During World War II, the Japanese military occupied the Philippines, Thailand, Malaya and many South Pacific islands, where bloody battles were fought.
The once-plentiful supply of coconut oil was effectively cut off from the United States.
Although coconut oil had been popular both as a cooking oil and ingredient in numerous food products, the occupation continued to interrupt the supply for several long years as the war slowly dragged on.
Enter good old American ingenuity (in this case, not so good for your health).
Manufacturers began to develop alternative sources of cooking oils, and the polyunsaturated oils phase was born. By the time the war was over, there was a lot of money at stake in the promotion of these polyunsaturated vegetable oils.
By the end of the 1950’s, public opinion had turned totally against saturated fats like butter (and coconut oil). Saturated fats were blamed for raising cholesterol, and cholesterol was now viewed as the evil enemy, the culprit responsible for the steep rise in heart disease.
Butter, eggs and coconut oil were out.
The new vegetable oils were in... and erroneously touted as "heart-healthy."
Coconut oil continued to be demonized by the vegetable oil industry throughout the ensuing decades. Adding insult to injury, the soybean industry began to condemn the use of tropical oils, particularly coconut oil.
And I'm sure you realize the reason why — competition... and millions and millions of dollars.
Unfortunately, the tropical oil industry, centered in poorer nations like the Philippines and Indonesia, could not afford to counter the negative propaganda spread by rich American industrial conglomerates.
Science and good health took a back seat to profits, as they have on more than one occasion...
The Hidden Truth About Coconut Oil
The truth about coconut oil is obvious to anyone who has studied the health of those who live in traditional tropical cultures, where coconut has been a nutritious diet staple for thousands of years.
Back in the 1930’s, a dentist named Dr. Weston Price traveled throughout the South Pacific, examining traditional diets and their effect on dental and overall health. He found that those eating diets high in coconut products were healthy and trim, despite the high fat concentration in their diet.
Similarly, in 1981, researchers studied populations of two Polynesian atolls. Coconut was the chief source of caloric energy in both groups. The results, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, demonstrated that both populations exhibited positive vascular health. There was no evidence that the high saturated fat intake had a harmful effect in these populations.
Coconut Oil – Your Smart Alternative to Those Other Oils
So, now that you have heard the history behind coconut oil's unfortunate "fall from grace", you should also know today's good news: coconut oil is finally beginning to get the respect it deserves as a smart alternative to other oils.
The many benefits of coconut oil are finally reaching the mainstream.
Benefits like:
* Promoting your heart health
* Promoting weight loss when and if you need it
* Supporting your immune system health
* Supporting a healthy metabolism
* Providing you with an immediate energy source
* Helping to keep your skin healthy and youthful looking
* Supporting the proper functioning of your thyroid gland
"Coconut oil is transforming my health! Not only am I losing weight, but my skin, hair (damaged with spit ends), and nails (soft and brittle) are healthier. And it didn't take that long. I just put the coconut oil in fruit smoothies in the morning. Imagine what health improvements my body would have if I (and I will) increase my coconut oil intake to cooking with it!
"Also, my biggest health success with coconut oil has been the support it gives to my immune system. I feel less fatigued, I'm sleeping less, and feeling great! Thank you, Dr. Mercola! Bravo!"
-- J Newman from Monterey, CA
Dr Joe Mercola says:
"If you could peek inside my pantry, you would find two oils that I use in food preparation.
The first, extra-virgin olive oil, is a better monounsaturated fat. It works great as a salad dressing.
However, it is not the best oil to cook with. Due to its chemical structure, cooking makes it susceptible to oxidative damage.
And polyunsaturated fats, which include common vegetable oils such as corn, soy, safflower, sunflower and canola, are absolutely the worst oils to use in cooking. These omega-6 oils are highly susceptible to heat damage because of all the double bonds they have.
I strongly urge you to throw out those omega-6 vegetable oils in your cabinets. Why?
Reason #1: Most people believe that frying creates trans fats. That is not the major problem, in my opinion. Although some are created, they are relatively minor. There are FAR more toxic chemicals produced by frying omega-6 oils than trans fats.
Frying destroys the antioxidants in oils and as such oxidizes the oils. This causes cross-linking, cyclization, double-bond shifts, fragmentation and polymerization of oils that cause far more damage than trans fats.
Reason #2: They contribute to the overabundance of omega-6 fats in your diet, and the imbalance of the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. As you know from my extensive writing on this subject, I believe that excessive consumption of omega-6 fats contributes to many health concerns.
There is only one oil that is stable enough to resist heat-induced damage, while it also helps you promote heart health, maintain normal cholesterol levels and even supports weight loss — coconut oil."
Thank you Dr. Mercola for that sound advice!
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