It seems as though everyone is crazy for coconut oil right now, especially in the blogging and social media world. Surely you’ve seen some pin or article being shared on your Facebook feed to the amazing health benefits and many uses for coconut oil. I, myself, completely bought into coconut oil the fad without truly understanding why. I clicked through on some pins and found out that not only could I use coconut oil to cook with, but that I should be consuming a teaspoon or two of coconut oil daily for numerous health benefits. I could also use it as a moisturizer, a hair mask for deep conditioning, for shoe polish, wood polish, to treat lice, and even as a cure for athlete’s foot among many, many other things. The absolutely astronomical amount of claimed health benefits and uses for coconut oil seemed to be a little too good to be true, so while I’m on my research kick I decided to look more into these coconut oil claims.
My gut instinct now is that coconut oil is just another buzz topic and trend in the health and beauty industry. I want to break down for you what I’ve learned about different oils and fats and what is good for you and why. My husband has always bugged me that we should only buy canola oil as we are canola growers. This is not a blog post to persuade you to purchase only canola oil, facts are facts and I plan on sharing them!
The Facts on Fats
Coconut oil is high in saturated fat, canola oil contains the lowest amount of saturated fat of any vegetable oil, and soybean & olive oil are kind of in the middle for saturated fats, as you can see in this chart. So what are the different dietary fats?
Shared with permission from Alberta Canola
Harmful Dietary Fats
- Saturated Fat –Mainly comes from animal sources of food and it raises total blood cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, which can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and may also increase your risk for Type 2 diabetes
- Trans Fat – Most are made during food processing which creates fats that are easier to cook with and less likely to spoil than naturally occurring oils. These trans fats are called industrial or synthetic trans fats. Research studies show that synthetic trans fat can increase unhealthy LDL cholesterol and lower healthy HDL cholesterol. This can increase your risk of heart disease.
Healthier Dietary Fats
- Monounsaturated Fats – Found in a variety of foods and oils & studies show that eating foods rich in monounsaturated fats improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease and also may benefit insulin levels and blood sugar control, which can be especially helpful if you have type 2 diabetes. Other foods high in this fat are avocados & nuts.
- Polyunsaturated Fat – This is a type of fat found mostly in plant-based foods and oils. Evidence shows that eating foods rich in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) improves blood cholesterol levels, which can decrease your risk of heart disease. PUFAs may also help decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes. One type of polyunsaturated fat, omega-3 fatty acids, may be especially beneficial to your heart. Omega-3s, found in some types of fatty fish, appear to decrease the risk of coronary artery disease. They may also protect against irregular heartbeats and help lower blood pressure levels. [source]
The Slick on Coconut Oil
As far as nutrition and health, coconut oil is low in cholesterol and contains lauric acid, but it is not known whether or not lauric acid aids in health benefits or works as a medicine as many claim it does. It seems as though the jury is out on lauric acid too! There have been no studies or peer-reviewed research on the reduction or treatment of Alzheimer’s disease symptoms using coconut oil until recently, so it would be false to claim that coconut oil does reduce sypmtoms of Alzheimer’s, but obviously researchers are interested enough to look into this further.
There is no justification for adding it [coconut oil] to the diet on top of the usual consumption of other fats. There is no credible evidence to support any of the many health benefits claimed for using it as a supplement. –Harriet Hall
I do think coconut oil does fit in nicely in the beauty world as a natural product. I have personally tried coconut oil as for diaper rashes and for Ethan’s eczema, and for him it made everything worse. Does this conclude that it’s bad for skin conditions? Absolutely not! But for Ethan it is. I have been hesitant to try it on my skin as I don’t want to add extra oil, especially to my face. Another fact about coconut oil is that it is higher in medium chain triglycerides, making it unique because it is easier to absorb for some people and does provide quick energy and nourishes the body. A lot of people (myself included) prefer the taste of coconut oil to others. To me, canola oil doesn’t have much of a taste, but I cannot stand cooking with extra-virgin olive oil as the taste is awful. It’s really quite subjective!
My Conclusion
It can be really hard as a consumer to weed through all of the information on the internet, especially when it comes to our health. You’ll see Dr. Oz promoting anything that comes with a paycheck in his name, and people assume he’s credible because he is “Oprah’s doctor”, but he continually disregards scientific evidence. I’ve touched on fear-marketing that takes advantage of the (innocently) ignorant consumer, and I am constantly annoyed at all the misleading information on our food these days such as “gluten free” labels on food that never contained gluten in the first place.
The fact of this matter is, the healthier dietary fats are liquid at room temperature vs. solid at room temperature like coconut oil, and many health organizations advise against the consumption of high amounts of coconut oil due to its high levels of saturated fat, including Health Canada, Heart & Stroke Foundation, the United States Food and Drug Administration, World Health Organization, American Heart Association, and many more.
While I assure you that I’m not coconut oil bashing, I personally will be rethinking how much I use it and what I use it for, especially in regards to cooking and consumption. I don’t think coconut oil is a bad product, but I also don’t think it’s as “miraculous” as it’s portrayed either. So as with most things in life – enjoy in moderation!
Update June 2017: The American Heart Association has just released a report advising against the use of coconut oil. Dietary Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association
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I too have a huge tub. I used it on a sunburn and it cleared it up quickly with no peeling. Legs and arms only. I also rub it into my hands and my age spots have faded.
[…] ever will) try to sell directly to my readers. Sure, I write about healthy whole grains and that canola oil is a healthy oil, but that is not directly selling them, so someone attempting to twist it as that is a mark of […]
Fat is fat, and like everything moderation is the key, but as as far as saturated fat and cholesterol, all the old advice is being re-evaluated. It seems the advice that started to be given based on some flawed research has led us to be less healthy and to the obesity epidemic. From the research I've been reading, Sugar is the biggest culprit not fat ( Hydrolized vegetable oil And trans fat being exceptions.)
I am so over hearing about Coconut oil. And I am VERY scared at the same time. I am highly allergic to Coconut anything. I now have to ask when I am eating anything, is there coconut oil in this.
Oh wow I bet! It's so trendy I bet it is used everywhere now!
I'm glad I could encourage you! A blog like yours is so needed right now. Btw, I found you on Instagram after I hashtagged waronwheat.
Power to the hashtag! 🙂
Thanks for this! Finally some reason amidst all the hype. I don't buy into it either, but I do use coconut oil on my face since about a month ago. After years of struggling with either oily skin or dry skin with no happy medium, I found something that seems to balance both out. I find it absorbs quickly, and works great for washing makeup off too. I just found your blog, and I want to say that I really appreciate what I've read so far. I am increasingly frustrated with the general population's tendency to mistrust scientist, and instead… Read more »
You said this at just the right time, thanks for your kind words and for taking the time to say them!
It's important to me to choose Canadian products when possible and for me – that's canola oil. I like to know that I'm supporting my local farmers when possible. Personally I use canola oil exclusively in my kitchen for all of my baking and cooking needs. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on coconut oil as well as giving other fats an overview.
I have a history of eczema, much milder as an adult than as a child, with occasional breakouts on eyelids . Having started using coconut oil with moderation, I decided to try it on my skin. Like your Ethan, it made it worse. I like to use natural products whenever possible, but have found with skin sensitivity, I tend to react more with most "all natural" products than others. Thank you for the research you do. I also appreciated your comments re GM foods.
Sorry this is a late response, but thanks for your comments. I really do like to do my research before I hope on any bandwagons 😉
Very interesting…I've never cooked with it, but bought some because I read it would be good to put on my scalp for dryness (which is a HUGE problem for me). I smeared my head (rubbing it into my scalp) with it on two separate occasions, leaving it for 10-15 minutes, then washed my hair. Didn't do a thing for my dry scalp – I was bummed! But, I do love the smell of it and use it on my hands sometimes. Thanks for taking the time to do the research!
I'm not sure how to use it much as a beauty product, Deb…but maybe you need to leave it on longer? Might be worth looking into more. Thanks for reading and the comment.
Definitely an interesting read and a good thought to ponder! Thanks 🙂
You're welcome.
Very interesting… I've always seen the hype about it and wondered if it was worth it! Glad to have read up on this!
Glad to have written it!
I LOVE coconut oil…I use it on Parker instead of lotion, and recently started using it in my baking. I still use other oils though…always appreciate your perspective Sarah!
Thanks, Ruthy! I wish coconut oil worked for Ethan, I have a whole tub of it!
Yikes. Not something I need more of but I do know that it does wonders on your skin and hair!
My recent post Teagan's 1 Year Stats
Yes I think it's a wonderful beauty product.
This is really interesting. I was actually at the store last night and saw a coconut supplement display with almost all the bottles gone and thought to myself, hmm, i wonder if that stuff works. After reading this and seeing how much saturated fat is in it – I won't be trying it. Thanks for sharing this information.
My recent post Pumpkin Carving
Thanks, Heather. I think it's just a trend and people (like myself) just assume it's all good and jump on.
I'm with you, totally. I feel like I should stack coconut oil in the Fad Ingredient closet with bee pollen and shark cartilage. I love using coconut oil as the base for making Thai food and it's a great substitute for butter in some foods (I use it in my smashed sweet potatoes), but fat is fat — we only need so much, and should be choosing heart-healthy ones. I have used it on baby bums and dry skin, as I really liked the "one ingredient" list, and it worked beautifully for my babies. But, you know what? Canola oil, grapeseed… Read more »
Thanks, Lyndsey for your comment!
I'm going to be brave and try substituting for butter in some of my baking to see if I like it. I really wished it worked on Ethan….especially because I have a Costco tub of it! I think it's very popular and accepted in the mommy community because it's cloth diaper approved and usually oils are a big no-no. I wonder why that is? Yes Rick Tallieu tweeted that canola oil can be used as a beauty product too!