But I had people asking me "But isn't coconut oil bad for you because it's so fatty?"
My initial response was "Can't be any worse for you than butter."
But really I had no idea if that was true or not. All I remember from school is that some fats are actually good for you in moderation, others you should stay away from. So here's a refresher crash course on fats and why you should eat them:
Fat is an umbrella term and can be divided into several categories. There's saturated fats and unsaturated fats.
Saturated fats are the ones you have to be more careful of and truly should be eaten in moderation. When you think of saturated fats, think of any thing that comes from four legged animals, and add coconut oil and dark chocolate to that category.
Unsaturated fats are more strongly associated from plant life and fish, poultry, grains, and nuts.
There are Mono-unsaturated fatty acids (a.k.a. MUFAs) these contain nuts, olive oil, and poultry. These are believed help replace a high carb diet and lower your risk of heart disease.
Poly-unsaturated fats, (a.k.a. PUFAs) these contain salmon for example. This is the category where you will find your Omega-3 fatty acids that are heralded for their health benefits. These benefits include heart and brain function.
Another tip to remember what is a saturated fat and what is not saturated fat: Saturated fats are typically solid at room temperature. Unsaturated fats are typically liquid at room temperature. (This is how I remember which category to put coconut oil in.)
Now why do our bodies need fats? Fats in general can help you replace a diet that was high in carbs, help you avoid eating refined foods and as I indicated above; unsaturated fats can actually lower your cholesterol levels and lower your blood pressure. It can also make you more brainy. Omega-3s are associated with brain power. The brain needs fats to build hormones, which you need at any stage of life. Also fats help your body absorb fat soluble vitamins such as vitamins A,D,E, and K.
Here are common food sources for each of these vitamins:
note: these foods sources are often listed as raw, fresh or frozen with the exception of animal products.
Vitamin A - contains retinol or beta carotene. Retinol is considered an antioxidant which protects cell walls and beta-carotene is good for vision.
Retinol sources - beef, cheddar cheese (yay Wisconsin!) eggs, milk, mackerel, sardines,
Beta carotene sources: kale, carrots, spinach, peas, sweet potato, mango, (almost anything orange), broccoli, cabbage, and tomatoes.
Vitamin D - important for calcium absorption and bone building. mackerel, sardines, pink salmon, tuna, egg yolks, fortified foods (milk, juices), and can also be synthesized in our own bodies with exposure to sunlight (in moderation.
Vitamin E - also important for protecting the cell walls and serving in immune function. sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts with skins, brazil nuts, blackberries, cooked oatmeal, sweet potatoes, butter, asparagus, spinach, avocado, corn canola safflower sunflower oil, and broccoli
Vitamin K - helps in blood clotting, coagulation, and allegedly helps maintain integrity of venous walls. cauliflower, brussels sprouts, kale, green tea, spinach, tomatoes, parsley, swiss chard, cooked broccoli, olive, cottonseed, canola oils.
It seems that these many of these vitamins are already conveniently packaged in foods that contain the very fats you need to absorb them.
Conviently packaged Vitamin D and E
My sources:
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/
http://www.health.com/health/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18089958
http://web.mit.edu/athletics/sportsmedicine/