Name: Coconut oil, pressed or extracted from the meat (kernel) of the coconut (Cocos nucifera). Virgin coconut oil is made from fresh coconut meat without refining; refined coconut oil is made from dried coconut meat (copra) and processed to remove flavour and odour.
Description
Coconut oil has been used as food and folk medicine for millennia across tropical regions including India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Polynesia and Indonesia, wherever the coconut palm grows. European traders took an interest in the late 19th century as demand grew for edible oils and oils for soap-making.
Coconut oil's reputation in the West has swung between extremes: viewed with suspicion from the 1950s onward because of its high saturated fat content, then rebranded as a “health food” in more recent years. The scientific picture remains more measured than either extreme suggests.
Main nutrition value
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Like all pure oils, coconut oil is essentially 100% fat and around 884 kcal per 100g. It is unusual among vegetable oils for being over 80% saturated fat, most of it medium-chain fatty acids such as lauric acid, which is why it stays solid at room temperature. Medium-chain fats are processed somewhat differently by the body than the long-chain saturated fats in most animal fat, though this does not make coconut oil calorie-free or automatically heart-healthy.
How best to be consumed
Coconut oil's solid texture at room temperature and distinct flavour suit some uses better than others.
- Use in baking where a solid fat is needed, similar to how butter or shortening is used.
- Use in moderate amounts for cooking where its characteristic flavour is wanted, such as in some South and Southeast Asian dishes.
- Choose virgin coconut oil for its flavour and refined coconut oil where a neutral taste is preferred.
- Use sparingly rather than as an everyday cooking fat, given its high saturated fat content.
Overconsumption could cause…
Coconut oil's high saturated fat content is the main thing to be mindful of at regular, generous intake.
- Raised LDL cholesterol: several clinical studies have found that regularly consuming coconut oil increases LDL (“bad”) cholesterol more than most other plant oils, which can raise cardiovascular risk over time.
- Excess calorie and saturated fat intake if used as a primary cooking fat rather than occasionally.
- Health claims made about coconut oil in marketing are not consistently supported by long-term clinical evidence, so it shouldn't be treated as a special health food.
Wikipedia — Coconut oil, used for production history and fatty acid composition: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_oil
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