Download A Saturated Fat

The Truth about
Coconut Oil
Where Saturated Fats can be
found:
A Saturated Fat
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High-fat cheeses
High fat cuts of meat
Whole fat milk or cream
Butter
Ice cream and ice cream
products
Palm and coconut oils
Coconut Oil
Does coconut oil have all of the
benefits it is said to have? Now you
can decide for yourself.
Coconut Oil: A “Super Food”
or Faux?
Ashley Corbett
San Diego State University
Foods and Nutrition
A
Coconut Oil: A Highly Saturated Fat
Why are Saturated Fats
Bad?
A graph showing that coconut oil is
approximately 91% saturated and is the most
saturated of all fats.
What is a Saturated Fat?
Saturated fats are typically the
“solid fats” found in your diet. An
easier way to identify them is that
they tend to be solid at room
temperature.
Saturated fats are looked at
negatively because they can raise
the “bad” or LDL cholesterol in
your blood. High LDL cholesterol
can increase your chance of a
heart attack or stroke. For this
reason, the American Heart
Association recommends no more
than 5-6% of total Calories come
from saturated fats.
How Does Coconut Oil
compare to other
Saturated Fats?
fat, making it the most saturated
fat. It does, however, contain a
high percentage of medium-chain
triglycerides (MCTs). Most all
other oils contain mainly long-chain
triglycerides (LCT). This matters
because our bodies metabolize
MCTs different from LCTs. MCTs
are transported directly to the liver,
where they can be instantly utilized
for energy, making less available
to be free-floating in the blood.
However, we still have to
remember that it is highly saturated
and although good or “HDL”
cholesterol increases, so does the
“bad” or LDL cholesterol.
Coconut oil is about 90% saturated
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The media constantly bombards
consumers with new diets, new
products, and new foods that are
being discovered. As a consumer,
it is our right to know the truth
about what we are putting into our
bodies. It is our job to research
products to ensure we are
consuming the healthiest products
to reach optimal health. The key
to a healthy lifestyle is
moderation.