I've written quite a bit over the years about the countless advantages of coconut oil and its many health-promoting benefits. Cherie's easy-to-read book takes a closer look at the disease-fighting properties of coconut oil and provides you with pages of research and statistics on why coconut oil is one of the most misunderstood and overlooked foods of recent times.

The Coconut Diet is a very practical read and does all the work for you by providing you with a 21-day weight-loss plan along with delicious recipes. The authors of this book, Cherie and John Calbom do a thorough job of showing the readers how they can enhance their lifestyles by offering them several tools such as quizzes to determine if they have diseases preventing their weight-loss success and in-depth shopping lists of the best foods to buy for the coconut diet.

It is only with resources like this book that coconut oil is starting to get the respect it deserves as not only the healthiest oil you can consume, but as one of the most nutritious of all foods.

Following is an interview with the author, Cherie Calbom.

How would you convince those who have tried and failed many fad diets like Atkins and South Beach that the Coconut Diet isn't just another fad diet?

Fad diets come and go -- they're fads because they don't work long term. The Coconut Diet is a way of eating that individuals can follow for a lifetime of good health and weight management. The diet focuses on replacing vegetable oils that are fattening and not healthful, such as corn, soybean, canola and safflower oil, with virgin coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil.

After all the bad press concerning coconut oil, it turns out that it is actually heart healthy and slimming. But The Coconut Diet doesn't stop there. It promotes eating lots of fresh vegetables and it doesn't toss the carrots and beets out with the potato chips, as other low-carb diets do.

The Coconut Diet is about eating plenty of brightly colored vegetables that are rich in antioxidants, and whole foods versus refined ones. It eliminates high-glycemic-index foods such as refined flour products, white rice, white potatoes and sweets. The Coconut Diet doesn't recommend artificial sweeteners such as NutraSweet or sucralose (Splenda), which are detrimental to one's health, but rather recommends healthy low-carb sweeteners such as stevia.

You talked about the tropical islanders early in the book and the many health benefits they experienced from adding coconut oil to their diets. Were there less documented incidences of cancer and heart disease in the populations of the tropical islanders?

Cherie & John Calbom, authors of The Coconut Diet

Yes, there were fewer incidences of cancer, heart disease and obesity among the islanders studied. One example can be found in the 1960s studies that were conducted in the South Pacific islands of Pukapuka and Tokelau near New Zealand. These populations ate only natural foods (no refined foods). Coconut foods were the most prevalent, being consumed at each meal in one form or another.

While most people in the West were consuming 30 percent to 40 percent of their calories as fat, these islanders averaged between 50 percent and 60 percent of their calories from fat from coconuts. The overall health of both groups was extremely good compared with Western standards. There were no signs of kidney disease, hypothyroidism or hypercholesterolemia; digestive problems were rare and constipation was uncommon.

Also, other diseases such as atherosclerosis, heart disease, colitis, colon cancer, hemorrhoids, ulcers, diverticulosis and appendicitis were uncommon. The inhabitants were lean and healthy despite the high-fat diet. They had ideal weight-to-height ratios as compared to the Body Mass Index.

Some people worry about dietary fat and heart disease. Is there any correlation between coconut oil and heart disease?

P. K. Thampan, the former chief coconut development officer of the Coconut Development Board in India, studied traditional cultures that consumed large amounts of coconut. In his book Facts and Fallacies About Coconut Oil, Thampan shows that coconut oil is unrelated to coronary heart disease morbidity and mortality, which is contrary to what is taught in Western culture.

In 1998, the Department of Medicine in India conducted a study at the Safdarjang Hospital in New Delhi, comparing traditional cooking oils such as coconut oil and ghee (clarified butter) with modern polyunsaturated oils such as safflower and sunflower oil in relation to the prevalence of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. They found that heart disease and diabetes had actually increased after a decrease in consumption of traditional cooking oils (coconut oil and ghee) and the introduction of polyunsaturated oils.

They concluded that these modern, presumably "heart friendly" polyunsaturated oils actually possessed an undesirable ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, which contributes to health problems. Other similar studies in the region indicated that the sole use or excessive intake of these modern vegetable oils were detrimental to one's health.

In 2003, Drs. P Rethinam and Muhartoyo wrote in the Jakarta Post that before 1950 heart attacks were uncommon in Sri Lanka. However, from 1970 to 1992, hospital admission rates for heart attack grew dramatically, which they conclude might be explained by the fact that coconut consumption had drastically decreased from 132 coconuts per person per year in 1952 to 90 per person in 1991.

What recommendations would you offer in terms of making good food choices when dining out while following The Coconut Diet?

Here are the tips I have to offer when dining out, which my husband and I practice:

What about pregnant women and The Coconut Diet?

Pregnancy is not the time to diet for weight loss or to detoxify the body. If you are pregnant, I would recommend either Phase III or IV of The Coconut Diet. This is a very healthful program for anyone including those who are pregnant. I would recommend simply exchanging virgin coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil for all other cooking oils; there is no need to consume extra coconut oil over what you would normally use in food preparation.

Any tips for parents and families who want to know the easiest way to incorporate The Coconut Diet in their lives?

I would recommend simply exchanging virgin coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil for all other cooking oils and follow the basic food plan in The Coconut Diet. It's very easy to incorporate with plenty of recipes for busy families to enjoy such as healthy hamburgers, super speedy supper and golden chicken.

Was there any specific reasoning behind choosing a 21-day weight-loss plan?

The 21-day weight loss plan is designed to offer the best weight loss opportunity. It's strict and designed to kick-off the weight loss program with three weeks that should produce encouraging weight loss results -- about three pounds per week. Most people notice a number of exciting health improvements during this time such as an increase in energy, better sleep and increased mental performance. It often takes about three weeks to begin experiencing significant health changes.