Does eating fat contribute to weight gain or can it help you lose weight?

Well, the information in this post might surprise you.

The really interesting with the low fat movement is that they got nearly all of it wrong. But the most egregious thing that they got wrong was that polyunsaturated fats from vegetable oils are healthy, while saturated fats are deadly, make you fat, lead to heart disease, diabetes, and nearly all chronic illnesses.

Since we made the shift toward vegetable oil usage, things have really changed for the worse. Today, the average person weighs about 30 pounds more than we did back in 1960. When it comes to the composition of our body fat, the average American has 50% less stearic acid (saturated fat) and 136+% more linoleic acid (polyunsaturated fat).

Coconut Oil will Help You Lose Fat

 Today you’re going to learn:

• How Coconut Oil Interacts with Your Body and Some of Its Benefits
• The Difference Between Coconut Oil and PUFAs
•  Practical Tips for Including Coconut Oil into Your Diet

How Coconut Oil Interacts with Your Body and Some of Its Benefits

In one of my recent newsletters on nuts and nut butters I wrote about how monounsaturated fats turn on fat building genes and enzymes which allow polyunsaturated fats to increase fat accumulation in our bodies.

In my opinion, the MUFA/PUFA combo is going to lead to serious issues with weight gain in most people.

Coconut oil doesn't do any of that. In fact, it'll actually increase your metabolic rate and help you lose fat.

Coconut oil is particularly rich in medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are metabolized differently from long-chain fatty acids found in other types of fat.

Unlike other long chain fats, MCTs go directly to the liver where they’re rapidly converted into energy. This process boosts thermogenesis and your metabolic rate.

Here are a few other ways how coconut oil can improve your weight:

• Coconut Oil Can Decrease Endotoxin and Protect Your Liver
  • Endotoxin are essentially breakdown products from gram negative bacteria in our digestive system. They’re also pro-inflammatory (bad for your liver). People who are overweight or obese typically have more endotoxin than people who fall within a normal weight range. Side note - One of the reasons why elimination diets and fasting works well is that they can significantly reduce endotoxin.
• Coconut oil is pro-thyroid (The thyroid is your main metabolic driver)
  • MCTs found in coconut are a quick source of energy, which means that they outcompete PUFA uptake/usage. This is a good thing since PUFA impair your metabolism and thyroid activity. It's also a good idea to eat some coconut oil if you know that you’re going to be eating somewhere where everything will be cooked in seed oils (restaurants).
• Coconut oil improves fat free mass, HDL, and insulin sensitivity.
  • Here’s a study that shows that coconut oil improved those metabolic markers - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30630708/
  • Here’s another study that shows how coconut oil reduces visceral fat and waist circumference - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22164340/

The Difference Between Coconut Oil and PUFAs

Polyunsaturated fats, like the ones found in french fries, have multiple double bonds in their chemical structure. These double bonds are like weak spots in the fat molecule. When the fat is exposed to heat, light, or air, these double bonds can react with free radicals, which are like tiny, unstable molecules that are always floating around in our internal environment.

When a free radical attacks a double bond in a polyunsaturated fat, it breaks the bond and adds an oxygen atom to the fat molecule. This creates a new molecule called a hydroperoxide. This process is called lipid peroxidtion. Hydroperoxides are incredibly unstable and can easily break down into other harmful molecules.

Saturated fats, like coconut oil are less susceptible to oxidation than polyunsaturated fats. This is because saturated fats don't have double bonds in their chemical structure. Double bonds are the sites where oxidation can occur, so fats with more double bonds are more likely to oxidize.

Here's an analogy that may help you understand:

Imagine saturated fats like blocks of Legos stacked neatly together. These blocks are tightly packed, making it difficult for free radicals to break them apart and cause oxidation. Polyunsaturated fats, on the other hand, are like Legos with many gaps and spaces. These gaps provide more opportunities for free radicals to latch on and initiate oxidation.

So, while both saturated and polyunsaturated fats can oxidize, polyunsaturated fats are more susceptible to this process due to their higher number of double bonds. This is is one of the many reasons why I prefer to eat saturated fats over polyunsaturated fats.

Practical Tips for Including Coconut Oil into Your Diet:

Adding coconut oil to your diet is pretty simple. Here are a few practical tips:

• Only eat virgin, unrefined organic coconut oil
• 1-2 tablespoons/day is more than enough. No need to overdue it.
• Replace all cooking oils with coconut oil or other saturated fats for an easy switch. Never ever use seed oils like soybean, vegetable, canola, peanut, etc.
• Add a spoonful to your morning coffee or smoothie for an energy boost.
• Eat it straight with a spoon

Pretty easy! Give it a shot for the next 30 days. If you do, let me know how it works!

Actionable Tip for the Week:

⭐️ Try incorporating 1-2 tablespoons of coconut into your nutrition each day ⭐️

🚨 Ready to transform your health and achieve your fat loss goals? Apply for my 3-month fat loss coaching program today! Together, we'll create plan that fits your lifestyle and helps you reach your goals. ➡️➡️➡️ [Apply Now!]