Baking in Coconut oil. A healthy choice or not?

[Vantage72]

There is a lot of debate about coconut oil being healthy or not.

Some sources says saturated fats are bad, so coconut oil is bad. One should cook in olive oil.
Saturated Fat in Coconut Oil is bad for your heart

Saturated Fat is bad, regardless of source.

Some new sources are saying it is good:
The Great Fat Debate - Why Virgin Coconut Oil Is Best

Using organic coconut oil in all cooking and baking is the best choice for a healthy alternative. Because virgin coconut oil is completely saturated and no TFA’s can be made from it, it is therefore harmless. In addition, it does not oxidize, even at 170 degrees Celsius.

Any opinions on this?

[namitsu]

The wikipedia article on coconut oil says that scientists arent sure but see the effects on islands where they frequently cook coconut oil and these people are healthy. But it also states that their health could result from some other factor(s).

I just use extra virgin olive oil to be sure.

[eblight]

I have read that coconut oil does not deteriorate as rapidly as other oils. The molecular structure is more stable compared to other oils that can go rancid quite quickly. However, I too use cold pressed organic olive oil but make sure it is pure olive oil and not adulterated with other inferior oils. The best oil I have found is Flax Seed oil which is high in omegas but is not recommended for cooking, delcious in salads.

[Vantage72]

Originally Posted by namitsu

I just use extra virgin olive oil to be sure.

That's what I do too.
And extra virgin olive oil is a lot cheaper then virgin coconut oil.

[bdp]

All oil is refined, unnatural, and processed. It it likely the least nutrient-dense thing you can eat.

Here's an interesting article about coconut oil: Dr. McDougall Newsletter -- Coconut Oil

[Jennihul]

Blood Type Diet bloggers: Ask Dr. D'Adamo


Here's another negative article. Not to mention besides the palmitate issue, coconut is an avoid food for all blood types if you care about agglutinating your blood cells.

Jennifer

[shiggityjoe]

I avoid saturated fats at all cost.

Go with extra virgin olive, Omega 3's rock.

[Vantage72]

Coconut and palm oils. These solid vegetable oils were more widely used in prepared food until 1988, when worries (largely unfounded) that they were more detrimental than other high-saturated-fat oils caused food companies to replace them with hydrogenated oils made from soy, corn, sunflower, and rapeseed. While they are less harmful than fats high in trans fats, they are still more conducive to heart disease than vegetable oils rich in mono- and polyunsaturated fats. Recent evidence indicates that coconut oil strongly increases HDL cholesterol, which may make it a good choice when a bit of hard fat is needed.

Hidden Trans Fats Exposed: Nutrition Source, Harvard School of Public Health

[Vantage72]

Ask The Doctor Is Coconut Good Or Bad For The Heart - AOL Body

[Holistic Star]

Originally Posted by Vantage72

That's what I do too.
And extra virgin olive oil is a lot cheaper then virgin coconut oil.

You shouldn't ever heat extra virgin olive oil as it starts to degrade at quite low temperatures.

WHFoods: Is it OK to cook with extra-virgin olive oil?

It is best only used cold after the food has been cooked.


(sorry that doesn't help with the coconut oil questions though)

[missing]

Originally Posted by namitsu

I just use extra virgin olive oil to be sure.

I'm not knocking your choice but see the whfoods.com article posted above, that recommends going no higher that 200/250 degrees for extra virgin olive oil. You can't cook much at that temperature, baking is definitely out. Coconut oil has a very high smoke point so you can heat it pretty high. Maybe the saturated fat content cancels out this benefit. Who knows. Point being, when it comes to health, there is no "sure".

[Danyelle]

I currently use coconut oil for baking, cooking, deep conditioning my hair, moisturizing my nails... i'm obsessed. Ever since I made the change I'm noticing positive physical effects versus the EVOO I have been using in the past. I don't know the science behind coconut vs olive, I just know what I see in the mirror and how I feel.

[openeyes]

I largely eat extra virgin coconut oil raw as a health supplement when I have it, though it would work fine as a cooking oil, it just seems too good (and somewhat expensive) for it

I wouldn't cook with anything high in mono or polyunsaturated fats, as they're too unstable at higher temperatures. They're best added after cooking is done, as someone else mentioned.

So what do I cook with? Butter. It's stable and adds excellent flavor. If I wanted a higher flashpoint I could also use ghee, which is higher in butter fats. Of course, grassfed is best, but not critical.

[escapee]

What the research tells us is the polyunsaturated fats are more superior than the saturated fats in promoting healthy heart. Our cholesterol is made of PUFA, The number 1 blood thinner/vasodilator is made of PUFA, our hormone is derived from PUFA, Oxygen and nutrients transport need healthy cellular membrane which is made of PUFA, so it makes perfect sense for us to have an adequate daily intake of the right kind of PUFA. ( Not the useless and pro inflammatory human made "trans" or the damaged form from deep fried food found in packaged food or certain restaurant )

Consuming Virgin coconut oil ( Anti viral ) does not mean you should forgo polyunsaturated fat based oil ( must be organic and cold pressed) or food.

I 'd continue to recommend the work of Professor Brian peskin on the subject of fats. Read it and you would be amazed .

Brian Peskin is Brilliant, Truth about Brian Peskin, Essential Fatty Acids, Basic Essence, and Quantum Nutrition | Home Page | The Truth About Prof. Brian S. Peskin, L.S.E.

[escapee]

Virgin Coconut oil and Olive oil aren't the best oil to get your Polysaturated fatty acid. Virgin coconut oil contains 90% of sat fats and Olive oil is mainly non essential Omega-9 ( monounsaturated fats ). There are still better than the oil on the shelves because there are the least refined and processed ( VIRGIN )

[openeyes]

Originally Posted by escapee

Consuming Virgin coconut oil ( Anti viral ) does not mean you should forgo polyunsaturated fat based oil ( must be organic and cold pressed) or food.

Agreed, and thus I'm apt to add things with polyunsaturated fats AFTER cooking. For a while now I've consumed fish oil, though I'm considering sources for omega 6 as well. Nuts and seeds may do fine, with my mind being on walnuts and pumpkin seeds (great for prostate health). Most Americans are said to get much more omega 6 than 3, but with my diet that may not be true.

[escapee]

Most Americans are said to get much more omega 6 than 3, but with my diet that may not be true.

That's what the majority of experts say. When we look at where the Omega 6 is from with the typical SAD. ( Please read Brian peskin's article )

- Deep fried source ( Lamp chop, Beef steak , Grilled burger, french fries, cookies )
- Microwaved/Packaged food with processed oil
- Processed oil with preservative
- Trans fats/ Margarine ( will not go bad even exposed to air for days )

I think most SAD dieters are overloaded with too much of bad Omega 6 ( Trans fats/ Lipid hydroperoxide from fried food ) and too little Omega 3.

Which means that significant amount of body resources ( like good portion of Omega 6/3, minerals and vitamins ) are continuously depleted to generate an immune response (inflammation ) against the bad fats and toxic chemicals. It's war zone in the artery when ppl consume a bunch of margarine or deep fried food like French fries.

[missing]

Originally Posted by openeyes

So what do I cook with? Butter. It's stable and adds excellent flavor. If I wanted a higher flashpoint I could also use ghee, which is higher in butter fats. Of course, grassfed is best, but not critical.

I use grassfed organic butter almost exclusively, for cooking and most anything else. If I drop dead from a heart attack due to all that saturated fat I'll drop you all a warning sign from the ether. I rarely use Coconut Oil but it'd be my second choice in case I run out of grass fed butter (rarely available in stores, have to ship in) so I'm glad it exists.

[escapee]

I think grass fed organic butter is a pretty good source of Omega 3/6 ( though still inferior to plant source like nuts and seeds). THis is why heart disease rate was so low 60+ years ago ( before the food industry came up with hydrogenation process for fats to improve the shelve life and profit).


Saturated fats cannot cause heart attack because there is virtually no saturated fats in clogged artery. But a deficiency in nutrients like Omega3/6, vitamins ,minerals ( Magnesium, copper, selenium and etc ), infection, stress, diabetes and too much of bad things ( bad fats, refined carbs, toxic chemicals ) can directly or indirectly cause heart problem.

It looks to me that the SAD ( trans fats, deep fried & potato chip) has all the risk factors for the top 3 chronic diseases.

Lipid hydroperoxides
Heart of Darkness

Lipid hydroperoxides are contaminants that form from natural fatty acids when polyunsaturated fats are heated excessively, which happens in processing and when these oils are heated for cooking and frying. Lipid hydroperoxides poison our body's systems just as trans fats do; in fact, they may even be worse than trans fats because of their propensity to react with oxygen and iron, thereby forming free radicals.

These distortion reactions occur in the factory, the frying pan, and in our bloodstreams. When we eat foods with lipid hydroperoxides, they incite free radical cascades in addition to deactivating enzymes, as trans fats do. This makes lipid hydroperoxides potent toxins, capable of causing tissue inflammation resulting in skin rashes, heartburn, liver problems, arterial spasm and blood clots--even cancer.

[Old Soul]

wonder about wether it is good for people with cholesterol issues?