If you have been on the diet roller coaster, you are likely one of millions of people who are seeking answers to the weight loss mystery that so many are trying to solve. When people are asked the reasons why they're "on a diet", a common answer is "to lose weight." Often times when I hear this, I will ask, "specifically what do you want to lose?" We could be talking about water weight or body fat. Keeping a running tab of grams of fat is one strategy that many dieters use as part of an effort to trim down. I would imagine that most of these people would be horrified at the thought of eating foods that contain high amounts of fat (particularly saturated fat!), however there is a source of fat that has less calories than other fats and does not contribute any more to gaining body mass than protein or carbs, and actually has been linked to improved health. The "fat" we are speaking of here is in the form of coconut oil, which has unfairly developed a bad reputation. As a society of dieters, we have been trained to believe that the less fat we take into our bodies, the better off we'll be, however our bodies do need fats in order to survive and work properly. So, instead of stressing out over eating foods that contain fat and thinking we need to totally run the other direction from fat, we should instead consider a fat that is better for us, such as coconut oil, which does not contribute to gaining weight any more than other foods. As we think about making changes to a healthier lifestyle, we should think about substituting the fat sources se currently use with coconut oil, which could be one of the healthiest things we can change as part of a plan to shed excess body fat. All fats are not the same!
".....but coconut oil is supposed to be bad for you!"
Ever since a 1960's study was released, coconut oil has had an undeserved reputation as a saturated fat source that is an artery clogging villain that sends cholesterol through the roof and should be avoided like the plague. One important thing to keep in mind about this study, however, is that the oil was in hydrogenated form when it was studied, rather than the organic virgin form, which is actually very healthy and beneficial for us. It is true that hydrogenated oils do have long term negative affects on the human body but, thankfully, through further research, we now realize that extra virgin coconut oil has versatile benefits that should be included in cooking with a variety of recipes. All fats, whether they are in the form of saturated or unsaturated, animal or plant, have pretty much the same number of calories. The medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil, however, differ from other sources of fat as they actually contain fewer calories due to the smaller size of the fatty acids in the oil. This results in an energy value of only 6.8 calories per gram compared to the 9 calories per gram offered by other fats, which shows that by using coconut oil in place of other oils (and also butter) your calorie intake will be lower. The number of calories coconut oil offers is actually closer to that of carbohydrate because it is processed and digested differently than other types of fat.
As we've pointed out already, it's common for people who are dieting to avoid those foods which contain the highest fat content. It seems as if we constantly hear about dieters obsessively counting their "fat grams" which they believe to be the most important element of weight loss. But, should we blame the actual fat itself and view it with such concern? Well, the answer is yes and no. Yes, fat is typically higher in calories than carbs or protein, and because of the way our bodies digest it and use it, it can be a primary contributor to increasing body fat. But the good news is that not all fats produce that result in our body.
When we consume fat, it's broken up into individual fatty acids and reformed into small portions of fat and protein known as lipoproteins, which are sent into the bloodstream where the fatty acids are deposited straight into our fat cells. Additional nutrients such as carbs and proteins are broken down and quickly used for energy or building up tissue. Provided that we eat enough to meet our energy needs and don't over indulge in excess, the fat content in our foods always ends up as fat in our cells. The periods between our main meals is when physical activity outpaces energy reserves and when fat is removed from storage and used as fuel.
The Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFA), on the other hand, are digested and used in a different way by the body. They are not formed into lipoproteins and don't move through the bloodstream like other fats do, but instead are delivered straight to the liver where they are rapidly converted into energy much the same way that carbohydrates are. When we consume coconut oil as part of our diets, the body uses it immediately to make energy instead of storing on the body, padding us with body fat. As a result of this, we can take in much more coconut oil than other types of oil before the excess is changed into fat. There have been studies that have provided scientific confirmation, in animals and humans, that substituting traditional sources of dietary fat, which are made up mostly of LCFA, with MCFA such as coconut oil, results in foods having a lower caloric content. MCFA can be a helpful agent in the controlling the amount of fat that is deposited in the body. Adding extra virgin coconut oil is one of the best ways to start including these MCFA into our overall diet.
Metabolic Miracle?
I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard someone complain about having a "slow metabolism." I'm sure these people are right in some cases as not all people have the same metabolic rates. Is there anything we can do about this? When we consume food, many of our body cells ramp up their activities to help the digestion process. The stimulation of this cell activity is known as diet-induced thermogenesis and uses almost 10 percent of the energy of food that is taken into our bodies. Have you ever noticed that you sometimes feel warmer after eating a meal, particularly on a cool day? This happens because the body's "engine" is running at a faster rate, which causes the body to produce more heat. Different types of foods can cause different metabolic effects. For example, foods that are high in protein (meats, etc.) increase thermogenesis ( or heat production) and have an energizing effect on the body. Protein has a higher metabolic effect than carbs and fats and is a reason why many people say they have significantly less energy when they greatly reduce their consumption of meats. I've known people on the Adkins Diet who have mentioned this phenomenon. Increasing the metabolism burns off more calories and is a main reason why high protein diets can promote losing weight.
So, what does this have to do with Coconut Oil?
Coconut oil can offer us a greater metabolic boost than protein as it's MCFA properties rev up the metabolism into a high gear helping us burn more calories. Since MCFA raise the metabolic rate, they are sources of fat that can actually contribute to weight loss as long as other areas of your diet are monitored and kept in check. Who was it that said moderation is the key? A fat that can help us lose unwanted rather than helping to pack it on is bound to raise the skeptical eye of many people, but that is truly what will happen provided that calories exceeding the body's needs are not consumed. MCFA are easily absorbed and rapidly burned and used as energy for metabolism, leading to an increase of metabolic activity and even burning off those bad LCFA. Coconut oil offers the most dense natural source of MCFA available. The use of refined hydrogenated oils actually encourage weight gain because of their negative effects on the thyroid, the gland that controls metabolism in the body, and because of their higher calorie values. Polyunsaturated vegetable oils can slow down thyroid activity, which leads to a slower metabolic rate - the opposite effect of coconut oil. Consuming polyunsaturated oils, such as soybean oil, can contribute more to weight gain than any other fat, even surpassing the dreaded lard. Dr. Ray Peat, an endocrinologist specializing in the study of hormones, reports that unsaturated oils hinder the secretion of thyroid hormone, its movement in the circulation, and the responding of tissues to the hormone. When thyroid hormones are not operating efficiently, the metabolism becomes more "lazy."
In summary, we have learned that, for the most part, saturated fat in coconut oil does not lead to fatty tissues developing on our bodies. Instead, it creates energy, which is one of the reasons why food producers add coconut oil or MCFA in baby foods, energy bars, and even sports drinks. For a number of years now, western culture has been conditioned to believe that vegetable oil, corn oil, soybean, and canola oils are "good" for us and should be part of our regular diet. As a society, we use more soybean and hydrogenated oils than ever before in fast foods but also in foods that we cook at home. Over the years soybean oil has replaced tropical oils in our foods and the problem of obesity has grown in both adults and children. This is not to say that the oils are the only cause of this, however, what we take into our bodies matters and does cause consequences. So, with this in mind, if dropping unwanted weight is your goal, or if simply bettering your health is what you're after, one of the best things you can do is to eliminate those oils that make you fat and start including extra virgin coconut oil in your diet.
Some contents of this article are based on the writings of Bruce Fife, N.D., from his book, "The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil", Dr. Fife is a certified nutritionist and naturopathic physician who has contributed many informative writings on the nutritional benefits of coconut oil.
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