Here are the Top 5 Babycakes NYC Must-Have Secret Ingredients .....Not in Your Cabinet (Most Likely)..... 1. Coconut Oil. One of her favorites. She says it is high in omega-3 fatty acids as well as lauric acids which allows the coconut oil to be stored as energy and not fat. Used in many many many of her recipes."
I haven't been posted much recently due to travel and that this is the most intense period in the season for a serious gardener. However, reading the above excerpt from a recent post (http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2009/05/top-5-babycakes-nyc-secret-ingredients.html --- she's so proud of her posts she won't let me link to them from here) from the "Healthy, Happy, Life" blog, caused me to, in effect, put aside the shovel and deal with what was being shoveled online.
Aside from the absolute absurdity that coconut oil is somehow stored "differently" then any other fat, the facts that there are many less fatty means of getting Omega-3 (from real foods; oil is not a real food), and "Erin" nor the blogger provide ANY cite or reference to support these ridiculous statements, what we can know very quickly (through a web search), is the following:
- From the National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute: "Saturated fat raises your LDL-cholesterol level more than anything else in the diet."
- 1 cup of coconut oil contains 218 grams of fat, or, if you will, over 13 grams of fat (120 calories) per tablespoon. 1920 calories in that one cup of coconut oil. Wanna bet that any given recipe by Erin using her favorite oil contains at least 1/4 cup (460 calories, 52 grams of fat)?
- "Limit saturated fat intake to less than 7 percent of total daily calories:" American Heart Association.
- The guys (Ornish and Esselstyn) who've independently reversed heart disease suggest "no-added fat" in your vegan diet and no more than 14 to 20 grams of fat "from real food" per day.
In effect, the post is parroting what someone said on the Martha Stewart Show and apparently the blogger doesn't have the basic initiative to (a) question the validity or source of the information and (b) before posting, at least doing a little bit of research. It's consistent with an "I heart the food nutrient of the day attitude" no matter what it's cost when purchased in a processed vegan product, no matter who makes the undocumented claim, or whether any of the health assertions are valid. Without realizing it, this attitude wholeheartedly contributes to the propagation of nutritional myths within the vegan community, often promotes so-called "nutritious food" that isn't either nutritious or food, and is lazy, at best, in not doing basic nutritional research. ("I do have a lot of faith in Erin")...
Unfortunately, the consequences of such a "faith-based" approach to nutrition and health could be serious for a true heart healthy life.
Then there's "must-have" secret ingredient (5). It's "very important." Xantham gum. Gotta keep the baked goods sticky and together:
"Xanthomonas campestris is a bacterial species which causes a variety of plant diseases... in a purified form, it is used in the commercial production of a high molecular weight polysaccharide, xanthan gum, that is an efficient viscosifier of water and that has many important uses, especially in the food industry.' Source.
Remember, there's NO panacea, no wonder food product or micro-nutrient that comes in a package, jar, bottle, or box that can't be cheaper, more effective, safer, and better for you when consumed from the original source. Buying juices for antioxidants, fatty faux cheeses for melting, power bars for "protein," and bottled water for "today's cool obscure nutrient, electrolytes or pico-juice sample from a foreign country" is at best misguided, and at worst, a real waste of money. Nature doesn't provide "real food" as a goopy fat-ladden ooze, congealed "Teese," or titrated in a plastic bottle with boiled juice or extracts. IMHO, people promoting these "non-foods" as healthy aren't helping anyone, and just contribute to the confusion that Michael Pollen aptly notes.
Although at odds with some of Michael Pollen's ideas (many of which I do like), I just love his pointing out that apparently humans are the only animal that has to be told what to eat. Maybe the truth is that humans are the only animal that believes too much in what others say (or post) to eat rather than figuring it out for themselves.
The only "must-have secret" about coconut oil, from a scientific and health standpoint, is that it is one of the absolute worst oils one could consume, period... and it's NOT even real food. It's a heart killer in both the amount and type of fat. That's the reality-based truth, and it's nutritional drivel to claim otherwise.
Side note: but, at least "Babycakes" is honest about the high levels of fat and non-food stuff in their products. My favorite is the 23 grams of fat and 63% of the Fed-recommended saturated fat per day per serving in the "Healthy Ho." Healthy? You'll find it towards the bottom of this web page. Trust Erin? Well, she cites a 42 year old study to justify using coconut oil (ignoring the well-documented high fat and high saturated fat issues). Take that, American Heart Association! Ho ho ho...
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