This book is a must read for all those who are serious about their health.

You can read a preview of it online at Google Books.

Another source for Dr. Bruce Fife's books.

Here are some excerpts form the above book:

Coconut Oil is mostly made up of MCFAs (Medium Chain Fatty Acids).

Because MCFAs are smaller then LCFAs (Long Chain Fatty Acids), they digest much more easily and have a greater solubility in water. In fact, unlike LCFAs, pancreatic digestive enzymes and bile are not even necessary for their digestion. Because of this, coconut oil can provide a quick and easy source of nutrition without taxing the enzyme systems of the body.

Because MCFAs are easily digested they also tend to improve the absorption of other nutrients as well.

Because coconut oil can provide a quick source of nutrition without taxing the enzyme systems of the body and because it enhances the absorption of nutrients in foods, it has been recommended in the treatment of malnutrition.

Because MCFAs are used to produce energy rather than packed away into fat cells, coconut oil can be useful in weight management. In fact, coconut oil has gained the reputation as being the world's only natural low-calorie fat. A low-calorie fat is a strange concept, but coconut oil fits that description. It has this reputation primarily for three reasons. First, coconut oil actually has fewer calories than any other fat. All other fats have 9 calories per gram. Coconut oil has slightly less, about 8.6 calories per gram. That isn't much of a difference, but this isn't the main reason for coconut oil's low-fat reputation. The other two reasons are much more important.

The second reason is that coconut oil satisfies hunger better than any other fat, and probably any other food. When you add coconut oil to a meal, you become satisfied sooner and do not get as hungry between meals so you can go longer without snacking. By the end of the day you tend to eat less food and consume fewer calories. This means you have fewer excess calories that can be packed away into storage as body fat.

The third reason for coconut oil's reputation as a low-calorie fat is that it lifts metabolism to a higher level. As metabolism increases, calories are consumed at a higher rate. Since more calories are burned up, fewer are left to be converted into body fat.

Metabolism is evaluated by measuring energy expenditure. Energy expenditure is the rate at which calories are consumed. The higher the metabolism, the higher the rate of energy consumption. Just adding coconut oil to a meal will essentially reduce the effective number of calories in the meal. In a study that measured energy expenditure before and after a meal containing MCFAs, energy expenditure in normal weight individuals increased by 48 percent. In other words, metabolism increased by 48 percent. In obese individuals energy expenditure increased by an incredible 65 percent! So the more overweight a person is the greater an effect coconut oil has on stimulating metabolism. This is good news for overweight individuals who want to use coconut oil to help them lose weight.

Researchers at McGill University in Canada have determined that if you replaced all the fats and oils in your diet that are made of LCTs, such as soybean, canola, safflower, and other typical cooking oils, with an oil composed of MCTs, such as coconut oil you can lose up to 36 excess pounds a year! You can experience this amount of weight loss without changing your diet or reducing the total number of calories you consume. All you need to do is simply change your oil. Because of these effects, coconut oil is not only being recommended as a means to manage weight but also as a means to treat obesity.

Every single one of us has cancerous cells in our bodies. The reason we don't all develop cancer and die is because the immune system destroys these renegade cells before they can get out of hand. As long as the immune system is functioning in the manner for which it was designed, we need not worry about cancer. Arthur I. Holleb, M.D., senior vice president of Medical Affairs for the American Cancer Society states: "Only when the immune system is incapable of destroying these malignant cells will cancer develop." In other words, cancer can only develop in those individuals whose immune systems are so stressed or weakened that they are incapable of mounting an effective defense. Dr. Holleb doesn't specify that the efficiency of the immune system affects only lung cancer or breast cancer or leukemia. He refers to all cancers, which means that even if we are exposed to carcinogenic substances, if the immune system is working as it should, cancer will not develop. A healthy immune system, therefore, is a key element in the prevention of all forms of cancer.

Because coconut oil protects against cancer, some researchers believe that medium-chain fatty acids enhance the immune system. Witcher and associates tested this hypothesis and found that that monolaurin, a mono glyceride of lauric acid, stimulates the production of white blood cells, specifically T cells. T cells attack and kill anything that is foreign to the body including cancerous cells. T cells play a significant role in our defense against cancer.

Another study shows that MCFAs can influence the fatty acid composition of tumor tissue and tumor protein kinetics inhibiting tumor growth.

From the evidence we have so far, we know that coconut oil acts as a protective antioxidant that stops the destructive action and cancer-promoting effect of free radicals. It enhances the immune system, which actively fights these renegade cells. It appears to be able to block the uncontrolled growth of cancer cells. Coconut oil also protects cells against the mutagenic effects of carcinogens. Since there is no harm in using coconut oil, using it internally and externally may provide a safe and effective way to protect yourself from cancer.

THE SECRET BEHIND COCONUT OIL

Coconut oil is unique. It is unlike most other dietary oils. It is this difference that gives it most of its nutritional and medicinal properties. What makes coconut oil different from other oils is the fat molecules that make up the oil. All fats and oils are composed of fat molecules known as fatty acids. There are two methods of classifying fatty acids. The first, you are probably familiar with, is based on saturation. You have saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats. The second method of classification is based on molecular size or the length of the carbon chain within the fatty acid. You have short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), and long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs). When three fatty acids are joined together by a glycerol molecule you have a triglyceride. So you can also have short-chain triglycerides (SCTs), medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), and long-chain triglycerides (LCTs). Sometimes people use the terms fatty acid and triglyceride interchangeably.

Short-chain fatty acids include butyric and caporic acids which have carbon chains containing four and six carbons respectively. Medium-chain fatty acids include caprylic, capric, and lauric acids with eight, ten, and 12 carbons. Long-chain fatty acids have carbon chains containing 14 or more carbons.

Lauric acid is a 12 carbon medium-chain fatty acid. It is the predominate MCFA in coconut oil.

Stearic acid is an 18 carbon long-chain fatty acid. It is one of the most common fatty acids in our food.

The vast majority of the fats in our diet, whether they are saturated or unsaturated or come from a plant or an animal, are composed of long-chain fatty acids (LCF As). Soybean oil, com oil, canola oil, olive oil, lard, and chicken fat, as well as most all other fats and oils in our diet, are composed entirely of LCFAs. Some 98 to 100 percent of the fat you eat each day consists of LCFAs, unless, however, you eat a lot of coconut or coconut oil. Coconut oil is unique; it is composed predominately of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs). It is the MCFAs in coconut oil that make it different from other oils and which give it its remarkable nutritional and medical properties.

Until recently coconut oil has not received much attention outside the research community. The reason for this is due to prejudice and a general misunderstanding about saturated fats. Many people, even now, are still confused about the different types of saturated fat. Many ill-informed writers continue to blindly lump coconut oil with lard and beef fat and label it an artery-clogging fat. But when you understand how coconut oil is metabolized by the body, it is easy to see that it does not contribute to hardening of the arteries or to heart disease. In fact, coconut oil can help protect you from heart disease. This topic is discussed more fully in Chapter 5 (Coconut Cures).

Coconut oil is considered a "functional food," which means it possesses health benefits beyond its nutritional content. Medical researchers have been studying coconut oil for decades and have learned a great deal about this once maligned oil. The remainder of this chapter (Chapter 3) discusses some of the observed and documented effects of MCFAs found in coconut oil. References to medical studies are included to verify these statements and allow you to pursue further research on your own if you are interested.
-- Excerpt from Coconut Cures

Coconut Milk is also a great substitute for cream etc. and has coconut oil in it.

18g of total fat per 120ml

8g of total fat/serving 120ml -- 17g of total fat per 120ml

14 g of total fat per 120ml

21g of total fat/serving 120ml - 25.5g of total fat per 120ml

We find that the MAE PLOY and Golden Star brands work the best for us. They make the thickest cream and the nicest Non-Dairy Milk substitute. They also have the highest quanty of coconut fat per serving, a good thing. Golden Star is 100% natural and has no preservatives or Guar Gum in it.

You can find Coconut Milk online here.

Coconut "Butter/Cream" - A great healthful spread and an excellent substitute for margarine or butter.

Here is how to make it:

Take a can of Coconut milk/cream, without Guar Gum (14-17 g total fat for a 13.5 - 14 oz can is best).
Put the can in warm tap water for about 20 minutes. This makes sure that the oil is liquefied. It solidifies below about 77 deg F.
Put can in a cupboard at room temp for one to two weeks. Upside down. (small end up)
Put it in the refrigerator. Keep it upside down. (small end up).
Leaving it in the refrigerator for 2 or more days will cause it to thicken even more.
Carefully turn can right side up and open it. (Do not shake the can.)
Carefully pour off the water.
Spoon out "butter" into an appropriate container.

Keep refrigerated.

Coconut Milk with Guar Gum in it will not separate from the water as well or thicken properly. Coconut Milk with 10 or less grams of fat or in it will not be as thick as margarine - it will be more like a heavy cream. But Coconut Milk/Cream with 14 or more grams of fat will be very similar in consistency to light margarine.

Total Body Cream
The above Coconut "Butter" makes an incredible after shower total body cream. Use it sparingly, a little goes a long way. Cover your whole body with it from your head to the soles of your feet. It is not an eye irritant. (one and a half to two heaping Tbsps. will cover your whole body) It makes your skin feel baby soft and after only a few minutes the oiliness is gone. It leaves you feeling clean and fresh with just a subtle refreshing hint of coconut scent, without the feeling of something on your skin.
Guys, don't shy away from this, you won't believe what it will do for your skin. It also works as a great after-shave lotion.

When you shower it will feel like your body is oily. This is because coconut oil loosens (exfoliates) your old dead skin and it all washes off with just water leaving only smooth moist skin that doesn't absorb water like dead skin does. You don't need to use soap to clean yourself except if you have some dirt on your skin that water will not remove. Soap only dries the skin and is not needed if you are only washing perspiration off.

If in your work you use paint and adhesives you will find that most of them will not adhere to your skin to the extent that they did before using coconut milk on it. Most of them will sluff off very easily under running water and a bit of soap (soap may not even be needed). Coconut oil seems to weaken, dissolve, or inhibit the bonds between them and your skin.

Due to its anti bacterial qualities rubbing it on under your arms when applying it to your body also works to reduce or eliminate body odor if you shower enough. (At least twice a day, more often if you are sweating a lot. There is no need to use soap just rinse off with water in the shower.)

Enjoy!

Don't use brands labeled Light or Low Calorie since this is defeating the purpose for using coconut products. It is the coconut oil that is highly beneficial and this is what is removed or diluted in these products. Light simply means that you end up paying for water.

How to make your own Homemade Coconut Milk

Here is a very good Non-Dairy Milk Substitute Recipe.

Coconut Granola Recipe

Coconut Milk "Eggnog"

Recipe:
1 - 5 Cups Coconut Milk (3 - 14 oz. cans of the above coconut milk)
2 - Boil Coconut Milk slowly until soft curds and oily streaks appear on top of the boiling milk.
3 - Add 2 cups brown sugar (2 parts sugar to 5 parts boiled milk) and simmer for another 20 minutes.
4 - Mix in 1 more cup of brown sugar and continue boiling over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning. It is done when a drop of the syrup forms a soft ball in cold water.
5 - Cool and pour in sterilized containers and seal completely. Cool and label.
Enjoy!

This may not be super healthy but it is sure good and you could do a lot worse.

If you can find Raw Cane Sugar it will be more healthful. In India it is called Jaggery. In Mexico it is known as Piloncillo, Panela or Panocha

Some Health food stores carry it. Also look in the Mexican section of your supermarket. It is usually found in cone shaped pieces.