Is coconut oil good or bad?

It can be hard to figure out what’s healthy when there’s so much conflicting information in the media.

It’s also hard to navigate your health choices when blog authors and news journalists alike are serving up a dose of their own opinions when they write on the research about health. Current media confusion includes:

Saturated fat was taboo and now some are saying it’s great for you. Some say red meat causes cancer, others say it’ll save your life. Some say you can be fit with a four-minute workout, others say you can’t lose weight with exercise.

The list goes on.

How do you know if a particular author knows

what he or she is talking about? Currently, everyone and anyone can voice their thoughts and opinions.

Don’t be discouraged. You can find the truth.

In this short video, Courtney and I talk about how research is done and what media does with it.

Courtney Spoutz was my intern for the summer and is a senior at Taylor University. She’s in the exercise physiology program, and is intricately involved in doing research right now. She shares a little about her first-hand experience of doing research in school.

Our discussion is with the hopes that everyone who watches it will become a little more confident in understanding health research and what it means. We want you to be able to make the best decisions for your SELF.

We talk about:

  1. How research is done by good scientists
  2. Difference between a good and mediocre scientist
  3. Difference between popular news articles and journal articles
  4. The shock factor that media feeds on
  5. How to find a good source for the truth

We also answer the question: Is coconut oil good, or bad?

 

How do you keep your bearings when reading news articles about health?

We hope this video helps. And if you have other suggestions or thoughts, let us know in the comments below.

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(Note as of September 8, 2017) Coconut oil has more saturated fat than butter (87% vs 63% saturated fat). One of the arguments used by proponents of adding coconut oil to your daily diet is that there are no longer any limits on eating saturated fat. The following agencies around the world recommend limiting saturated fat intake:

  1. American Heart Association
  2. American Dietetic Association
  3. Mayo Clinic
  4. World Health Organization
  5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  6. World Food and Agricultural Organization
  7. European Society of Cardiology
  8. World Heart Federation
  9. British Dietetic Association
  10. Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation
  11. British Heart Foundation
  12. National Heart Foundation of Australia
  13. National Heart Foundation of New Zealand
  14. Singapore Ministry of Health
  15. Irish Heart Foundation