You may have heard conflicting reports about the benefits of coconut oil. Some research suggests that it has benefits for your body, while other reports cast doubt on these claims. In this text, the author discusses the benefits of coconut oil and how to use it in various ways. The author also mentiones that some people disagree with the idea that coconut oil is beneficial.
What are the Benefits of Coconut Oil?
The benefits of coconut oil are varied and can be used in many ways. Coconut oil can be used as a cooking oil because it has a high smoke point. It also has a tropical flavor. Coconut oil contains no carbohydrates and is rich in three medium-chain fatty acids: lauric acid, caprylic acid and capric acid. These fatty acids are metabolized quickly, providing a boost of energy to any dish, rather than being stored as fat.
Coconut oil is good for your skin because it is a natural moisturizer and promotes healthy skin. It also has antioxidant properties. Many of our favorite coconut oil uses are cosmetic. Coconut oil is commonly used in many different types of beauty products, such as body scrubs, creams, lotions, and lip balms.
Coconut oil benefits include:
- Weight Management: studies have shown that coconut oil may help both men and women maintain a healthy weight, along with diet and exercise. 1,2
- Energy Support: coconut oil contains medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) that your body uses for quick energy instead of storing it. 3
- Cardiovascular Health: studies have shown that the particular type of saturated fats within coconut oil may support healthy blood lipid levels already within the normal range. 3
- Cognitive Support: researchers say that coconut oil may provide energy for brain cells and boost brain function. 3
- Digestibility: MCTs are more easily absorbed than other types of lipids making it helpful for people with certain gastrointestinal health concerns. 4
Reasons To Eat A Spoonful Of Coconut Oil Straight From The Jar
1. Eating Coconut Oil Helps You Lose Weight
Coconut oil is known to help with weight loss. There are a few reasons that this works.
Coconut oil can help to boost your metabolism, giving you more energy to get through the day. Additionally, because coconut oil provides the body with an easily obtainable and clean source of energy, you will feel less hungry after consuming it.
It can also help with your digestion and make it easier for your body to absorb nutrients from your food. This means that you will have fewer cravings for unhealthy foods.
Furthermore, eating coconut oil helps to balance hormones. This means that you will be less stressed and, as a result, your body will produce less of the ‘stress hormones’ that cause you to retain fat, especially around your midsection!
2. It Increases Your Ability To Build Muscle
Coconut oil can help you lose weight and it provides you with long-lasting energy. If you eat a spoonful of coconut oil before going to the gym, it can help you make it through a difficult workout.
If you increase your endurance, you will also improve your blood flow to your muscles.
It’s a winning combination!
3. It Naturally Curbs Unhealthy Cravings
Cutting back on unhealthy food can help you lose weight and be healthier overall. It also improves many other aspects of your health.
Some of the benefits of green tea include having balanced blood-sugar, blood-pressure and cholesterol levels, healthier hormone production, more efficient liver and kidney function, improved mental capabilities, and a cleaner complexion.
As mentioned before, one benefit of eating coconut oil is that it helps to control unhealthy cravings. It helps improve digestion and nutrient absorption, boosts metabolism and energy levels.
4. Eating Coconut Oil Improves Digestion
Eating coconut oil is a great way to improve your digestion, as we mentioned before. This effect happens for several reasons.
Coconut oil helps to get rid of bad bacteria and microbes that may be in your digestive system. Many people’s health is damaged by poor digestion, which is often caused by tiny parasitic microorganisms.
Additionally, coconut oil allows your body to absorb the vitamins and minerals in other foods you eat more effectively. Some notable examples of minerals are calcium and magnesium, as well as fat-soluble vitamins A and E.
Eating coconut oil may help reduce inflammation in the gut caused by food sensitivities or other dietary problems. If you don’t treat this inflammation, it could lead to worse digestive problems like not getting enough nutrients or Leaky Gut Syndrome.
5. Eating Coconut Oil Helps To Regulate Appetite
Coconut oil enhances digestion and helps to even out blood-sugar levels, which in turn can help control hunger. It provides energy that is easy for the body to digest and use. The fiber content in oatmeal will help you to feel fuller for a longer period of time after eating it. You will not need snacks or additional meals as often.
6. Coconut Oil Improves Memory & Concentration
A spoonful of coconut oil in the morning can help to start your metabolism and wake up your mind.
Coconut oil supports cognitive function and memory by reducing inflammation and improving blood flow to the brain. Coconut oil is beneficial to health because it contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which make up over half of the essential fatty acid content. MCTs give the brain a quick boost of energy, just as they do for the rest of the body.
In general, this leads to improved cognitive abilities, both in the short and long term.
7. It Can Help Ward Off Neurodegenerative Disorders
Coconut oil provides an alternate source of fuel for the brain in the form of ketones. Ketones can be used as a fuel source by brain cells that have lost the ability to process glucose, which is one of the leading causes of Alzheimer’s.
Neurodegenerative disorders develop slowly and only become apparent later in life. Regular consumption of coconut oil may help to protect your cognitive function in the future.
8. It Can Prevent & Treat Urinary Tract Infections
Most people don’t drink enough water. A constant state of dehydration can easily lead to a UTI.
Our best advice is to drink more water. Consuming coconut oil can also help to treat or prevent UTIs.
Coconut oil is a powerful natural antibiotic. The majority of the oil is made up of MCTs, which can penetrate the cell walls of harmful bacteria and kill them. In effect, this causes them to disintegrate and die.
9. Coconut Oil Kills Bacteria That Cause Bad Breath
The primary cause of bad breath is typically bacteria that are present in the mouth naturally. Coconut oil can freshen your breath because it has powerful anti-microbial properties.
Use coconut oil to kill bacteria by swishing it around your mouth for 30 seconds. Choose whether to spit or swallow the oil based on what you prefer.
10. Eating Coconut Oil Naturally Whitens Your Teeth
The bacteria that causes bad breath produces sticky plaque to attach itself to surfaces. Bacterial plaque not only provides a place for bacteria to live, it also sticks food particles to your teeth. This lingering food is a leading cause of staining.
When you remove excess bacteria with coconut oil, you also reduce plaque build-up and prevent staining. Coconut oil has many benefits, one of which is keeping your teeth healthy and white.
11. Coconut Oil Moisturizes & Nourishes Your Lips
If you eat a spoonful of coconut oil straight from the jar, you will slide the utensil out of your mouth and your lips will run over the surface.
Not only does this action moisturize and nourish your lips, but it also has benefits for your skin. If your lips aren’t dry, they’ll still benefit from this pure lipid perfection!
12. Coconut Oil Protects Your Liver & Pancreas
The medium-chain triglycerides in coconut oil behave differently than other saturated fats. The reason that coconut oil is good for you is that the MCTs are absorbed into the bloodstream directly, rather than having to be broken down in the intestines first.
The liver transforms fatty acids into energy, which reduces its workload.
Coconut oil also has the added benefit of reducing fat accumulation around the liver. This is because the liver directly converts MCTs into energy, rather than storing it as fat.
When we consume coconut oil, the pancreas also reaps the benefits alongside the liver. The pancreas produces enzymes that are necessary for the transformation of fatty acids into a form of energy that can be used. Since MCTs don’t need to be broken down, eating coconut oil also eases the pancreas’s workload.
What Kind of Coconut Oil Should You Buy?
We recommend you buy a coconut oil that checks off these four important qualities:
- Organic
- Extra Virgin
- Cold-Pressed
- Non-Hydrogenated
Organic, extra-virgin coconut oil is better than refined alternatives. The oil is extracted from fresh coconuts in a way that retains the natural properties of the oil. Coconut oil that is unrefined has the highest nutrient levels and potential for antioxidants. Plus, it simply tastes the best. Refined oils go through a process where they lose nutritional quality and taste.
But Wait… Is Coconut Oil Bad for You?
Michels was coming from. Karin Michels, in a 2018 lecture titled “Coconut Oil and other Nutritional Errors,” described coconut oil as “one of the worst foods you can eat.” This is obviously a controversial claim, but it is important to explore where Michels was coming from with this statement. Michels is coming from.
Her stance is not unfamiliar. The belief that fats are bad and should be avoided is widespread. Michels states that coconut oil is dangerous because it is mostly made up of saturated fatty acids. She believes that oils like olive oil or rapeseed oil, which contain more unsaturated fatty acids, are better options.
studies can be found to support both sides of the argument for and against saturated fats. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that people who consume high-fat dairy products like cheese and whole milk are not at a higher risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke.
A separate study that looked at data from 135,000 people in 18 countries found that those who consumed a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet had a 23% lower risk of death.
Coconut oil became avoided by many people because it contains a high amount of fat. However, most of this fat is in the form of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are also known as medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs). The MCTs in this product are processed by the body differently than other saturated fats. Coconut oil is easier for the body to digest and delivers energy to the liver more quickly. Coconut oil is used as an energy boost because it is a quick source of energy. Coconut oil is a good option for people with blood sugar or gallbladder concerns because it is easily digested without requiring bile or pancreatic enzymes.
So, Is Coconut Oil One of the Worst Foods You Can Eat?
Our take? We side with most dietary guidelines that recommend moderation. You can use too much of anything, and coconut oil is not an exception to this rule. There are also different kinds of coconut oil available. Virgin coconut oil is less likely to result in negative effects than a highly processed oil, even though the fatty acid composition is similar. Processing the oils too harshly may get rid of some of the beneficial essential fatty acids and antioxidants, such as lauric acid. Lauric acid has been shown to help keep blood lipid levels healthy and within the normal range.
This discussion is relevant to the next section, which provides suggestions for the best type of coconut oil to use.
