Not all saturated fat is created equal.
Take coconut oil, for example. It has been known to have a bad rep due to its high content of saturated fat.
But coconut oil also has amazing health benefits.
With constantly changing and conflicting information with what is considered to be “healthy” vs “not healthy”, it is important to better understand the different types of saturated fats.
trans fat is made by taking polyunsaturated oil (such as a vegetable oil) and forcing the chemical of hydrogen in it in order to make it more stable
Lets start with the ubiquitous trans fat. We all know trans fat is bad for us, especially since it’s highly saturated. Trans fat raises your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and lowers your HDL (“good”) cholesterol.
But what makes it even worse is that most* trans fat is made by taking polyunsaturated oil (such as vegetable oil) and forcing the chemical of hydrogen in it in order to make it more stable, thus extending its shelf-life. Processed trans fat is cheaper than other stable saturated fat such as butter, making it more desirable to manufactures.
*Note: some meat and dairy products do contain small amounts of naturally occurring trans fat.
Foods that we think are “healthy” like peanut butter may contain partially hydrogenated fat which is a trans fat
Foods that we think are “healthy” like peanut butter may contain partially hydrogenated fat which is a trans fat. You may not realize this as the food label can read 0 grams trans fat. That’s because by law, nutrition labels are not required to list the amount of trans fat if the food contains less than 0.5 grams of it. One serving of peanut butter that contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat may not seem like much but if you are having more than one serving or eating it regularly, then it can certainly add up. Luckily the FDA has finally put a ban to trans fat for food products in 2018. This is due to the strong link between trans fat and heart disease. In the meantime, be sure to read ingredient labels that contain sneaky names such as hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil.
The American Heart Associate and government guidelines have long advised consumers to avoid saturated fat, even those that are not trans fat. That’s because saturated fats are known to increase cholesterol levels. When there is too much cholesterol in your blood, it builds up in the walls of your arteries, causing a process called atherosclerosis, a form of heart disease. But since LDL (“bad”) cholesterol is the main source of artery “clogging” there is conflicting information when it comes to saturated fat like coconut oil. Although coconut oil is about 90% saturated, it contains mostly lauric acid, a type of saturated fat that raises HDL (“good”) cholesterol.
Lauric acid has strong anti-fungal and antimicrobial properties. It is a medium chain triglyceride also known as MCT. MCT’s are fat that the body can readily use as energy. MCTs have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Small amounts of MCT can be found in butter and other high-fat dairy products from grass-fed cows and goats.
I love adding MCT oil to my morning Matcha or Adaptogenic drinks as I find it gives me great energy.
So does that mean I can have all the coconut oil I want? Recent research has shown that there is no link to foods higher in saturated fat when looking at the relationship between saturated fat intake and risk of cardiovascular disease. However, analysis has shown that when saturated fat is replaced with polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat in a diet, risk of cardiovascular disease decreases. (1)
Bottom line, coconut oil is fine in moderation and even has health benefits such as increasing good cholesterol. When buying coconut oil make sure it’s organic, virgin, and unrefined.
One of my favorite ways to enjoy coconut oil is in baked goods. Here is a great Simple Granola Recipe
What are some of your favorite uses for coconut oil?
Sources:
(1) ACE Sports Nutrition for Health Professionals Copyright 2015
