4 ms·

I've always wondered if the saturated fat in coconuts is bad for you..

waivej 14y ago
Me too. Though the author has a picture of coconuts on his "what I eat" page.
rogerbinns 14y ago
You are looking at things from a "nutrionism" point of view http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html?pagewanted=all http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.... The answer is simple: Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.
- omgsean 14y ago
  I don't really like that simplification. Potatoes and wheat are both plants and people eat far too much of both.
  - pyre 14y ago
    I assume "not too much" covers that.
  - lukeman 14y ago
    Exactly. Some plants are simply poison, too. And many people have allergies that can make even a small amount of some plants deadly. Nothing gets me ranting like the old "everything in moderation" line.
  - latch 14y ago
    citation needed? When you say wheat, do you mean processed and refined flour? And by potatoes, do you mean chips and fries? Potatoes are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Some of the starch isn't easily digestible and acts similarly to fiber (in addition to the fiber found in the skin). The fact that they are little bombs of nutrition aside (along with sweet potatoes, yummm!), they will also keep fresh for months.
    - lwat 14y ago
      Any wheat and any potatoes according to people like Gary Taubes. Sweet potatoes are probably better than regular spuds. Wheat and potatoes are mostly just carbohydrates which, as explained in the video we're discussing, should be reduced. There's no such thing as an 'essential carbohydrate' and all other vitamins and minerals in potatoes and wheat can also be found in more than sufficient quantities in 'good' foods like meat and leafy veggies.
      - latch 14y ago
        This is where I find Dr. Ludwig's work interesting. My understanding is that you can't just look at nutrients individually. For example, a carbohydrate eaten in a highly processed form is digested, substantially different, at a chemical level, than carbohydrates eaten with fiber. I don't doubt that carbohydrate consumption has gone up and with it, suspiciously, so too has obesity. But I can't help but think we should be looking at the package containing these newly consumed carbohydrates. A mars bars contains 40g of carbohydrate...are people grouping that with 40g of carbohydrates yielded by potatoes and wheat?
        lwat 14y ago
        No, most experts agree that sugars are worse than the carbs in potatoes or rice.
    - headShrinker 14y ago
      Most of the food we eat is derived from potatoes and corn. Actually, either directly or indirectly, mostly corn. source: Most meat is corn http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=that-burger-youre-eating-is-mostly-corn http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=that-burger... most everything we eat is from corn http://www.ecoliteracy.org/essays/we-are-what-we-eat http://www.ecoliteracy.org/essays/we-are-what-we-eat
      - latch 14y ago
        I'm aware that corn plays a huge part of North American diet (less so elsewhere since corn-fed beef isn't nearly as common), but I've never heard it said about potatoes..and while you mention it, you only provide links about corn. Don't mean to be flippant, but it kinda sounds like you lumped potatoes in with corn for the sake of it.
  - lwat 14y ago
    Yea I think you should add 'Eat foods that can be eaten raw' and you'll probably be pretty close to optimal. Potatoes and wheat can't be eaten raw. Although sugar can be eaten raw and most of us will agree that lots of sugar is bad.
    - njloof 14y ago
      Just try chewing on raw sugar cane. That'll slow down your sugar consumption.
SwellJoe 14y ago
Most likely good for you, along the lines of olive oil and avocado. Assuming a good balance of foods.
- lukeman 14y ago
  And certainly better for you than rapeseed (canola) and soy oils.
- Shorel 14y ago
  They have very different smoke points. In short: coconut oil (also palm oil) will be useful after you use it to fry, while olive oil will stop being olive oil after just some heating. In fact, do not fry anything with olive oil. Olive oil should be added to food in your plate only.
Shorel 14y ago
All the people in /r/keto and /r/Paleo will say that you can't possibly eat something better. (Those are subrreddits.)

Me too. Though the author has a picture of coconuts on his "what I eat" page.

You are looking at things from a "nutrionism" point of view http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html?pagewanted=all http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.... The answer is simple: Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.

omgsean 14y ago
I don't really like that simplification. Potatoes and wheat are both plants and people eat far too much of both.
- pyre 14y ago
  I assume "not too much" covers that.
- lukeman 14y ago
  Exactly. Some plants are simply poison, too. And many people have allergies that can make even a small amount of some plants deadly. Nothing gets me ranting like the old "everything in moderation" line.
- latch 14y ago
  citation needed? When you say wheat, do you mean processed and refined flour? And by potatoes, do you mean chips and fries? Potatoes are loaded with vitamins and minerals. Some of the starch isn't easily digestible and acts similarly to fiber (in addition to the fiber found in the skin). The fact that they are little bombs of nutrition aside (along with sweet potatoes, yummm!), they will also keep fresh for months.
  - lwat 14y ago
    Any wheat and any potatoes according to people like Gary Taubes. Sweet potatoes are probably better than regular spuds. Wheat and potatoes are mostly just carbohydrates which, as explained in the video we're discussing, should be reduced. There's no such thing as an 'essential carbohydrate' and all other vitamins and minerals in potatoes and wheat can also be found in more than sufficient quantities in 'good' foods like meat and leafy veggies.
    - latch 14y ago
      This is where I find Dr. Ludwig's work interesting. My understanding is that you can't just look at nutrients individually. For example, a carbohydrate eaten in a highly processed form is digested, substantially different, at a chemical level, than carbohydrates eaten with fiber. I don't doubt that carbohydrate consumption has gone up and with it, suspiciously, so too has obesity. But I can't help but think we should be looking at the package containing these newly consumed carbohydrates. A mars bars contains 40g of carbohydrate...are people grouping that with 40g of carbohydrates yielded by potatoes and wheat?
      - lwat 14y ago
        No, most experts agree that sugars are worse than the carbs in potatoes or rice.
  - headShrinker 14y ago
    Most of the food we eat is derived from potatoes and corn. Actually, either directly or indirectly, mostly corn. source: Most meat is corn http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=that-burger-youre-eating-is-mostly-corn http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=that-burger... most everything we eat is from corn http://www.ecoliteracy.org/essays/we-are-what-we-eat http://www.ecoliteracy.org/essays/we-are-what-we-eat
    - latch 14y ago
      I'm aware that corn plays a huge part of North American diet (less so elsewhere since corn-fed beef isn't nearly as common), but I've never heard it said about potatoes..and while you mention it, you only provide links about corn. Don't mean to be flippant, but it kinda sounds like you lumped potatoes in with corn for the sake of it.
- lwat 14y ago
  Yea I think you should add 'Eat foods that can be eaten raw' and you'll probably be pretty close to optimal. Potatoes and wheat can't be eaten raw. Although sugar can be eaten raw and most of us will agree that lots of sugar is bad.
  - njloof 14y ago
    Just try chewing on raw sugar cane. That'll slow down your sugar consumption.

SwellJoe 14y ago

Most likely good for you, along the lines of olive oil and avocado. Assuming a good balance of foods.

lukeman 14y ago
And certainly better for you than rapeseed (canola) and soy oils.
Shorel 14y ago
They have very different smoke points. In short: coconut oil (also palm oil) will be useful after you use it to fry, while olive oil will stop being olive oil after just some heating. In fact, do not fry anything with olive oil. Olive oil should be added to food in your plate only.

Shorel 14y ago

All the people in /r/keto and /r/Paleo will say that you can't possibly eat something better. (Those are subrreddits.)