Recently, coconut oil has made a triumphant comeback to the market of American health foods. Erroneously bashed before as “artery-clogging” and “fattening” (largely due to a successful lobbying of its biggest domestic competitor - the rich and powerful vegetable oil industry), now coconut oil is proven beneficial for the health of the heart, arteries, thyroid gland, and the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, a liberal consumption of coconut products has been linked to a superb health that many tropical nations enjoyed before the advent of “civilization”. More recently, it has been found that lauric acid, found in huge quantities in both coconut oil and human milk, can protect us against a whole range of bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and other pathogens. It can even hamper the HIV! Another great property of coconut oil is its ability to suppress weight gain and stimulate the conversion of body fats into quick energy, thus promoting a rapid loss of unwanted pounds in overweight individuals.

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There exists a common “dietary myth” about frequent snacking, which states that eating numerous small meals a day speeds up metabolic processes and promotes weight loss. However, a new Australian study has revealed that the “snack diet” does not help people lose excess pounds any faster than a conventional, three-meal-a-day dietary plan.

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Bariatric surgery and other invasive, surgical ways to treat obesity are becoming increasingly popular among severely overweight Americans. However, according to new data provided by the American Gastroenterological Association, the long-term health toll of such operations can well overweight their initial success in helping people shed some pounds. Severe complications, including fecal and urinary incontinence, diarrhea, fungal and bacterial infections of the gastrointestinal tract, and chronic malabsorption of nutrients leading to deficiency diseases, can be a consequence of attempting to manage obesity by surgical means.

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The dairy industry has recently claimed that drinking milk and consuming other dairy products, especially skim and low-fat varieties, would help overweight people lose excess poundage. However, research does not support such claims. According to Reuters Health, commercials that market dairy products as a tangible aid for dieters are misleading and untrue.

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A great number of overweight people gain pounds because of emotional overeating. Such behaviour is deeply rooted in human psyche. Food is pleasure, and for most of us it is not only a nutritional source, but also an emotional comforter. Probably, it can be traced back to those blissful days when the mother’s milk was our only food and also meant love, care, and emotional security.

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