World Coconut Day! Is Coconut oil pure poison?

Posted on September 2, 2018 Updated on September 2, 2018

Hamlet or not, to be or not to be – will always be the question especially in the field of food and nutrition!

The frequency at which radically opposite verdicts get slapped on to foods is ridiculous. Coconut oil has been at the receiving end of nutritional debate for over a decade. The latest of them is coconut oil being labelled as ‘pure poison’ by Harvard professor Karin Michels. This might be just another scientific debate for some, but for common people, who read such information, process it and implement it in their lives; these debates mean utter chaos and confusion!

Based on this latest controversy, should we continue using coconut oil or ban it for being a ‘pure poison’?

As a native of Goa- on the West Coast of India, coconut oil is neither treated as a food ingredient nor as a superfood; rather a way of life!  Many households, including my parents make a fresh batch every year using coconuts from our own orchard. Coconut oil to us is liquid gold!

Following the law of nature, basic instincts guided early humans to adopt foods which are native to their regions as staple foods. Coconut thrives in coastal weather. Naturally it is an integral part of coastal cuisine. It is not just Goa and coastal India which loves coconut; entire South Indian cuisine celebrates coconut! Coconut is loved dearly by households in this part of world not just for its rich nutty flavour but also its unique ability to sustain health in tropical climate.

Coconut may suit climate in our part of world. However, can we generalize it to rest of the world? Foods behave differently in different climates. Same foods growing in different parts of world can have different nutritional profile and hence different effect on health. Ayurveda upholds this principle by describing qualities of foods growing in different regions. In regions where coconut is not native, its impact on health may vary!

Coconut oil in moderation helps maintain health, boosts immune system, improves metabolism, helps weight loss and so on. Overdoing coconut oil on the pretext of it being healthy is what we should avoid. Any oil is bad for us when we overdo it-including olive oil- which is currently riding its glory wave!

Food fanaticism of insisting on labelling foods as superfood or ‘pure poison’ is not only unhealthy; it is misleading! Too much of anything is definitely bad. Hence, overeating any food –superfood or not – is unhealthy.

Moderation is the magic word! Eating every food ingredient in moderation allows our body to process it correctly. Be it any food group, use it in moderation. There is no magic food which can dramatically change our health overnight!

Constant barrage of information on the internet and social media platform is creating unnecessary anxiety when it comes to food and health. We need to rely more on our instincts and less on hyped up nutrition breaking news to decide on what is good or bad for us. As Ayurveda says, focus inwards; observe your digestion, your emotional and mental wellbeing, assess how you feel after eating any food to know whether it suits you or not!