WORLD WAR II IS OVER
You can eat Coconut Oil once more
"Pure
Virgin Coconut Oil: The Healthy Fat That Ignites Weight
Loss, Banishes Infection, And Heads Off Heart Disease" Among
Other Things
This article is quoted in part from
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2006/05/339135.shtml
Does the above sound
impossible?
Well, I assure you it's not ... you'll
see quite a lot of articles that detail
the near-miraculous benefits of coconut
oil, supported by numerous research
studies...
Because [coconut oil] is so
beneficial for you, I have been
dedicated to staying on top of current
coconut oil research to make sure I keep
recommending and offering the absolute
best coconut oil available.
That's why I'm excited ...
[about]...Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
But first, to understand how a fat can
help you enjoy a life free of illness
and weight problems, you first need to
take a little trip with me.
So let's drift back in time to World War
II ...
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The War is Over we can have our Coconut Oil again!
The Japanese military occupied the Philippines
and other South Pacific islands, where bloody
battles were being fought.
The supply of coconut oil was effectively cut off
from the United States.
Although coconut oil had been popular both as a
cooking oil and ingredient in numerous food
products, the occupation continued to interrupt the
supply for several long years as the war slowly
dragged on.
Enter good old American ingenuity (in this case, not
so good for your health).
Manufacturers began to develop alternative sources
of cooking oils, and the polyunsaturated oils phase
was born. By the time the war was over, there was a
lot of money at stake in the promotion of these
polyunsaturated vegetable oils.
By the end of the 1950's, public opinion had turned
totally against saturated fats like butter (and
coconut oil). Saturated fats were blamed for raising
cholesterol, and cholesterol was now viewed as the
evil enemy, the culprit responsible for the steep
rise in heart disease.
Butter, eggs and coconut oil were out.
The new vegetable oils were in ... and erroneously
viewed as "heart-healthy".
Coconut oil continued to be demonized by the
vegetable oil industry throughout the ensuing
decades. Adding insult to injury, the soybean
industry began to condemn the use of tropical oils,
particularly coconut oil.
And I'm sure you realize the reason why --
competition ... and millions and millions of
dollars.
Unfortunately, the tropical oil industry, centered
in poorer nations like the Philippines and
Indonesia, could not afford to counter the negative
propaganda spread by rich American industrial
conglomerates.
Science and good health took a back seat to profits,
as they have on more than one occasion ...
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The Hidden Truth About Coconut Oil
The truth about coconut oil is obvious to anyone who
has studied the health of those who live in
traditional tropical cultures, where coconut has
been a nutritious diet staple for thousands of
years.
Heart disease and obesity are rare in tropical
populations who follow traditional diets high in
coconut oil and coconut products.
Back in the 1930's, Dr. Weston Price, a dentist,
traveled throughout the South Pacific, examining
traditional diets and their effect on dental and
overall health. He found that those eating diets
high in coconut products were healthy and trim,
despite the high fat concentration in their diet.
Similarly, in 1981, researchers studied populations
of two Polynesian atolls. Coconut was the chief
source of caloric energy in both groups. The
results, published in the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, demonstrated that vascular
disease was uncommon in both populations. There was
no evidence that the high saturated fat intake had a
harmful effect in these populations.
Sadly, it was not until our Western diet began to
intrude on these coconut-eating cultures that
residents began to experience significant problems
with heart disease, diabetes, obesity and tooth
decay -- the same problems that are so widespread
today...
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Why Coconut Oil Deserves Your Respect
(and Your Body Deserves Coconut Oil)
So, now that you have heard the history behind
coconut oil's unfortunate "fall from grace", you
should also know today's good news: coconut oil is
finally beginning to get the respect it deserves.
The numerous health benefits of coconut oil are
finally again reaching the mainstream.
Benefits like:
Reducing your risk of heart disease ...
Promoting weight loss when and if you need it ...
Supporting your immune system health ...
Reducing your risk of cancer and degenerative
diseases ...
Supporting a healthy metabolism ...
Providing an immediate energy source for you ...
Helping to keep your skin healthy and prevent
age-related damage ...
Supporting the proper functioning of your thyroid
gland ...
Preventing infections due to harmful bacteria,
viruses, yeasts and other micro-organisms ...
With all of these fantastic perks from pure coconut
oil, it probably won't surprise you to ...
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Peek Inside My Pantry To See The
Only Oil I Cook With ...
I must confess ...
"Coconut oil is transforming my health! Not only am
I losing weight, but my skin (more ashen and acne
prone), hair (damaged with spit ends), and nails
(soft and brittle) are healthier. And it didn't take
that long. I just put the coconut oil in fruit
smoothies in the morning. Imagine what health
improvements my body would have if I (and I will)
increase my coconut oil intake to cooking with it!
"Also, my biggest health success with coconut oil
has been that my immune system dramatically
improving: way less fatigued, sleeping less,
hormones evening out, and able to ward off
flu's/viruses/colds much better. And, given my
body's health in life so far, that speaks volumes!
Thank you, Dr.
Mercola! Bravo!"
-- J Newman from Monterey, CA
If you could peek inside my pantry, you would find
two oils that I use in food preparation.
The first, extra-virgin olive oil, is a healthy
monounsaturated fat. It works great as a salad
dressing.
However, it is not the healthiest oil to cook with.
Due to its chemical structure, cooking makes it
susceptible to oxidative damage and increases the
risk of disorders such heart disease, among others.
And polyunsaturated fats, which include common
vegetable oils such as corn, soy, safflower,
sunflower and canola, are absolutely the worst oils
to use in cooking. Omega-6 oils are especially prone
to this because of all the double bonds they have
which are highly susceptible to heat damage.
Why?
Reason #1: Most people believe that frying creates
trans fats. That is not the major problem; although
some are created, they are relatively minor. There
are FAR more toxic chemicals produced by frying
omega-6 oils than trans fats.
Frying destroys the antioxidants in oils and as such
oxidizes the oils and causes cross-linking,
cyclization, double-bond shifts, fragmentation and
polymerization of oils that cause far more damage
than trans fats.
Reason #2: They contribute to the overabundance of
omega-6 fats in your diet, and the imbalance of the
omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. As you know from my
extensive writing on this subject, excessive omega-6
fats contribute to many chronic diseases and are
essentially a prescription for poor health.
There is only one oil that is stable enough to
resist heat-induced damage, while it also helps you
prevent heart disease, lower cholesterol and even
lose weight -- coconut oil.
So, whenever you need an oil to cook with, use
coconut oil instead of butter, olive oil, vegetable
oil or any other type of oil called for in recipes.
Curiously, coconut oil contains the most saturated
fat of all edible oils. We continue to be inundated
by media portrayals of saturated fats as dangerous,
but now you know better ...
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Surprise! Coconut Oil Is
Good For Your Heart ...
FACT: Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the
U.S. And heart disease is often a silent killer. The
first sign of cardiovascular disease is commonly a
heart attack, and sadly, over one third of heart
attacks are fatal.
And despite the propaganda, the truth is this: it is
unsaturated fats that are primarily involved in
heart disease, not the saturated fats, as you have
been led to believe.
The U.S. Department of Health and the FDA estimate
that artificially hydrogenated trans-fats -- the
type found in fast food, processed foods and your
favorite pastries -- are ultimately responsible for
a huge number of fatal heart attacks every year.
These dangerous unsaturated fats are the ones you
should ban from your diet, not naturally pure and
healthy coconut oil, which contains very few fats
with highly perishable double bonds and also has NO
TRANS-FATS.
As you saw earlier, countries that subsist on a
coconut-based diet rarely have heart disease.
Additionally, many medical studies indicate that
heart disease patients who are fed coconut oil get
better.
Although polyunsaturated fats encourage the
formation of blood clots by increasing platelet
stickiness, coconut oil decreases the tendency for
platelets to stick together and form clots.
According to Mary Enig, Ph.D., the nation's leading
expert on fats and oils:
"Coconut oil has a unique role in the diet as an
important physiologically functional food. The
health and nutritional benefits that can be derived
from consuming coconut oil have been recognized in
many parts of the world for centuries.
A review of the diet/heart disease literature
relevant to coconut oil clearly indicates that
coconut oil is at worst neutral with respect to
atherogenicity of fats and oils, and in fact is
likely to be a beneficial oil for prevention and
treatment of some heart disease.
Additionally, coconut oil provides a source of
antimicrobial lipids for individuals with
compromised immune systems, and is a non-promoting
fat with respect to chemical carcinogenesis."
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A Fat Is A Fat ... Or Is It?
All fats are not equal.
And just so we're clear, the terms "fats" and "oils"
are often used interchangeably, but fat is more
correctly considered solid at room temperature,
while oils are liquid ... but what's most important
is the structure.
The unique health benefits of coconut oil are
directly related to its chemical structure, or more
precisely, the length of its fatty acid chains.
Coconut oil is comprised of medium-chain fatty acids
(MCFAs), also called medium-chain triglycerides or
MCTs.
Coconut oil is nature's richest source of these
healthy MCFAs.
By contrast, most common vegetable or seed oils are
comprised of long chain fatty acids (LCFAs), also
known as long-chain triglycerides or LCTs.
There are several reasons to explain why long-chain
fatty acids are not as healthy for you as the MCFAs
in coconut oil:
LCFAs are difficult for the body to break down --
they must be packaged with lipoproteins or carrier
proteins and require special enzymes for digestion.
LCFAs put more strain on the pancreas, the liver and
the entire digestive system.
LCFAs are predominantly stored in the body as fat.
(That's why most people buy into the myth that fats
are automatically "fattening".)
LCFAs can be deposited within arteries in lipid
forms such as cholesterol.
On the other hand, however, the MCFAs in coconut oil
are healthier, because:
MCFAs are smaller. They permeate cell membranes
easily, and do not require lipoproteins or special
enzymes to be utilized effectively by your body.
MCFAs are easily digested, thus putting less strain
on your digestive system. This is especially
important for those of you with digestive or
metabolic problems.
MCFAs are sent directly to your liver, where they
are immediately converted into energy rather than
being stored as fat.
MCFAs in coconut oil can actually stimulate your
body's metabolism, leading to weight loss.
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Coconut Oil Is The Dieter's Best Friend
If you live in the United States, you have a 55%
chance of being overweight.
And, by now, I'm sure you're aware that obesity
increases your risk of developing diabetes, heart
disease and other degenerative diseases --
effectively reducing your lifespan ... and your
quality of life.
One of the best benefits of coconut oil lies in its
ability to stimulate your metabolism.
Back in the 1940's, farmers found out about this
effect by accident when they tried using inexpensive
coconut oil to fatten their livestock.
It didn't work!
Natural compounds in ...Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
stimulate your metabolism, optimize your weight,
decrease cravings, and support a healthy thyroid
gland.
Instead, coconut oil made the animals lean, active
and hungry.
Now, I'm certainly not comparing you to a farm
animal ...
However, many animal and human research studies have
demonstrated that replacing LCFAs with MCFAs results
in both decreased body weight and reduced fat
deposition.
So, by changing the fats in your diet from the
unsaturated long-chain fatty acids found in
vegetable or seed oils to the MCFAs in coconut oil,
you may find yourself gradually losing those
unnecessary pounds with little or no effort.
The reasons are simple:
1. The long chain fats nearly always go to fat
storage, while the MCFAs are burned for energy
2. Since your metabolism speeds up with coconut oil,
you will burn more calories each day, accelerating
weight loss (and probably your
activityWWWWIIisOver.htmgy level)
Coconut oil has often been compared to carbohydrates
in its ability to be "burned" for energy. However,
since insulin is not involved in the process of
digesting the MCFAs in coconut oil, you won't get
those carb-related spikes in your blood sugar level.
This is especially good news for those of you with
diabetes or other blood sugar issues.
In fact, the ability of MCFAs to be easily digested,
st imulate the metabolism and turned into energy has
entered the sports arena. Several studies have now
shown that MCFAs enhance physical or athletic
performance.
Additionally, research has demonstrated that, due to
its metabolic effect, coconut oil increases the
activity of the thyroid. And you've probably heard
that a sluggish thyroid is one reason why some
people are unable to lose weight, no matter what
they do.
Besides weight loss, there are other advantages to
boosting your metabolic rate. The healing process
accelerates. Cell regeneration increases to replace
old, worn-out or damaged cells. And your immune
system functions better overall.
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Coconut Oil's Natural "Miracle" Ingredient: Lauric
Acid
Yes, it's true.
Nature still has a few miracles up her sleeve.
You've probably heard that breast milk is jam-packed
with nutrients and disease-fighting ingredients that
help keep babies healthy.
Well, incredibly, coconut oil contains the same
compound -- Lauric acid -- as mother's milk! And
Lauric acid is the predominant type of MCFA found in
coconut oil.
Fortunately for our health, Lauric acid in both
breast milk and coconut oil transforms when consumed
into a substance called monolaurin, the actual
compound responsible for fighting numerous types of
infections.
Skeptical? So were a lot of scientists, who've
proceeded to test the heck out of this substance.
In fact, a great volume of research has been done
establishing the ability of Lauric acid to fight
dangerous micro-organisms -- things you don't want
to deal with -- like viruses, bacteria, yeasts,
fungi, parasites and moulds.
Outside of mother's milk, pure coconut oil is
nature's most plentiful source of infection-fighting
Lauric acid.
What researchers found was that this medium-chain
fatty acid derivative actually disrupts the lipid
(or fatty) membranes of the offending organisms.
Numerous studies have indicated that many viruses
are inactivated by medium-chain fats -- viruses like
influenza, measles, HIV, herpes and cytomegalovirus.
Bacteria like strep and staph, gonorrheae,
helicobacter pylori, salmonella and clostridium
botulinum.
And other "bad guys" like the yeast Candida, even
the ringworm fungus.
The results leave little room for doubt ... the
Lauric acid in coconut oil is one effortless way to
protect yourself from many types of "bugs".
...If all this wasn't enough, coconut oil has even
more tricks up its sleeve.
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Why You Must Be Choosy About Your Brand of Coconut
Oil
As you may know, there is a very wide variety
in coconut oil due to factors such as the
manufacturing process used to make the oil, the age
and type of coconuts, and other issues that impact
the quality, effectiveness and healthiness of your
coconut oil.
Meeting such high standards is
no small feat, but you should not settle for
anything less if you want to experience all the
health benefits of coconut oil without exposing
yourself to unnecessary health risks. (If you are
currently using or considering another brand, please
make sure it meets the requirements below.)
- No refining
- No chemicals added (including hexane)
- No bleaching
- No deodorization
- No hydrogenation
- Made from traditional coconut palms only, no
hybrid or genetically modified (GMO) varieties
- Made from fresh coconuts, not the dried "copra"
used in cheap oils
- Made without heat processing
...Most commercial coconut oils are made
from copra, the dried up meat from coconuts. Using
cheap copra-grade coconut means that the oil
extracted is not sanitary, and certainly not
suitable for human consumption.
It must not be refined or purified; in fact,
this type of interior coconut oil is called RBD --
refined, bleached and deodorized.
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Adding ...Extra Virgin
Coconut Oil to your pet's diet is one of the
healthiest things you can do to enhance your
pet's life.
Pet Info here
Mass-producing coconut oil in this unhealthy manner
typically uses nutrient-removing heat, chemical
solvents, bleaching agents and sometimes even
hydrogenating processes, which create dangerous
trans-fats.
...Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is
made without heat processing. The fresh coconuts are
first cold pressed to make a coconut emulsion. After
being chilled to help pull out the oils, the milk
goes through a centrifuge, where the pure oil spins
away from the water layer. This results in a pure
and natural, organic, unrefined and highly stable
coconut oil.
Additionally, blindfolded taste tests confirm this
coconut oil to have a fresh and mild, light coconut
flavour -- and to consistently beat out other brands
in taste. And of course, laboratory analysis
continues to confirm the high quality of this extra
virgin coconut oil.
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Another 5 Reasons To
Replace Those Other Oils With ..Extra Virgin
Coconut Oil ...
...The medium chain fats in coconut oil are so
nutritious that they have been used in baby
formulas, and in hospitals to feed the critically
ill, those on tube feeding, and those with digestive
problems.
Coconut oil is exceptionally helpful for pregnant
women, nursing moms, the elderly, those with
digestive problems or metabolic diseases like
diabetes, athletes (even weekend warriors), those
who are fighting infectious or chronic degenerative
diseases, those with thyroid disease, and those of
you who just want to prevent disease.
No
guilt. No cholesterol. No disease-causing
trans-fats. No downside ...
The light,
non-greasy taste of ... Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is
so delicious, you'll want to use it nearly every
time you cook. ... have recommended some wonderful
books, including "The
Coconut Diet" by nutritionist Cherie Calbom,
which contains many tasty recipes. Just to get you
started, here are a few things you can do with
coconut oil:
- Whenever you fry, stir-fry or sauté veggies,
eggs, poultry, fish or whatever, use coconut oil
for a healthy light flavor ...
- Toss some coconut oil into your smoothies or
juiced drinks for a burst of Lauric acid ...
- Make your own mayonnaise with coconut oil
...
- Use it on your salads for a tropical flair
...
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Coconut Oil Is Not Just
For Cooking & Eating -- Your Skin Likes It
Too! The benefits of ...Extra Virgin
Coconut Oil don't stop in your kitchen. Professional
massage therapists have used pure coconut oil to
knead away tight stressed muscles for many years.
"I have been using the virgin coconut oil for 3
years now in all of my cooking and it is just
wonderful!! I love how it cooks and the nice flavour
it adds to all food. Since using the coconut oil and
the health/life suggestions, I have felt better than
ever.
"I credit all the healthful tips and
my healthy lifestyle to having a great pregnancy and
birth experience during the past year. I have shared
the benefits of the coconut oil to my whole family,
friends, and co-workers. They are now all users of
the coconut oil!!"
-- Sharon Hughes from Seattle, WA
However, you don't have to be a professional massage
therapist to gain the skin and tissue support
benefits of coconut oil. Feel free to use this
high-quality coconut oil as you would any lotion.
Coconut oil is ideal for skin care. It prevents the
formation of destructive free radicals, and can
prevent your skin from developing skin blemishes
caused by aging and overexposure to sunlight.
In fact, physiologist and biochemist Ray Peat,
Ph.D., considers coconut oil to be an antioxidant,
due to its stability and resistance to oxidation and
free radical formation, and also because it reduces
our need for the antioxidant protection of vitamin
E.
Like Dr. Peat, many experts believe
coconut oil may restore damaged or diseased skin.
When coconut oil is absorbed into the skin and
connective tissues, it limits the damage excessive
sun exposure can cause and helps to prevent sagging
and wrinkling by keeping connective tissues strong
and supple.
Coconut oil will not only bring temporary relief to
the skin, but it will aid in healing and repairing.
The coconut oil will aid in removing the outer layer
of dead skin cells, making the skin smoother. It
also penetrates into the deeper layers of the skin
to strengthen the underlying tissues.
Experience the Incredible Health & Weight Loss
Benefits of the Premier Coconut Oil
Virgin
Coconut Oil
top
After unjustly getting lumped in the "no-fat" craze
of past decades,
coconut oil is now starting to get the respect it
deserves as not only the healthiest oil you can
consume, even superior to olive oil which contains
trans-fat, but as one of the most nutritious of all
foods.
Coconut oil's benefits have been covered
extensively on
Mercola.com,
but now it's benefits are finally reaching the
mainstream. For example, the May 20, 2003 edition of
Women's World, a very popular and wide-reaching
magazine, called coconut oil a "miracle food" and
particularly touted its ability help the body burn
unwanted fat, triple your energy, and greatly help
those with thyroid problems. ms. ms.
You should be absolutely certain, however, of the
quality and effectiveness of whatever coconut oil
brand you choose. There is a very wide variance in
terms of the types of coconuts, the manufacturing
processes used to make the oil, and more, which will
have a major impact on the healthiness and
effectiveness your coconut oil.
...Meeting such high standards is no small feat, but
you should not settle for anything less if you want
to experience all of the health benefits of coconut
oil without exposing yourself to unnecessary health
risks. (If you are considering another brand, I urge
you to make sure it meets the requirements below.)
Requirements for Healthy and Safe Coconut Oil
Requirements
Certified organic, USDA standards
No
refining
No chemicals added
No
bleaching
No deodorization
No
hydrogenation
Non-GMO
Coconuts from
traditional palms only -- no hybrid varieties
From fresh coconuts, not the dried "copra" used in
most coconut oils
Low-level heated only --
does not damage nutrients
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Saturated Fat Can
Be Good For You
During the "no-fat" craze of the past decades, all
saturated fats were marked as bad, as something to
be avoided. Knowledge was already in place to the
contrary, but as often happens, perceptions --
pushed by industries like the corn oil companies who
profited immensely from doing so -- overshadowed
science. And coconut oil, far more nutritious and
beneficial than corn, peanut, soy, safflower and the
other oils out there, nonetheless got tossed into
the "no saturated fat" overgeneralizations and
lunacy.
What you didn't hear is that some
saturated fats A) are necessary to human health; B)
are not the primary perpetrator of weight gain
(grains and sugars are, as you'll read in my Total
Health Program; and C) come in three classes, of
which the medium-chain can actually help you lose
weight and increase metabolism.
Coconut oil's saturated fat is of the medium-chain
fatty acid variety. These MCFAs are digested more
easily and utilized differently by the body than
other fats. In short, whereas other fats are stored
in the body's cells, the MCFAs in coconut oil are
sent directly to the liver where they are
immediately converted into energy. So when you eat
coconut oil, the body uses it immediately to make
energy rather than store it as body fat. Because
this quick and easy absorption puts less strain on
your pancreas, liver and digestive system, coconut
oil "heats up" the metabolic system and is
outstanding for those with thyroid problems.
Coconuts. The Lauric acid in coconut oil is used by
the body to make the same disease-fighting fatty
acid derivative monolaurin that babies make from the
Lauric acid they get from their mothers milk. Mary
Enig, an internationally respected expert on fats
and lipid biochemistry, and author of the "fat
information bible"
Know Your Fats, provides excellent detail on the
benefits of Lauric acid in her article, "A
New Look at Coconut Oil."
Finally, coconut oil contains no dangerous
trans-fats, which are found in vegetable oils
(including olive oil), margarine, shortening and
more. Trans-fats can raise LDLs or "bad" cholesterol
levels and lead to clogged arteries, heart disease,
type-II diabetes and more, and should be avoided.
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The Many Uses of
Coconut Oil -- Cooking & Eating, Skincare, Massage
and More To capture all of the benefits of
coconut oil while avoiding the risks, I strongly
advise you to consider the Tropical Traditions brand
I offer here or another brand that meets all of the
requirements defined in the chart above. Uses for
this virgin coconut oil with both a pleasant scent
and taste include:
In place of other oils,
margarine, butter, shortening, etc. for all cooking
needs, as it is a stable cooking oil
* As an ingredient when juicing or making smoothies
* It smells and tastes so pleasant and has such
excellent nutritional properties that some also
consume it straight, by the tablespoon, and use it
in place of other oils on their salads
* An
excellent massage oil
* As a skin lotion for
healthier, younger skin, as explained below
For skincare, using the... Virgin Coconut
Oil I am offering as you would any lotion is ideal.
It prevents destructive free-radical formation and
provides protection against them. It can help to
keep the skin from developing liver spots, and other
blemishes caused by aging and over exposure to
sunlight. It helps to prevent sagging and wrinkling
by keeping connective tissues strong and supple. In
some cases it might even restore damaged or diseased
skin. The oil is absorbed into the skin and into the
cell structure of the connective tissues, limiting
the damage excessive sun exposure can cause.
Coconut oil will not only bring temporary relief to
the skin, but it will aid in healing and repairing.
It will have lasting benefits, unlike most lotions.
It can help bring back a youthful appearance. The
coconut oil will aid in removing the outer layer of
dead skin cells, making the skin smoother. The skin
will become more evenly textured with a healthy
"shine". And the coconut oil will penetrate into the
deeper layers of the skin and strengthen the
underlying tissues.
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The Truth About Coconut Oil: Why it Got a Bad Rep
When it's Actually Good Coconut oil is truly
the healthiest oil you can consume. It is rich in
Lauric acid, which is known for being antiviral,
antibacterial and antifungal, and contains no trans
fat (even olive oil has some trans fat). You can
even use it on your skin to help prevent wrinkles.
Unfortunately, there is a widespread misconception
that coconut oil is bad for you because it contains
saturated fat. To really understand the benefits of
coconut oil, I suggest you read Dr. Mary Enig and
Sally Fallon's article "The Truth About Saturated
Fat" to first dispel any lingering notions you may
have that all saturated fats are dangerous.
Fats are categorized as either short-, medium-, or
long-chain depending on how many carbon molecules
they contain. Close to two-thirds of the saturated
fat in coconut oil is made up of medium-chain fatty
acids, which have antimicrobial properties, are
easily digested by the body for quick energy, and
are beneficial to the immune system. Far from being
dangerous, the saturated fat in coconut oil is
actually health promoting.
So how could an
oil that is so good for you have gotten such a bad
reputation? The answer comes down to simple
economics and politics. Based on some flawed studies
performed over four decades ago, some of which used
primarily hydrogenated coconut oils, a powerful
anti-saturated fat movement began [pushed by the
agro-industrial lobby]. Remember--hydrogenated oils
are oils with trans-fatty acids, which have been
altered from their original chemical composition and
have been shown to raise cholesterol levels and lead
to heart disease and other health problems. You
should not consume hydrogenated oils, whether it is
coconut or another vegetable oil.
Around this time the edible oil industry began
to denounce all saturated fats and heavily promote
polyunsaturated fats such as canola, soybean,
safflower, corn, and other seed and nut oils.
However, these oils easily become rancid when
exposed to oxygen and produce large amounts of
damaging free radicals in the body. What is not
commonly known is that these oils can actually cause
aging, clotting, inflammation, cancer and weight
gain.
Fortunately, coconut oil has begun to gain
some positive media exposure as researchers realize
its health-promoting qualities. However, coconut oil
can vary widely in terms of the types of coconuts
used, the manufacturing processes used to make the
oil, and more, and all of these factors play a major
role in the effectiveness of the oil.
Most
commercial coconut oils are RBD (refined, bleached,
and deodorized). RBD oils do contain the medium
chain fatty acids, however they also contain
chemicals used in processing...
This articles was quoted in part from
http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2006/05/339135.shtml
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~
|
Index
The War is (Long) Over! You Can Have
Your Coconut Oil Again!
The Hidden Truth About Coconut Oil
Why Coconut Oil Deserves Your
Respect
Peek Inside My Pantry To See The
Only Oil I Cook With ...
Surprise! Coconut Oil Is Good For
Your Heart
A Fat Is A Fat ... Or Is It?
Coconut Oil Is The Dieter's Best
Friend
Coconut Oil's Natural "Miracle"
Ingredient: Lauric Acid
Why You Must Be Choosy About Your
Brand of Coconut Oil
Adding ...Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
to your pet's diet is one of the
healthiest things you can do to
enhance your pet's life.
Another 5 Reasons To Replace Those
Other Oils With ..Extra Virgin
Coconut Oil ...
Coconut Oil Is Not Just For Cooking
& Eating -- Your Skin Likes It Too!
After unjustly getting lumped in the
"no-fat" craze of past decades,
Saturated Fat Can Be Good For You
The Many Uses of Coconut Oil --
Cooking & Eating, Skincare, Massage
and More
The Truth About Coconut Oil: Why it
Got a Bad Rep When it's Actually
Good
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