Coconut Oil for Health and Beauty: Uses, Benefits, and Recipes for Weight Loss, Allergies, and Healthy Skin and Hair

"What other substance can soothe eczema, improve dental hygiene, decrease the risk of heart disease, cure dandruff, increase immunity, and improve digestion?" asks Simone McGrath. The answer, according to him, is coconut oil. McGrath's book does triple duty as a cookbook, health manual, and beauty guide. It offers inventive DIY beauty solutions, including coconut deodorant, toothpaste, and even coconut beer shampoo. For one's health, daily doses of coconut oil are recommended for such diverse ailments as acid reflux, cancer, kidney stones, and multiple sclerosis. Though more than half of the guide is devoted to recipes, readers in search of low-fat recipes should not expect to find them here. McGrath is a thorough writer, but her prose tends toward the hyperbolic; more troublingly, she fails to cite evidence for many of her lofty claims. Coconut oil's effects on the human body are still under scrutiny, and its healthfulness is the subject of much debate. McGrath unfortunately overlooks this reality in her eagerness to capitalize on a current trend. (May)