I tell people that and I get comments back like, “What do you mean eat this fat and my body will thank me!? Don’t you know consuming fat is bad for you, and saturated fats are even worse? They give you heart disease!” Yes, that is what the media has been programmed to tell us and many doctors believe saturated fats are bad for you.
We have talked about coconut oil briefly last year and found that even though it is a saturated fat it does not increase the chance of heart disease. In fact cultures that consume the highest amounts of coconut oil and coconut products in their diet have some of the lowest cases of heart disease in the world. If you want to read more about how some doctors misunderstand how some fats affect the body and what Doctor Oz says about this see the article, Dr. Oz says Coconut Oil is deadly!!!
So why am I suggesting you eat some fat? Well it all depends on the fat. Coconut oil is a medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) which will jump start your metabolism. What this means to you is, your body does not normally store MCFAs and converts them into energy. And guess what? In the process of converting these MCFAs the body uses more energy to digest and metabolize them than they provide to the body. Sounds like a win-win, but wait there is more good news about coconut oil.
Coconut Oil Enhances The Function Of Many Body Systems
- Dramatically boosts the immune system because it contains medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) like lauric acid.
- Coconut oil will stabilize blood sugar levels
- Boosts the cellular healing process
- Helps to balance hormones
- Stimulates the thyroid
- Reduces stress on the liver and pancreas
- When applied to skin feeds it with many of the nutrients it needs and keeps it supple and reduces aging effects
- Is now being found it has anti-Alzheimer properties
- Increases metabolism which helps you to burn fat and increase you energy level
When the body consumes lauric acid it is metabolized into a monoglyceride called monolaurin. Monolaurin liquefies microbial fatty cell membranes causing them to disintegrate. It is quite possibly one of nature’s most powerful anti-microbial agents. Compare this to vegetable or seed oils which consist of long chain fatty acids (LCFAs), also known as long-chain triglycerides or LCTs. These LCTs put more strain on the body as they must be packaged with carrier proteins that require special enzymes to be metabolized.
The MCTs in coconut oil are able to enter cell membranes easily without the special enzymes like LCTs. This is why just applying coconut oil directly to the skin can have a great benefit too. And since coconut oil does not need pancreatic enzymes or even bile for that matter to be metabolized so it can be ingested by people that have had their gallbladder removed.
Would you say that some of those benefits listed above might interest you? I would think so and what is even more exciting is that this is just some of the benefits of this super food. Check this out; mothers’ milk is rich in lauric acid which helps boost the immune system of babies without harm and coconut oil is also rich in lauric acid. So we can skip the previous source and go right to the coconut oil.
Now the big question is what kind of coconut oil should I use and how much? Virgin coconut oil is much better than refined coconut oil, as it has more of the natural enzymes and properties of the coconut oil. Some brands will say extra virgin but this is just marketing hype as there is no difference between the two. If you want the best coconut oil you can get it will take a little work on your part because you will need to find out how it is processed by each maker. If you want the best that I have found that would be from Tropical Traditions. They use the old traditional methods using no machines for extraction, it is done by hand.
Here is the amount of coconut oil one should consume daily:
Body Weight (lb/kg) |
Tablespoons of Oil |
| 175+ / 79+ | 4+ |
| 150 / 68 | 3 1/2 |
| 125 / 57 | 3 |
| 100 / 45 | 2 1/2 |
| 75 / 34 | 2 |
| 50 / 23 | 1 1/2 |
| 25 / 11 | 1 |
Taking this amount of coconut oil for your body weight should be enough to benefit from the MCTs. Fortunately, the immune boosting and anti-microbial effects of MCTs are accumulative. This means that in many cases more is better. You can easily take twice the maintenance dose and do great Another great way to add MCTs to your diet daily would be to consume coconut milk. A 12 0z. can of coconut milk contains about 4 tablespoons of coconut oil.
You can see there are so many reasons to consume coconut oil and I encourage you to do so daily. Here are some hints to help you. It is easy to drink down does not have an overpowering flavor like olive oil, but coconut oil turns solid below 78 degrees Fahrenheit so in the winter you will have to melt it first. I take small shot glasses and fill each with the correct amount, then when it is time to take it I just melt it on top of the toaster and then just kick it back. 🙂
Keep up with the articles this week and send a link to a friend.. Don’t forget to sign up with the email list to stay current on what is published on Cooking God’s Way. (Sign-up is at the top of the column to the right.)
Source: Natural News – Discover the Superfood Power of Coconut