Coconut Oil

There are many common myths and misconceptions about fats. There are good fats and bad fats. All saturated fats are not harmful. Raw coconut oil is one of the healthiest. The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, cholesterol level maintenance, weight loss, boosted immune system, proper digestion and regulated metabolism. It also apparently provides relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV, and cancer, while helping to improve dental quality and bone strength. These benefits of oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and their respective properties, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-fungal, antibacterial and soothing qualities. Coconut oil is used extensively in tropical countries especially India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Philippines etc., which have a good production of coconut oil. At one time, the oil was also popular in western countries like the United States and Canada, but there was a strong propaganda campaign in the 1970s spread by the corn oil and soy oil industry against coconut oil. Dr. Oz calls it the miracle oil that fights body fat and helps your heart. People who use 2 tablespoons per day of coconut oil consume 60 fewer calories per day. It goes right to the liver to give you energy quickly and curbs your appetite, and speeds up your metabolism. It helps you to loose weight because less than half of coconut oil consumed is actually stored in the body.Oz says use it in stir fry because doesn't burn and gives a rich creamy flavor. Dr. Joseph Mercola writes that hydrogenation manipulates vegetable and seed oils by adding hydrogen atoms while heating the oil, producing a rancid, thickened substance that really only benefits processed food shelf life and corporate profits -- just about all experts now agree, hydrogenation does nothing good for your health. These manipulated saturated fats are also called trans-fats -- and you should avoid them.  Dr. Weston Price found South Pacific Islanders whose diets were high in coconut to be healthy and trim, despite high dietary fat, and heart disease was virtually non-existent. Similarly, in 1981, researchers studying two Polynesian communities for whom coconut was the primary caloric energy source found them to have excellent cardiovascular health and fitness. Nearly 50 percent of the fat in coconut oil is of a type rarely found in nature called lauric acid, a "miracle" compound because of its unique health promoting properties. Your body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, which has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-protozoa properties. Coconut oil is also nature's richest source of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), also called medium-chain triglycerides or MCTs. By contrast, most common vegetable or seed oils are comprised of long chain fatty acids (LCFAs), also known as long-chain triglycerides or LCTs. These good fats found in coconut oil stimulates metabolism and burns up calories. It contains fewer calories than other fats and may be the only natural, low-calorie fat. When you add coconut oil into your diet you burn off more calories because your metabolism increases and energy levels remain elevated for as much as 24 hours.  MCTs can enhance physical or athletic performance.  Two-thirds of the saturated fat in coconut oil is a medium-chain saturated fat. This important fact deserves clarification as MCFA’s actually helps us to lose weight, lower cholesterol, improve diabetic conditions and reduce the risk of heart disease. One of the most outstanding benefits of consuming MCFA’s is that they do not require the liver and gallbladder to digest and emulsify them. This means instant energy and increased thermogenesis (increased metabolic rate in the body) which leads to more heat production as well as improved circulation. Coconut Oil offers hope for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS. Coconut oil’s ketogenic properties have been known for quite some time, as has the fact that it is a highly saturated fat not prone to lipid peroxidation which is a problem with polyunsaturated oils. Polyunsaturated oils have largely replaced saturated fats in the American diet, and lipid peroxidation is known to be a precursor to Alzheimer’s. The ketones found in coconut oil provide a fuel to the brain that is thought to be very beneficial to those suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s. Links More Research on Saturated Fats Coconut recipes Martha Stewart - coconut   Coconut Husker tool (a local product)