“Aharon, what oil should I cook with? Coconut oil? Olive oil?”

This is one of the most common questions I get. The short answer is simple, but to really understand it, we need to look at the bigger picture.

What Low-Carb Taught Me About Fats

For nearly twenty years, as a natural health practitioner, I personally followed—and recommended—a low-carbohydrate diet.

At the time, it was a big step up from the Standard American Diet. People cut out sugar, white flour, and junk food. Many felt better initially, and some saw improvements in blood sugar and energy.

But over time, I began to notice the limitations.

First, almost everyone misses carbohydrates. Bread, rice, and fruit are deeply satisfying, culturally meaningful foods that are hard to avoid long term. Most people struggled to stay truly low-carb, and when they “cheated,” they often felt discouraged and gave up altogether.

Second, low-carb diets tend to push people toward eating large amounts of animal protein and fat. While highly processed seed oils like canola or corn oil are discouraged (rightly so), butter, coconut oil, cheese, cream, and even large amounts of oil-rich foods like avocados are often encouraged—sometimes without limits.

As a practitioner, I also noticed that weight loss was inconsistent. After some initial weight loss, many people stalled. Others regained weight. And while blood sugar numbers sometimes improved, insulin resistance itself often did not resolve as much as I had hoped.

Something didn’t quite add up.

A Turning Point

Everything changed for me when I discovered a whole-food, plant-based diet.

I didn’t come to it out of ideology—I came to it out of results.

Personally, I lost 30 pounds eating this way. I wasn’t hungry. I wasn’t counting calories. I wasn’t avoiding food groups. I ate until I was satisfied—and the weight came off naturally.

That’s when a line from Dr. John McDougall really hit home:

“The fat you eat is the fat you wear.”

At first, it sounds simplistic. But physiologically, it makes a lot of sense.

What That Phrase Really Means

Dietary fat is extremely calorie-dense. Gram for gram, fat contains more than twice the calories of carbohydrates or protein. When we eat large amounts of fat—especially in concentrated forms like oils—it’s very easy to consume excess calories without feeling full.

Even more important, excess dietary fat interferes with insulin’s ability to move glucose into cells. Fat builds up inside muscle cells, physically blocking insulin signaling. The result is predictable: glucose stays in the bloodstream, insulin levels rise, and the body shifts into fat-storage mode.

Oils: The Hidden Problem

This brings us to oils.

Oils are not whole foods in the way fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes are. Even when they come from plants, they are fiber-free, highly concentrated fat.

Olive oil, coconut oil, and butter all share one thing in common: they deliver a large amount of fat and calories very quickly, without the natural fiber and bulk that tell our brains we are full.

This is why, when people tell me they eat “healthy” but still struggle with weight, inflammation, or blood sugar, oils are often the missing piece.

So which is better—coconut oil or olive oil? For daily use, the honest answer is: neither should be a staple.

Saturated Fats and Metabolic Health

Saturated fats—found primarily in animal products and tropical oils like coconut oil—are especially problematic.

They raise LDL cholesterol and contribute to arterial plaque formation. When combined with sugar or refined carbohydrates, they strongly promote insulin resistance. This combination plays a central role in metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

A Better Way to Eat Fats

The solution is not a fat-free diet. It’s a whole-food diet.

Fats eaten in their natural form—nuts, seeds, olives, avocados, and legumes—come packaged with fiber, protein, and micronutrients that slow absorption and support metabolic health.

People feel fuller, eat fewer calories overall, and often see improvements in weight, blood sugar, cholesterol, and inflammation.

A question I’m often asked is how to cook without oils. The answer is simple: use water or broth to sauté, and flavor foods with herbs, spices, and whole ingredients. After a few weeks, this feels completely normal—and many people notice they have more energy and less need to overeat.

The Bigger Picture

Low-carb diets helped many people take an important first step away from processed food—and for that, they deserve credit. But for most people, they don’t go far enough.

When excess oils are removed and whole, plant-based foods become the foundation, something remarkable happens: the body begins to regulate itself.

Weight comes down. Insulin sensitivity improves. Energy returns.

Sometimes the most powerful change isn’t what we add—but what we finally let go of.

Until next time, stay well—and remember: eat foods the way nature made them.