DISADVANTAGES OF COCONUT OIL

DISADVANTAGES OF COCONUT OIL

No matter how good something is, it will carry at least one or few drawbacks for us to ponder upon, always. Despite its powerful healing properties and massive health benefits, coconut oil is no exception. 

Disadvantage #1 – No Effect on "Cold" 

According to Dr. Bruce Fife, the president of the Coconut Research Center in his book, The Coconut Oil Miracle, there is one common ailment (close to flu) that coconut oil has no effect upon.

That's cold.

Symptoms of cold and flu may look alike, but they're triggered by different viruses. The most common virus that causes cold is known as rhinovirus while the one that causes flu is called influenza virus. Only our own immune system can defeat cold virus. MCFAs in coconut oil can't do anything to the cold virus, hence you'll be down with cold even if you consume coconut oil regularly.

When cold strikes you, your immune system immediately sends white blood cells to combat the virus. This natural defensive response causes the overall immune system guard to weaken and become vulnerable to the invasion of other harmful germs. They'll enter and proliferate in your body, thereby aggravating your cold condition and might even lead to other problematic illnesses or diseases.

But good news is, though coconut oil can't help you fight off the bad cold virus, it's able to defend you against other uninvited microorganisms and ease your immune system so that it can concentrate on wiping out the cold virus effectively.

In a way, coconut oil still proves useful in fighting cold, albeit indirectly.

Disadvantage #2 – Not a Cure-All  

Coconut oil can help prevent, relieve, or even cure a wide range of degenerative diseases and illnesses so long as the diseases or illnesses are caused by or associated with the invasion of bacteria, fungi, viruses, free radicals or protozoa. We're invariably in contact with these bad supergerms and harmful microorganisms at all times. With regular consumption of coconut oil, we can significantly reduce their harmful effects on us. 

However, we need more than just coconut oil to step up our immunity to completely ward off all destructive diseases and illnesses.Coconut oil only provides us with its antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant and antiprotozoal properties, which no doubt, do help strengthen our immune system a lot, but it doesn't really give us much nutrients to build healthy cells. It only contains traces of few fat-soluble nutrients such as iron, vitamin K and E. For important nutrients like vitamin A, B-family, C, calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, sodium etc, coconut oil has none of them (see nutrition facts of coconut oil).

On top of that, we need protein for hair growth and tissue repair, and carbohydrate to primarily fuel our brain function and bodily activities, but coconut oil doesn't provide us with any protein and carb. It's a 100% fat.

That said, our body still needs other foods to work hand in hand with coconut oil to supply us with a complete spectrum of nutrients in order to keep us in tremendous health.

In other words, you can never rely solely on one single food to stay perfectly healthy, even though coconut oil is one of the few select superfood that provides us with the most health benefits.

Disadvantage #3 – Distinctive Coconut Odor

Not all people like its natural coconut flavor and fragrance like me. Few people simply can't stand its distinctive smell or taste. Or when used on skin, it leaves a light "odor" behind (it smells aromatic to me). If you don't like that, choose RBD ("refined, bleached and deodorized") coconut oil instead.

RBD coconut oil bears no odor, color and taste. It's specially made for the minority who doesn't like the distinct aroma that unrefined coconut oil holds. Although it leaves no smell behind after applying to skin, most refined coconut oil (except fractionated coconut oil) may cause your skin pores to clog up.

So, when use topically, it's best to choose virgin coconut oil (or fractionated coconut oil). Learn to appreciate its natural coconut aroma and you'll gain more from virgin coconut oil than you would from RBD coconut oil.

Disadvantage #4 – Solidify in Cold Environment 

If you live in a cold region, you'll face an issue with coconut oil because it solidifies below 76 °F (24 °C). The lower the temperature, the more rock-solid it gets. The only way to "break the ice" is to warm the oil to above 76 °F every time you need to use it for say, applying to your skin as moisturizer or as a dip or spread for bread. Kind of troublesome.

But if you're using it for cooking or stir-frying, you can simply dump the snowy-rocky oil in the pan and the heat will soon turn it back into its usable state.

Are you put off by these so-called drawbacks or disadvantages of coconut oil? Better not or you're losing big-time for not using virgin coconut oil for both your skin and health benefits. Learn to appreciate what nature provides rather than what the commercial world gives. (SOURCE: 107 EVERYDAY USE OF COCONUT OIL)