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Have you been seeing stories in the news lately about saturated fat?
For decades, since the early 1970s, the US Dietary Guidelines have told us that saturated fats are BAD for our health. They have URGED Americans to avoid saturated fats at all costs because of their concerns they play a major role in contributing to heart disease.
But recent studies, including one in the British Medical Journal, and another in the Annals of Internal Medicine, finally puts this decades-old myth to rest.
Yes, that is right, it’s time that we all let go of the fear of fat that has been ingrained into our minds for so many years.
It’s important that you know this – it’s NOT your fault and is not from your own doing. We’ve all been sold a bill of goods for so long, and it’s time that we set the record straight.
There are fats that HEAL, and fats that KILL.
Fat is essential for good health, and we need to incorporate more of it into our daily diets.
Now, after a decade of research studies on thousands of patients, scientists have concluded that people who consumed more saturated fats had a lower incidence of heart disease.
Researchers hypothesized that people looking to avoid fats shifted their diet toward more processed foods, carbohydrates, and SUGAR.
It turns out that SUGAR and everything that it is disguised as, is the real culprit, and THAT is what is really making us sicker and fatter as a nation!
Did you know that there is as much sugar in a bagel as there is in a can of soda? That’s CRAZY!
Yet this is a very common food that many people are eating as a significant part of their daily breakfast every day, having no idea of the devastating health consequences it is causing!
Here’s what you need to know about sugar….
SUGAR = ACID, and ACID = GLUE!
Sugar clogs and binds your digestive system, and is THE most acidic substance you can put into your body.
It creates massive amounts of inflammation in your body, your digestive system, your joints, and your cardiovascular system.
Not coincidentally, after the saturated fat scare went out, rates of heart disease, obesity, elevated cholesterol, and Alzheimer’s skyrocketed.
Heart disease is the #1 killer in America, and there is no doubt sugar is the major contributing factor to this devastating stat.
Here’s where the research gets it wrong.
What they didn’t know yet was that there are a variety of saturated fats, and that not all types of saturated fats actually lead to health problems. In fact, we actually need a certain amount of saturated fats, even the so-called “bad ones”, to function properly physically and mentally.
Perhaps in the past you’ve heard coconut oil get a bad rap from media and health care officials due to the large amounts of ‘artery-clogging saturated fat’ it contains.
Now that the smoke has cleared, it is time to us to return coconut oil as an integral part our diet. Coconut oil offers an exceptional source of nutrition that can heal the body from the inside out.
Fat (The Good-For-You Kind!)
Coconut oil contains Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs), which is the “good for you” kind of saturated fat versus the “artery-clogging” fats you’ll find in cheese, steak and that type of food. For those of you who are curious, those types of fat are what is called long-chain fatty acids.
MCTs are good for us due to the fact that they are easily digestible. Our body sends these types of fats straight to the liver where they can be easily converted into energy or something called ketone bodies. The ketone bodies are actually great for the brain, and they’ve been proven to even have therapeutic impact on brain disorders like Alzheimer’s.
What is great about coconut oil is that it contains 90% of these fatty acids that are great for the brain and body!
Capric/Caprylic/Lauric Acids
These are actually a part of the MCTs I mentioned in previous section, but it is an important part of the composition of those fats. These three fatty acids have unique properties: they’re antimicrobial and disinfectant. In other words, they help create a strong, healthy immune system.
As a result, coconut oil staves off infections both externally and internally.
Externally, it protects the skin from absorbing microbes that cause infections. Internally, the fatty acids are converted to monocaprins and monolaurins which boost the immune system.
Health benefits of coconut oil include:
1. People Who Eat Lots of Coconuts Seem To Be Uber Healthy
We don’t want to mix correlation with causation, but it is hard not to point out the fact that populations that eat coconut oil are extremely healthy.
One of the most shocking examples of this is the people of Tokelauans in the South Pacific who live on a diet that takes 60% of its calories from coconuts, which actually makes them the biggest consumers of saturated fat in the world.
The Tokelauans have no heart disease! It isn’t too surprising that the Tokelauans and other populations eating this healthy fat, physically and mentally prosper.
2. It Increases Your Energy
To get more energy we need to do more than just focus on how many calories we are eating, how much we’re sleeping, and how much exercise we’re getting, but we also need to look at the content of our diet.
Certain foods are easier for the body to convert into energy; hence, these types of foods give us a boost of energy. Coconut oil is mainly comprised of MCT’s that are easily digested then converted into energy, so it leaves you feeling invigorated and ready to take on the world.
3. It Prevents Infections Caused by Bacteria, Viruses and Fungi
Coconut oil contains 12-carbon lauric acid in 50% of fatty acids, and this unique acid can kill harmful pathogens. In addition, coconut oil forms monoglyceride when digested, which also has powerful properties to kill off the causes of infections.
In studies, the above substances demonstrated to have the capacity to kill Staphylococcus Aureus and Candida Albicans (STAPH AND YEAST!).
By integrating coconut oil into your diet you are integrating these powerful substances into your body to boost your body’s capacity to kill off harmful invaders!
4. It Improves Skin and Hair Health
Coconut oil helps not only our health, but it also can help our exterior beauty by protecting and conditioning it. For protection, coconut oil provides an anti-UV ray protection of 20%, which will not replace sunscreen, but it adds an extra layer of protection from the harmful rays of the sun.
When applied, coconut oil actually adds to the moisture of the lips and skin, keeping them supple and young.
For your hair, you can use it as a deep conditioner once a week. Just apply a spoonful of coconut oil to your hair then allow it to sit for a half hour before rinsing it out.
5. Coconut Oil Slows the Aging Process
Coconut Oil LiquidIn coconut oil there are antioxidants that help keep the body young from the inside, out. So when you take coconut oil in any form, it gives the body some of the nutrition it needs to prevent damage from being done to healthy tissues in the body by invading pollutants and toxins.
This means that not only does coconut oil help you look younger, but it helps the body to fight off the damage that comes with age.
6. It’s a Great Cooking Substitute for Traditional Oils
Compared to other oils, coconut oil offers a host of health benefits that make it a superior option for those who love to cook and eat at a home.
Coconut oil can be used in baking, sautéing, and even as a substitute for cream. It holds a high heat and is the ONLY oil that does not transform into a trans-fatty acid when cooking. It should be the ONLY oil you use when cooking.
In my next blog post, look for four of my favorite recipes that use coconut oil.
What’s one of the best ways to supplement your increased use of coconut oil? Add it to your smoothies, to your deserts (chia puddings), or just eat 1 tbsp. as is – I consider it the PERFECT food, and will help your health is more ways than you can imagine!
If you have done my Get Off Your Acid 7-Day Cleanse, you’ve experienced some of my amazing, nutritious alkaline meals that literally taste so good you’ll feel like you’re cheating.
As a Certified Raw Food Chef, every season I change the recipes so that you can take advantage of what’s in season.
Even if you don’t do the full on cleanse, there are so many ideas and tips in the digital cleanse materials that you receive that you can start using on a day-to-day basis that will make a difference in your life and your health. With over 100 NEW Delicious Alkaline Recipes, you’ll know exactly what to do to make healthy taste good!
Included are 15 NEW Breakfast Smoothies… But that’s not it for breakfast – I also added 12 additional NON smoothie breakfast recipes. I added a Salad & Dressings section, with 12 yummy salads, and a new favorite addition, the Thai Noodles and Pasta section. Many more dinners that double as lunches, more snacks, and best of all, MANY yummy deserts including FIVE chia pudding variations!
