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Over the past couple of months we have been looking at the rapid decline of health in the U.S. since 1940, especially as it pertains to heart disease, the leading cause of death. As a review, we spoke of the great changes in fats since World War II when coconut oil was cut off from the U.S. and gradually replaced by polyunsaturated fats. As these new fats became popular and considered “heart healthy,” saturated fats like coconut oil (92 percent saturated) became the evil enemy.
Coconut oil has been used for thousands of years in the Philippines, the Pacific Islands, Fiji, Indonesia, Polynesia, Malaysia, and India as both a food and a medicine with over 1000 uses. It is considered by these people as a cure for all illness. The coconut palm, often known as the “staff of life,” yields many foods: flour, milk, vinegar, water and most important, oil.
For this reason, it is highly valued in the Philippines and called the “Tree of Life.” In India, it is referred to as “kalpavriksha,” meaning the tree which provides all the necessities of life. In countries using coconut oil, degenerative disease, including heart disease, is almost unheard of. When the people of these countries eat the western diet of processed foods and oils, they develop heart disease so prevalent in the U.S. and Europe.
When you purchase coconut oil, be sure it is not hydrogenated or refined. It must be extra virgin. Coconut oil is the only oil that should be used for cooking because of its stability under high heat, not producing free radicals.
Next edition: General benefits of coconut oil
