Expert Opinion: Weighing in on Coconut

If you think most saturated fat comes from animal sources, you'd be right—but coconuts have saturated fat, too. And it's not heart healthy, says Christine Gerbstadt, MD, MPH, RD, LDN, an Altoona, Pennsylvania-based spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. "There may be less damage from vegetable sources than from animal sources—that's debatable—but the amount of saturated fat from a serving of fresh coconut, coconut milk, or coconut cream is not within the dietary guidelines of 10% or less fat calories from saturated fats."

Consumers should also be cautious about products that claim to have healthy coconut oil free of trans fat. "Sure, the product is free of trans fats, which are on everyone's list of no-no’s now, but saturated fat is not a better choice. More than 90% of coconut oil is saturated fat,” notes Gerbstadt.

According to the American Heart Association, a person’s daily saturated fat intake should be around 16 grams per day (based on a diet of 2,000 calories) with ideally no trans fats. On average, Americans consume about four times as much saturated fat as trans fats.

There are some fats that have heart-healthy qualities. Popular foods from the Mediterranean, including olives, olive oil, and avocadoes, contain some saturated fat but not in the same generous amounts as coconut. Instead, they contain mostly monounsaturated fat, which is a “healthy” type of fat.

"Coconut has no special or magical properties that make its use especially beneficial," Gerbstadt says. "And for most people, the calorie load from coconuts and their by-products is too high." In fact, Gerbstadt won't budge and recommend light coconut products to her clients either. "There's really no way coconut can be considered low fat or low calorie unless it is artificial coconut flavoring," she says.

But she leaves coconut lovers with a little space. "Having said all of the above, it is a food which, in moderation, can fit into a healthy diet, just like chocolate and avocados."

— Michele Deppe