Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives NSD and diet-related; Coconut oil? Agree or disagree?

I have a doctor {MD.} friend who also practices homeopathic medicine and is a macrobiotic{grows his own food}. I asked him about the health benefits of coconut oil. His very strong response was, "if you live in the tropics and coconut is fresh, then it is good to eat. Living in New York, it is not healthy or advisable. Even the best processed oil will not be fresh and then it transported. It is not practicle to eat this food source for seasonal reasons. We do not grow coconuts in the northeast, therefore we do not eat food that is not local to our environment". After reading up on coconut oil, I do believe that there are health benefits, but my friend does have a point. I am trying to sort through what is healthy for us and what is not.
I would love to get feedback on this.
Do you agree or disagree?
Laurie

If you are not following his macrobiotic or locavore diet, then go ahead and eat the coconut milk. You have enough other things to worry about on low starch diet than to be sure everything you eat is also locally sourced and native to your area.

If you eat oranges, pineapples, melons... well those don't grow in New York either.

So I say, eat that coconut milk! Eating locally is a lovely concept... but you have enough on your plate to deal with right now, so to speak.

Does your friend also believe that it is not advisable to eat fruit or vegetables grown in far away places (say...South America) because they are out of season in the Northeast (e.g. blueberries, grapes)? Will your friend not eat pineapple since it is not grown in the Northeast, yet has numerous documented benefits? Has your friend never eaten citrus fruits or given them up all together since the climate in the Northeast cannot support their growth (to my knowledge)? Does your friend not consume olive oil because olives are not readily grown, or grown at all, in the Northeast?

I think you get my point. I can fully understand the desire to eat locally and foods indigenous to our living areas, but for me at least, that is not always possible. Additionally, coconut oil is one of the healthiest, if not the healthiest saturated fat to include in one's diet. It is nearly 50% lauric acid (a medium chain triglyceride...search it and you'll find all kinds of good stuff). I was hesitant to use coconut oil at first, but then did some research to get the skinny. Just make sure you are using the correct kind; virgin or extra virgin, unrefined, preferably organic. Coconut oil is extremely stable, and is far superior (in it's virgin, unrefined form) to even those "healthy" oils like most canola, safflower, etc, that are RBD (refined, bleached, deodorized).

Now, I better get back to eating my peaches and peanuts that are grown locally here in Georgia.

I feel the same way as you about the health benefits of coconut oil and just needed reinforcement. Thank you

Food that is not local to our enviroment?
Is he kidding? As a former New Yorker If that statement was true you would be eating Apples and drinking Milk full time.
There would be No pork, very little beef, local produce only in the summer, no citrus or OJ, no pineapple, papaya, or mangoes or banannas, and the list goes on...

Richard

I agree with Jaybird. Get extra virgin coconut oil, organic if possible and you will be fine. Coconut oil is very stable. Unlike unsaturated vegetable oils, it will not get rancid at room temperature. Of course if it is years old, it will taste stale.

I believe you're better off eating a variety of nutritious foods rather than a select few that are optimally grown.

If I am not mistaken, brown rice is a staple in the macrobiotic diet. I doubt that there is much rice grown in the New England area. Furthermore, I would guess that brown rice gets old/stale just as soon as coconut oil does (the bran portion is very delicate).

thanks, I am using coconut oil{the good kind} and will not be deterred.

Hmmm.. I could see where the MD was coming from, but then again, I'm not so sure HUMANS were designed to live way up here in the frigid North either! If us way up here stuck to eating locally, we'd get pretty darn hungry during the winter. lol

I don't think it would hurt to add it to a diet, provided you're not going nuts and eating 3 cups of the stuff a day or something ridiculous. It wasn't hard for me to use coconut oil rather than cooking oil in baking or frying, other than that, I don't make a huge effort to consume it. Just try to get organic, good quality coconut oil, but that's just common sense.