Over the last few years coconut oil has become a popular choice in the kitchen. As coconut oils a plant based, it’s a great butter substitute when cooking vegan meals. Also, as it’s hard at room temperature it enables baking raw slices to set more easily than if using butter or margarine. But, is it healthy for us…?
Quick Answer: Yes, it’s fine, but only in small amounts…
Explanation
Coconut oil (along with palm oil) is the only plant based oil that is composed mainly of saturated fat. Saturated fat is known to increase cholesterol and too much of it increases the risk of coronary heart disease. Preferably, we want to consume foods which contain a majority of unsaturated fats (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated) which are associated with a decrease in cholesterol, reducing the risk of coronary heart disease. Consuming fat is also important for absorbing fat soluble vitamins (Vitamin A, D, E and K).
As Coconut oil is 90% saturated fat, 7 % monounsaturated fat and 2% polyunsaturated fat, we ideally don’t want to consume a lot of it.
The recommended intake for saturated fat and trans-fats together is no more than 10 percent of total energy (NHMRC 2006, Nordic Council of Ministers 2014).
Which for a typical sized adult is equivalent to only 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, for your maximum recommended daily dose of saturated fat!
So how can I limit my saturated fat intake?
My biggest recommendation would be to use cold pressed extra virgin olive oil where possible as a substitute! Olive oil contains mainly unsaturated fats – good for cholesterol!
Soft vegetable fat spreads made from safflower, sunflower, soybean, cottonseed, rapeseed, or olive oil are high in mono- or polyunsaturated fats.
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