7 Reasons You Should Be Using Coconut Oil
It is a common misconception that coconut oil is bad for you. However, people worldwide are experiencing the healthy benefits of using coconut oil. Here are the top 7 reasons you should use coconut oil instead of other oils.
- Coconut oil doesn’t turn into fat in your body.
Unlike many other common oils, like soy (vegetable) and corn, coconut oil won’t make you fat. This is because coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), an easy fuel for the body to burn without turning to fat.
Most other cooking oils and fats contain long-chain triglycerides (LCT). The body usually stores LCTs as fat. Since coconut oil is an MCT, it is more easily absorbed and converted to energy quicker.
People in the tropics have relied on coconuts as a traditional staple in their diet for centuries. As a result, they consume large amounts of coconut oil every day. Instead of getting fatter, it helps them stay healthy, lean, and trim. However, when they switch from coconut oil to our modern oils, they develop obesity and other common health problems in our society.
- Coconut oil increases your metabolism.
Not only does coconut oil convert to energy quicker in your body, but it also increases your metabolism, which promotes weight loss. Because it boosts your metabolism, it helps your body burn fat more effectively.
Coconut oil may triple your calorie burn. Since coconut oil is an MCT, it is converted to energy so quickly that it creates a lot of heat. In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, MCTs burn three times more calories for six hours after a meal than LCTs.
The February 15, 2005 issue of Woman’s World magazine stated that coconut oil is the “underground high-metabolism secret.” This is excellent news for people with thyroid problems since coconut oil improves sluggish thyroids by stimulating the production of extra thyroid hormones. Other common oils, like vegetable (soy) and corn, have been shown to inhibit thyroid function.
- Coconut oil has omega-3 fatty acids.
Most cooking oils contain omega-6 fatty acids, something we get way too much of in the United States. Our omega-6 to omega-3 ratio should be 1:1, but it is more like 50:1. We need to drastically cut back our omega-6 oils and consume much more omega-3 fats to be healthy. And coconut oil is filled with these healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
- Coconut oil gives you energy.
Because of the healthy omega-3 fatty acids and the fact that it increases your metabolism, most people who switch to coconut oil feel a burst of added energy in their daily lives.
MCTs promote thermogenesis, which increases the body’s metabolism, producing energy.
Many people with chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia have found that adding coconut and coconut oil to their diet helps improve their energy levels.
- One of the best things you can use on your skin and hair is coconut oil.
Coconut oil gives temporary relief to skin problems like eczema and rashes. In addition, it aids in healing and restoring hair and skin to a younger appearance.
Coconut oil also has antioxidant properties that protect the hair and skin from free radical damage. Free radicals are responsible for breaking down collagen, resulting in things like dark spots and wrinkles. They can also lead to grey hair and even hair loss over time.
It can also make your skin and hair smooth, shiny, and softer. In addition, it makes an excellent natural lip balm.
- Coconut oil has healthy benefits that most other oils do not.
Evidence shows that coconut oil has anti-fungal, antibacterial, and antiviral effects when consumed and used topically on the skin.
Most oils oxidize and turn rancid very quickly, causing free radical damage in our bodies. Coconut oil is not easily oxidized and does not cause harmful free radical damage like polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Free radical damage may be responsible for many ailments in the body (in addition to the ones mentioned above for hair and skin), from arthritis to increased susceptibility to cancers.
Coconut oil also helps our bodies absorb other nutrients, such as Vitamin E.
- Coconut oil is one of the best oils you can use for cooking.
It has a higher smoke point than olive oil, which means it can take higher temperatures better. Other healthy omega-3 oils, such as flax and olive oil, don’t do well under the high heat we use for cooking.
It is harder for coconut oil to go rancid, unlike other cooking oils, which might even be rancid long before you bring them home. Rancid oils can cause free radical damage in the body, which is a leading cause of cancer. Coconut oil is stable for over a year at room temperature.
Unfortunately, we have lost out on the healthy benefits that coconut oil has given the people of the tropics for centuries. But now it has been rediscovered! Coconut oil is so effective that it won’t be long before we see coconut oil supplements promoted, but you can get the jump on the popular crowd and start consuming and cooking with coconut oil today!
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