Coconut Oil is Bad for You

This may not be the first time you have heard this news about coconut oil and actually this is not really what this blog is about but rather about addressing the importance of questioning “the source of headlines or news and using your own common sense instead of always taking what’s said for granted”.

What a contradictory statement and how concerned do you feel to think you’ve been using this product whilst believing it is good for you?

However, is it true? Here I will revert back to something I’ve said in an earlier Vlog post  – “we were once fed sugary cereals for breakfast believing that this was a “healthy start” to the day but now we know better or do we?”. The thing is…..who’s telling us this and what’s their agenda? Back then Kellogs sat on the board of the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture – the ones who supply the dietary guidelines telling us what a “healthy diet“ should comprise of.

The latest coconut oil headline was published in USA Today and read: “Coconut oil isn’t healthy. It’s never been healthy”.  This may sound terribly disappointing to anyone who thought coconut oil could make you thin, cure cancer, stabilize your cholesterol and lower your blood pressure etc but if you use coconut oil in moderation as part of your varied diet then the headline should not freak you out so much. If you didn’t buy into these claims then you probably are already using common sense.

There have been a variety of studies done on coconut oil and the results support the benefits as well as oppose some of the claims.

But isn’t it the case with everything? There are always two sides.

I have always been skeptical of the idea of selling something as a “miracle cure” or offering one solution for everything. Sadly I did find this was the case with coconut oil and while I use it all the time for many different reasons, I never believed it to be the “one cure fits all” product.

By the way, the ‘coconut oil is bad’ headline was inspired by news from the American Heart Association (AHA). Now, you would think this would be a good source wouldn’t you, but let us not forget that this non profit organization has an agenda. They are a pretty large non profit organization and guess where their funding comes from? Yes, you got it…..from many of the major food and drug corporations. You must remember this when chomping on this sort of information.  The funders and sponsors need to be kept happy and so the organizations are always compromised to support their demands and on a more cynical view may even be keeping the population unhealthy so the pharmaceutical companies can stay in business.

Having read several articles and recently watching a documentary called Food Choices, I can walk away from this headline feeling like I am able to make the right choice for me. I will continue to use coconut oil because I believe it benefits my body both inside and out. As with anything, think MODERATION. Being healthy is all about taking things in moderation, eating a varied natural diet and having the ability to listen to the body.

It is quite challenging at the moment with so much health advice out in the written and on social media, that sometimes it can all get quite confusing. Take time to use your common sense and question who is feeding you the information.

The FOOD CHOICES documentary can be found on Netflix. The AHA’s annual report can be found online if you are interested in learning more about their funders and what they do.

If you are struggling to know what the right choices are for your health, you can always book a free 30 minute consultation with me to find what would work best for you.