Coconut oilhas some excellent health benefits that cannot be ignored. This food used to be considered bad for you. The reason is that it contains a lot of saturated fat, which is the same fat found in animals-or so they thought.
But the saturated fat in it is different.
You see, the kind found in animals contains long chain fatty acids. However, the saturated fat in this oil contains medium chain acids. Essentially, without getting too technical, these are much easier for the body to digest. For this reason, they do not raise the LDL cholesterol levels as animal fat does.
But that is not all.
In the countries where the coconut palm is found in abundance, the people there eat a lot of it. Those same population groups do not exhibit the health problems and diseases found in countries that do not consume lots of this oil. Obviously this is not the sole factor-processed foods play a huge role. However, clearly it has proven to not have the negative effects that people think.
Heart health
This oil has proven to be good for the heart.
Weight loss
It also is ideal for weight loss, because of the reduced amount of calories it has compared with other high fat items. Therefore, if you want a way to get enough fat in your diet without the huge amount of calories associated with fatty acids, consider eating this oil.
Another reason it is excellent for weight loss is that it is proven to speed up metabolism. In other words, if you are following the low fat diet advocates, you might want to think again. Contrary to popular opinion, you need fat because without it, the body goes into starvation mode.
Prevents disease
But not only does this oil give you essential fat, but it also contains lauric acid. This essentially protects you from getting viruses, fungus’s and bacteria.
Skin care
The oil from coconuts is often found in soap, and is excellent for the skin. It is seen in shampoo as well as body and hand soap, and you would do well to use it. It does not have the same effect on the skin as it does in your body, but it certainly is better for you than the popular skin care products that use harsh chemicals as their main ingredient.
How to use it
Obviously few people are going to open up a can of the oil and start eating. Instead, you can use it as cooking oil, as well as put it in smoothes. It does not taste like much, so it is not going to detract from the flavour at all.
The bottom line
This food has plenty of great health benefits. If you are not using it because of the negative things you have heard about it, you definitely might want to reconsider. Those studies that found this oil to be unhealthy were focusing on hydrogenated oil, which is not the same as natural, unaltered oil found in coconuts.