The Coconut Oil Miracle

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A little background on why the coconut oil miracle is of interest to me. My interest starts from a college study abroad experience I had in Samoa. If you have no idea where Samoa is then you are like me before I went there! It is located in the South Pacific about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii. If you look at a map Samoa is often cut off because the map is split down the center of the Pacific Ocean. After, spending 4 months on an isolated island in the middle of the Ocean, you really start to immerse yourself in the culture.

A big part of the culture in Samoa is the food. All parts of the Coconut are used in just about everything. I learned the difference between green and brown coconuts. The green coconuts are the young ones that you drink while the brown coconuts are the ripe ones westerners often recognize. When consuming coconut there is the jelly in the young coconut, ripe coconut meat, coconut water, coconut milk, and coconut oil. This one food has a tremendous number of uses.

The Coconut Oil Miracle Review

My love of coconuts and the power they have led me to become a bit “coco” crazy to say the least. I found a farm in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that ships boxes of coconuts and would order dozens to my Fraternity house once I got back from Samoa. I did research and learned the power of coconuts and how healthful they were. This book is the deepest dive I have taken down that path. Bruce Fife wrote The Coconut Oil Miracle to highlight the biology of coconuts and the healing benefits they have. I found the high-level impacts of the chemistry easy enough to understand, but at points, it did become technical and hard to understand. The book has a mix of general uses and empirical evidence from users about the impact coconuts have had on their health as well as the deeper chemistry.

The coconut oil miracle - William Glass with a coconut in Samoa

Palolo Deep Marine Reserve, Samoa 2012 – After husking a coconut with William Glass

A big source of the health value in coconuts are the medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). Only looking at the surface coconut oil doesn’t appear to be of great nutritional value. It is high in saturated fat which in general is not great for you in large amounts. Coconut oil though has a special type of saturated fat that is composed of mostly medium chain triglycerides. This type of saturated fat that is high in MCTs is actually quite beneficial to the body. Tim Ferriss has been known to take MCT supplements to help improve his performance.

How I Use Coconut Oil

The Coconut Oil Miracle does a great job explaining the intricacies of why it is so beneficial. There are many applications for coconut and coconut oil as it is a very versatile – think Apple Cider Vinegar. Topically coconut oil is fantastic for your hair and skin. It is often used as a way to help heal sunburnt and damaged skin.

I enjoy coconuts so the Coconut Oil Miracle was a gift to me because of that love. I found it reinforced my own research and also brought new ways of using coconut products to mind. At times it did seem to list out almost every possible non-genetic disease. It went through coconut oil being able to partially or completely alleviate them all. I do believe it is good for your health and can help a lot of diseases. But I do worry the book could be misinterpreted as coconut oil is the elixir of life.

With that being said if coconut products are not a part of your diet they should become one. I eat a spoonful of organic virgin coconut oil in the morning and at night. I also do coconut oil pulling where you swish a tablespoonful of oil in your mouth for 20 minutes. This pulls toxins out of your body and it helps whiten your teeth over time. This is part of my morning routine before I brush my teeth. Coconut oil is also the main cooking oil I use.

Coco-conclusion

Overall if you find reading about health and possible cures this is an interesting read. In addition, the chapter that dives deep into the chemistry is easy to understand. Again I try to recognize my inherent bias and the bias of the author whenever possible. This is a pro-coconut oil book (as if the title – coconut oil miracle didn’t give it away). There is evidence that highlights why there is value in the coconut oil miracle in certain instances. Thinking back on my time in Samoa, where I ate tons of coconut and coconut oil, I felt fantastic and healthy. Though being on one of the most beautiful tropical islands in the world may have also played a factor! 🙂

More book reviews:

Losing My Virginity

The Dalai Lama’s Big Book of Happiness

The Alchemist

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