Most of you that know me have heard me say if not once then a dozen times plus, "Use coconut oil". Cook with it, coat yourself in it, do anything with it but just get it into your body. One could easily assume I have shares in the coconut oil industry!! Alas no, there are just such huge benefits of using such a great oil and I feel saddened by most people's misunderstanding of fats in general.
A lot of people, both friends and clients seem to be fat phobic. By that I mean they just stay away from fats and oils as much as they can in fear of becoming fat!
Our body NEEDS fats
Each cell in our body is made from fats
Each disc or strategically placed shock absorber throughout the body is made of fat and without those our bones start rubbing against each other.
To create long lasting energy our body needs fats.
To think straight our body needs fats.
To make hormones we need fats.
Depriving ourselves of these essential building blocks is causing a lot of doctors to stay busy! Now whilst there may be a little truth in ‘fats become fat’ it must also be understood that not all fats are created equal…
Understanding fats and oils
We use the terms 'fats' and 'oils' as meaning the same thing however there is a difference between the two. A fat is generally solid at room temperature, such as butter, lard or ghee, whereas an oil is liquid at room temperature. If we were scientists studying this we would want to be looking at the structure and double bonds of each oil and fat, however to keep it basic, know that the longer the chain, the harder it is for the body to assimilate and the longer it is the more delicate it becomes.
The above isn’t that useful until you start looking into how oils become oils. During the processing methods heat is used to extract the oil. Heat actually denatures oil and the oil then becomes rancid and generally unusable for the body. For an oil to arrive on the shelf, looking clean and clear it needs to go through a refining process, often it is bleached and then because the oil is now rancid and anyone with any sense of smell wouldn’t use it, it is also deodorised.
Hydrogenation is used heavily nowadays – the process that makes vegetable oil become more solid. Cheap, low quality oils are pushed through very tiny holes at a high pressure and high heat, adding hydrogen gas to the double bonds of the oil. The result - a more solid and spreadable oil. This way of processing came with the large scale use of margarines and other vegetable oils after the second world war.
Saturated fats such as red meat and butter were being blamed for raising cholesterol and so vegetable oils were marketed as the ‘healthy’ alternative. Sadly, people bought into it but the only ones that stood to gain from it were the pharmaceutical companies, the food industry and of course the manufacturers of these cheap oils.
Nowadays we find these hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils in practically every processed food as it's cheap to use. Unfortunately it is also rancid and because of the process, is now denatured. So much so that it more resembles plastic than oil. The hydrogenation process destroys all essential nutrients that were in the oil and instead produces many toxic substances.
Cooking or worse, frying with vegetable oils, further denatures the oil and so it literally becomes a toxic, carcinogen that we are voluntarily providing our body with. As the use of vegetable oils has risen (as much as 400%) over the last 50 years so too has heart disease, interestingly the use of red meat and butter has decreased. Hmmm now there's some food for thought.
It is these vegetable, seed and nut oils cheaply manufactured, that the body is having a difficult time using and breaking down, these oils put considerable strain on our digestive system, particularly the pancreas and liver. It is these oils that the body, not knowing what to do with them will just shunt away for later, they are then deposited throughout the body within the arteries, stored in lipid form such as cholesterol and body fat.
Problems caused by the wrong types of fats
Here are just a few problems that have been linked with overuse of the above fats in no particular order, high cholesterol, hypertension, atherosclerosis, constipation, allergies, cancer, obesity, addictions, diabetes, arthritis, asthma, auto-immune conditions, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis, ageing, yeast infections.
The benefits of Coconut Oil
So what's the answer? For me the best oil one can use for cooking is cold pressed, organic, coconut oil. It is solid at room temperature or if left in the fridge and during hotter days does become liquid. It can be used in anything from stir frys to salads to cakes, it tastes so good I even add it to my hot drinks and smoothies.
Because of its structure Coconut oil is known as 'medium chain triglyceride'. As it is shorter in structure the body has an easier time digesting and utilising it. Being a tropical saturated fat, coconut oil is very stable, meaning its structure won’t change under heat, making it the most sensible oil to cook with.
Coconut oil is known to stimulate the immune system owing to its lauric acid content. Better still, coconut oil is utilised as energy immediately and will not be stored as fat, in fact, it actually stimulates the metabolism which leads to weight loss.
Here's a brief summary of the benefits one will reap from using coconut oil on a regular basis:
Promotes a healthy heart
Doesn’t effect blood sugars
Stimulates metabolism therefore promotes weight loss
Supports proper functioning of the thyroid gland
Supports the immune system
Provides instant energy
Promotes healthy skin
Contains anti bacterial properties
Some things to consider when looking for a good quality coconut oil:
Always buy certified organic
Ensure there are no chemical additives
No bleaching, deodorised, refined and certainly not hydrogenized
Make sure it has been made from fresh coconuts
Cold pressed with no heat processing
Turn your cooking into healthy cooking
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