The previous Great NEWS post discussed how Saturated Fat is a Super Food and this week we talk about the Coconut Craze coming your way. Now that you are more educated and less confused about saturated fats it is a great time to discuss all the benefits of coconuts including it’s saturated fats. The coconut craze is one of the best things to happen in the food industry since coconut is a super food and coconut oil is a great choice to enjoy enhanced beauty, cooking, energy and vitality.
In the previous post you learned about several saturated fats and oils that are very beneficial and healthy when consumed heated at low temperatures or raw. They should be part of your balanced and healthy nutrient dense and organic whole foods nutrition program. Of all the saturated fats and oils coconuts may be one of the best choices for people in the tropics and temperate zones of the world due to their easy availability and low cost.
Coconut Oil
Cold pressed organic raw coconut oil is definitely considered a super food and super healthy since it contains so many high quality nutrients and offers incredible anti-aging, beauty and health properties. Coconuts are definitely one of the top beauty and health secrets of the Asian, Caribbean, Hawaiian, Indonesian, Malaysian and Polynesian cultures.
Eating coconut oil which is a saturated fat will turbo charge you energy, fitness, immune system and stamina for peak performance. Even when heating at low temperatures coconut oil holds up well and remains healthy compared to vegetables oil which break down rapidly due to heat. It is a better choice for sautéing vegetable than commercial oils and even olive oil. For vegetarians it is a healthy alternative to animal fats, butter and ghee.
Coconut oil and palm oil are both saturated fats but coconut oil is much easier to find and usually at a much lower cost. Coconut oil is widely available around the world when you look for it.
Green coconuts are young nuts full of coconut water.
As a saturated fat coconut oil will not be broken down as quickly at lower temperatures during cooking as compared to a commercial unsaturated fats like canola, corn, cottonseed and soy oils. Coconut and coconut oil has been used as a staple for centuries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Caribbean, Central American, India, Mexico, Pacific Islands and South America. It provides a healthier way to cook foods at low temperatures without destroying the beneficial properties of the oil. Keeping the temperature below 150 degrees Fahrenheit and better yet below 118 degrees will yield the best cooking results.
It may be helpful to understand the different products made from coconuts. Coconuts are the nut and seed on a tropical coconut palm trees. If left alone on a wet beach it will grow into a new tree. It is important to understand the difference between green and brown coconuts. Green coconuts are young nuts that contain more coconut water and less coconut flesh inside. They contain mostly carbohydrates and produce the coconut water that is so popular to drink. To provide the most nutrients and value it should be consumed raw and not be pasteurized. While not as good as fresh you can buy dried young coconut from some Costco stores under the Philippine brand as well as Asian stores.
Brown coconut is the mature nut of the coconut palm tree rich in coconut oil and coconut flesh.
Brown coconuts are mature nuts that have less water and more thick white coconut flesh inside which contains more oil. These produce the shredded coconut, creamy coconut milk and coconut oil extracted from the kernel of mature coconuts harvested from the coconut palm tree. The brown coconut ball is what you see after the large outer husk has been removed.
Brown coconuts, green coconuts, coconut oil, coconut water, coconut milk, dried young coconut, coconut sugar and shredded coconut are the main foods produced by a coconut tree. They are some of the most delicious, nutritious and value conscious foods on the planet. Coconut trees can produce coconuts for up to 60 years and require no chemicals, fertilizer or pesticides to produce a naturally green and healthy food source.
You may be wondering why your mother, recipe books and the food network does not use more coconut oil and warn you about cooking with vegetable oils. Unfortunately many companies with big budgets dominate the food industry and care more about product shelf life and profits than they care about people and the planet. These companies sell unhealthy oils so they deceive you about the healthy fats and oils from coconut, nuts, palm, seeds and animal fats in order to sell you their product at the expense of your health and longevity. By using genetically engineered seeds and synthetic chemicals they are manufacturing unhealthy seed oils (canola, corn, cotton and soy) that are quite harmful yet appear to be OK for consumption.
Is it possible you have been lead to believe that saturated coconut oil and palm oil are unhealthy because companies want to sell you unhealthy oils resulting from manufacturing GMO Frankenseed oils? Original studies using hydrogenated coconut oil produced the unhealthy results in rabbits and that stigma has stuck for decades. The manufacturers of unhealthy oils and researchers appear to have suppressed the healthy benefits of extra virgin coconut oil that has been consumed safely for thousands of years. Extra virgin olive oil is a good oil when kept cool and dark and not used for cooking.
While the biased information on fats and oils may have confused you in the past it is time to tap into your common sense and open a fresh coconut to taste for yourself the bounty of delicious and nutritious food that is one of the best foods on the planet. After decades of false warnings about its alleged artery clogging properties recent studies suggest that coconuts and coconut oil could have many health benefits and be heart friendly.
Coconuts Are a Super Food
Many are surprised to now learn that the natural saturated fat in coconut oil is actually good for you and provide a variety of profound health benefits such as boosting your thyroid, helping your skin improving heart health and supporting your immune system.
Dr. Mercola says “Nearly 50 percent of the fat in coconut oil is of a type rarely found in nature called lauric acid, a ‘miracle’ compound that your body converts into monolaurin, which has anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties”.
A recent study by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research (GIMR) in Sydney Australia found that a diet rich in coconut oil reduces the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by protecting against “insulin resistance” and avoiding the buildup of body fat.
Because the brain is approximately 60% saturated fat and coconut oil is a saturated fat there are several indications that eating coconut oil may benefit those with dementia, Parkinson’s, ALS, schizophrenia, and epilepsy which are all disorders of the brain.
Coconut oil has also been found to have analgesic, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing properties as well as an exceptional healing agent and natural fat-burning catalyst. Internally and topically coconut oil can work wonders for beauty, health and vitality.
The truth is finally coming to light again and the reawakened awareness of the numerous benefits of coconut has become a major health craze with far reaching implications. The coconut water craze has sales of over $US 265 million in 2011 and is expected to double in 2012. When drinking the coconut water from a green coconut be sure to eat the thin flesh part as well. Many people drink the water and then throw the nut away before eating the additional delicious and nutritious young coconut flesh.
Green coconuts provide the coconut water that is quite a health craze.
When you decide to eat healthy saturated fats and oils and organic whole foods on a regular basis you will easily and quickly experience improving your emotional, mental and physical well being. It is never too late to improve your eating habits and see great results quickly.
As you have read many times in the Great NEWS posts “You are what you eat” therefore it is essential to be eating nutritious fats and oils with anti-aging properties for energy, immune function and stamina. Avoid all GE and GMO “Frankenseed oils” such as canola, corn, cottonseed and soy in order to prevent exposure to experimental biotechnology which uses genetic engineering that is dangerous to your health. These oils are better suited for use as paints and plastics than a food.
This Great NEWS post was dedicated to educating you on the coconut craze and why it is a healthy food even though it is a saturated fat. While many people have been confused in the past due to misleading advertising and self serving commercial agriculture interests against saturated fats you now know that coconuts are super healthy. Coconut and coconut oil will enhance your endurance, energy, fitness, immunity, health and vitality. The coconut craze is based on the rediscovery of a super food and anti-aging food if consumed as minimally heated, processed and prepared as practical. Enjoy
What is your current Gap?
What unhealthy fats and oils are you still eating you know you should trash? Write them down again and decide to eliminate the bad fats and oils and enjoy the healthy fats and oils like coconut oil instead. Remember healthy fats and oils heal and unhealthy fats and oils kill.
Mastery Action Plan (MAP)
Review the post on Saturated Fats again for a refresher about choosing saturated fats over any unsaturated fat Farnkenseed oils. See the top ten reasons I like coconut oil at: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=507639749246885&set=a.499690170041843.122189.367030509974477&type=1&relevant_count=1 . Or read The Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife for more great reasons to make coconuts a part of your great nutrition program.
Call to Action
What comments, commitments or questions do you have regarding coconuts or coconut oil as a super food?
Next week the Great NEWS blog will share: The Paleo Craze
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