Fat remains the controversial topic du jour so I thought I’d jump right in to talk about coconut oil and other healthy fats.
The health and medical community continue to debate the topic of fats and how they impact cholesterol and Cardiovascular Disease. I’ve done a lot of research on the topic and also a lot of self-experimentation. I was a 90’s girl deathly afraid of fat. I lived on low-fat everything and mainly ate carbs (processed) because that’s what I was told was “healthy”.
Where did that lead me? Most likely to my autoimmune condition and a leaky gut.
Currently, my diet is about 50% fat, well over the “my plate” recommendation. Spoiler alert, my health is better now than when I was 23. Of course, when I’m talking fat in my diet I’m not talking processed fats, dairy, and animal fat. My main fat sources of fats are avocado, nuts and seeds, healthy oils (MCT, coconut oil, avocado oil, and EVOO), ghee, and fatty wild fish.
choosemyplate.gov
So now for the current debate. In June of this year, the American Heart Association released a report stating that Coconut Oil is bad and we should stop using it. Read it here. Cue panic! This is because coconut oil has a high saturated fat content, 82%. This threw many into a tailspin as coconut oil has been a health craze over the last few years. We are putting it in and on everything, from baking and frying to moisturizing and oil pulling. So should we stop?
For me, it’s a simple no. I will continue to add MCT or coconut oil to my Afternoon Matcha Latte and use it for baking and frying. I will also continue to use it as my moisturizer and to remove the bacteria from my mouth (oil pulling).
Why? I’ve been having a daily latte w/ coconut or MCT oil for about 2 years and guess what? My cholesterol looks better than ever. I’ve done the experiment. I tested what my cholesterol looked like before and after. While the total cholesterol number is relatively the same (for some their total cholesterol may spike with added saturated fat, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing) , my particle size and ratio have improved and this is critical. I also have learned that you need to investigate health claims, even from the AHA. Follow the money trail, who gives money to the organization and who funded the study and make your own informed decision.
Cholesterol is confusing so let me break it down a bit.
Should you worry if your doctor says your cholesterol is high? Not necessarily. The two most important aspects of cholesterol include the ration of total cholesterol to HDL (the good guys) and the size and shape of the cholesterol particles. There are numerous studies that show that even though coconut oil is high in saturated fat, there is no increase in heart attack risk in cultures where coconut is an abnormally large proportion of their diet. So while overall cholesterol numbers might rise, what happens is that the good cholesterol (HDL) goes up, triglycerides typically go down and the small dense LDL particles which are the bad guys go down. Coconut oil raises the large fluffy cholesterol particles, but these are the good guys! So the type of cholesterol is really more important than the number.
It is important to get the right test from your doctor. Insist on knowing the size and type of your cholesterol and do your research. Doctors prescribe statin drugs like they’re candy. While I’m not saying don’t take them, be informed. Dig into why your numbers aren’t good and what you can do to change them.
Absolutely critical to all of the above is that you are not eating a diet high in processed foods, simple carbs and added sugars while consuming coconut oil or healthy saturated fats. Foods high in sugars and carbs trigger the liver to make more fat in the blood. So don’t eat donuts for breakfast then add coconut oil to your afternoon latte thinking you are balancing out your diet.
Getting back to coconut oil. It matters what type you are buying and the container. Look for organic unrefined coconut oil preferably in a glass container. Fat tends to absorb the toxins from plastic. Another great thing about coconut oil is that it doesn’t go rancid at high heat so it’s great for high-temperature cooking, unlike many other oils.
A quick side note on other fats. After years of demonizing all things fat-related and the food industry pushing the partially hydrogenated Canola oil type fats as a “healthy” replacement for butter, all research has pointed to how wrong we all were. Contrary to popular myth, saturated fats do NOT cause heart disease, but the Canola type oils may contribute to it due to their chemical instability and hydrogenated nature.
There are three types of fatty acids: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. All the fats and oils we consume are typically made up of various proportions of these 3 types. We require fats in our diet; a normal healthy diet should consist of about 20-30% healthy fat. Fats make up our cell membranes, they serve as a secondary source of energy, help us absorb fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), keep us warm, protect our organs, are a precursor to many hormones and keep our skin and hair healthy!
Again, I’m not talking the fat from a hamburger and French fry meal here, of course. Our best fat sources are avocado, olive oil, eggs, nuts, fatty fish, and coconut oil or ghee in moderation.
Cheers to your health! XDeeDee
