At Island Lotions, we only sell products we use ourselves and believe enhance our health and well being. With that in mind, we have recently added coconut oil products. I am particularly excited about our new coconut line, because I believe they are so good for the body, both inside and out.
One great way to add coconut oil to your life is to use it in your cooking. I think you will come to see, as we did, how much coconut oil can help improve your body and compliment a healthy lifestyle. First though, we have to debunk some old theories that were pushed upon us by well-meaning individuals. This has to do with the high saturated fat content of coconut products and how it affects our bodies.
Until very recently tropical oils, including coconut oil, were given a very bad rap. We were told, because of their high saturated fat content, they were bad for us. So I shunned these oils, instead using polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Thankfully these statements have recently been shown to be far from the truth, and I can once again enjoy using healthy, natural tropical oils, like coconut oil.
When I first read the startling news that tropical oils were good for our bodies, I was cautiously optimistic. I promptly did a lot of research on the subject, reading many different articles, studies, and viewpoints, so I could get a well-rounded education on this. If I was going to start using coconut oil, I wanted to be sure I was doing the right thing. I have a responsibility, not only to myself and my family, but to everyone that would be eating our food.
We have been trying to eat a low-fat diet at our house, and I still recommend that, but now I find that the polyunsaturated oils we were using may actually cause the very problems we are trying to avoid. Eating the right kind of fat in moderation should improve and enhance our health, not tear it down and destroy it.
Most everyone knows trans-fats are unhealthy and to be avoided. To avoid eating trans fats, many of us have been using polyunsaturated oils. But now there are many new studies showing that these oils, when heated, degrade to toxic compounds and trans fats. Oils processed in large factories are obtained by crushing the oil-bearing nuts and seeds and heating them to 230 degrees. The oil is then squeezed out at pressures from 10 to 20 tons per inch, thereby generating more heat. To extract the last 10% or so of the oil from crushed seeds and nuts, processors treat the pulp with one of a number of solvents. The solvent is then boiled off, although some may remain in the oil. Such toxic solvents also retain the toxic pesticides adhering to seeds and grains before processing begins.
High-temperature processing causes the weak carbon bonds of unsaturated fatty acids to break apart, thereby creating dangerous free radicals. In addition, antioxidants, such as fat-soluble vitamin E, which protect the body from the ravages of free radicals, are neutralized or destroyed by high temperatures.
There is a safe technique that extracts the oils under low temperatures. These expeller-expressed, unrefined oils will remain fresh and keep its precious store of antioxidants for many years. Coconut oil is one of the few oils that are processed in this fashion. Also coconuts are not exposed to toxic pesticides in their growing process.
Trans fats are the main artery-clogging, highly damaged omega-6 polyunsaturated fats that are formed when vegetable oils are hardened into margarine or shortening. Trans fats are found in most processed and fried foods, such as French fries, fried chicken, chips, doughnuts, cookies, pastries, and crackers.
Trans fats, as opposed to saturated fats, have been linked repeatedly to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and many other health issues. Trans fats increase LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, and decrease HDL, or “good” cholesterol (yes, cholesterol can be considered good, depending on certain factors).
Prolonged consumption of trans fat-laden oxidized oils can lead to atherosclerosis, inflammatory joint disease, various cancers, damage to the liver and lungs, and immune system dysfunction. I have read, in many studies, that these oils should never be consumed after they have been heated, as in cooking, frying, or baking. The reason for this is these oils become oxidized or rancid when subjected to heat, oxygen, and moisture as in cooking and processing. They have been characterized as “marauders” because they attack cell membranes and cause damage to DNA strands, triggering mutations in tissue, blood vessels, and skin. Many of you will recognize the term “free radicals”, and that is what you have when you ingest these oils when they are used for cooking and baking or in processed foods. Free radical damage to the skin causes wrinkles and premature aging, and free radical damage to the tissues and organs sets the stage for tumors. Free radical damage in the blood vessels initiates buildup of plaque. These studies show repeatedly that there is a high correlation between cancer and heart disease with the consumption of polyunsaturates. The newest evidence links exposure to free radicals with autoimmune disease such as arthritis and Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Alzheimer’s and cataracts.
The problems with polyunsaturates are made even worse by the fact that most polyunsaturates in commercial vegetable oil are in the form of omega-6 linoleic acid, with very little of vital omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (like that in fish oil). Recent research has shown that too much omega-6 in the diet creates an imbalance that can interfere with production of important prostaglandins. This disruption can result in increased tendency to form blood clots, help cause inflammation and high blood pressure, as well as some cancers and induce weight gain.
Modern practices in growing and producing these oils have reduced the amount of omega-3 fatty acids in commercially available vegetables, eggs, fish, and meat. A good example of this: Organic eggs from hens allowed to feed on insects and green plants can contain omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in the beneficial ratio of about one-to-one, but commercial grocery store eggs can contain as much as nineteen times more omega-6 than omega-3.
Now we turn to the much-maligned saturated fats, which are the ones most of us have been avoiding. You will quickly see these oils are not the major cause of our modern diseases. In fact, they play an extremely important part in the body chemistry.
•Saturated fatty acids make up at least 50% of the cell membranes, so they are required by our cells for their integrity.
•They enhance the immune system.
•For calcium to be effectively incorporated into our skeletal structure, at least 50% of the dietary fats should be saturated.
•Saturated stearic acid and palmitic acid are the preferred foods for the heart. The fat around the heart muscle is highly saturated. The heart calls on this reserve of fat in times of stress.
•Saturated fats have important antimicrobial properties, so they protect us against harmful microorganisms in the digestive tract.
•Our bodies need them for the proper utilization of essential fatty acids.
•Saturated fats help keep us full longer, keeping hunger at bay.
•They are the preferred fuel for your heart during energy expenditure and workouts.
•Saturated fats act as carriers for vitamins A, D, E, and K.
•They are necessary for mineral absorption and a host of other biological processes.
Saturated fats are more stable at high temperatures and so are resistant to oxidation in cooking. So these oils are better choices to use in cooking and baking.
Here are some more things to watch out for when purchasing commercial food products. Some foods traditionally high in saturated fat, like ice cream, cheese and butter, are now available made from polyunsaturated vegetable oils. I used to believe choosing the polyunsaturated options were better for me, but now I choose to enjoy a small quantity of the saturated fat, and I might add tastier versions.
Many food processed foods that have reduced amounts of saturated fats “for our good” have much more sugar and salt to compensate for the lack of flavor in those foods.
Again, I think it is better to have a little saturated fat, which our bodies need in appropriate portions, rather than eat a load of sugar, which is truly bad for our bodies, and salt, which causes high blood pressure in many individuals.
Most dairy and beef cattle are being fed polyunsaturated fat-containing foods, like corn, that are protected from digestive breakdown so the dairy and beef products from these cattle are more polyunsaturated. Some egg products have had the yolk, rich in cholesterol, removed and replaced with a polyunsaturated oil substitute. Chickens are also mostly fed corn now, thereby reducing the amount of healthy saturated fat in the egg yolk. This makes these products much less healthy, but a lot cheaper to produce. It is hard to find healthy meat, poultry, milk, and eggs, and it is all more expensive.
Our bodies need a certain amount of fat to function, like a well-oiled machine (sorry about the pun). The AHA now says about 30% of our calorie intake should be fat (about 600 calories, or 60 – 65 grams of fat, for a person eating 2000 calories a day), but we need to be careful about what kind of fat we chose for those calories.
There is much more information and many studies available about this subject, as well as books that have been written about this, if you want to look at this subject more in depth. It is also interesting to research the diets and superb health of cultures in tropical climates that used tropical oils and fish oils for all their needs until they adopted a more western diet, when their health took a definite turn for the worse. Also look at the very wholesome and much touted Mediterranean diet, which promotes eating whole, unprocessed, natural food.
Please remember that I am not an expert, just a lay person trying to be as healthy as possible. Everyone’s body is different, so each of us needs to do their own research and make decisions about what is right for them.
Please also note if you have an allergy to nuts, you may be allergic to coconuts, so these products would not be wise for you to eat.
In future blogs I will present some of the benefits of using coconut oil on the outside of the body. I also plan to share some coconut oil recipes with you in the near future.
Thanks,
Janis
www.islandlotions.com
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