The importance of GOOD FATS!

I have just started using coconut oil twice a day after doing extensive research on the stuff.

I have been having stomach dramas for years now, intolerance to different foods, stomach pain, bloating, discomfort, etc etc! People who suffer from irritable bowel, gluten or lactose intolerance know what I'm talking about! It can really affect your health, energy levels, ability to exercise & your mood!

I prefer not to take medication & I'm always looking for healthy treatment alternatives & through my research I have come across coconut oil & it's amazing health benefits.

• Hair care
• Skin Care
• Heart Disease
• Weight Loss
• Digestion
• Immunity
• Healing & Infections
• Helps improves nutrient obsorption
• Imporoves absorption of minerals such as calcium & magnesium which aids in preventing osteoporosis.
• Increases absorption of some of the B vitamins, fat soluble vitamins - A, D, E, K, Beta-carotene & some amino acids.

Coconut oil also has many other uses. Research has shown it can be useful in the treatment and prevention of obesity. A lot of research is current being done in this area. Studies show it may be helpful in preventing liver disease, kidney disease, Crohn's disease, cancer and many infectious illnesses such as the flu, herpes, bladder infections, and candida, to mention just a few. Studies are now being done to test it effectiveness against serious illness such as AIDS and SARS. Preliminary results have been very promising.

While Coconut oil is mostly saturated fat it is a unique saturated fat which is often misguided because of it's association with the word saturated which is commonly know as "bad fats"

Fats are classified as short-, medium- or long-chain based on the number of carbon molecules they contain. Nearly two-thirds of the saturated fat in coconut oil consists of medium-chain fatty acids.

Fats and oils are composed of molecules called fatty acids. Three fatty acids joined together form a triglyceride molecule. Some fatty acids are smaller than others. Medium-chain fatty acids are smaller than long-chain fatty acids. Likewise medium-chain triglycerides are smaller than long-chain triglycerides. The size of these molecules is very important because our bodies process and metabolize each fat differently depending on its size. Most of all of the fats and oils in our diet are composed of long-chain fatty acids, whether they're unsaturated or saturated. There are only a few dietary sources of medium-chain fatty acids, the primary source being tropical oils, particularly palm kernel and coconut oils. That's why coconut oil is different from other oils and it the secret to many of its healing properties.

 Long-chain triglycerides still need the digestive enzymes to break them down. What's important here is that the long-chain fatty acids, when they're finally broken down, will be absorbed through the intestinal wall. From there, they are packaged into lipoproteins and released into the bloodstream. So the long-chain fatty acids go into the digestive tract and then into the bloodstream. As they circulate in the bloodstream they supply the fat that collects in fat cells and the fat that collects in artery walls.

With medium-chain fatty triglycerides in coconut oil the process is different. They are quickly digested, so pancreatic enzymes are not needed. By the time they enter the intestinal tract they are completely broken down into fatty acids. Because of this, they are absorbed immediately into the portal vein, and sent directly to the liver. In the liver they are used as a source of fuel to produce energy. Therefore, they bypass the lipoprotein stage, and they don't circulate in the bloodstream to the degree that other fats do. Consequently, they do not supply the fat that collects in fat cells or the fat that collects in artery walls. They produce energy not body fat and not arterial plaque.

In the 1980s MCTs became a popular source of energy for people engaged in high-level sports such as bikers or marathoners.  High carbohydrate diets had been popular for providing quick energy, but carbs also stimulate insulin, which causes your body to deposit fat.  MCTs provide quick energy as well, but since they are a fat and not a carb, they don't stimulate insulin, and you don't have the problem with weight gain.  MCTs do stimulate thermogenesis, which is the process where your body produces heat by increased burning of fat.  This is a good thing for people who are trying to lose fat.

Add medium chain triglycerades to a well balanced diet including the essential fatty acids.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)

• Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) are necessary fats that our bodies cannot produce, and must be obtained through our diet. EFAs are long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids derived from linolenic, linoleic, and oleic acids. There are two families of EFAs: Omega-3 and Omega-6. 

Omega-9 is a necessary"non-essential" fatty acid because the body is capable of producing a good amount on its own, provided essential EFAs are present. 

The number following "Omega-" represents the position of the first double bond, counting from the terminal methyl group on the molecule. Omega-3 fatty acids are derived from Linolenic Acid, Omega-6 from Linoleic Acid, and Omega-9 from Oleic Acid.

• EFAs support the cardiovascular, reproductive, immune, and nervous systems. The human body needs EFAs to manufacture and repair cell membranes, enabling the cells to obtain optimum nutrition and expel harmful waste products. 

A primary function of EFAs is the production of prostaglandins, which regulate body functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, blood clotting, fertility, conception, and play a role in immune function by regulating inflammation and encouraging the body to fight infection. Essential Fatty Acids are also needed for proper growth in children, particularly for neural development and maturation of sensory systems, with male children having higher needs than females. Fetuses and breast-fed infants also require an adequate supply of EFAs through the mother's dietary intake.
 
• EFA deficiency and Omega 6/3 imbalance is linked with serious health conditions, such as heart attacks, cancer, insulin resistance, asthma, lupus, schizophrenia, depression, postpartum depression, accelerated aging, stroke, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, ADHD, and Alzheimer's Disease, among others.

Omega-3 (Linolenic Acid)

Found in foods:
  • Flaxseed oil (flaxseed oil has the highest linolenic content of any food), flaxseeds, flaxseed meal, hempseed oil, hempseeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, sesame seeds, avocados, some dark leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, purslane, mustard greens, collards, etc.), canola oil (cold-pressed and unrefined), soybean oil, wheat germ oil, salmon, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, albacore tuna, and others.
• One tablespoon per day of flaxseed oil should provide the recommended daily adult portion of linolenic acid, although "time-released" effects of consuming nuts and other linolenic-rich foods is being studied, and considered more beneficial than a once-daily oil intake.

Because high heat destroys linolenic acid, cooking in linolenic-rich oils or eating cooked linolenic-rich fish is unlikely to provide a sufficient amount.

• Flaxseed oil used for dietary supplementation should be kept in the refrigerator or freezer, and purchased from a supplier who refrigerates the liquid as well.
• Canola oil is often used as a cheaper alternative to the healthier virgin olive and grapeseed oils. Although Canola has at least some linolenic content, supermarket varieties of canola oil are often refined and processed with chemicals and heat, which destroy much of its linolenic acid. Cold-pressed, unrefined Canola oil is a healthier type of Canola (sometimes pricier than virgin olive oil), and found primarily in health food stores and specialty markets. The word "canola" is derived from "Canadian oil", as Canola was developed in Canada from the rape plant. Rape is a plant in the mustard family, and its rapeseed oil has at times been illegally blended with olive oil, particularly in Europe, to cheapen olive oil production costs. Although rapeseed oil is high in linolenic acid, it can make humans seriously ill if enough is consumed, and olive oil cheapened with rapeseed oil has a history of severely sickening its consumers. (Every feel itchy after eating commercial brands of peanut butter? Check the label -- it probably contains rapeseed oil.) Canola was developed to eliminate chemicals toxic to humans in rapeseed oil, thus creating an inexpensive oil with linolenic acid. Unlike olive and flaxseed oil, both known to the ancients and used as mankind evolved, Canola is a recent oil, and its long-term effects on humans are not yet known.
• Unripe flaxseeds contain a natural form of cyanide, and home gardeners should be cautious if trying to grow flax. The seeds must be ripe before harvesting. If attempting to grow flax at home, consult an experienced grower.

Omega-6 (Linoleic Acid)

Found in foods:
• Flaxseed oil, flaxseeds, flaxseed meal, hempseed oil, hempseeds, grapeseed oil, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, pistachio nuts, sunflower seeds (raw), olive oil, olives, borage oil, evening primrose oil, black currant seed oil, chestnut oil, chicken, among many others.
• Avoid refined and hydrogenated versions of these foods.
• Corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, and cottonseed oils are also sources of linoleic acid, but are refined and may be nutrient-deficient as sold in stores.

Omega-9 (Oleic Acid)
• Essential but technically not an EFA, because the human body can manufacture a limited amount, provided essential EFAs are present.
• Monounsaturated oleic acid lowers heart attack risk and arteriosclerosis, and aids in cancer prevention.

Found in foods:
• Olive oil (extra virgin or virgin), olives, avocados, almonds, peanuts, sesame oil, pecans, pistachio nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, etc.
• One to two tablespoons of extra virgin or virgin olive oil per day should provide sufficient oleic acid for adults. However, the "time-released" effects of obtaining these nutrients from nuts and other whole foods is thought to be more beneficial than consuming the entire daily amount via a single oil dose.

Food tips
• High heat, light, and oxygen destroy EFAs, so when consuming foods for their EFA content, try to avoid cooked or heated forms. For example, raw nuts are a better source than roasted nuts. Don't use flaxseed oil for cooking, and never re-use any type of oil.
• Replace hydrogenated fats (like margarine), cholesterol-based fats (butter/dairy products), and poly-saturated fats (common cooking oils) with healthy EFA-based fats when possible. For example, instead of margarine or butter on your warm (not hot) vegetables, use flaxseed and/or extra virgin olive oils with salt. (This tastes similar to margarine, as margarine is just hydrogenated oil with salt.)
• Sprinkling flaxseed meal on vegetables adds a slightly nutty taste. Whole flaxseeds are usually passed through the intestine, absorbing water only and not yielding much oil. Also, it's best not to use huge amounts of flaxseed in its meal (ground seed) form, as it contains phytoestrogens. The oil is much lower in phytoestrogens.
• In many recipes calling for vegetable shortening, replacing the shortening with half as much virgin olive oil, and a very small pinch of extra salt, often yields similar results.
• Adding flaxseed and/or virgin olive oil to salads instead of supermarket salad oil is another healthy change.
• Replace oily snack foods, like potato chips and corn chips, with nuts and seeds.
• Extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil are best to use for cooking oil, as they withstand high heat well.

If coconut oil is so effective, why haven't we heard more about it in the treatment of infectious illnesses?

The problem with coconut oil is that it is a natural product. Pharmaceutical companies cannot patent it, so they have little interest in developing or promoting it. Most of the interest has come from the health food and supplement industry. In fact, coconut oil in one form or another has been used for some time. Caprylic acid, one of the MCFAs in coconut oil is a popular ingredient in many anti-candida formulations. Monolaurin, another coconut oil derived supplement, is used as a general-purpose antibiotic. Fractionated coconut oil, also known as MCT oil, is a common ingredient in many health and fitness products. Coconut oil has even been put into gel capsules as dietary supplements. Of course, you can also find pure liquid coconut oil in just about any health food store.

* Do not have coconut oil if you have liver desease