Tag Archives: medium chain fatty acids

January 23, 2018 · 12:05 am

Coconut oil: Healthful or unhealthful? – MNT

Coconut oil has been all the rage for some time. Endorsed by a number of celebrities as a superfood, this tropical-smelling fat — often liberally applied to our skin and scalps — is a favorite of many. But the question remains: is it healthful or not?

Fat suffered a bad reputation for a long time and we were told to opt for low-fat options instead. But the tides turned eventually, prompting us to see fats in a new light.

Our lives became simpler. We learned how to avoid bad (saturated and hydrogenated) fats and eat good (unsaturated) ones to keep our tickers and arteries healthy.

Then the humble coconut came along in 2003, and the waters were once again muddied. Seen by some as a superfood but recently labeled by the American Heart Association (AHA) as part of the pool of unhealthful fats, the controversy goes on.

So, what are the scientific facts behind the coconut oil hype, and what are the latest developments?

Secret ingredient: ‘Medium-chain’ fatty acids

Many of the purported health claims surrounding coconut oil stem from research published in 2003 by Marie-Pierre St-Onge, Ph.D. — a professor of nutritional medicine at Columbia University in New York City, NY. Continue reading →

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Filed under cholesterol, coconut oil, HDL Cholesterol, high cholesterol, LDL Cholesterol, medium chain fatty acids

Tagged as cholesterol, coconut oil, HDL, LDL, medium chain fatty acids, organic coconut oil

September 27, 2014 · 6:53 am

How Can I Get More Coconut Oil Into My Diet?

I have written extensively about the many healthful benefits of coconut oil. Be sure to check out my page – Coconut Oil – Why You Should Include It In Your Diet. Here is an excerpt: “Coconut oil is a medium chain fatty acid (MCFA) as opposed to the long chain fatty acids (LCFA) found in most oil in our diets. Coconut oil is easy on the digestive system, requiring minimal digestion. It travels immediately to the liver to be converted into energy. It doesn’t circulate in the body and end up being stored as fat. So for a quick energy boost, eat a spoonful of coconut oil or add it to your food.”

If you, like me, are looking for more ways to use coconut oil on a daily basis, check out these suggestions that I ran across on Care2’s greenliving network.

• Instead of butter, fry or scramble your eggs in coconut oil, and try slathering it on toast.

• Stir a spoonful in your oatmeal or spread on pancakes for a lower glycemic load.

• Making your own granola? Baking treats? Swap in coconut oil instead of typical vegetable oil or shortening.

• Whirl into smoothies for longer-lasting energy and an instant hit of cholesterol-improving lauric acid.

• Even unrefined coconut oil has a relatively high smoke point, making it great for higher-temperature cooking, such as stir-frying or sautéing. Try cooking your dark leafy greens using coconut oil and a little sea salt.

• Make theater-style popcorn by heating kernels in coconut oil in a heavy kettle. Once popped, drizzle a mixture of melted coconut oil and butter over the top.

• As an alternative to a latte or coffee with cream, in a blender combine 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 tablespoon unsalted grassfed butter, and 1 cup of coffee until it’s creamy and no oil is floating on the surface, about 20 to 30 seconds. Spike with vanilla or cinnamon, if desired.

• Mash into sweet potatoes or use to cook sweet-potato fries for a rich, nutty flavor.

• When making homemade mayo, replace half the olive oil with coconut oil. Or replace the oil in your favorite homemade salad dressing.

• For a quick treat, melt and mix with dark chocolate to make fudge or bark. Or pour the liquid mixture over a scoop of cold ice cream. It will harden instantly, like on a classic dipped cone.

• Eat it by the spoonful, right out of the jar — a quick supplement and snack combined.

Tony

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Filed under coconut oil, weight control, weight loss

Tagged as benefits of coconut oil, coconut oil, healthy eating, healthy-living, long chain fatty acids, medium chain fatty acids

April 6, 2014 · 4:01 am

Costco Now Carries Its Own Brand of Coconut Oil

It is just less than a year ago since I wrote Why Should I Try Coconut Oil?

Today I was shopping in Costco and came upon this huge display of their own Kirkland Brand coconut oil. I guess that means that the product sold well enough for Costco to find a company to produce it under for the Kirkland brand. That is very good news to me.

I shot this at Costco today

If you have been on the fence about trying coconut oil, please check out my Page – Why You Should Include Coconut Oil in Your Diet.

There are at least a dozen good reasons including that coconut oil is one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. It is second only to mother’s milk in its amount of lauric acid. What could be more nutritious than that?

Its medium chain fatty acids are easy on the digestive system. “It travels immediately to the liver to be converted into energy. It doesn’t circulate in the body and end up being stored as fat. So for a quick energy boost, eat a spoonful of coconut oil or add it to your food,” I wrote in that post.

One difference between the new Kirkland brand and the previous brand at Costco was that the previous brand said “Extra Virgin” coconut oil whereas the new Kirkland brand simply has “Virgin” coconut oil. What is the difference? Good question. The best answer I could find was ‘marketing.’ While there is a major difference between virgin and extra virgin olive oil, no such distinction exists in the coconut oil world.

Regarding product size: the old brand was a big fat 54 ounce jar. The new one is 42.3 ounces, but you have to buy two jars. So, you end up with more coconut oil in the slightly more manageable form of two containers.

Check it out for yourself. Costco knows a valuable product when they sell one. You should, too.

Tony

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Filed under coconut oil, Costco, healthy eating, healthy fats, healthy living, lauric acid

Tagged as coconut oil, Costco, healthy eating, Kirkland Coconut Oil, lauric acid, medium chain fatty acids, organic coconut oil

April 1, 2014 · 7:28 pm

Coconut Oil Featured in Wall Street Journal

As regular readers know, I am a big fan of coconut oil. Just look at the top of this page to see Why You Should Include Coconut Oil in Your Diet.

So, you can imagine my surprise when I turned to the Personal Journal section of the Wall Street Journal and saw this headline: Unlikely Source of Healthy Fat: Coconuts, by Laura Johannes.

The piece leads off with, “Coconut oil, which is high in saturated fats, is increasingly being heralded as a healthy oil. Its advocates, including companies that sell it, say it’s nutritious, good for the heart and a fast source of energy. The oil may possibly protect against Alzheimer’s disease, they say.”

Continue reading →

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Filed under aerobics, Alzheimer's, April Fool's Day, cholesterol, coconut oil, Exercise, HDL Cholesterol, healthy fats, healthy living

Tagged as Alzheimer's Disease, April Fool's Day, Exercise, fat, health, healthy fats, Laura Johannes, long chain fatty acids, medium chain fatty acids, Personal Journal section, Wall Street Journal

May 10, 2013 · 6:41 am

Is Chocolate a Good Energy Booster?

There are lots of kinds of chocolate, but if you are thinking that milk chocolate, the most popular kind, is a good energy booster because it has caffeine in it, you are incorrect.

WebMD said, “Chocolate does have caffeine. But if you’re looking to get a caffeine boost, chocolate isn’t your best bet.

You’d need to eat 14 regular-sized (1.5 oz) bars of milk chocolate to get the same caffeine as you’d find in a 8-ounce cup of coffee! That would have about 3,000 calories and more than 300 grams of sugar — compared to only about two calories in black coffee.

Dark chocolate does have more caffeine than milk chocolate. Even then, it would take four bars to give you the same buzz as one cup of regular Joe.”

This is part of a WebMD quiz on chocolate that you can take at the link above.

If you want to boost your energy, eat or drink a tablespoon or two of coconut oil. You can take it straight from the jar, or mix it into your smoothie or energy drink.

Dr. Bruce Fife, certified nutritionist and author of The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil says the reason coconut oil is such an energy booster is because of its medium chain fatty acids (MCFA). Continue reading →

Why Should I Try Coconut Oil?

That’s what I was asking myself the last time I was in Costco and passed one of their giant displays of 3+ pound jars of it. I could see the white substance inside that was solid at room temperature. Oil?

Coconut oil is a saturated fat and we need to avoid saturated fats, right? I can’t count the times I have written in negative terms about the saturated fat content of various food items.

Nonetheless, I found myself intrigued by the coconut oil. So, I bought some.

When I got home, I learned some very positive things about coconut oil on the web.

Coconutoil.com says, “Coconut oil is an edible oil that has been consumed in tropical places for thousands of years. Studies done on native diets high in coconut oil consumption show that these populations are generally in good health, and don’t suffer as much from many of the modern diseases of western nations where coconut oil is seldom consumed anymore.”

That’s certainly a positive start.

Livestrong.com had especially good things to say about coconut oil for endurance athletes, like bike riders, “Raw coconut oil is different from most other oils because it has a high content of medium chain triglycerides – MCTs – which are also sometimes called medium chain fatty acids … according to Paul Insel, R. Elaine Turner and Don Ross, authors of ‘Discovering Nutrition.’ This means your body uses them for fuel immediately, unlike other types of fat. As a result products with coconut oil are popular with endurance athletes who need high-energy food.”

But what about those saturated fats? Continue reading →