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I’m not saying to ditch good old olive oil, but I think we need to expand our horizons when it comes to the oils we buy. Coconut oil can help with diet, health, beauty and more!
For a while, coconuts generally got a bad rap because they are made of saturated fats. We now know that not all fats are created equal. The “bad” saturated fats linked to heart disease are actually long-chain fatty acids; the long-chain fats make your body work hard to break them down and tend to be stored in your growing belly or your clogged up arteries.
Coconuts are made of medium-chain length fatty acids. This unique saturated fat is metabolized differently than the long-chain fatty acids found in red meat and cheeses. Medium-chain fats in coconuts go straight to our liver for quick metabolizing. This makes it quickly available for energy.
When it comes to cooking, coconut oil can stand the heat! Being mostly composed of saturated fat, coconut oil is one of the few oils that remains stable in medium-high heat, making it a great option for cooking and stir-fry.
We obviously can’t overdo any type of high fat food. In moderation, the medium-chain saturated fats in coconuts have a lot of benefits. And a little goes a long way.
INCREASED METABOLISM
There’s something about medium-chain fats being converted into ketone bodies that benefits our metabolism. Coconut oil’s medium-chain fats can increase energy expenditure compared to the same amount of calories from longer chain fats. Getting your daily fat from this type versus long chains means more calories burned.
REDUCED APPETITE
Thanks to those ketone bodies again! A few (albeit small) studies have shown that people who eat more medium-chain fats at one meal are less hungry and consume less calories in subsequent meals.
For translation into weight loss, remember moderation is key. One study found that women who supplemented their diet with just 1 ounce of coconut oil daily had a significant reduction in both BMI and waist circumference over 3 months!
IMPROVED BRAIN FUNCTION IN ALZHEIMER’S
When our body metabolizes coconut oil, it produces ketone bodies. A widespread theory in dementia is that the brain consumes too much glucose. More ketone bodies can supply an alternative energy source for the brain.
Alzheimer’s patients who switched from higher carb diets to diets with higher fats like those in coconut oil reported improved symptoms.
REDUCED SEIZURES IN EPILEPSY
Once again, ketone bodies are responsible. A diet high in medium-chain fats increases ketone bodies in the blood. This diet has been found to drastically reduce the number of seizures in children with epilepsy. This is a great example of diet modification reducing the need for medication.
LOWER HEART DISEASE
With saturated fats? Really? Yes, really! Coconut oil consumption lowers total and LDL cholesterol, lowers triglycerides and improves HDL. Again, the unique medium-chain makeup of the fat in coconut oil is thought to be responsible for this.
HEALTHY HAIR AND SKIN AND TEETH
If your hair is dry or over-processed, lathering it in coconut oil and letting it sit for a half hour or even overnight does wonders. Women with curly hair will swear by leaving in coconut oil while their hair is still wet.
After a morning shower headed outside – coconut oil is ultra moisturizing and also has sunscreen properties.
Been on your feet all day and your “dogs are barking?” Give yourself a little self-foot massage with the coconut oil and leave it on overnight for a solution to dry, cracked heels.
Hands dry from all of that hand washing all day? Lather on coconut oil to your hands and forearms and go to bed knowing you’ll wake up with soft hands! I love putting on gloves after applying for extra absorption.
A growing trend for dental health is called “oil pulling” and it involves using coconut oil as a type of mouthwash. Proponents swear by it as an effective cleansing and healing treatment for both your mouth and sinuses. I’ve personally never tried it but it’s on my list of things to check out, especially if it means buying less mouthwash and going natural.
OK I GOT IT – BUT WHAT KIND DO I BUY??
I highly recommend buying an organic version, or else you risk ingesting multiple chemicals whose harmful effects may outweigh all the good we just talked about!
Unrefined is the way to go for most oils– look for the “virgin” label, meaning it hasn’t been processed at all. Refined coconut oil is made from a dried derivative of the coconut, having undergone multiple processes like bleaching. Unrefined comes from fresh coconut with minimal processing.
When it comes to what process was used to get the oil from the coconut, choose cold-pressed instead of expeller-pressed. Cold-pressed uses the least processed method and fewest steps from coconut to your kitchen.
So avoid the label “RBD” which stands for Refined, Bleached, and Deodorized. Low quality coconut oils like this won’t even have a hint of taste or smell of coconut, because they’re so far from being a coconut by the time it gets to you.
Finally, let’s stay away from plastic. Choose a product in a glass jar whenever possible for everything. Almost every week another study comes out linking plastic-packaged foods to something bad for our health. Not to mention the environmental impact.
So there you have it. From the moment you wake up until you close your eyes to sleep at night, coconut oil can be your new best friend. Just don’t tell extra virgin olive oil I made a new friend, it gets jealous.
