The Miracle that is coconut oil

A lot of people have been asking me about coconut oil lately. I quite often comment about adding it to my morning coffee and many people are asking why?

So I have decided to give out a little info on this little miracle

Coconut oil is used extensively in tropical countries, especially India Sri Lanka, Thailand etc. It is a staple in the Indonesian diet and culture

What isn’t generally known however is that it was also once popular in western countries such as the USA and Canada? Sadly, there was a strong anti coconut oil campaign waged predominantly by the corn oil and soy oil industry in the 70’s. Coconut oil was vilified because of its saturated fat content.

The health benefits of coconut oil however are many and varied. Hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, digestion, the list goes on and on.

So why is coconut oil so good for us?… After all it’s over 90% saturated fat

How much?

Wait! Before you run away screaming, coconut oil is way more than just about the fat

Coconut oil consists of mostly medium chain triglycerides; these are easy for the body to assimilate. Of these triglycerides 40% are Lauric acid. The rest are made up by capric, caprylic, myristic, and palmitic acid

Coconut oil also contains the polyunsaturated fatty acid, linoleic acid and monounsaturated fatty acid Oleic acid

Mixed in with this is Gallic acid, a Poly-phenol which is thought to be responsible for the fragrance and taste of coconut oil. Plus Vitamins E and K and minerals such as iron

So what on earth does all this mean and why is coconut oil so good?

Because coconut oil has so many saturated fats it was once considered bad for the heart. However not all saturated fats are equal and dietary fat is not quite the contributing factor to heart disease as it was once thought to be. Coconut oil contains about 40% lauric acid which has been found to help prevent various heart problems including high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure.

The saturated fats in coconut oil are not harmful as it happens in the case of other vegetable oils. It does not lead to an increase of LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. It is also and anti-inflammatory and reduces the incidence of injury/damage to the arteries

Coconut oil is also a helpful aid to reducing weight. Sounds like a bit of an oxymoron doesn’t it? As I have explained before though, Fat doesn’t make you fat! Lack of exercise and poor diet management makes you fat!

Coconut oil is easy to digest and helps with the healthy functioning of the thyroid and enzyme systems. These are the systems that regulate how the body uses and stores food. It also increases the metabolism by removing pancreatic stress therefore burning more energy and helping to reduce weight.

One of the reasons we rarely see people from tropical coastal areas that are overweight.

Coconut oil also aids digestion and has anti microbial properties and helps the body to absorb vitamins minerals and amino acids. Good news for those of us with tummy problems.

So I ask you. Why are you still using vegetable oil?

Coconut oil is not cheap. I will grant you that but if you go on the my protein website they sell it in Kilo pots for under a tenner. A kilo goes a bloody long way. I use mine every day. In my coffee, to cook with, even to moisturise dry skin with. Its amazing stuff.

So why not make the switch… go on, make your tummy happy