“Coconut Oil and Its Many Interesting Uses”
Among those serious, hard-core nutritionists promoting its benefits is Dr. Oz, who has sprung to inexplicable fame after guest appearances on Oprah and Larry King. His website boasts of the anti-oxidant attributes of coconut oil, to help slow the aging process, prevent dementia, and as an aid in skin and hair care.
Others promote its use for massage, and it’s even rumored to be useful as a certain … lubricant. (Now you know why certain people go around smelling like a piña colada). One of the coco-nuttier fads out there is “oil pulling,” in which you’re supposed to swish coconut oil around in your mouth for twenty minutes to pull toxins out of your body.
The curious comeback of coconut oil was examined by New York Times food writer Melissa Clark, who reminded readers that it was nearly hounded out of existence in the 90’s. At the time, it was widely used for theatre popcorn, but then its colossal saturated fat numbers were exposed. Yet sales have resurged in recent years, attributed in part to vegans who have used it as a baking substitute.
Ms. Clark, experimenting with coconut oil, enjoyed the “haunting, nutty, vanilla flavor” in baking and frying sweet potatoes and certain vegetables. She also re-examined the scientific data, concluding that the worst dangers of coconut oil were attributed to the partially-hydrogenated stuff, used in theatre popcorn, as opposed to virgin coconut oil.
The problem is that even the virgin product has the highest percentage of saturated fat of any cooking oil – 92%. There is no comparison, nutrition-wise, with extra-virgin olive oil, which has only 8% saturated fat, and higher “good fat” numbers (mono- and polyunsaturated, as well as much sounder research backing its heart-healthy claims. Even butter is significant lower in calories, total fat and saturated fat than is coconut oil.
Coconut oil’s research is usually anecdotal. One study I found concludes that it is so good for you because the South Pacific Tokelauans, who eat much of it, are healthy. But I have to wonder how closely their lifestyle, and other control data, otherwise parallels our western, urban ones.
I’ve occasionally enjoyed foods made with coconut oil, especially at my favorite vegan emporium, and I’m more than happy to savor the occasional piña colada. Otherwise, this old dog is sticking with his olive oil and butter. Unless someone wants to fly me to the South Pacific, to visit the Tokelauans.
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