FAT video w/Fallon, Enig & Dr. Eades & Coconut Myth Buster #1

Still have a problem understanding fats? No wonder...Fifty years of false propaganda has every one's head spinning! The scam with trans fats is up...but the challenge remains to neutralize the 'demonization' campaign against saturated fats. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? Click above to bite off a piece of truth...then chew it for a while. What will you do with it? If you're anything like me, you'll want more info. You can go to the YouTube location of the above video and find more. Nourishing Traditions is another great resource.
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Coconut Myth Buster #1:

Coconut is admittedly a high-fat food. We all know, of course, that high-fat foods cause heart disease, right? We've been told and told and told by every 'reputable' resource that this is fact. These 'facts' were based on a hypothesis. To review elementary science, a hypothesis is a theory. An unproven theory.

As an example, think Columbus. Think "The world is flat". Think, "People are gonna think I'm nuts if I agree with ol' Chris, so I'm gonna keep my mouth shut...even if I can't figure out how it is that I see the masts on the ships coming into port before I actually see the ships..." Think of pointing fingers and an outcry of "Heretic!" when you say something isn't what the whole world says it is.

That should give you a little bit of an idea of the battle people like Mary Enig and Sally Fallon have been fighting for decades. But they won the battle over trans fats. Today, people like you and I, regular everyday people, are little by little, learning the truth. In fact, we're learning so well, that the large food corps are starting to shake in their boots. They're doing really dumb things that do no less than confirm suspicions that they're up to no good..."Like what?" you ask. Like running farmers out of business because an organic farmer's seed blows into their field. Like suing people who take pictures of their cattle 'farms', draining the average man's pocketbook long before the courtroom is ever entered. Like using scare tactics as those you will see if you dare to watch the film, "Food, Inc.".

So back to the high-fat scam.The hypothesis I speak of is called the 'lipid hypothesis' which states that there are three stages in the progression of heart disease: 1) Consumption of too much cholesterol & saturated fat w/the consequence of high cholesterol, 2) The high cholesterol produces atherosclerosis, and finally, 3) Atherosclerosis clogs up blood vessels with an end in coronary heart disease.

The problem with this hypothesis is that there is much scientific evidence, ignored evidence that has been known for over fifty years, that actually contradicts each of these stages. So this knowledge has been kept buried away from the public mind for so long that the public has had no real choice but to believe what they have been fed.

So, is it true? Do high-fat foods cause heart disease?

Studies tell us the answer is "No".

1960's:  Masai of Kenya:  Cattle herders whose diets consisted of an average of 1 gallon of full-fat, raw milk/day, (That's about 3/4 lb. butterfat!), and Dr. George Mann of Vanderbilt University who conducted the study reports that at their festivals, the Masai would eat from four to ten pounds of meat. (Sorry, but that even makes me want to gag.) But here are the points. 1) They were completely free of heart disease. 2) Blood Cholesterol was measured at 50 % lower than the average American, 3) In his study of 50 hearts and arteries from varied ages, obstruction-causing plaque was rare, and 4) No evidence of a heart attack was found in any of the hearts.

1975-1981: Framingham-Puerto Rico-Honolulu Study:  The National Institutes of Health, studied 16,000 healthy, middle-aged men from these three areas. In 1975, all they had to do was answer questions about their normal diets. In 1981, the diets were compared between the ones not having had heart attacks and those having had heart attacks. DON'T LOSE THIS NEXT FACT: Those who had fallen victim to heart attacks had consumed more polyunsaturated oils than those who had not. This is exactly opposite the suppositions made by the lipid hypothesis.

Let's look at another, bigger study.

1998: Journal of Clinical Epidemiology: A review of 27 studies of over 150,000 people. The studies were aimed at the connection between heart health and diet.

"In three groups, the patients had eaten more animal fat than the controls. In one group, they had eaten less. In all the other groups, researchers found no difference in animal fat consumption between people with heart disease and those without. What's more, in three groups the patients had eaten more vegetable oil than the controls. In only one group had patients eaten less vegetable oil than the control group."

Critics of these studies site the fact that they are older studies. (But is truth truth today and not tomorrow???) Still, for the sake of conceding to the insanity, I suppose I need to tell the further truth that there are more recent studies that confirm those studies. Following, read two such study reports:

2002: European Journal of Clinical Nutrition: Reported on a Denmark study in which researchers zeroed in on hospital patients diagnosed with heart disease. The patients were divided into three groups: two who ate generally 'healthy' diets, low in animal fats, high in whole grains, fruits, and veggies. The last group ate lots of meat, butter and even white bread. Still, they found no link between food consumption habits and coronary heart disease.
 

Butterfat protects heart health!

2004: British Journal of Nutrition: (Oh, you're going to love this!)...This report comes to us from a Swedish study. Milk fat, (butterfat), was "negatively connected with risk factors for heart disease and heart attack." Translation? Butterfat protects rather than hinders, heart health.

In short, scientific research has never supported the idea that high-fat foods cause heart attacks.

In a coconut shell: Don't be afraid of coconut's saturated fat.

"But what about cholesterol???", I heard a voice plaintively whine...
Geez, this stuff can get deep, can't it? ...Well, that will be Coconut Myth Buster #2.

Coconut: For Weight Loss, Immunity, Thyroid Health...even HIV

As spring progresses and here in Virginia, summer weather descends with hot and humid fury, it's even easier to love the tropical taste of coconut. Like many others, the mix of pineapple and coconut flavors can move my day up an entire notch. And as much as I hate to say it, if you do not like the taste of coconut, this is not going to be a post for you.

In regard to coconut products, the ones that give us the most nutrient value are those that still retain their natural coconut flavor. This is one reason why I will not advocate refined coconut oil...more about that shortly. We also need to be sure not to cut corners when it comes to the fat content of coconut products. The value of coconut is found in its fat, so we need to be sure to purchase full fat coconut products.

I know that as our culture has embarked on its anti-fat campaign, the idea of fat is majorly repulsive to many. I wish I had the time to get into it deeply here, but I frankly, do not. I have read the research and am convinced that fat expert, Dr. Mary Enig and the hundreds of others in her 'camp' are teaching truth. Beyond the science that they use to prove their conclusions, as I have explained in the past, I just don't believe God would give this gift as a food source if it's poison to my body. This is why I don't camp, myself, fully in the "No-Sugar Ever Camp", either. There is sugar in fruit, and sugar cane is a plant...It is the over-indulgence in and extreme processing and genetic modification of something God made perfect in the first place,  that messes up these gifts and turns them into foods that hinder health.


Let's start today with the GOODNESS of coconut. We will refute the supposed 'evils' in a different post. I will be using "Eat Fat, Lose Fat" as my main resource for the information I'm passing along today. This is the book I reviewed earlier and gave less than a perfect score...in my opinion, that is. The reason I did this was because of the caliber of difficulty and time to prepare many of the recipes given. If gourmet cooking is a norm for you, or if you are already familiar with traditional cooking methods, it will be fine for you. If you are new to either forms of cooking, I believe that in order to avoid becoming overwhelmed, you'll need to take the book at a much slower pace than prescribed within its pages. However, this does not usurp the quality of the information given about fats and cholesterol, or the weight-loss or health recovery methods it employs.
I will also be using "Nourishing Traditions", as this was the first place I discovered the good truths about coconut.

I do try to keep my writing as much on a layman's level as possible, as I am a layman myself and understand the frustration and irritation that comes from trying to read medical or scientific jargon without knowledge of the verbiage used. So as I write, I will do my best to explain terms that may be unfamiliar.

A very important term to understand is, 'medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs)'. Long-chain fatty acids require the gallbladder to work harder because it secretes the bile salts needed for their digestion. Medium-chain fatty acids don't require bile salts for digestion. If you have discovered that fats tend to hinder your digestion, or if you have just become convinced of your body's need for fats after having abstained for a long period of time, you will find that the medium-chain fatty acid of coconut oil doesn't hinder digestion. This makes it a perfect oil to use when reintroducing fats into your diet.

Weight Loss: Ha ha! This is a term every American understands without interpretation! You'll most likely be happy to know that the MCFA's found in coconut oil are exactly the fatty acids that use up energy during mobilization. This means they are effective as an aid to weight loss. The energy used by the body to metabolize MCFA's  is more than the amount of energy they give.. The fatty acid that oxidizes the fastest?  Lauric acid...and coconut oil is almost 50% lauric acid. There are several foods that raise body temperature. This is good for weight loss, too because this is evidence that your energy level and metabolic rate are being raised. Coconut oil 'just happens' to be one of those foods that raises the metabolic rate.

And then there's the "Thyroid Thingy". This is especially important to me as I have radioactive iodine- induced hypothyroidism. But the facts here are important to anyone with low thyroid symptoms. Thyroid deficiency affects about 12 million Americans and some endocrinologists suspect the condition is undiagnosed in millions more. All by itself, hypothyroidism causes a low metabolic rate with consequent weight gain, dry skin, depression, mental fog and lethargy. In addition to this, it can be a precursor to breast cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, and heart disease. There are no specific studies of coconut oil's affects on the thyroid gland, but it is a confirmed fact that it raises the metabolism and causes weight loss. According to "Eat Fat, Lose Fat", there are many hypothyroid patients who have been able to eliminate their medications after adding coconut to their diet. (I am not advocating this without the approval of your physician.)

Synergy: I talked about this when I spoke of fats in the last few weeks' posts. Synergy is a little like a co-dependent relationship. One can't manage well without the other. One needs the other for best function. Both work together to make it work best. Our bodies must have saturated fats to use the essential fatty acids, (Omega-3 and -6), effectively. As it so happens, the more saturated fats we consume, the less of the others are needed. This makes coconut, a natural saturated fat, a good thing, because most of us have difficulty getting enough Omega-3's and -6's, and trying to balance their intake, which is important, is also difficult. Saturated fats not only ensure that Omega-3 and -6 are used most efficiently by the body, they ensure that they are retained. Once again, the cycle comes around...Perhaps the reason we have so much trouble with maintaining adequate levels of Omega-3 and -6 is because our society has developed a brain-washed paranoia about saturated fats and therefore, strongly or even completely avoids them. The 'therefore' to that? ...Even when we consume 'The Omegas', our bodies can't use them effectively or retain them.

Lauric Acid: This is a biggie! Lauric acid is antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal. It is found in mommy's milk. Converted upon consumption into 'monolaurin', lauric acid becomes a defensive line against bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens...The main thing to remember about the lauric acid, so prevalent in coconut oil, is that it supports, reinforces and strengthens the immune system. Other saturated fats are produced by the liver, but lauric acid comes from the mammary glands in animals. It can also be found in coconut oil, palm kernel oil, or in lesser amounts, butterfat.

Interested in knowing some disease organisms fought by lauric acid? Check these out:

• viruses: herpes, measles and HIV (Yes! HIV!)*
• bacteria: listeria (food poisoning), staphylococcus and streptococcus
• parasites: gastroenteritis-causing giardia lamblia. 

*According to "Nourishing Traditions", "AIDS patients and others with compromised immune system function should consume 20-25 grams grams of lauric acid/day. Approximately 12 grams of lauric acid are contained in 2 TBS coconut oil or 3 TBS creamed coconut; 10 grams of lauric acid are contained in 1/2 C. canned whole coconut milk or 1/2 C. desiccated coconut meat.

 To get deeper details on anything I've spoken of here, I highly recommend, "Eat Fat, Lose Fat". You may order it at the top of the page, find it at the library, or purchase it through a book store or try eBay.

In the next post: "Coconut Oil: 10 More Ways It's Great!"
Upcoming post subjects: "Myth-Busters regarding Coconut's Supposed Evils", "How to get Milk from Your Coconut", "Coconut Sources".