Coconut Oil Facts to Healthy Living

Introduction:

For more than a decade, coconut oil has been used as a vital source of food for health and general well-being.   Although once blindly labeled as a “bad fat” because of its saturated contents, many recent researches have found out that coconut oil possesses the nutrients necessary to maintain a well balanced and nutritious diet.  It first gained popularity in traditional communities, particularly those of tropical regions where coconut palm trees thrive best.   And, now with a number of benefits it can offer, the coconut oil is now highly considered as the healthiest oil you can consume on earth.

What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

The virgin coconut oil is in the first place a truly unrefined coconut oil.  The testing involved is usually done by shredding the fresh coconut meat and then cold-pressed to make a coconut milk.  The milk is then fermented usually for 24 to 36 hours, and the virgin coconut oil is separated and filtered from the curds.  Since this coconut oil is “virgin” or “unrefined”, no chemical or whatever high-heat treatment is used, making the virgin coconut oil free from any trans fatty acids.

What are the Health Benefits of Coconut Oil?

There is a widespread misconception that coconut oil is bad for everyone because it is said to raise blood cholesterol and trigger the onset of heart disease.  The truth is, not all saturated fats are bad.   Coconut oil possesses a number of benefits that modern researches have just discovered.  One of those is the fact that coconut oil boosts its lauric acid content, a nutrient that plays a great role in balancing the body’s immune system.  It is the lauric acid which acts to destroy the lipid membrane of the enveloped viruses, yeast, fungi, and bacteria in the body.  Recent researches even found out that lauric acid, also found in the human breast milk has the potential for treating AIDS and other degenerative disorders.

What is the Normal Dosage of Coconut Oil?

The coconut oil, being considered as the healthiest oil, is now primarily used in cooking purposes and is one of the main ingredients contained in some grocery items like lotions and creams. But generally, experts suggest that for a balanced diet, adults must include coconut oil for about 3.5 tablespoons per day in their diet.

What about Coconut Oil and Thyroid?

One of the most debated issues that surround the health industry today is the coconut oil and thyroid relationship.  According to some studies, coconut oil is very good for thyroid health.  It plays a great role in treating and preventing thyroid diseases, either hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism.   Well, as far as I have known it, this issue first came out in 2003 when the Woman’s World, a tabloid magazine covered the story.  Certain reports, backed up by some reasonable findings, have noted that the cholesterol-lowering ability of coconut oil helps to treat thyroid problems.  However, without vivid explanation, the issue remains as a favorite subject of debate up to these days.

What about Coconut Oil and Weight Loss?

Once blindly labeled as “bad”, the coconut oil is now considered as very potent and the safest dietary oil for weight loss.   It is even deemed as the weight loss secret of the tropics.

The idea behind the claim that coconut oil plays a large role in weight loss basically stemmed from the fact that coconut oil is composed of healthy medium-chain fatty acids (MCT).  Although a highly saturated fat, these fatty acids of the coconut oil do not circulate in the bloodstream like what most fats do, instead they are sent directly to the liver where they are immediately converted into a form of energy.   So rather than being stored as body fat, the fatty acids of coconut oil is used to produce energy.

There are numerous researches conducted to support such claim.  One of those is the study conducted in Yucatan where coconut oil is a staple.  In the study, it was found out that the metabolic rates (the major keys to healthy weight management) of people living in the Yucatan area were 25 percent higher than in comparable test subjects living in the United States.  The result then accounts for the leanness of people living in the tropics where the oil is consumed on a daily basis.

Another study conducted on animals showed the role that the coconut oil has been playing in weight loss.   In this study, farmers who tried to dish up coconut oil to fatten their animals found out that it made them lean and more active instead.   In addition, those who consume oil consistently for several weeks often report an increase in energy, better sleep patterns, an enhanced sense of well-being, and of course weight loss.

What about Coconut Oil and Cooking?

Coconut oil is commonly used in cooking.  Many people have claimed that coconut oil is best for cooking as it plays a very unique role in the diet as an important physiologically functional food.  As what numerous studies have found out, the use of coconut oil in cooking may boost metabolism and prevent the onset of degenerative diseases that have manifested in our bodies through the highly refined diet of the modern age. 

There is one particular reason for using coconut oil in cooking, that is, the coconut oil is stable enough to resist heat-induced damage and so healthy that it helps you to lose weight, prevent heart disease, and lower cholesterol.   And, unlike the olive oil, which has been portrayed by media as the healthiest oil, the coconut oil has its lauric acid that can be used by the body to make the same disease-fighting fatty acid derivative monolaurin that babies make from the lauric acid they obtain from their mother’s milk.   It even contains no trans-fats which are highly found in vegetable oils, margarine, olive oils, shortening, and more. 

Conclusion

As far as evidences have revealed, coconut oil holds many benefits that are obtainable from no other source.  It plays a large role in weight loss, and even in thyroid health.  It contributes to greater oxidation and free radicals in the body or supports the overall immune functions, making it a very potential warrior for fighting the symptoms of digestive and other degenerative disorders.  

Having said and known all these, it is now easy for us to say that coconut oil deserves holding the title of being the healthiest and the safest dietary oil in the world.   It is now available in many stores worldwide and it has been the favorite of most dieters, athletes, and body builders.