Is coconut oil healthier than a good margarine or butter?

Yes, it's healthy despite being saturated. as long as it is organic, virgin, non-hydrogenated stuff. The thing is when you hydrogenate liquid oil into saturated state trans fats (bad fats) are created along. Something similar occurs when you melt cheese. read more

Most things are better than margarine, including butter and coconut oil. Use butter and coconut oil interchangeably. Don't use either in an excess since they are fats. read more

Less-Healthy Fats: But—in a wonderful example of Mother Nature’s inherent checks and balances—both butter and coconut oil also contain some of the less-healthy saturated fatty acids, including myristic and palmitic acid, which have been linked to higher buildup of fatty plaques in arteries. read more