Is Coconut Oil (or anything else) Healthy?

I saw a not-so accurate sign in the Beautiful People's Grocery Store (BPGS). You know the store I'm talking about. The place that has positioned itself as the arbiter of good health. They like to make it look like it is very difficult to live healthfully without using their products. They are amazing marketers and they sway you with their branding. I have to hand it to them, they do make better choices very convenient, but let's not be naive. We can do the "lets all live healthy" routine at less branded grocery chains. But the BPGS wins some of their business by suggesting that the rest of the world is just trying to pull an unhealthy fast one on the hapless, health-oriented consumer. And this influence is due at least in part to the helpful "factoids" they have on their signs and in their marketing material.

No, I'm not talking about the "2 for 1 stewed tomatoes" sign put on the wrong product shelf, I am talking about the giant banner ensuring something like "we abhor any and all hydrogenated fats and would never try to sell that garbage to you." OK, the sign wasn't worded exactly like that, but I forget the specific wording. Nevertheless, that was certainly the timbre of the banner. I walked by probably a hundred signs today and didn't pay much attention, but that one, I noticed. I noticed because my gut reaction was:

Oh, really!!? Really??!

Because on other visits, I have walked out of the BPGS with a bottle of pressed, refined coconut oil. Without a doubt, pressed, refined coconut oil counts as a partially hydrogenated fat.

I'm sure they meant well with that sign. I'm sure they meant that they are trying to give us the tools to lay off the Crisco and the margarine and the deep frying and all the fake, chemically, pre-packaged cookies and crackers, and I appreciate that. But this issue with the sign and the hydrogenated fats got me to thinking: that which makes up a healthy diet for one, can be a medical disaster for another.

And this partially hydrogenated coconut oil is the perfect example. Folks who have digestive or gut-bacteria issues may benefit from the use of coconut oil as it is thought to have a soothing and anti-microbial effect. But folks who have heart disease may want to avoid coconut oil like the plague as it is a highly saturated fat.

So...do you listen to the American Heart Association who suggests that coconut oil is a dangerously indulgent choice for a cooking fat/oil? Or do you listen to the latest alternative health proponents who suggest that coconut oil is a panacea?

The answer to that question is another question: What's your major malfunction?

Has heart disease taken every one of your grandparents and ancestors? Skip the coconut oil. Are you physically fit but suffer from leaky gut syndrome? Give coconut oil a try.

In fact, you should ask yourself "what's your major malfunction" when making any and all of your food choices. Look at your family health history and your own current health situation, then do a little reading, eat according to the recognized (read: non-quackery) guidelines to support or prevent the major health issue at hand, or the one likely to come down the pike in due time.

You cannot control for all things, so try to control for what matters. You might need to be gluten free. You might need to be vegetarian. You might need to eat a lot of animal protein. You might need to limit yourself to soft foods. You might need lots of raw foods and fibers. The definition of a healthy diet can vary. A LOT. So stop taking the signage or the cute nuggets of health info they send in their newsletter as holy gospel because there is no such thing as a one-size fits all "healthy" diet. For the real-deal healthy diet customized to YOUR needs, talk to your doc and listen to your body.

Oh--and my personal take on coconut oil? I think it makes a first-rate serum to combat dry winter skin, but it can come off as a little too rich and greasy in some recipes, so I usually keep it in the cosmetics cupboard!