Coconut oil - a wonder food?

Okay, so you know what “everyone” says – saturated fats are BAD. Mono and polyunsaturated fats are good. Shoot, I say it myself. Turns out this may not be entirely true.

Saturated fats from animal sources, as in meats and cheese, are still considered to be bad. These are the ones that clog your arteries, leading to heart disease.

But now we have a new kid on the block. Well, not really new, but definitely the beaten down and bullied kid on the block. You know, the one the other kids don’t like because he’s different. They say mean, untrue things about him and spread the word. Then, pretty soon, everyone hates him and avoids him, based solely on heresay. You know, because all the cool kids are doing it. What a shame. If they took the time to know him, they might find he’s a wonderful person.

In this, my first feeble attempt at a metaphor (or is that an analogy? I can never keep them straight), the new kid is coconut oil – and the bullies are the soybean industry and Big Business in general.

Back in the late 70s, or early 80s, people began to get Freaked Out about saturated fats and the related rise in cholesterol levels. Then, from what I have read, the soybean industry decided to prey on this fear and spent oodles of money in a marketing campaign designed to share with the masses that saturated fats and tropical oils were Bad and only vegetable oils were Good.

And who do you think profits from an ad campaign like this one? That’s right. The vegetable oil industry. Who I would assume are more concerned with their bank accounts than your health.

Pretty soon, like a game of “telephone” the word spread that coconut oil was bad. Nobody bothered to do their own research…they just took the word of Big Business as fact and passed the flawed information along until it was widely believed as God’s Honest Truth.

Over the last few years, people like Dr. Joseph Mercola (see video below) and The Weston A. Price Foundation, among others, have started their own much smaller campaign touting the benefits of coconut oil

As you certainly know by now, I hate all things science related, so I’m going to just give you a brief description of why the saturated fat in coconut oil is okay, and the saturated fat from animal sources is not. If my description doesn’t do it for you and you are science minded, I encourage you to search out the details for yourself. And there are a lot of sources for it, via our friend, Google.

The saturated fat in coconut oil is a medium-chain triglyceride, while the saturated fat from animal sources is a long-chain triglyceride and they are processed by the body in totally different ways.

MCT’s are almost instantly broken down by the enzymes in saliva and gastric juices so that pancreatic fat-digesting enzymes are not needed. They are much more water soluble than LCT and can be readily absorbed across the wall of the small intestine and into the blood stream for transportation directly to the liver. (God, I’m already getting a headache.) The upshot of all of this is that, although coconut oil is high in saturated fat, it doesn’t convert over to fat in the body because of how quickly it is utilized.

Virgin coconut oil contains lauric acid (medium chain fatty acid). This is stressed in every single one of the million articles I read as being of High Importance. Lauric acid is found in mother’s milk and is what helps build the immune system of the newborn and fight against disease. Once the lauric acid is digested in the body, it is converted into monolaurin acid, known for its antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and antimicrobial properties.

So, that’s enough of the science for me. Too much, really. The point I wanted to make is that many people are experiencing great health benefits by adding coconut oil into their diet. I have no doubt that its increased popularity has to do with its weight loss and thyroid-boosting properties.

Coconut oil can be used to cook with at high temperatures without losing its benefits, unlike olive or hemp oil, which are best used unheated. Many people use it as a replacement for butter in anything, including baking, and report no discernible difference to the end product.

Let’s look briefly at a couple of the many reported benefits beyond thyroid boosting and weight loss:

Coconut oil helps to improve nutrient absorption of minerals like calcium and magnesium, thus helping to prevent osteoporosis. It increases the absorption of some of the B vitamins, the fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K and beta-carotene) as well as some amino acids. Coconut oil has been recommended in the treatment of malnutrition.

Coconut oil can help speed healing of cuts and burns, and because of its antifungal properties, it’s also great for infections such as ringworm and athlete’s foot.

Dang, I hate it when these posts get so long. I’m trying to just hit the highlights, but there’s so much out there!

Making a too-long story shorter – the recommended therapeutic dose of coconut oil is 2-3 tablespoons per day. You should buy an organic, extra-virgin coconut oil for best benefit. I bought the Nutiva brand, based on the excellent reviews (you should read them, they’re interesting). It’s delicious and smells yummy. It comes in solid form and melts at room temperature. I am plopping a hunk of it in my oatmeal in the morning as well as cooking with it. Mr. Jelly Belly has not made any whiny comments about the taste of the food, so he must not be noticing it.

I am going to admit three things: I have noticed increased energy. Not like I’ve turned into Wonder Woman and am go-go-going from dawn till dusk, but definitely an improvement from my normal zero-energy level.

While going through a short patch of less-than-stellar eating habits (that’s a whole ‘nother post), I have not gained one pound. In fact, I have lost two. THAT shocked me. I had been avoiding the scale since I had been eating so much (not necessarily Bad Things, but too much of them) so when I decided to bite the bullet and assess the damage, I was pleasantly surprised.

I hate to admit this one, but I have a toenail fungus. Ick. I have had it for what seems like forever on my big toe. Lamisal did not work. Home remedies did not work. I have resigned myself to having it for life and to never wearing sandals again. I am actually seeing new clear toenail growth at the bottom of that toe. Coconut oil? I don’t know. But it’s interesting.

So, as if this post isn’t already long enough, I will leave you with two videos that you can watch for further information. They cover all the other important facts that I left out. The first, by Dr. Mercola, while rather dry, presents the facts in an easily understood way and is actually very interesting (6:15). The second is perkier and gives the facts but it’s a bit longer (9:38).

And then I encourage you to draw your own conclusions as to whether or not coconut oil is a hero or a villain. I’m going with hero.

So how do you feel about fish?

I am praying that fish is a little higher on the list of foods you enjoy than brussel sprouts.

I wanted to talk about fish this week because it is one of those foods that I thought I didn’t really care for and now I can’t get enough of it.

For the first thirty years of my life the only seafood I ate came in a cardboard box, courtesy of Mrs. Paul. Loved those fish sticks. Smothered in tartar sauce.

As a kid, we never had “real” fish for dinner so I was never exposed to it. And then, when I was around 30, someone talked me into trying some fish at a restaurant. I couldn’t believe how fantastic it was. And, can you believe it? It wasn’t even breaded and deep fried. And not a drop of tartar sauce to be found.

Thus began my love affair with seafood. Of all kinds. I became more willing to try new things, but still I was afraid to cook it myself. You know how when you’ve never personally seen something prepared, you’re afraid to try it because you’re not exactly sure what it’s supposed to look like when it’s done? Or, for that matter, how to tell if it IS done? That’s how I was. Immobilized with fish fear.

When I joined Weight Watchers, I began to see a lot of recipes for fish. That makes sense – it’s a low-calorie, low-carb, high protein food that’s loaded with omega 3’s. And we all know how important those are, right?

At about that time I was getting just a little sick of chicken, so I began to look closely at the recipes and found that some of them just didn’t look all that difficult. Of course, I know now that NONE of them are difficult. I can’t believe I put it off for so long.

So today I want to share with you a hugely popular recipe for Broiled Tilapia Parmesan. It’s popular for a good reason – it’s fantastic! This is the first fish recipe I ever made and it remains my favorite. You really can’t mess it up. You can easily substitute any other whitefish (I’ve used orange roughy, haddock, and cod) and the results are just as good.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise (reduced fat or fat-free work fine)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: Calories 231; Total Fat 13.3 grams; Fiber .1 grams; Total Carbs .8 grams; Cholesterol 65 mg; Protein 26.1 grams

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So do you have a favorite fish recipe? If so, I’d love to hear about it.

And you thought there were no good fats...

Sometimes I think I function on about half a brain cell. I pick up a general idea of things that are good for you, things that are bad for you and things that should be avoided at all costs. I have that information precariously stored somewhere in that little half of a brain cell, but the reasons why these things are so are left floating.

I know that having some fat in your diet is important. Which ones? I don’t know. I know that Omega 3’s are super-important to your diet . Why? I don’t know. I know flaxseed and fish are both good sources of Omega 3’s and you should add them to your diet regularly. How often? Beats the heck out of me.

So I decided to do some research so I could at least hold up my end of a very short conversation on the subject of Omega 3’s.

Bad news right off the bat. To understand how Omega 3 fatty acids work, you also have to understand how Omega 6 fatty acids work. (Uh oh, my brain cell is starting to balk at THAT one.)

Omega 3’s and 6’s are both essential fatty acids. The benefits of Omega 3’s include a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke, a reduction in the symptoms of hypertension, depression, ADHD, and joint pain. There is also research that shows it can give the immune system a boost which may protect against several illnesses, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Omega 3’s reduce the negative effect of Omega 6’s. In and of themselves, Omega 6’s are not bad – they support skin health, lower cholesterol and help the blood become “sticky” so it is able to clot. Omega 6’s are found in eggs, poultry cereals, vegetable oils, baked goods and margarine. All the good stuff.

But although Omega 6 is essential, it has to be balanced with Omega 3’s. If it’s not, according to the American Dietetic Association, the blood can become too “sticky” and promote clot formation, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. When you add the Omega 3’s, you decrease the risk of heart problems.

Omega 3’s and 6’s are properly balanced at a ratio of 4 parts Omega 3’s to 1 part Omega 6. In case you were wondering, the typical American diet has a ratio of about 20 parts Omega 6 to 1 part Omega 3. This is not good. You can reduce your intake of Omega 6’s, but it’s reportedly better to increase your intake of Omega 3’s.

According to the American Heart Association, you should eat a variety of fatty fish (that doesn’t sound appealing AT ALL, does it?), such as salmon, tuna, or mackerel, at least twice a week. And that’s only 3-4 ounces per serving. Pretty simple to do.

It isn’t necessary to have a daily dose of Omega 3’s. As long as you get 6-8 grams per week, it’s all good. Three ounces of fish contains 2 grams of Omega 3’s and a handful of walnuts (about an ounce) contains 3.5 grams.

You certainly can supplement Omega 3 with fish oil capsules, but experts (don’t ask me who) feel it’s better to get it from food sources because the body absorbs significantly less when taken in a capsule form.

I didn’t intend for this to be so long, so I’ll just leave you with a few non-fish sources of Omega 3’s that you can add to your shopping list this week:

Flaxseed (ground is preferred over oil), canola oil, broccoli, cantaloupe, kidney beans, spinach, CAULIFLOWER, and walnuts.

We’ll save our discussion of EPA and DHA and Omega 9’s for another day. My brain cell is whimpering.