First and foremost, I would like to extend a sincere thank you to all who attended the 2017 Desert Health® Wellness Awards in May. It was a spectacular evening as you will see from the photos.
We congratulate this year’s winners and all nominees. Keep up the great work in moving health and wellness forward in our community!
Speaking of moving health forward, I was just starting to write our lead feature on ‘living a life of awareness’ when “Coconutgate” erupted with the American Heart Association’s report promoting processed vegetable oils and condemning our new love for coconut oil.
Like many of you, I was angered and confused. It was against all we have learned from leading integrative doctors Hyman, Davis, Gundry, Perlmutter, and the like, and I had to get to the bottom of it.
As suspected, most in the integrative community are extremely disappointed with this advisory which is based on studies from the 1950s-70s and are the same recommendations that led to both low-fat fever and the record levels of heart disease today.
I reached out to industry leaders and read through numerous online rebuttals and hope that “Coconut On, Healthy Ones” will encourage you to keep using coconut oil. While the AHA report is disheartening, the facts on both sides are certainly worth reading (also see Dr. Brossfield’s column this issue).
The bottom line…if you are eating healthy, using moderate amounts of coconut and/or MCT oil, and feeling really good, keep doing what you’re doing. We just may be the new statistics celebrating our happy and healthy longevity.
Stay cool this summer and coconut on!
Here’s to your health ~
Lauren Del Sarto, Publisher
Comments (2)
Lauren – First I want to applaud you on the incredible ongoing effort you expend to create/nurture and help Desert Health live and thrive in our community. You provide a great service and I am definitely a fan! Hopefully, we’ll meet this season when we return to the desert — but at the moment, based on your above letter, I want to refer you to a recent article written by Dr. Colin Campbell (The China Study) really challenging…. actually, more than that – blasting Steven Gundry – (on who’s wait list I sit, waiting to be a patient….).. for inadequately researched material and for misleading and incorrect statements. Dr. Campbell’s website is the Center for Nutrition Studies at Cornell University….. I’ll try to send the link to you, but I’m sure you can find it as well.
I’d be interested in your comments after you read what Dr. Campbell has to say.
Thanks.
Patty Mack
970-948-1248
Thank you so very much for your kind comments, Patty! Certainly interested in the links and do hope we get the opportunity to meet this season.
Words of encouragement like yours keep us going!
With sincere appreciation ~
Lauren