5 Reasons Why You Should Be Consuming Coconut Oil
Crazy for coconut oil?? You should be! Brittany Mullins, health coach + blogger shares why in this week’s Wellness Wednesdays…
Coconut oil is gaining popularity as more and more people realize that virgin, unrefined coconut oil is much different (and healthier!) than the hydrogenated coconut oil found in many packaged foods. While hydrogenated oils are void of nutrients, unrefined coconut oil is a saturated fat that contains a unique combination of short and medium chain fatty acids, including lauric and myristic acids, which offer a host of health-promoting properties.
Here are the TOP BENEFITS of consuming coconut oil:
1. It promotes heart health, healthy brain function and proper thyroid function.
2. It can boost your metabolism. One study found that medium-chain fatty acids, such as the one found in coconut oil, can increase metabolism by between 48 and 65 percent in obese patients. This thermogenic effect also lasted 24 hours after ingesting medium-chain fatty acids.
3. It promotes a lean body and can aid in weight loss. Medium chain fatty acids are easily digested and immediately burned as energy by your liver, similar to the way carbohydrates are processed, but without the insulin spike. Longer chains (present in other oils) take longer to digest and are most often stored as fat.
4. It helps prevent blood sugar fluctuations after a meal — because it slows digestion, coconut oil also slows the rate carbs are broken down into blood glucose.
5. It can strengthen your immune system. The anti-microbial properties of the saturated fats help your body fight bacteria, fungi or parasites. The body converts the lauric acid found in coconut oil into monolaurin. Monolaurin helps to fight and ward off viruses and bacteria that cause things like herpes, toe nail fungus and the flu.
Pretty powerful stuff, that coconut oil!
Here are a couple TIPS TO REMEMBER when you head out to buy a jar of coconut oil:
• Look for unrefined coconut oil at your natural health food store. It will be labeled as virgin, extra virgin or raw. There are several extraction methods, which leads to the different labels: cold-pressed, expeller-pressed, and centrifuged. This terms refer to the process and also signify how much heat is used during the extraction process — the more heat used during the processing, the more pronounced the coconut flavor will be. Centrifuged tends to use the least amount of heat and is therefore your mildest option. I like coconut and don’t mind a more pronounced coconut flavor so I use cold-pressed coconut oil.
• Coconut oil is a saturated fat so it’s solid at room temperature. It can be stored in either it’s liquid or solid form, and it can be liquified easily by applying low level heat. Many times I find that it’s easier to measure and mix in recipes when it’s in a liquid state so I like to melt it by placing the jar in a cup of hot water.
• Just because coconut oil has numerous health benefits doesn’t mean you should start eating a jar a day. Like all oils, it’s high in fat and calorie dense (around 120 calories for a tablespoon) so you’ll want to use it in moderation.
• If you’re looking for ways to incorporate coconut oil in your diet, I have plenty of delicious recipes on my website. Some of my favorites include Maple Lemon Tempeh Cubes, Roasted Kabocha Squash Tots, Detox Macaroons and Coconut Cream Pie.
• Coconut oil has a number of beauty benefits too. I use it topically as a moisturizer for my face, body and hair almost every day!
Sources:
http://authoritynutrition.com/coconut-oil-and-weight-loss/
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/11/18/coconut-oil-uses.aspx
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html
Meet Brittany Mullins:
Brittany Mullins is a health coach, certified NASM personal trainer and has been blogging about healthy living since 2008. She is a lover of all things food, nutrition and fitness. Through her blog, eatingbirdfood.com, she proves that maintaing a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be a challenge by sharing recipes, fitness activities and tips. On a daily basis she focuses on inspiring and motivating others by showing that small changes can create long lasting health and happiness.
Feel free to check out her blog and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
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