I remember way back when popcorn in the movie theatres was made with coconut oil. In the early 90’s the Center for Science in the Public Interest released information that coconut oil used in movie theatre popcorn was full of “heart-stopping fat.” As with most hysteria raising information, the general public took that at face value meaning that all Coconut Oil and products with Coconut oil were bad for you. As a result, I believe that it took many years for virgin coconut oil to re-emerge in the natural food industry as the healthy product that it is.
I am guilty of being influenced both positively and negatively by the power of suggestion and innuendo, but it is always my recommendation that we all do our own research. Saturated fat, trans-fat, monounsaturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat are all components of fats - oils. The ‘high in trans-fat’ coconut oil that the Center for Science in the Public Interest was informing the public about was a product that was chemically produced using dry coconut, hydrogen and extreme heat. Trans-fats are formed when plant based oils are hardened into margarine or shortening formats and this is what was being used in movie theater popcorn.
The ‘heart-stopping fat’ aka trans-fats, also known as hydrogenated fats are chemically treated compounds. There is nothing natural about the process by which plant based oils are hardened by hydrogenation process. I am not a scientist, so I will not attempt to explain this process. The process is explained in simple terms at: http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5632627_vegetable-shortening-made_.html.
Virgin coconut oil is now on the shelf of every natural food store, gourmet food shop and grocery store. It is appearing on ingredient labels and in recipes all over the internet. We know that the mainstream conventional food manufacturers will try and capture the awareness of this ‘healthy product’; be wary and read the labels! I am quite certain that the cheapest, lowest grade format will be used. Unless it reads virgin coconut oil, don’t buy it!
When I started to use virgin coconut oil in my cooking some time ago, I also realized that it was a great moisturizer just based on how my hands felt after handling food that I had used it in. It wasn't long before I started to use this as the sole moisturizer for my face, hands and body. It was not until this recent post on Market Organics Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Market-Organics/35967004532, that I realized how many uses there are:
- Athletes Foot & Fungal Infections
- Pimples & Acne
- Dementia & Alzheimer's
- Lice
- Stretch Marks
- Warts
- Burns, Cuts & Scrapes
- New Tattoos
- Eczema & Psoriasis
- Allergies
- Ear Infections
- Cold & Canker Sores
- Pink Eye
- Ulcers
- And so many more...
Delicious Obsessions lists 122 uses for coconut oil in total: http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2012/01/52-uses-for-coconut-oil-the-simple-the-strange-and-the-downright-odd/.
Lyndsay also uses coconut oil for a process called “oil pulling”. Oil Pulling is a safe, simple and affordable home remedy to cure and prevent diseases and improve your overall health. She swears by it as a teeth whitening method also! It is a process of placing 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, or other oil, in your mouth and swishing it between your teeth and entire oral cavity, including gums and palate. This process pulls the pathogens from the gaps and pockets in your mouth cavity and traps them in the oil. You must read fully up on this process, as there are many precautions such as not swallowing the liquid because it is actually filled with toxins that you are pulling out of your mouth and reabsorbing them can be dangerous. Want to know more? Type “Oil Pulling” into google or your internet search engine and many pages will come up.
When cooking with coconut oil, please keep in mind that coconut is still oil, so don’t over dose on it. I am sure that many of you out there ask how much fat should I take in? In a former newsletter, I wrote about how I discovered via www.myfitnesspal.com that I was taking in more fat that I needed, in spite of a healthy plant based diet. It was during this time that I stumbled across another resource that I had copied and pasted into a file for future reference. You can find this at http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/information/how-many-grams-of-fat-can-i-eat-in-a-day.htm.
How many grams of fat can I eat in a day?
by Elizabeth Scherer
By Clicking on the above link you will be brought to a chart to understand amounts. Here's how to use the chart. Look down the left-hand column until you find the total number of calories you should eat each day. When you find the right amount, look across to see:
- how many of your calories you can get from fat
- how many grams of fat this equals
- how many of your calories you can get from saturated fat
- how many grams of saturated fat this equals
Thanks for reading,
Laurie & Lyndsay
No comments:
Post a Comment