According to U.S. heart experts, coconut oil is as unhealthy as beef fat and butter. Experts say this because it’s packed with saturated fat which they claim raises “bad” cholesterol. however, it’s not that simple. 1
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Most integrative health physicians see *too* much animal fats as unhealthy, but see plant oils like olive, sunflower, or coconut, as healthier (because of how much saturated fat they contain). But saturated fat isn’t something to be feared because it’s something our body needs. However, like everything- including good things- moderation needs to be practiced. If all you did was eat a diet high in saturated fat, you’d be in trouble (82% of the fat in coconut oil is saturated, butter has 63%, beef fat has 50% and pork lard has 39%2).
However, according to Dr. Greger, while it’s no secret that coconut oil has a huge amount of saturated fat there’s a difference from the “sat fat” found in animal products, “…unlike saturated animal fats, coconut oil doesn’t cause that spike in inflammation immediately after consumption of animal foods.” (We understand other doctors are down with larger amounts of animal protein and know there are many conflicting views)
And so, keeping moderation in mind, Public Health England advises that2:
- the average man should eat no more than 30g of saturated fat a day
- the average woman should eat no more than 20g of saturated fat a day
Experts stressed that fat is still an essential part of a healthy, balanced diet: fat is a source of essential fatty acids and helps the body absorb vitamins, such as A, D, and E. 2 It’s also important not to cut fat totally out of the diet and replace it with sugar, white flour, and empty calories (something we do when our food lacks fat). 3
“Victoria Taylor from the British Heart Foundation said: “To eat well for your heart health it is not just about reducing fat but reducing specific types of fat and taking care over what these are replaced with – unsaturated fats and whole grains, rather than sugars and refined carbohydrates.
‘We recommend replacing the saturated fats in the diet with unsaturated fats – using oils instead of butter and choosing foods like avocado, oily fish, nuts and seeds instead of foods high in saturated fats like cakes, biscuits, chocolate and fatty meat.'” 2
It seems that perhaps, since the experts are merely calling for moderation, that the AMA wanted to scare people aware from this superfood in favor of oils that are mass produced by Big Ag. Or maybe they were really concerned about public health and wanted to see people come off cholesterol drugs prescribed by Big Pharma.
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We love coconut oil but don’t overdose on drinking the stuff!
Moderation people. In all things.
Nothing has changed.
