Coconut Oil Diet Secrets - Chapter 2 - The Heart Healthy Oil Myth

One of the biggest reasons for this rise in obesity and illness is because we have cut saturated fat out of our diets, and replaced it with oils that are supposed to be healthier, but are actually much worse.

For a basic explanation of fats and oils, we need to understand that there are four kinds of fats: trans-fat, polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat and saturated fat. When a vegetable oil is turned into a solid by hydrogenation, or partial hydrogenation, it goes through a chemical process that turns the polyunsaturated oil into a solid fat. These hydrogenated fats are also called trans-fats, because of the trans-fatty acid chains they now are composed of. This chemical process changes the oil into an artificial fat, which is foreign substance the body cannot process or cope with.

As a hydrogenated fat gets cooked, it gets worse. It becomes oxidized or rancid in high heat, which turns it into a poison in the body. Since the body can’t deal with it, it stores it as fat. These “false fats” are actually much worse for us to consume than any other fat

When you eat these fats you end up with toxic fat stored in your body, which becomes incredibly hard to get rid of and causes all kinds of damage in your body. Trans fats (hydrogenated fats) have been implicated as a major cause of both heart disease and cancer.

Try to avoid any fats that have been hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. Unfortunately, these fats are in a huge amount of the prepared foods in your grocery store, from cereal to crackers to bread. Watch the food labels. They will soon have to show the amount of trans-fat in that food item.

And then there are all the polyunsaturated “heart healthy” vegetable oils that we are told to use and find in abundantly in our grocery stores, like corn, safflower, soy, and vegetable. These oils are almost as bad as trans-fat for us! They contain long chain fatty acids (LTC’s) or triglicerides, which are stored as fat in the body. These oils are highly processed with toxic chemicals and high temperatures that destroy all the nutritional value of the original seeds or beans.

Polyunsaturated oils tend to oxidize or become rancid easily when exposed to heat, oxygen and moisture (like in cooking.) Besides that, the high temperatures used to process the oil, turns the oil rancid before you even use it. Because the oil is so highly processed, you can’t taste or smell it, but it will react in your body.

Rancid oils are a major source of free radicals in our diet, which lead to cancer, premature aging, arthritis, and Parkinson’s disease. These polyunsaturated oils also have a history of causing obesity and related diseases, like heart disease and diabetes. Studies have shown that it is these unsaturated fats that make up most of the blockages in the arteries, not saturated fat.

Another problem with polyunsaturated oils is that they are high in Omega 6 fatty acid, linoleic acid, and very low in Omega 3, linolenic acid. Researchers have suggested that part of the problem with the American diet is that it is deficient in Omega 3 fatty acids.

Monounsaturated oils are better for us, and have higher levels of Omega 3 fatty acids. These include such organic old pressed oils as olive oil, avocado and many of the organic cold pressed nut and seed oils like almond, pecan and peanut. Flax, walnut and fish oils, such as cod liver oil, are especially good for their Omega 3 content.

The problem with monounsaturated oils is that they also oxidize at high temperatures used for cooking, so while these oils are good raw or at low temperatures, they should not be used for cooking.

Unlike what we may have been taught in school, most ancient and traditional diets across the globe were high in saturated fats. Based on intense study by Dr. Weston A. Price in the 1930’s, the traditional diets of the healthiest primitive people included both complex carbohydrates and high saturated fat. Even the most primitive of people understood the importance of saturated fat. When hunting, they would often look for the fattest animals to kill and eat. They also gave pregnant and nursing women the fattest parts of the meat.

The best saturated fat to use for cooking is coconut oil, which can be used at high cooking temperatures and is extremely stable. It can go for over a year without becoming rancid. It does not contribute to heart disease, as the polyunsaturated oils do. It also has many other health benefits.

The saturated fat in coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids (MTC’s), which are burned quickly in the body for energy, instead of stored as fat on the body. Because they are absorbed quickly for energy, they are less likely than olive oil and other monounsaturated oils to be stored as fat on the body.

Footnotes

“About Trans Fat" The Campaign to Ban Partially Hydrogenated Oils
http://www.bantransfats.com/abouttransfat.html

"The Truth about Saturated Fat" by Mary Enig, PhD and Sally Fallon
http://www.mercola.com/2002/aug/17/saturated_fat1.htm

"Taking the Fear Out of Eating Fat" by Lori Lipinski
http://westonaprice.org/transition/fatfear.html

“Ancient DietaryWisdom for Tommorrow’s Children,” The Weston A. Price Foundation http://www.westonaprice.org/traditional_diets/ancient_dietary_wisdom.html

Continue to Chapter 3

This is an excerpt from the free e-book Coconut Oil Diet Secrets by Dianne Ronnow, found at http://Coconut-Oil-Diet.com. Copyright © 2005-6 by Dianne Ronnow. All rights reserved.

This publication contains the opinions and ideas of the author. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subject matter. It is published with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering professional services. For specific medical advice or diagnosis, please consult a competent professional healthcare provider.

The author and publisher specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book or website.

For more coconut oil diet and health related information, check out the free articles at our Coconut Oil Blog.

Or visit our sister site at Enzyme-Health.com, where you can get a free copy of The Enzyme Health Diet Plan ebook. This diet plan goes great with Coconut Oil Diet Secrets, for a total healthy weight loss program.

Coming soon-- our Coconut Oil Diet Recipe Cookbook! Watch for it at coconut-recipes.com. Meanwhile, you can get a sneak preview of our coconut diet recipes at the Coconut Recipes blog.

If you like coconut shrimp, check out The Best Coconut Shrimp Cookbook Ever!

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Not intended to diagnose, prescribe for, treat or claim to prevent, mitigate or cure any human disease. The third party information referred to herein is neither adopted nor endorsed by this web site but is provided for general informational purposes.

Mohave Publishing does not sell coconut oil or coconut products, or represent any coconut oil company.

Mohave Publishing is the copyright owner of Coconut Oil Diet Secrets. This site is protected by international copyright law. You may not otherwise resell, reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by Mohave Publishing. Copyright 2004-6. All Rights Reserved. http://coconut-oil-diet.com