[Soliloquy]

Okay, I'm paraphrasing from The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, ND as fast as I can. May have to stop at any moment, but I'll pick it up again next week.

1. Approx. 50% of the fatty acides in coconut is in the form of lauric acid, a health-promoting fat whols only other abundant source in nature is human milk. In the body, lauric acid is changed into monolaurin--an antiviral, antibacterial, andn antiprotozoal fat that destroys a wide variety of harmful organisism. Studies have demonstrated that monolaurin destroys fat-coated viruses including cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simples 1, HIV, influenzae, measles, and others (that I don't recognize ). Pathogenic bacteria killed by it include Listeria, staph, several strains of strep, and Heliocobacter pylori. It also kills or inactivates a number of fungi, yeast, and protozoa, including several types of ringworm, Candida albicans, and Giardia lamblia (which is a parasite easily caught in European tap water). Lauric acid has also been shown to interfere with virus assembly and maturation (meaning they can't muliply in your body) I'm too rushed to go back and italicize all the Latin. Sorry.

2. 6-7& of the fat in coconut is capric acid. The body converts this to monocaprin, which has antiviral efffects against STDS inclduing chlamydia, herpes simples 1 and 2, Neisseria gonorhoeae, and HIV.

3.Coconut oil protects against heart disease and promotes healthy weight. A study which used coconut oil as part of a high-fat diet demonstrated that CO did not increase body fat but actually decreased the white-fat stores.

There's more, believe it or not, but my DH has to get on the computer. In this whole book, coconut oil has the MOST amazing benefits, more than any other food.

bbl