Coconut oil has an abundance of nutritional properties that contribute to high energy levels, stronger metabolism, and beautiful skin and hair. It can be used topically, taken internally in supplements, or even added to food recipes.
With the present amounts of vitamins and minerals, what makes this oil so special? Let’s break it all down, benefit by benefit…
1. The Fat-Burning Factor
Burning fat can be an exhausting process that takes both dedication and motivation. What if you had an oil that could burn the fat without the high cost of surgery or ineffective supplements?
The Benefits of Coconut Oil for Burning Fat
The presence of coconut oil in our diets helps to reduce the accumulation of body fat. Why, though? Essentially, it’s due to the medium chain triglycerides found in coconut oil. Importantly, it reduces the amount of fat in the body while also acting as an appetite suppressant…
2. Coconut Oil Helps to Regulate Your Appetite
Studies have shown that foods rich in oils, such as coconut oil, may induce a sense of fullness than meals containing lower amounts of fats. This fullness encourages you to push back from the table much sooner than you normally would.
Due to the fatty acids found in coconut oils, our body metabolizes this oil differently than it does other kinds of oils. More specifically, coconut oil is a medium chain triglyceride (an MCT oil), which means the digestive process is different.
3. How to Use Coconut Oil to Burn Fat
The recommended usage is to start with 1 teaspoon per day and increase to 2 tablespoons per day. For effective results, it is more beneficial to work up to this amount as opposed to starting with 2 tablespoons immediately. It can be taken in solid form or the liquid form.
Recap
By incorporating coconut oil into our daily diet, we’re able to effectively burn fat throughout the body. With its medium chain triglyceride fatty acid, coconut oil induces a sense of fullness and metabolizes in our bodies differently than other fats.
While it’s evident that coconut oil can help eliminate bad elements in your body, does it help increase the good ones?…
4. An Increases of the Good Stuff
Not all fats are bad fats. Coconut oil effectively reduces harmful cholesterol, or LDL. With almost 13.5 grams of fat, coconut oil helps to increase good cholesterol (HDL). Coconut oil also has healthy fats that include 0.8 grams of monounsaturated fats and 3.5 grams of polyunsaturated fats.
Our bodies metabolize coconut oil differently than other oils. With the MCT fatty acids, the fat from coconut oil is not stored in the fatty tissues of our body. This processing is a major factor in coconut oil’s abilities to increase our HDL.
5. Cooking with Coconut Oil
Due to its high concentration of fat, coconut oil has a very high smoke point. That means it’s great for sauteing or stir-frying your food. For optimal results, it is best to use it on medium heat.
A simple change in our everyday diet is an excellent way to use coconut oil to increase our good cholesterol. So, just how much does coconut oil affect your heart health?…
6. Coconut Oil and Heart Health
The saturated fats of coconut oils increase HDL and lower LDL. It’s not surprising then that using coconut in recipes have been found to promote heart healthy foods.
The Benefits of Coconut Oil for Heart Health
Since coconut oil decreases bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol, it is great for heart health. LDL (bad fat) clogs our arteries and causes heart diseases. The properties of coconut oil increases our good cholesterol (HDL) and is therefore better for our heart health.
Just keep the following in mind…
7. Just Remember: Moderation is Key
Since there are numerous health benefits of consuming coconut oil, many argue there is no need to be cautious when consuming or cooking with it. That’s not true, however. With such a high concentration of fats, individuals should use caution when consuming coconut oil as they would any other food. After all, even too much of a good thing can be bad.
What other benefits are there of coconut oil?…
Skin, Hair, and Nail Protection
Coconut oil can be applied to your skin, hair, or nails to protect from harmful bacteria and give off a glowing appearance. Therefore, it should be no surprise that health and beauty industry reported revenues of approximately $8.1 billion in 2018, with many products containing this miracle oil.
Coconut Oil for Hair, Skin, and Nails
Regular application of coconut oil to our hair and skin is an excellent way to promote hair growth and supple skin. It’s all thanks to the antimicrobial properties of coconut oil, which help to protect against harmful microorganisms. This protection means the hair and skin appear smoother and shinier.
8. Long, Strong, Soft, and Supple
Coconut oil can produce longer, stronger, and healthier hair or younger, glowing, and more supple skin. Other health benefits that coconut provides to your hair, skin, and nails include:
- Preventing Stretch Marks
- Smoothing Fine Lines and Wrinkles
- Taming Fizz
- Helping Dry, Chapped Lips
- Relieving Dry Skin
SO, just how do you use this oil for these purposes?…
9. Apply Coconut Oil Topically
There are hair and skin products that contain coconut oil as its main ingredient, and it’s easy to see why; this oil really can help! These products can be applied directly to your hair or skin to give you the overall effect of longer, stronger hair and more supple skin.
While we know that coconut oil helps our appearance, what are benefits for the inside of our bodies?…
10. The Antimicrobial Effects
The antimicrobial effects of coconut oil are beneficial when used internally and topically. The use of virgin coconut oil is particularly effective. Why? Because it’s the purest form and contains the medium chain fatty acid that has been discussed in great detail here. The concentration of these medium chain fatty acids is highly effective in protecting the body against microorganisms.
Benefits of Coconut Oil for Fighting Infections
Coconut oil is useful in fighting microbial infections linked to diseases such as the common cold and heart disease. Therefore, it stands to reason that using coconut oil helps to strengthen our immune system. This way, we are better able to fight these diseases.
11. Fights Infections
Some research suggests that daily use of coconut oil may be effective in fighting and reducing microbial infections. Importantly, microbial infections have been linked to diseases such as the common flu or measles to more serious diseases such as diabetes or even heart disease. Therefore, these studies imply that coconut oil may be effective in reducing the risk of these conditions.
How exactly does this oil fight infections, though? It’s because coconut oil contains lauric and caprylic acid, both of which can give the immune system a boost…
12. Coconut Oil to Treat Yeast Infections
Coconut oil is highly effective in treating yeast infections. By simply swishing coconut oil in our mouths for 30 seconds and spitting it out, some claim they are able to treat such bacterial infections. Of course, this method is effective with constant and consistent use.
Overall, there seems to be a plethora of benefits that come with coconut oil. But, the benefits don’t stop here…
13. Coconut Oil and Brain Function
Recently, there has been much discussion regarding how coconut oil can be beneficial for your brain. Some claim that the medium chain triglycerides of coconut oil breaks down ketones for brain power. Specifically, when our body cannot use fat as a fuel source, it uses ketones instead, which are liver-produced substances made from fatty acids.
The Benefits of Coconut Oil for the Brain
Coconut oil helps to nourish our brains with glucose. Ketones provide energy for our brain cells to function properly. Other benefits include:
- Helping Serious Memory Loss
- Potential for Treating Neurological Disorders
- Protecting the Brain Against Aging
14. Feeding the Brain with Glucose
Glucose is a substance that our brain uses as food. With the assistance from coconut oil, ketones can instead be broken down to fuel our brains with the proper nutrients it needs. Why does this matter, though? Essentially, ketones have been shown to provide an alternative energy source for brain cells that do not function properly.
Those are not the only benefit of coconut oil, though…
15. Coconut Oil May Reduce Seizures
The medium chain triglycerides found in coconut oil may increase ketones in the bodies. Now, some research suggests that increased amounts of ketones help reduce seizures and epilepsy in adults and children. Specifically, documented studies have shown a reduction in seizures after supplementing with coconut oil or a medium chain triglyceride oil.
Benefits of Coconut Oil for Treating Seizures
The use of coconut oil increases ketones in our systems. Ketones are a major factor in treating seizures. Therefore, coconut oil may be beneficial for those suffering from seizures.
16. Get those Medium Chain Triglycerides
The major component of a medium chain triglyceride (MCT) is caprylic acid, which is a major component of coconut oil. Individuals who are prone to seizures receive enormous benefits from diets high in MCT oils. It can therefore be assumed from these case studies that incorporating coconut oils into one’s diet may reduce seizures.
What does that diet look like?…
17. A Tasty Start to the Ketogenic Diet Plan
A ketogenic diet is a diet that is low in carbohydrates and high in medium chain fats. A ketogenic diet may be effective in treating patients with epilepsy who have been unresponsive to other drug treatments.
A great example of a ketogenic dish is an Asian beef salad with a coconut oil-based salad dressing. You can find more mouth-watering recipes (and how to make them) here.
The next benefit of coconut oil?…
18. Reduces the Dreaded Belly Fat
Coconut oil may reduce the visceral fat that is deep within the abdomen area. Why is this fact important? While the fat on our hips and thighs are annoying, they are not as dangerous as the fat around our midsection.
Benefits of Using Coconut Oil to Reduce Belly Fat
Regular use of coconut oil helps to increase the body’s metabolism. How? The medium chain triglyceride (MCT) properties in coconut oil help burn more calories on a daily basis. This process, in turn, promotes weight loss and fat burning.
Keep reading to learn how to use coconut oil to reap these potential benefits…
19. The Fat Solution?
Consuming 2 tablespoons of coconut oil per day helps the body burn extra calories. The long-term use of coconut oil is shown to reduce dangerous belly fat that cause serious diseases such as diabetes and heart issues. It can also be consumed in supplement form for the same results.
Why else is coconut oil beneficial? Part of it lies in the fact that it contains fatty acids…
20. Contains Fatty Acids
Coconut oil is a mixture of several different fatty acids. Due to the high concentration of saturated fat in coconut oil, many wonder if it is truly a healthy oil to consume.
The Benefits of Fatty Acids
Lauric acid is the most densely concentrated saturated fatty acid in coconut oil. It is effective in fighting different types of bacteria and viruses and additionally helps the liver convert glucose to energy. Caprylic acid is another powerful ingredient in coconut oil that has anti-inflammatory properties.
Both acids combined have a positive effect on the body. Let’s break them down in further detail…
21. Contains Lauric Acid
Coconut oil typically has a 49% concentration of lauric acid, meaning it is good for fighting bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. Furthermore, this acid helps to convert glucose into energy for better brain function.
That’s not all that coconut oil contains, though…
22. Contains Caprylic Acid
The second-most concentrated fatty acid in coconut oil? Caprylic acid. This acid is a potent antibacterial agent with numerous anti-inflammatory properties. This element is effective in treating digestive disorders and high cholesterol.
A Diet Rich in Fatty Acids
It is simple and easy to incorporate coconut oil into our diets. It can be blended with fruits, yogurt, and ice to create a morning smoothie or can be used to prepare some of our favorite entrees for an evening meal. Using supplements as a means to incorporate coconut oil into our diet is also highly effective.
What’s next?
What’s most important to know about coconut oil?…
23. Final Thoughts
Coconut oil has negligible amounts of vitamins and no fiber. So, at first glance, it may seem as if this oil couldn’t possibly provide any health benefits. However, some research suggests coconut oil can be beneficial.
Heart, Kidney, and Brain Health—Oh My!
The makeup of this oil provides an array of benefits to the heart, the kidneys, and the brain when ingested. When applied externally, it helps promote healthy glowing skin or long flowing hair.
Is Coconut Oil Right for Me?
Those who have concerns about trying coconut oil—especially if they have underlying health conditions—should always consult a doctor before incorporating this oil to their diets.
