Health News
- Researchers: Trans Fats, Not Saturated Fats, Are Linked To Greater Risk Of Heart Disease; But No Reason To Eat More Butter And Meat
Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., found that trans fats are linked with greater risk of coronary heart disease and death, but saturated fats are not associated with increased risk of heart disease, stroke, death, or Type...
- Cholesterol Part 3 - How Can We Reduce Our Risk?
In this third and last post on cholesterol and Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) we will talk about what you can do to lower your risk. In the first post we broke down the myths of the Lipid Hypothesis (located HERE) and in the second we covered what...
- Coconut-lime Fried "rice" & Macadamia Nuts
When you hear the words "butter" or "coconut oil" you have been trained to think "heart disease!" Well, I am here to tell you we have been replacing these natural good-mood fats with rancid vegetable oils (corn/canola/soybean) overloaded with omega 6...
- Blondies And Cholesterol Facts
Did you know that cholesterol levels are a very poor predictor of future heart attacks? The risk of future heart attacks has everything to do with excess levels of insulin. This is why diabetics are known to be at a high risk of heart disease. Dropping...
- Zucchini Coconut Bread And Thyroid Health
Many Americans suffer from symptoms such as cold hands and feet, low body temperature, sensitivity to cold, a feeling of always being chilled, headaches, insomnia, dry skin, puffy eyes, hair loss, brittle nails, joint aches, constipation, mental dullness,...
Health News
Coconut Oil: Health Friend or Foe?
By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom
You might have seen advertisements or read magazine articles and health books touting the health benefits of coconut oil. We?re often led to believe that there is a new health secret to using this oil ? that adding it to your diet is definitely a good choice. But what?s the truth about coconut oil?
Coconut oil is a vegetable fat - it comes from a coconut after all. But unlike most vegetable fats, coconut oil has a lot of saturated (artery clogging) fat. The saturated fat in coconut oil is no different from any other saturated fat and it raises the ?bad? LDL cholesterol (think ?L? for Lousy). But coconut oil is different from other saturated fats because it also raises the ?good? HDL cholesterol (think ?H? for healthy).
It?s not really clear what impact coconut oil has on overall heart health because studies show that it raises both good and bad cholesterol. So is it healthy? I?d stick with the other vegetable oils like soybean, canola, or olive that do not raise bad cholesterol but do raise good cholesterol.
Skip the hype of coconut oil as a health promoter. If you like it, use it now and then, as an alternate to butter. But don?t confuse it with the documented health benefits of most other vegetable oils.
And when it comes to fats and oils of any type, they ALL have around 120 calories per tablespoon, so be mindful of your serving size. Don?t have a tablespoon handy? It?s about the size of the tip of your thumb. Not much, but a little goes a long way.
Do you have an opinion about coconut oil? I?d love to hear it!
- Researchers: Trans Fats, Not Saturated Fats, Are Linked To Greater Risk Of Heart Disease; But No Reason To Eat More Butter And Meat
Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., found that trans fats are linked with greater risk of coronary heart disease and death, but saturated fats are not associated with increased risk of heart disease, stroke, death, or Type...
- Cholesterol Part 3 - How Can We Reduce Our Risk?
In this third and last post on cholesterol and Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) we will talk about what you can do to lower your risk. In the first post we broke down the myths of the Lipid Hypothesis (located HERE) and in the second we covered what...
- Coconut-lime Fried "rice" & Macadamia Nuts
When you hear the words "butter" or "coconut oil" you have been trained to think "heart disease!" Well, I am here to tell you we have been replacing these natural good-mood fats with rancid vegetable oils (corn/canola/soybean) overloaded with omega 6...
- Blondies And Cholesterol Facts
Did you know that cholesterol levels are a very poor predictor of future heart attacks? The risk of future heart attacks has everything to do with excess levels of insulin. This is why diabetics are known to be at a high risk of heart disease. Dropping...
- Zucchini Coconut Bread And Thyroid Health
Many Americans suffer from symptoms such as cold hands and feet, low body temperature, sensitivity to cold, a feeling of always being chilled, headaches, insomnia, dry skin, puffy eyes, hair loss, brittle nails, joint aches, constipation, mental dullness,...