WONDERFUL COCONUT OIL
THE "GOOD" SATURATED FATS
Extra virgin coconut oil is a miracle oil that along with
its delicious taste and aroma, also aids in fat loss, has premier
infection righting properties, helps to support healthy thyroid
and cardiovascular function.
Extra virgin coconut oil is known to be one of the
healthiest fats. As a savvy health consumer, you have probably
heard from the so-called experts of the health community as they
consistently warn us to avoid saturated fats, especially
tropical oils such as coconut, and palm oils.
Consumers have been told that saturated fat consumption is
responsible for heart disorders, obesity and many degenerative
diseases. These are the health 'experts' who for years told us to
load up on pasta and refined grains, and whose poor advice must
now bear some responsibility for our nations high rate of obesity
and heart disease. These are also the same experts who in the
early 50's and 60's, warned us not to breastfeed our infants.
Butter, coconut oil, and animal fats have nourished human
beings for thousands of years. Yet, nowadays, these healthy foods
have been relegated to the sidelines of culinary custom, replaced
by concoctions of very questionable nutritional value. Nearly all
commercial foods today avoid saturated fats, instead relying on
polyunsaturated or partially hydrogenated vegetable fats. These
maybe "vegetarian," "no-cholesterol" foods, but they're not
necessarily better for your health.
For the last five decades, Americans have increased their
consumption of unsaturated and hydrogenated fats, and have
decreased their consumption of other types of saturated fatty
acids including butter. In direct correlation, the rate of heart.
disease has increased, as has obesity, cancer, and many immune
system disorders. There appears to he a clear-cut link between
our rising consumption of these fats and rising rates of some
diseases. It is time to return to healthy fats from coconut oil,
as well as flax, salmon, and whole butter.
Fortunately, Dr.Mary Enig, PhD, FACN, CNS and other
independent thinkers and scientists, have written very
persuasively that the studies done in the 1950s that formed the
basis of the "bad" fat hypothesis were flawed.
"The original research failed to distinguish between different
kinds of fat", notes Dr.Enig. "This was a fundamental flaw that
is obvious to us today, however, in earlier times,
differentiating between types of fats apparently was not thought
to be as important. The early research on which our dietary myths
are now based, concluded all fat to be bad - saturated, mono-
unsaturated, and polyunsaturated.
We now know that not all fats are equal, and that some fats are
indeed health promoting, while others truly well damaging to our
health. Consumers have been misguided about fats for a long time,
especially that soy, corn, canola, safflower, sunflower and
cottonseed oils should be their preferred oils. And, of course,
margarine has been crowned the king of spreads, taking the place
of healthy, wholesome organic butter."
GOOD FAT VERSES BAD FAT
"The tropical oils were very popular in the (United States) food
industry prior to World War 2," Dr. Enig continues. "With the war
and the shortage of imported tropical oils, an effort was made to
promote local oils like soybean and corn oil." (Not surprisingly,
the U.S. is the world's largest exporter of soybeans). "Studies
were done to show that coconut oil, and all saturated fats, were
bad for one's health because they raised serum cholesterol
levels. However, these studies were done on hydrogenated coconut
oil, and all hydrogenated oils produce higher serum cholesterol
levels, and contribute to greater oxidation and free radicals in
the body, whether they are saturated or not. Recent research has
revealed that it is the presence of trans fatty acids that
actually cause health problems. These are fatty acid chains that
have been altered from their original form in nature by the oil
refining process."
(Ah, Rachelle Carson in the 60s was again proven to be correct
when she wrote in her book "Silent Spring" that taking the
natural molecular structure and changing it around, would have
dire harmful results for us. Most laughed at her book when it was
first published, now they have died from laughing - Keith Hunt)
The real culprit in heart disease are more likely to be
elevated intakes of human-made trans fatty acids from hyd-
rogenated oils, (such as those in corn and soy oil, and prepared
foods) in addition to the over consumption of carbohydrates,
(found in breads, pastas cereals, pastries, other processed
foods.) Excess amounts of trans-fatty acids (man-made molecules
created from hydrogenated vegetable oils) increase the risk of
degenerative diseases and other age-related maladies.
WHY CHOOSE ONLY "EXTRA VIRGIN" COCONUT OIL?
It's important to use Extra Virgin Coconut Oil from fresh,
certified organic coconut milk. The traditional method used in
the Philippines to produce "Garden of Life's Extra Virgin Coconut
Oil" from the coconut milk, is fermentation. The coconut milk
expressed from the freshly harvested coconuts is fermented for 24
to 36 hours. During this time, the water separates from the oil.
The oil is then cold pressed and filtered. The result is a clear
coconut oil that (retains the distinct scent and taste
of coconuts, in addition to all of the vital nutrients for
optimal health. Laboratory tests show that this very high-quality
coconut oil has a lauric acid content of 50 to 55%.
This oil is not mass produced, but made by hand just as it
has traditionally been done in the Philippines for hundreds of
years. Since the producers of the oil live in the community where
the coconuts grow, they personally guarantee that the best
organic coconuts available are used in producing "Garden of Life
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil," and that no chemicals whatsoever are
used in the growing or processing of the coconuts.
Most commercial grade coconut oils are made from copra,
which is the dried kernel (meat) of the coconut. If standard
copra is used as a starting material, the unrefined coconut oil
extracted from copra is not suitable for consumption and must be
further refined. This is because most copra is dried under the
sun in the open air in very unsanitary conditions where it is
exposed to insects and molds. The standard end product made from
copra is RBD coconut oil (refined, bleached, and deodorized).
Both high heat and chemical solvents are used in this method. The
RBD oil is also often hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated,
thus not a very good end product.
Another difference between Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and
refined coconut oils is the scent and taste. Extra virgin retains
the fresh scent and taste of coconuts, whereas the copra-based
refined coconut oils have no taste at all due to the refining
process.
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is the healthiest, most versatile
unprocessed dietary oil in the world. It contains Medium Chain
Triglycerides (MCTs) that the body metabolizes quickly,
converting the fats to energy rather than storing them as fat.
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is a stable, healthy saturated fat
that does NOT elevate undesirable (LDL) cholesterol.
Coconut oil has been shown to reduce the symptoms of
digestive disorders, support overall immune functions, and help
prevent bacterial, viral and fungal infections.
Rich Source of Antioxidants:
Coconut oil is abundant in the full spectrum of
antioxidants, and helps to reduce the body's need for vitamin E.
Naturally Occurring
Antimicrobial Compounds:
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, rich in lauric Acid (50 to 55%),
and capric and caprylic acids, has tremendous antiviral and
anti-fungal properties. In the body, lauric acid converts into
monolaurin, a compound that is adept at fighting viral pathogens.
It is also present in large quantities in breast milk, where it
protects infants from viral, bacterial and parasitic infections.
The Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFA) in coconut oil also have
notable anti-fungal properties important for those with Candida
and other fungal related infections. Caprylic acid, a MCFA found
in coconut oil, is one of the most potent, natural yeast fighting
agents.
Capric acid, another MCFA in coconut oil, has a similar
beneficial function when it is formed into monocaprin in the
human body. Monocaprin has been shown to have significant
antiviral effects against microorganisms that cause sexually
transmitted diseases.
Protects Against Heart
Disease:
Dr.Bruce Fife,ND,CNC in his book "The Healing Miracles of
Coconut Oil" (Piccadilly Books, 2001), is quoted as saying:
"....one of the biggest criticisms about coconut oil is that it's
a saturated fat and causes or contributes in some way to heart
disease. However, when you go to the coconut growing regions of
the world, you find that those people who eat the most coconut
and coconut oil, have the lowest rate of heart disease.
In Sri Lanka, people there eat the equivalent of about 120
coconuts a year. They use coconut in all of their cooking, and
yet death rate from heart disease about one out of every
thousand, compared to the United States, where nearly half the
population suffers from heart disease, and we basically eat no
coconut oil at all.
Another interesting piece of research occurred with the island
studies of Pukapuka ant Tokelau, located
in the South Pacific. Researchers studied the entire population
of these islands - they studied the food they ate and their
health, and they found that up to 60% of the islander's total
calories came from fat, and 60% from saturated fat, primarily
from coconuts. The researchers stated that there was no evidence
in these people of heart disease."
Promotes' Healthy
Thyroid Function:
Coconut oil is shown to enhance thyroid function. This in
turn, stimulates the conversion of low-density lipoprotein
cholesterol into the anti-aging hormones pregnenolone,
progesterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). These valuable
agents aid in preventing heart disease, senility, obesity, and
other degenerative diseases.
Unsaturated fats damage the mitochondria, by suppressing the
reparatory enzyme, and by causing generalized ozidative damage.
The more unsaturated the oils are, the more specifically they
suppress tissue response and transport of the thyroid hormone.
Coconut oil assists in "activating" the metabolism, helping
to prevent the inhibiting effects of unsaturated oils.
Aids In Weight Loss:
Another benefit from coconut oil's unique ability to support
thyroid function is proper weight management. In the 1940s,
farmers tried coconut oil to fatten their animals but instead
discovered that it made them lean and active.
A study conducted in Yucatan where coconut oil is a staple,
showed that metabolic rates of people living there were 25%
higher than in comparable test subjects living in the United
States. Increased metabolic rate is a key to healthy weight
management and could account for the leanness of people living in
areas where coconut oil is consumed on a daily basis.
People who consistently use coconut oil report changes in
their ability to go without eating for several hours without
experiencing the affects of hypoglycemia.
Simply explained, most oils from animal and vegetable
sources contain long chain fatty acids (LCFAs), whereas Extra
Virgin Coconut Oil contains medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs).
This means that the fatty acids in coconut oil are not packaged
into lipoproteins and do not circulate in the bloodstream like
other fats, but instead are sent directly to the liver where they
are immediately converted into energy and burned off in the form
of calories.
Coconut oil yields fewer calories than any other oil, and
its MCFAs, unlike the LCFAs in vegetable oils, actually speed up
your metabolism so you can more efficiently utilize those
calories. When you consume coconut oil, you don't necessarily
have to reduce healthy fat intake in order to control body fat.
Improves Symptoms of Digestive Disorders:
The cause is still unknown, but many doctors believe that
chronic digestive disorders are the result of bacterial, fungal,
or viral infections. While there is no definitive cure, numerous
studies have shown that the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut
oil offer positive health benefits for patients with Crohn's
disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and Ulcerated Colitis.
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil provides energy for healing in
these cases, in addition to soothing inflammation in the
intestinal tract and helping to combat unhealthy microorganisms
that can cause chronic inflammation.
Promotes Smooth and Supple Skin:
Studies have also shown that the amount of unsaturated oil
in the diet strongly affects the rate at which wrinkled skin
develops. Taken internally and used topically, the healthful
saturated fat in Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is effective at slowing
down that process.
It is also quite adept at protecting your skin from the
harmful effects of the sun. In Polynesia where people are out in
the hot tropical sun constantly, especially when travelling on
the open water, they put coconut oil on their skin every single
day. The oil protects them from the sun's radiation, and they
never suffer from skin diseases. This is why coconut oil is a
common ingredient in commercial sunscreens.
Resources: For more Information about Extra Virgin Coconut Oil or
to locate a fine health food store neat you, call their Canadian
Distributor, Advantage Health Matters at 800-338-6138
or view their web-site www.advantagehealthmatters.com or
www.gardenoflifeusa.com
Further information about the health benefits and many uses of
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil can also be found in Dr.Rubin's book:
Patient Heal Thyself, Freedom Press, 2003
.............
This product is a food supplement and NOT medicine. No curative
claims are made.
The above was taken from a Canadian Health magazine 2003
Then many have long known the benefits of EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL.
WITH USING OLIVE OIL AND MODERATE DRINKING OF WINE, many people
in many countries outside of North America have not the health
problems of heart disease and cholesterol that is now so
prevalent in North America - Keith Hunt
