Coconut Oil is the Devil

by Christian Bossert

In the 1998 Adam Sandler comedy The Waterboy, Bobby Boucher (Sandler) is a complete mama’s boy. Boucher’s mama (Kathy Bates) identifies everything she doesn’t like or understand as “the devil!” (here’s a hilarious outtake of mama).

It appears the a Harvard professor is making a case that she is on a similar wavelength with the infamous mama from the back bayou of Louisiana.

A Harvard professor has just slammed coconut oil as ‘pure poison’.

You can listen to Karin Michels talk, “Coconut oil and other nutritional errors,” here. *NOTE, the talk is completely in German.

According to the New York Times, the Harvard professor called coconut oil ‘poison’ three times.

Why did she call coconut oil poison?

In 2017, the American Heart Association (AHA) updated its guidelines. They said that people should avoid eating the saturated fatty acids found in coconut oil.

Michels said coconut oil is more dangerous than lard because it almost exclusively contains saturated fatty acids, ones that can clog the coronary arteries.

What is a good substitute?

I recommend olive or rapeseed oil as an alternative to coconut oil.

Christian’s take on coconut oils ‘poison’ label

There is plenty of debate as to whether saturated fatty acids (like coconut oil) really are the work of the devil. While professor Michels others say with certainty that that's the case, I don’t think it’s time to panic.

I believe it’s fine to enjoy coconut oil in moderation. This means your not eating it out of the container with a spoon. As with most things in life, you’ll be fine as long as you don’t overindulgence.

Cherrios Cause Cancer

by Christian Bossert

What? Are you kidding me?

A few days ago one of my fabulously amazing clients told me this. I was stunned, but not entirely shocked a preservative enriched food marketed as a ‘healthy’ food choice would be associated with cancer.

In case you’ve been sheltering yourself from the media lately, here is a link to one of latest blockbuster health scandals.

Here’s a summary of what went down.

Monsanto, a agrochemical and agricultural conglomerate, was ordered by a jury to pay $289 million (yes, that is correct) in damages to a school groundskeeper who developed cancer after years of using the company’s popular product Roundup.

An environmental group published an eerie report that found traces of ingredients from Roundup in cereal and granola bars.

This study doesn’t mean that Roundup causes cancer. All it means is that the members of the jury believe that Monsanto explicitly kept information about the potential harmful nature of Roundup from the public.  

The science linking Roundup to cancer is limited at best. No need to stop using Roundup. Although you shouldn’t be ‘huffing’ the product on the daily.

Wait. Will eating Cheerios give me cancer??

The environmental study found glyphosate, an ingredient found in Roundup, in quite a few oat cereals, oatmeal, granola, and snack bars.

You can find the list of oat-based foods here.

This scary report failed to mention that glyphosate likely does not cause cancer in the very low levels it is found in food.

The short answer is we don’t know if eating cheerios will give us cancer.

My unapologetic unbiased opinion.

Cereal isn’t a healthy food option to begin with. It’s terribly processed and usually is loaded with sugar. I’m sorry if you’re a cereal junky, but that’s my take on cereal. I haven’t eaten cereal in years and don’t plan to start anytime soon. My advice is to give up on cereal and eat real food.

Go for something awesome like cantaloupe, eggs, and a half an avocado instead of cereal. I guarantee you that you’ll have more energy and dominate your day without cereal.   

I do not think that cheerios cause cancer. It does seem like everything in this world causes cancer. If I drink too much water, eat too much green leafy vegetables, workout too much I may die. Too much of anything isn’t good for us. The old adage “moderation is key” couldn’t be more true. Just ask your old drunk college self if too much is a great idea.  

Nonetheless, go enjoy your life. Don’t stress out about Cheerios killing you or your loved ones. It’s a great time to be alive. Smile, laugh, and embrace the weekend!