DoctorOz: Is Coconut Healthy? Dr. Oz Investigates Coconut Products

An investigation into an ingredient in so many health foods and products and it's taken over nearly every supermarket section. Coconut, you heard right, from oil to drinks to new snacks. We are cracking open what's behind the explosion of coconut products. Are they as healthy as you think? For those of you who have gone keto and swapped in coconut milks and oil, could there be a shortage on the horizon? Think about that. Joining me now is our Senior Investigative Correspondent Marci Abacampo. What do we mean by the explosion of these coconut products in all of our consumer products everywhere? Yeah, we're seeing coconut in more than 100 different types of products. It's everywhere. And it really comes down to three different types of products. So the first is coconut oil. So that comes from pressing that flesh and it creates a pure plant-based oil. And this can be used as an alternative for other cooking oils. We're also seeing it show up in lots of other products from granola to chocolate to butter. This is very popular. The second one is coconut milk. So this, sometimes you'll find it in a can, sometimes in a carton. This is made by pureeing this coconut flesh with water and then straining it. So you get this nice creamy milk. We're seeing it in things like creamer, yogurt, ice cream. And this is very popular with the keto crowd because it's keto friendly. And the last one is coconut water. So this is this clear liquid that you find naturally inside the coconut. This is big business. It's estimated that by 2024, Dr. Oz, this will be a $2.1 billion industry. With a B. Very popular. It's a simple concept. Just whack the top of this thing off and drink it. But they turned it into a business. OK. Because there are so many people interested in coconuts, some experts fear the demand for coconut-based products is greater than the supply can handle. I was caught off guard by this idea. But then I started thinking about the fact that it takes a while for these trees to grow. Absolutely. So this is really a production issue, right? Do we have enough trees to keep up with the demand? The problem here is that a lot of the existing trees are now aging out of their productivity cycle. It takes 6 to 10 years for a tree, a coconut palm, to produce a fruit. And 15 to 20 years to reach its peak productivity. So this is a problem that is not going to be solved quickly. This is going to take some time. Two decades? To reach peak productivity. And a lot of them are now aging out of that. I also heard a rumor, I don't know if it's true, that they use what is called monkey slave labor. Which, again, I guess they have the monkeys climb up the tree. Exactly. So this was an investigation conducted by PETA. And people are very concerned about this because the allegations are very serious of animal abuse. So there are a couple things that people should know about this. The first is this does not apply to coconut water and coconut sugar. Because those come from dwarf trees. So they don't need to be climbed. The second thing that people should know is one of the biggest producers of coconut products said that they conducted a third-party investigation which did not find evidence of any monkey labor being used at their farms. But here's what's really important. A lot of big box stores now and companies have severed ties with any farms and producers that are tied to monkey labor. So if people have any questions, they can go to PETA's website. And they suggest looking at other countries. Products that come from Brazil, Hawaii, and Colombia. Thank you very much. All right, now the coconut craze has been a hot health debate that's been brewing for years. And it's left a lot of you confused. I get it. So I think we are overdue for an update on its health properties. Nutritionist Kristen Kirkpatrick is joining us now from her kitchen. So what do the latest studies reveal about the risks of coconut oil when it comes to fat? Yeah, so Dr. Oz, the American Heart Association has long warned against using regular consumption of coconut oil because it raises both good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. Six tablespoons of coconut oil are the equivalency or more than 14 fast food cheeseburgers. Wrap your head around that. Oh my goodness. It's crazy, right? But even though coconut oil does not have cholesterol, cholesterol is found in animal products, not in plants. And this is a plant. It still has more saturated fat than butter, than beef tallow, and six times more than healthy fats such as olive oil. So what do you tell your patients who go crazy for coconut oil? Yeah, and I've got a lot that do. So I wouldn't call this an oil that we're going to use every day. I also wouldn't use something like the word heart healthy. It doesn't mean we can't use small amounts of it. Coconut oil is great as an alternative to butter, especially if you're searching for that higher smoke point. So if you want to use coconut oil, it's great for sauteing. It's great for frying. But let's also keep in mind that even with frying healthy oils, frying the components of it turn healthy fats into unhealthy fats. In addition to that, there are some benefits that have been seen in studies, perhaps to brain health and also warding off Alzheimer's. Now, this is preliminary data, so we're going to keep our eye on it, but not enough data to tell people it's OK to go crazy on coconut. So let me just give everyone a recommendation. Personally, I think sticking to one tablespoon of coconut oil a day is perfectly reasonable. You could do most of what you want to do with a tablespoon. OK, explain why you love coconut oil for the exact same benefits outside of the kitchen. Yeah, so outside of the kitchen, actually, coconut oil is awesome in the cosmetic world, and we don't have to limit it there. It's been shown to increase moisture, help to reduce eczema, help reduce hair damage. So outside of the kitchen world, coconut in products is an awesome component. All right, I ask you to share your biggest coconut questions online. Here's a question from Instagram by Coconut Products. Is it healthy to drink daily? I guess talking about coconut milk or water, a lot of people are substituting regular milk for coconut milk on a daily basis. What do you think of that swap? Is it OK? Yeah, I think it's OK daily, as long as we look at the culinary integration of this. So coconut milk can be a really nice addition to richness in place of dairy. And keep in mind, it has three to four times less saturated fat than the actual coconut oil does. So from the coconut milk perspective, a few things here. You want to make sure you're not getting a carton that has added sugar in it. A lot of these do. And so you want to look at the ingredients, make sure there's no added sugar whatsoever. You also want to make sure that when you're looking at something like this, if you're someone who has these sensitivities to dairy, dairy could be inflammatory. This is a really nice substitution for it. It can have less calories and less sodium than cow's milk, and it can have more potassium. And potassium is always great for management of blood pressure. Rachel from Twitter, she wants to know more about her new hydration obsession, which is coconut water, right? Different ways we just learned about. She wants to know, is drinking coconut water better for hydration than regular water? I know some athletes are swearing by coconut water. They hydrate after workouts. But what about the mere mortals out there just hanging on the couch? What do we need to do? Yeah, just the regular people, right? So very few things are better than water, and I wouldn't say this is one of them. So if you're looking for a coconut water, I would look for options that have 60 or less calories, and then make sure you have ones that had 7 to 10 grams of sugar or less. A lot of my athletes do enjoy coconut water because it's got those electrolytes. It's got the potassium. It's got the sodium. But they are often working out over 60 minutes. If you're someone who is exercising less than 60 minutes, water is really going to be your better bet. And if you're trying to substitute coconut water for regular water, you might find that you're packing on the pounds because we're still getting extra calories and things like that. So really, you want to be a purist here. Water is always going to be a great option. If you're over that 60-minute time frame for working out, try some coconut water. Make sure there's no additives in it before you do. Tristan, thanks for the sage advice. Up next, when it comes to your shopping cart, how much coconut is too much coconut? From oil, to drinks, to snacks, what you should be looking for when buying your favorite coconut products. We are back with our investigation into the explosion of coconut products in your supermarket. There are literally hundreds of coconut products out there. So what should you look for when you're buying? Senior investigative correspondent, Marci Cavacampo, is back with our Coconut Buyer's Guide. We're going to start with coconut milk. We've got cartons and cans. Compare them. Which one's better? Yeah, it's a little confusing because they're both called coconut milk. They look the same. And they look the same. Let's start with the can. So the can, one thing to know, you do have to shake it before you open it because there's going to be a little bit of natural separation between the cream and the water. Shake it before you open it. It comes in two different kinds. There's the light and there's the full fat. So the light is going to be a little more diluted, a little thinner, and the full fat is going to be much creamier. So that's better for cooking. Now, the canned version does have more calories than the version in the carton. We found an average of 120 calories per serving. That's almost double of what you have there in the carton. The carton, though, is going to be also more diluted. And this is much better used as like a dairy alternative. So great for coffee, things like that. I see a need for both of them and they do taste great. All right. Now, there's a lot of interest in these new coconut creamers, especially because my executive producer, Amy, keeps talking about these things endlessly. She says you can't actually find them stocked anymore in the stores. Yeah, these are very popular. Amy has great taste. What did you uncover? Well, first, don't go for the flavored versions because they're going to have added sugars and it's naturally sweet enough already. The second, if you really want to cut back on calories a little bit and fat, you can look for versions that are half coconut milk and half almond milk. So that's a great little hack there. And third, a little goes a long way. You only need about a tablespoon. It's still going to give you that nice silky texture. So just try not to use too much. You know, for me, it's psychological. A little dollop in there when the color changes like this. The color. I've got the right amount. Thanks very much. Next up, coconut oil. Here, I want to bring in nutritionist Kristen Kirkpatrick. You say coconut oil still can have its place in our shopping cart. So what do you look for when you're buying it? Yeah, so when you want to look for, number one, Dr. Oz, is the jarred version. The jarred version really locks in that coconut taste. Plastic versions are going to let in, or they have the potential to let in, some moisture and air. So if you've ever had a coconut product and you're like, oh, this is tasting a little bit off, it's probably because moisture and air got into it. So that's number one. Number two, extra virgin doesn't mean anything different than this is just regular old coconut oil. That term doesn't mean a lot in the coconut world. The terms you do want to look for are going to be unrefined. It means that that's not processed. This is not a processed product. And then raw and cold pressed means it's coming from the raw, fresh meat of the coconut. So as pure as it can be, but in the jar form. So what you uncover about these sprayable coconut oils, because these things, I see them all over my house now. Yep, yep. And you see them because there's less calories. It's zero calories for a third of a second of a spray. So I don't know about you, Dr. Oz. I'm not counting when I'm spraying my pan and I'm sautéing. So just keep that in mind. This still has saturated fat. It's going to be a better option than the regular oil, because you're going to get much less calories, much less saturated fat. It's not going to degrade over time like regular fats do and become rancid. But just keep in mind all those things. Don't spray your pan to death and think you're not getting any calories there. You're not painting it. All right. Thank you very much, Kristen. Next up, coconut snacks. I asked my viewers to share a snack selfie. Here's what I got. I got ones with chips. I got people with yogurts and ice creams. Mara, when it comes to nutrition, how do these coconut versions, for example, the chips, compare to the normal ones we'd be eating? So let's start with the chips. We found that chips fried or baked in coconut oil had just about the same nutritional profile and calories as those that used regular oil. Look at these. They look like regular chips. So this is a matter of preference, though. Some people really like the taste of coconut oil, and they just feel like it's a healthier option for them. So it's a matter of preference. Can't go wrong. Tastes the same to me. I mean, I couldn't tell the difference. Someone probably can. I don't remember my taste buds. Now, these on the other hand, I'm sure these are really poppies. Ice creams, these yogurts, are these a benefit? Do we get a little bit of a discount for coconut? So you would think that the coconut ice cream would be healthier. It just sounds like a healthier option, but we actually found that in some cases it had more calories than the regular ice cream. Sometimes it had the same amount of calories. So bottom line, look at the label. Don't assume that it's healthier because it's a coconut product. Now, when it comes to the yogurt, this is a good snack swap because we found some coconut yogurts that were as little as 80 calories per serving and with more protein than the regular yogurt. So this is a great option. Is it thick enough? Oh, it is thick. It's nice and thick and creamy. That's the great part about coconut and why people love it as a dairy substitute because it has that creamy texture. Mark, thank you very much. Kirsten as well, you can go over to the website right now for healthy coconut recipes. We did a lot of work on these. You're going to love these. We have chocolate coconut quinoa bars. Don't judge, they taste great. One pot coconut rice with chickpeas and spinach, which is fantastic. We even have beef skewers. So go to DrRoz.com, download your recipes you like the most, start making them.