Is Coconut Oil REALLY Healthy? See Dr. Mercola’s Answer

Dr. Joseph Mercola has two kinds of oil in his pantry: olive oil and coconut oil. Watch this video to find out why.

Coconut oil is beneficial for:

1. thyroid health –  due to its metabolic effect, coconut oil increases the activity of the thyroid and help you lose weight
2. heart health – lowers cholesterol
3. and it’s great applied to your skin – as a makeup remover, moisturizer

Of these two oils, Dr. Mercola uses olive oil for salads, and coconut oil for cooking. Why does he use coconut oil for cooking? Because it doesn’t oxidize at high temperatures like live oil can, and industrial oils do. Speaking of industrial oils, avoid these polyunsaturated oils: canola, safflower, soy, sunflower, corn.

What … avoid canola? Yes! Many people think canola oil is good for them, but it’s not. Follow the money, and read this article about the Great Con-ola. If you eat packaged food, read labels carefully; if it says canola on the label, don’t buy it. I recently noticed canola oil on the ingredient list of a popular brand of hummus. Using canola oil in hummus instead of olive oil means the manufacturer’s focus is on cheap, not quality.

Now, back to coconut oil. Look for these qualities in a good coconut oil:

Certified organic by USDA standards No refining No chemicals added (including hexane) No bleaching No deodorization No hydrogenation Made from traditional coconut palms only, no hybrid or genetically modified (GMO) varieties Made from fresh coconuts, not the dried “copra” used in cheap oils Made without heat processing

You can buy good quality coconut oil from Dr. Mercola’s site or Wilderness Family Naturals. I bought mine from Green Pasture, but I don’t see it on their website today.

Dr. Mercola will be the keynote speaker at Wise Traditions, the Weston A. Price Foundation’s International Conference in Dallas, November 11 – 13, 2011. I’ll be there!

If you want to learn more about the health benefits of coconut oil, here’s a good article from real food blogger Cheeseslave, and read Bruce Fife’s well-researched book The Coconut Oil Miracle. Be well!