Coconut oil is followed by health-conscious foodies from all over the world from last decades. And the consequence of this following is, it has been used by them in almost everything from cooking to do-it-yourself cleaning supplies, from beauty to skin care products. The American Heart Association and some of the individual practitioners shows concern towards its use, which left all the coconut lover in shock and speechless state.
There is always two side of the coin, which needs to be discussed before forming an opinion. Some of the Arguments are as follows: –
Arguments 1 – As per the American Heart Association coconut oil contains the high amount of saturated fat, which eventually increase the level of the LDL cholesterol (Bad Cholesterol) levels and this ultimately results in Heart Disease.
Counter Argument 1 – This is true that coconut oil is high in saturated fat, but the ratio of lauric fatty acid is higher than the non-lauric fatty acid leaves the ball in the court of good fat. The lauric fatty acid is important because it increases the HDL cholesterol (Good cholesterol) level. And good cholesterol is important because it absorbs vitamins and supports the brains which give healthy hair, skin, and nails.
Argument 2 – coconut oil may be less chosen because of its solid form at room temperature and for adding a coconutty flavor to every dish.
Counter Argument 2 – In fact this argument is also valid at some point, it is not preferable for salad dressing and other non-baked recipes. But you can it as a good replacement for your normal vegetable refined oil in baked recipes. Some of the dishes are also complemented by this coconutty flavor, for instance, Thai curries. You don’t like the flavor of this oil but desperate to use it, then you can buy oil with neutral flavor.
Argument 3 – Vegetables oil’s contains much more health-promoting compounds than coconut oils. Vegetable oil is high in unsaturated fat and also rich in antioxidants which lower the risk of heart disease.
Counter Argument 3 – you can easily be puzzled by the coconut oil’s high saturated fat content but don’t forget to consider the higher amount of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) in comparison to the vegetable oils. These medium chain triglycerides increase the metabolism if you consumed it over long-chain triglycerides. And the best part which we can’t forget is it behaves as antimicrobial, helps in the regulation of blood sugar levels and also reduce the oxidative stress.
Studies on coconut oil’s effect on the person’s health are very limited, especially studies for long-term effects of coconut oil. But the fact is one cannot neglect the use of coconut oil, because it has been used for ages by our ancestors. We also have coconut water and eat coconut which is another form of consuming healthy compounds of the coconuts. The final decision always depends on you whether you like to have it or don’t want to have it all. But we can’t deny that coconut is healthy and it’s natural as well.
