Tag Archives: coconut oil

Nutrition Education

Which Oil should I choose?

Leave a comment

We all need fats and oils in our diet for our bodies to function properly and for our food to taste food and cook properly. The question I was asked recently was which oil is the best choice? So here is a run down for you:

When choosing an oil the top things to consider are:

1. Smoke point – the temperature at which oils start to break down and release free radicals that can cause damage to the body (see my previous post on this).

2. The type of fats – Monounsaturated fats have heart health benefits and can help improve cholesterol levels. These are a better choice over saturated fats. However we always need balance so some saturated fat in the diet is also fine.

3. Flavour – an obvious essential to consider. How does the flavour suit the food you are preparing? 

4. Cost and sustainability – whilst is it not always true the most expensive oils are the healthiest, they can have a better flavour and could be more sustainable.

Extra virgin olive oil

(EVOO) well known as a healthy oil due to having the highest monounsaturated fat content of all the oils making it super heart healthy. Plus, it contains Polyphenols (antioxidants) that can fight the free radicals in the body. Its smoke point is low which means it is not suitable for using at high temperatures. Better kept for salad dressings and drizzling on bread.

Light olive oil is a better choice for general purpose cooking as it has a high smoke point. A great general purpose oil for roasting, grilling and a stir fry. 

Coconut Oil

Has a high smoke point, so can be used in all forms of cooking, however it’s solid nature at room temperature makes it unsuitable for a salad dressing.  It has a lot of health claims but these are controversial and lacking in evidence. Whilst it is totally fine to use in normal quantities, large amounts are not going to give extra health benefits. Great for Asian dishes where you want that coconut flavour.

Rapeseed oil

Rapseed has a medium-high smoke point and a neutral taste making it a good multipurpose oil. With the lowest saturated fats and a blend of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats is can help with cholesterol levels. Plus it contains vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant good for skin health.

Sesame oil

This is one of my top favourites for a stir fry due to it’s nutty taste and mid-range smoke point. It contains monounsaturated fats and antioxidants too, making it healthy for the heart. 

Avocado oil

Contains monounsaturated fats which are good for heart health. It has the highest smoke point of all plant oils so can be used for all forms of cooking plus dressings and cold foods. However it comes with a price tag and is not a sustainable crop.

So the verdict. For general purpose cooking choose a rapeseed or light olive oil. The other oils can be nice to have for different flavours and styles of cuisine, but aren’t essential!

Dietitian Advice, Nutrition Education

Should I use Coconut Oil?

2 Comments

Coconut has been everywhere. As someone who isn’t that into having all my food taste of coconut I’ve felt a little left out of the latest craze, that was until I delved into the research.

Is there any research out there?

Hyped as a superfood (which is actually a marketing term not a scientific one) there are a myriad of claims but few are backed up by the science. Yes there are so studies that have been done but the problem is that often the evidence has been extrapolated. Studies conducted on animals or small scale human studies have then been used as the basis for a claim, but actually this is misleading. A good example of how articles can take a kernel of truth and blow it up into vat of popcorn. As of 2016 there are no large scale, good quality studies on humans. 

Is coconut nutritious?

Short answer =  Yes. It contains fibre, vitamins C, E, B vitamins, Iron, Selenium, Na, Calcium, Mg, Phosphorus, Potassium. Lactose free and suitable for vegans there are definite benefits to coconut.

It is also lower in carbohydrates and sugars thans some equivalent products so there are potential benefits for those needing a lower carbohydrate and sugar diet and needing to control their blood sugar levels. 

However, we hit a milestone with the fat content. Coconut is without a question high in saturated fat. Let’s look at coconut oil first. 

Should I use Coconut Oil?

As with any oil this is energy dense (over 800kcals per 100g) and high in fat.  It is the type of fats that interest me, take a look at this table and a watch of this video:

 

OilSaturated Fat
Coconut

92%

Olive

13%

Rapeseed

9%

Butter

49%

Lard

46%

Whoah! At 92% saturated fat that should stop you in your tracks. Just 2 tbsp = 20g SFA which is the recommended amount for a day. That’s without eating anything else. 

Yes there are polyphenols and micronutrients such as vitamins E and K  in there too. In VIRGIN coconut oil the polyphenols are high, these are equivalent to virgin olive oil, but without all the saturates.  The thing to keep in mind is that you only want to be using a small amount of any oil, so you are not really going to get a huge amount of all the micronutrients from it anyway. You are better off relying on your trusty fruit and veggies for your polyphenol dose. 

Fats:  Some say the saturated fats in coconut oil are not an issue due to the principle fatty acid (lauric acid) being a medium chain triglyceride (MCT). These MCT’s can have a beneficial affect on CVD risk however Lauric acid doesn’t act in this way. Instead it increases levels of HDL cholesterol (which is good) but then also it increases total and LDL cholesterol also increase so overall it is not thought to have a beneficial affect on CVD risk.

The take home message:

Coconut oil offers some polyphenols and micronutrients but also a hefty dose of saturated fat. For some dishes the coconut flavour works really well and enhances the meal. I particually like it in some Asian dishes. However a little goes a long way and it is someone to use sparingly. I would recommend not having coconut oil as the main oil in your kitchen, but certainly use it for those dishes that it adds that extra flavour to. 

 

Other

Coconut Oil: Is it all its cracked up to be?

2 Comments

Cracked Coconut

 I’m half Srilankan, a country where the coconut is a bit of celebrity and the whole of it is used in various ways. I must admit to not being a fan of coconut water or plain coconut  but I do love it in a curry! 

 The lastest craze of coconut oil has been one I’ve not jumped on. I wasn’t convinced with it being a wonder food so have sat back and watched, information gathered and now it’s time to share my thoughts.

 Nutrition:

Coconut oil is 92% saturated fat, this is amazingly high. It is a solid at room temperature. This plant based fat has an unusual composition, being 44% lauric acid and 16.8% myrisitic acid. Not all saturated fats are equal in terms of their effect on cholesterol levels. Long chain fatty acids are the ones that increase total and LDL blood cholesterol levels, but medium chain fatty acids such as lauric acid increase the good HDL cholesterol and not the bad LDL cholesterol. So it could be that the lauric acid in coconut oil does not have a negative effect on our cholesterol levels and heart diease risk, more research is needed to look into this.

 1 tbsp of coconut oil contains 117kcals, 14g fat, 12g saturated fat, showing the emphasis on needed to include it in small quantities. A fat is still a fat and too much of it will lead to weight gain. 

 There are lots of health claims out on coconut oil however as of yet non of these are proven, so take caution when you read information about its antiviral, antimicrobial and antibacterial properties. 

 Summary:

Coconut oil is not as bad as it first looks nutritionally, the high saturated fat content may actually have a favourable effect on our cholesterol levels. There is no evidence yet to show it has other health benefits so it’s not quite the superfood it is claimed to be but it is safe to use as a replacement for other fats and oils in the diet. There is also a cost involved, coconut oil is expensive. Other good choices that are less pricey include rapeseed and olive oil.

 Download a free factsheet on Coconut Oil [purchase_link id=”2626″ style=”button” color=”white” text=”Purchase” direct=”true”].