Should coconuts be eaten in limited quantities?

[Mystic]

Hi CC - I was just wondering, you seem to be quite knowledgable about nutritional aspects of food and their properties.

I am just curious though, because the advice I always here from authorities/experts vegan or not, is that coconut contains the undesirable saturated fats and should be eaten in limited quantities. I have noticed that you, however consume coconut quite regularly and I was wondering if their was another side to this story?

[Kiva Dancer]

I would also like to know the answer to this one. Even though I've been told that coconut oil is bad, I'm very interested in hearing about coconut in general.

[Artichoke47]

I happen to have a bag of unsweetened coconut shreds in my refrigerator. For 3 T., it has 9.5 g. of saturated fat, 48% of the US DRV.

[ConsciousCuisine]

Hi CC - I was just wondering, you seem to be quite knowledgable about nutritional aspects of food and their properties.

I am just curious though, because the advice I always here from authorities/experts vegan or not, is that coconut contains the undesirable saturated fats and should be eaten in limited quantities. I have noticed that you, however consume coconut quite regularly and I was wondering if their was another side to this story?

Thanks for asking! :)

Here are a few of my thoughts on the holy Coconut...

Coconuts are high in lauric acid, are antibacterial/anti-fungal and therefore anti-candida. My MD actually told me that Coconuts will help one to lose weight. I already knew/believed this ( I have seen it work with clients) but I thought I'd throw in the opinion of a Licensed Doctor :)

Coconut oil is one of the only oils that remain stable when heated. It is the *best* oil to use when cooking, as high heats do not alter the fatty acids into something unhealthy and toxic, like 99% of all other oils. Another oil that can be heated without high toxicity is peanut oil, which I *love* the taste of but avoid due to the high concentrations of aflatoxins found in peanuts and the difficulty that most every human has to properly digest and assimilate peanut products.

Some nutritionists believe that Vegans do well to have a bit of saturated fat in their diet.

Dr. Udo Erasmus' Book "Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill" has excellent information on every oil eaten by humans. This man has dedicated half his life to the study of Nutrition and specifically fats in human use. He personally told me that coconut oils were a good choice for me and my family, after I described in detail our way of eating (Organic, Vegan, 50-100% Raw, mostly veggies, no "white" and refined starches etc.) He believes that refined carbohydrates or excessive carbohydrates, not saturated fats and fats in general are largely to blame for cholesteol and heart disease related issues with health. (he is NOT an Atkins-phile, for the record).

Lastly, coconut oil is fabulous, tastes great and with a cholesterol level of 126, I can't complain. I doubt it is just genetics that gives me such great stats- my two sisters are omnis who both take cholesterol-lowering medications and STILL have trouble keeping theirs down. :) It must be my healthy way of eating/living :)

[Mystic]

Thanks CC!

[Artichoke47]

Does the coconut oil flavor the dish?

I don't think it's so bad if we vegans get a little saturated fat, either. It's not like we're gluttons, eating fattening food all day like the omnivores (well, most of us ;)), and some saturated fat is good for you.