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The first time I
read that taking a tablespoon of coconut oil in the morning, and
another in the evening will help you lose weight, I did a double take.
Many truths about food still take me by surprise because I realise I’ve
been indoctrinated into so many contradictions about what I eat. The
oils in my cupboard aptly reflect my confusion. I have a keg of corn
oil that I use to sauté potatoes and fry plantains. I have some canola
oil that I sometimes stir fry vegetables and fry rice in. I have some
olive oil in a beautiful rectangular bottle that I am pretty sure is no
virgin. There’s a cloudy greenish Lebanese version of olive oil that
somehow feels more authentic, but you just never know.

I have coconut oil
from my secret West African country source that is the real McCoy;
dirty, yellow, explosively aromatic and beautifully flavoured. Last but
not least is my 50-litre jerry can of palm oil from Ikom: foggy dusty
orange in the face, not red, with a mild smooth flavour and no sediment
whatsoever.

Anyone who wants to
test my generosity can come and ask for some palm oil. My answer will
be an unflinching no. On the other hand, I wish someone would come and
ask for some canola and corn oil so that my conscience and cupboard
will be free of these refined, bleached overrated containers of toxins.
I believe I bought them under a strong misconception that they were the
best oils to eat. For about eight months, I have eaten mostly palm oil
that constitutes the base for my ogbono and okro soups. And I have
anxiously watched for the weight gain that palm oil is rumoured to
cause. I haven’t yet felt that uncomfortable prodding of the waistline
of my jeans. I am still waiting.

In the interim, I
have read that virgin coconut oil and palm oil are two of the best oils
to eat. Virgin coconut oil can be heated up to 170 degrees and not
oxidize; this in layman’s terms means it doesn’t turn into a form that
harms the body. Likewise palm oil can be heated up to high temperatures
without its chemical properties adversely changing. If there is
something nutritionists worth their salt agree on, it is that the body
needs fat, but of the right kind. Never mind those supermarket brands
touting “No Fat” this and that. The right kinds are those as naturally
extracted as possible keeping their most natural forms. When these oils
are ingested they actually help the body to burn the bad kinds off.

Virgin, unrefined
coconut oil has innumerable benefits. A large percentage of its
saturated fats are a special kind called MCTs that do not require the
liver and gall bladder to be digested; this means instant energy and
less toll on the liver. Half of the saturated fats in palm oil are made
up of palmitic acid that supplies energy, is easy to digest and does
not cause a rise in blood sugar or insulin. The medium chain fatty
acids of coconut oil lower cholesterol, improve diabetic conditions and
reduce the risk of heart disease. They also help us (wonder of wonders)
to lose weight.

Coconut oil
contains high levels of immune enhancing lauric acid, which is also
found in breast milk. Lauric acid has been proven to be antimicrobial
and antiviral, boosting the immune system. The work of biologist Mary G
Enig is seminal as regards coconut oil. Enig claims that the body uses
an ingredient in the oil to make a disease fighting substance called
monolaurin.

Our beloved palm
oil is rich in beta carotene, and Vitamin E antioxidants. It supposedly
contains a healthy balance of all kinds of fats in a combination
similar to that of fat tissue in the bodies of most people on an
ordinary diet. It is naturally resistant to rancidity, does not contain
toxic trans-fatty acids contained in refined hydrogenated oils and has
a comparatively higher content of antioxidant nutrients that protect
the body against cellular aging, cancer, arthritis and Alzheimer’s
disease. Its Vitamin E content is said to prevent against heart disease
and strokes, as well as lowering cholesterol.

On the other side
of the fence are reports generated by the likes of the United States
Center for Science in the Public Interest that claim that palm oil
promotes heart disease because of its high content of saturated fats.

My research
continues. I hope no one takes this as license to drown some bokoto,
abodi, shaki, roundabout and goat meat in palm oil soup, accompany it
with semovita and a bottle of coke and claim that Yemisi Ogbe said palm
oil is good for you!