Am I the last American not in love with coconut oil?
Jun 29, 2015, 6:51 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2010
Location: FSD
Programs: BAEC, Delta SkyPesos, VS FC, SQ KF, AA, HHonors
Posts: 1,884
Am I the last American not in love with coconut oil?
Early last year when I arrived back in NY from 18 months Australia (largely ignoring US goings-on outside of foreign policy), I noticed that this strange tub of gunk was being used heavily by my family's households as cooking oil. By and large, they fall into that grouping of coastal-dwelling Americans with advanced degrees and decent health outcomes who navigate the world fortified by a take-away salad from the organic grocer's deli counter in one hand and a Starbucks "creation" in the other.
For this set, coconut oil is a wonderfood: it's delicious, it's vegan, contributes to weight loss, helps prevent diabetes, is heart healthy, and can be used for applications varying from a salve for eczema to a tooth cleaner.
Coming out of the south pacific (where the coconut-heavy diet of Islanders doesn't exactly have a great outcome with obesity and diabetes), I was sceptical.
Where the f is the evidence? Most of what I find seems to be a set of sources stuck in an echo chamber dominated by dubious research, "wellness" quacks, and entities with links to the coconut industry. Research for qualified doctors and universities quoted in the UK, US, and NZ is, at best, cautionary.
The more I look into it, the more I am convinced that this stuff is little better than a bottled heart attack.
For this set, coconut oil is a wonderfood: it's delicious, it's vegan, contributes to weight loss, helps prevent diabetes, is heart healthy, and can be used for applications varying from a salve for eczema to a tooth cleaner.
Coming out of the south pacific (where the coconut-heavy diet of Islanders doesn't exactly have a great outcome with obesity and diabetes), I was sceptical.
Where the f is the evidence? Most of what I find seems to be a set of sources stuck in an echo chamber dominated by dubious research, "wellness" quacks, and entities with links to the coconut industry. Research for qualified doctors and universities quoted in the UK, US, and NZ is, at best, cautionary.
The more I look into it, the more I am convinced that this stuff is little better than a bottled heart attack.
Jun 29, 2015, 6:57 pm
#2
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Atherton, CA
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Owner, Green Bay Packers
Posts: 21,690
Many health organizations advise against the consumption of coconut oil due to its high levels of saturated fat, including the United States Food and Drug Administration,[2] World Health Organization,[3] International College of Nutrition,[4] the United States Department of Health and Human Services,[5] American Dietetic Association,[6] American Heart Association,[7] British National Health Service,[8] and Dietitians of Canada.[9]
Coconut oil contains a large proportion of lauric acid, a saturated fat that raises total blood cholesterol levels by increasing both the amount of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Although this may create a more favorable total blood cholesterol profile, this does not exclude the possibility that persistent consumption of coconut oil may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease through other mechanisms, particularly via the marked increase on blood cholesterol by lauric acid. Because the majority of saturated fat in coconut oil is lauric acid, coconut oil may be preferred over partially hydrogenated vegetable oil when solid fats are used in the diet.
Coconut oil contains a large proportion of lauric acid, a saturated fat that raises total blood cholesterol levels by increasing both the amount of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Although this may create a more favorable total blood cholesterol profile, this does not exclude the possibility that persistent consumption of coconut oil may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease through other mechanisms, particularly via the marked increase on blood cholesterol by lauric acid. Because the majority of saturated fat in coconut oil is lauric acid, coconut oil may be preferred over partially hydrogenated vegetable oil when solid fats are used in the diet.
Jun 29, 2015, 7:10 pm
#5
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Atherton, CA
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Owner, Green Bay Packers
Posts: 21,690
Jun 29, 2015, 7:26 pm
#7
Join Date: Sep 2010
Programs: HHonors Diamond; My Mom's Favorite Kid
Posts: 3,929
Nope. The cloth diapering community is all about this stuff. Women are putting it on their baby's butts every diaper change. It's revered as the miracle butt elixir. Rash? Coconut oil! Poop? Coconut oil! Tuesday? Coconut oil!
Ugh! I'm so tired of hearing about coconut oil.
So try to keep a straight face next time you see someone cooking with it. Some woman in your city is slathering stuff from the same jar on her baby's nether regions. Yum!
Ugh! I'm so tired of hearing about coconut oil.
So try to keep a straight face next time you see someone cooking with it. Some woman in your city is slathering stuff from the same jar on her baby's nether regions. Yum!
Jun 29, 2015, 8:13 pm
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: About 45 miles NW of MCO
Programs: Acapulco - Gold, Panama - Red, Timothy Leary 8 Mile High Club
Posts: 29,243
We give it to the dog. I'm not sure why. I tried a spoonful and it had no flavor. I had been hoping for a taste of coconut. The dog can have the rest.
Jun 29, 2015, 8:16 pm
#9
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Atherton, CA
Programs: UA 1K, AA EXP; Owner, Green Bay Packers
Posts: 21,690
Jun 29, 2015, 8:41 pm
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Airline nobody. Sad!
Posts: 26,062
.
Jun 30, 2015, 12:52 am
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2010
Location: FSD
Programs: BAEC, Delta SkyPesos, VS FC, SQ KF, AA, HHonors
Posts: 1,884
I mean, don't you know you have to smother the kids undercarriages with coconut oil after a diaper change? Studies* show that infants anointed with CO are three times more likely to attend elite kindergartens than non-anointed infants.
* Quackenbush, J. "Coconut Oil and Childhood Educational Attainment." (2011) American Journal of Coconut Studies. Coconut Importers' Association of North America, in conjunction with The University of Phoenix.
Jun 30, 2015, 4:00 am
#15
Suspended
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 2,833
It's like stevia, the all-natural wonder sweetener being hailed as the new saccharin/aspartame.
It's tastes horrible,particularly in a nice cup of tea.I'd rather take half a spoonful of sugar and keel over 10 seconds earlier than I'm meant to at some stage in the future than consume that stuff.
It's tastes horrible,particularly in a nice cup of tea.I'd rather take half a spoonful of sugar and keel over 10 seconds earlier than I'm meant to at some stage in the future than consume that stuff.