Coconut Oil - is it good for your baby?
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Coconut Oil - Deciphering the code and hype
One thing's for sure - coconut oil smells great. To me, it always smells like summer, due to one fantastic holiday I spent as a child on the New Zealand coast. The sunblock we used had coconut oil in it. And now I have only to catch a faint whiff of it to summon up that whole sundrenched holiday, complete with canoe trips, swimming and many lazy afternoons in the hammock. So that's me - sold on coconut oil from the smell of a summer's holiday.
Now more importantly - the facts. Coconut oil - is it healthy and helpful? We're going to look at the science-based evidence as well as the user-friendly evidence. And draw some conclusions.
The claims about coconut oil are many and various. I've been to forums where people claim it's cured everything from HIV to acne. Now, I can't judge for myself the facts behind these stories. However, it's important to look from many directions at a topic before evaluating.
Cracking the Coconut Myth
The language of fat - what exactly does it mean?
Well, there are saturated fats, and un-saturated, and trans fats, and most of us have been lead to believe that saturated fats are Bad, and unsaturated fats are Good, and trans fats are Very Bad.
Which is close to, but not the whole truth. Coconut oil now is emerging from under the 'saturated fat is bad for you' craze of a few years ago.
Coconut oil is 90% saturated fat (0% trans fat.) But because of its molecular structure it doesn't really deserve to be lumped in with the 'Bad' saturated fats.
Unlike 98% of all other fats which are long-chain, coconut oil is a MCT, or medium-chain triglycerides (a different type of fat.) In fact, it's even used as an aid in weight loss.
So how do medium-chain triglycerides make coconut oil different? Unlike most fats, MCT fats are very easy to absorb. (Actually, that's why fats are fattening. They don't get absorbed and used. They get stored - as fat.)
Other Benefits of Coconut Oil
If you were ever given formula as a baby you benefitted from coconut oil. Part of coconut oil has been added to baby formula for decades. Coconut oil is also used in hospitals to feed premature babies and severely injured people. (This is a fairly strong indication of its nutritional properties.)
This is because it helps greatly their growth and healing, and is so easily absorbed. Medical studies have shown that coconut oil can even be absorbed through the skin. Premature babies massaged with coconut oil showed increased weight gain.
So, after having a look at the evidence, it seems coconut oil comes out a winner.
If you're still not convinced, maybe you'll like this Coconut Rice recipe from Belize
1 cup uncooked brown rice
2 cups water
½ can coconut milk
1 Tbs. organic natural sugar
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. fresh ground tri-color peppercorns
Add all ingredients together in rice cooker (or heavy pot with lid on stovetop) and steam until liquid is absorbed. Texture will be tender and creamy.
by Sharon Supplee
Also posted at www.coconutresearchcenter.org/successstories.htm
Links of Interest
- Nature Beds
Organic Baby Bedding Store - The Coconut Research Center
Resource for all things Coconutish - All Recipes
Coconut Recipes - Coconut Oil Facts
Facts about Coconut Oil. - Coconut-Info
The place for information on the health benefits of coconut products - Coconut Oil - The Truth
Thai food and travel - A New Look at Coconut Oil
Mary Enig, PhD, - Know your Facts
Health Trends
Actually, it's funny how health trends emerge. I remember when carbs were good, then carbs were bad, then fat was bad, then fat was good, then protein was in.
I think whenever some 'new' product emerges, it's worth taking a broad look at it. See the research, listen to the stories, then try it out. Often these 'discovered' nutrients and supplements have been used for centuries in their natural form. Then some scientific studies are done, and the results are blown out of all proportion in a marketing push to sell the next wonder cure-all.
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Thank you.
I've been enjoying reading your hubs as well.
Hey Naomi,
I love coconut oil and milk, cook with it all of the time... most of the saturated fat phobia is garbage BTW, many long term studies just haven't proven out any links between it and heart disease, etc. Some people with low "bad" cholesterol die of heart disease, and some with high levels live forever (nearly :)
There is a really good book that discusses the made-up "science" behind this: "Eat fat to lose fat".
My grandpa was from the WWI + WWII survivor generation and ate every piece of animal fat he could get his hands on (he would eat the stuff off of our plates that we and most other people would cut off). He lived to be 89, and had no heart or related artierial issues at all when he died.
That's a cool story about your grandpa. It's true there's a lot conventional medical science can't account for.
My father used to be the doctor looking after an old age home, and this pair of gents, Harold and Ivan, defied medical science. Ivan smoked, and Harold used to eat about a pound of lard a day. He reckoned it 'kept his joints oiled.'
So you never know...they bothed lived well into their nineties. What's the book called?
I love using coconut oil. It feels so good, on the skin and in food, besides smelling great. Personally, I feel that the closer to nature a fat is, the better for you it probably is. To that end, I avoid most vegetable oils and canola oil. After all, I can't get them on my own, from the raw product. Olive oil, coconut oil and animal fats -- I can get those without much equipment.
My 4 year old grandson is highly allergic to tree nuts which includes coconut and even sesame. I now read all lables. I was shocked to read coconut in the baby formula a child in my care drinks. Luckily my grandson was breast fed and was almost two when we discovered he had an allergic reaction to a treenut. What if he would of been given a baby formula containing coconut as an infant ? It seems tree nut allergies are pretty common and adding it to a newborns diet is risky.
Vita Coco is also really good for people of all ages.
Mmmm... Coconut is not 'technically' a nut; The jury is out on whether the coconut is a fruit, nut or seed. A Botanist considers the coconut one-seeded drupe (aka: dry drupe.) A drupe is a fruit with a hard stony covering enclosing the seed (much like a peach or olive.) 'Drupa means 'overripe olive. The coconut and all drupes have three layers: exocarp (outer layer); the mesocarp (fleshy middle layer) and the endocarp (hard, woody layer that surrounds the seed.) The definition given as coconut can be all three: a fruit, a nut or a seed. Until proven otherwise the coconut comes under: fruit; nut and seed.
Botanically, coconuts are most closely related to other palms and betel nuts. They come from coconut palm trees and are not closely related to most other tree nuts. While botanical relationships are not the only factor that determines whether two foods will be cross-reactive, foods that are close biological relatives often share related allergenic proteins. (Good example of this phenomenon are cashews and pistachios - two closely related plants that contain similar proteins. People who are allergic to one of these nuts are often allergic to both.) There is some evidence of cross-reactivity between coconuts and hazelnuts and between coconuts and walnuts.
What does this mean about coconut's role in your diet if you've been diagnosed with an allergy to another tree nut? First, you should avoid coconuts after a positive allergy test to another tree nut given that there is some possibility of cross-reactivity and that tree nut reactions can be severe. Second, if you're allergic to another tree nut, have a history of eating coconuts without problem, and are interested in seeing whether coconuts could be part of your diet, discuss the possibility of further testing with your allergist. Your allergist can let you know whether your other test results and history make more testing or a food challenge a reasonable next step.
It is said that one can survive on coconut alone.
livelonger Level 6 Commenter 4 years ago
Excellent hub - I agree that coconut oil, and saturated fat in general, has been given an unfairly bad rap in the past.