either a low-fat diet with unsaturated oils, or a high-fat diet with coconut oil. The researchers found that while even small amounts of unsaturated fat caused weight gain, the animals that consumed coconut oil remained lean. This is because saturated fat increases metabolism, which then burns calories faster.
gain. In a lab experiment, animals were fed either a low-fat diet with unsaturated oils, or a high-fat diet with coconut oil. The researchers found that while even small amounts of unsaturated fat caused weight gain, the animals that consumed coconut oil remained lean. This is because saturated fat increases metabolism, which then burns calories faster.
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An example of this can be found in the people of
the Yucatan. They consume high amounts of coconut as a staple food and their
average metabolic rate is about 25 percent higher than people in the U.S.
MISCONCEPTION:
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It is healthier to cook with vegetable oils.
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NEW RESEARCH:
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Saturated fats are stable and do not oxidize
even at high heat cooking temperatures including deep frying. However, high
heat cooking will definitely oxidize polyunsaturated oils and to a certain
extent monounsaturated oils (such as olive oil), which then creates harmful
free radicals.
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Unsaturated fats exposed to high heat and oxygen
during cooking or commercial food processing, undergo a chemical change known
as auto-oxidation, whereby free radicals are produced that cause rancidity. Up
until the early 1980's, restaurants and fast food establishments used saturated
lard, lamb or beef tallow fat for all their sauteing and deep frying. Sadly
today, restaurants almost exclusively use polyunsaturated oils like canola, soy
and corn.
