What are the benefits of Coconut Oil?
Eating fat to lose weight can’t be right, can it? Ohhh but it’s so right, so right it almost sounds wrong. In fact eating coconut oil has many health benefits and here are the many, many ways it can help you lose weight and stubborn belly fat.
1.Increases Energy- The use of coconut oil can boost energy at an average of 5 % due to its medium-chain triglyceride levels. MCTS or MCFAS are easily digestible and are sent directly to your liver where they quickly affect your metabolism. This quick metabolization process allows MCTS to quickly be used for immediate energy instead of being stored as fats using a natural process called ketogenesis.
2.Curbs Cravings- MCTS create ketones via the process of ketogenesis. Ketones are produced when your body uses fat for fuel. The process of ketogenesis is to teach your body how to burn fat for energy instead of storing it. This process reduces hunger and curbs cravings by giving the brain a satiety response or the feeling of being full and satisfied.
3.Burns Fat- Adding Coconut Oil can decrease fat especially the dangerous belly fat called visceral fat which is known to wrap around your organs causing inflammation, diabetes, and heart disease. This is the fat you cannot see or pinch and must have a healthy diet to decrease as it is hard to get rid of with exercise. Coconut Oil also enhances the body’s ability to digest food and absorb nutrients. By doing this it is aiding your metabolism in doing its job.
4.Balances Hormones- Coconut oil promotes the production of healthy hormones which reduces stress, increases energy and promotes fat burning abilities. Your body was created and designed to be a fat burning machine but you must feed it the right fats at the right amount.
5.Stabilizes Blood Sugar- Coconut oil does not need to be digested and it is easily absorbed therefore your body does not need to work as hard and can produce insulin more efficiently.
How do you add Coconut Oil to your diet?
Adding coconut oil to your diet can be as easy as replacing your current oil. Most coconut oils can be heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and can be used for baking or sautéing. High quality oils like the ones I mention down below are almost tasteless so you don’t have to compromise your favorite dish with a coco-nutty after taste or residue. If you are skeptical and want to consume coconut oil outside of cooking there are other ways to incorporate it into your diet. You could simply start by taking 1 tbsp. about 20 minutes before meals 3x a day. If the idea of swallowing coconut oil doesn’t appease you, you can take coconut oil capsules or add it to hot water or an herbal tea. I like to throw mine in a blender for 30 seconds to really liquefy and break down the coconut oil to create a smooth tea beverage. It’s actually quite delicious this way.
How Safe is Coconut Oil to consume?
I’m sure you’ve heard the latest controversy surrounding coconut oil. The American Heart Association put out a warning stating Coconut oil may not be as healthy as we all think. They are concerned with the amount of saturated fat and thus feel as though it should be avoided entirely. Does Coconut oil have a lot of saturated fat? Yes it does, about 30 grams in 2 tablespoons but not all saturated fat is created equal. Just like not every calorie is created equal. Our body processes and metabolizes different foods differently. What the AHA fails to mention is all of the health benefits of Coconut Oil that far outweigh the bad. Coconut Oil has been proven to raise HDL levels or good Cholesterol, it also reduces Visceral fat or belly fat, and reduces body mass. The AHA also recommends replacing coconut oil with unhealthy alternatives such as corn and soybean oil. These oils are detrimental to your health and your waistline and almost all soy and corn crops grown in the USA are genetically modified. These oils are also overwhelmingly high in Omega 6 and although the body needs Omega 6 it is just too prevalent in the foods we eat now. Eating too much Omega 6 can actually lead to health complications and disease later in life.
All in all the AHA is just not a reliable source of information when it comes to health related advice. Let’s take the food they promote for instance. The AHA has put their stamp of approval on many unhealthy products, many of which give them financial gains. They push cereal such as cheerios, trix, and lucky charms as being heart healthy. First of all we know breakfast cereals are not generally healthy and are loaded with added sugar and other junk. They are basically bowls full of sugar and don’t forget cheerios tested extremely high for Glyphosate. Glyphosate is a chemical byproduct of Monsanto, the biotech company who is responsible for producing much of our pesticides that are commonly sprayed on non organic foods.
This isn’t the first time the AHA has given us false information either. They are notorious for recommending products that are not so healthy. Did you hear about the margarine scandal? The AHA told people to consume margarine instead of butter because it had 0 dietary cholesterol but they left out one important thing, it’s loaded with trans fat. This comes in the form of partially hydrogenated oil. This type of oil is so bad for you that the FDA has finally started working to ban it from our food supply. Of course the FDA is another big industry supported monster and cannot be trusted but we are ecstatic that they finally made the right choice based on public interest and not company profit.
What brand of Coconut Oil is best?
Coconut Oil can be extracted using dangerous chemical solvents. These solvents can be left over as residues in regular non organically produced oil bad this can damage your body. You want to be sure to use a quality oil from a reputable source and make sure it is Organic, Unrefined, and Cold Pressed.
The 2 brands of Coconut Oil I love and use are......
Nutiva Virgin Organic Expeller Cold Pressed- Nutiva is a very well known brand that produces things such as coconut oil, hemp seeds, and protein. They have a variety of delicious organic super foods and are pioneers in healthy eating. Their coconut oil is unrefined and has never been bleached or deodorized. It’s great for baking and or cooking and can be purchased online or your local health food store. I usually purchase mine in a larger version on amazon. The more you buy the more you save. The typical price for a 15 ounce jar is $10.00 but a 78 ounce jar will only run you $22.00, five times the value for only double the price.
Trader Joe’s Organic Virgin Coconut Oil- I love Trader Joe’s because their company does not allow the use of GMO ingredients in any of their private label products. Many of their products are certified organic, delicious, and super cost effective. You can buy a 16 ounce jar for only $5.99 and it’s Organic, Virgin, and cold pressed. When I run out of my big stash of Nutiva I definitely run to my nearest TJ’s to hold me over.
If this article has not yet convinced you of Coconut Oil’s benefits I’ll leave you with a quote from Dr. Mark Hyman on the subject. Dr. Hyman is a well respected physician who practices alternative therapies and functional medicine. Here’s what he had to say.
“First, there is not a single study showing that coconut oil causes heart disease, not one. Second, the whole case against coconut oil is founded on a hypothesis that has been proven wrong”.
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