Corrections and added material to the above:
My rule of thumb with baked goods is that if they have more than a
very small amount of fat, the fat has to be at least 75% saturated, or
else it's too dangerous a product. Ask yourself why they do this -
they could easily use cheap, highly unsaturated oils, but then the
product would spoil quickly, and that is the same problem that would
occur in your body if you were to make your own, using something like
safflower oil, for example. Technically, it is called "in vivo lipid
peroxidation." Do a google search and see all the studies on this
very dangerous phenomenon. My free web site attempts to explain this
to people without a strong science background, and there's other
health-related information there:
http://groups.msn.com/TheScientificDebateForum-/
Keep in mind that those with the highest saturated fatty acid intake
relative to overall calories have the best health. If you look at the
WHO statistics, you can see the low levels of "chronic disease" among
peoples who consume a lot of coconut products. Since 2001, I have
eaten a diet rich in saturated fatty acids and low in unsaturated
fatty acids, and have seen only benefits, despite being "deficient" in
"essential fatty acids."
monty1945@lycos.com - 12 Mar 2007 22:39 GMT
Ironically, right after posting the above, I came across the
following:
QUOTE: Hollenberg has spent years studying the benefits of cocoa
drinking on the Kuna people in Panama. He found that the risk of 4 of
the 5 most common killer diseases: stroke, heart failure, cancer and
diabetes, is reduced to less then 10% in the Kuna. UNQUOTE.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070311202024.htm
But is it the cocoa or the coconuts?
QUOTE: But it is largely the coconut palm that ensures the success of
the Kuna's subsistence lifestyle. UNQUTOE.
http://review.ucsc.edu/winter-03/panamas.html
monty1945@lycos.com - 12 Mar 2007 22:46 GMT
One last point: considering how rats are often used to test and
establish nutritional claims (1930, Burr & Burr, for example, which is
still being cited despite being directly refuted by 1948 rat
experiments), you can buy a couple dozen rats, and feed a dozen a diet
of 30% fresh coconut oil and feed the other dozen a diet of 30% canola
and fish oil. See which group lives longer, and "prove it to
yourself."