DESCRIPTION:
Coconut oil (although plant based, and devoid of cholesterol) is a refined food that has little nutritional value above refined sugar. It's actually worse to consume 100 calories of coconut oil than to consume 100 calories of refined sugar because of the saturated fat content in coconut oil. Our body does not need this extra saturated fat. We get the perfect amount from plant foods low in fat.

You may have heard that coconut oil has a "special" type of fat that is not harmful. However, once again, we will see that while this has some basis in truth, these claims are false. It is true that a small portion of the fatty acids in coconut oil are what are called "medium chain triglycerides" (MCT) and these fats do get oxidized more quickly and appear slightly less fattening than other longer chain fatty acids. They also appear to have less impact on LDL levels.

However, while this is true, it is IRRELEVANT to your health. These medium chain triglycerides make up a small part of the saturated fatty acids in coconut oil. And, because these MCTs are used in the medical and cosmetic industry, they are often removed from coconut oil which leaves an even higher concentration of the other harmful fatty acids that do raise LDL.

At least sugar has carbohydrate, which is the body's preferred fuel. Use coconut oil very sparingly or not at all.

Jeff Novick on the topic: “We are going to look at a food that, in spite of having no nutritional value, is regarded by many as a health food. This food is coconut oil. It seems as if everywhere I go, everyone I talk to is either already consuming coconut oil, or intending to because they have heard about the remarkable health benefits of coconut oil. It is also the topic of many questions I get both from clients and audiences. A quick Google search for "health benefits" and "coconut oil" returns over 100K hits.

Lets look at the nutrient density of coconut oil and compare it to a food that is well known and accepted to be a junk food, sugar. In fact, when I ask audiences to name a junk food, sugar is almost always the most common answer. We could even say that sugar is the epitome of a junk food and the reason is because sugar supplies nothing but empty calories, which are calories without any nutrients (essential amino acids, essential fats, vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc.). So, when we look at coconut oil, regardless of the marketing of coconut oil and the claims made for it, if the nutrient numbers in coconut oil are worse then sugar, then clearly, coconut oil is nothing more than a cleverly marketed junk food. The numbers don't lie” – Jeff Novick, RD

You are welcome to add all the coconut and/or coconut oil you would like to you diet, on one condition; you keep the total amount of saturated fat in your diet below 7% of your total calories (with below 5% being optimal).

http://www.jeffnovick.com/RD/Articles/Entries/2008/4/10_Marketing_Junk_Food__Dont_Go_Cuckoo_Over_Coconut_Oil.html
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