I’ve finally ditched vegetable oils (soybean, corn, canola, …) in favour of coconut oil and olive oil for cooking. Coconut oil is one of the 3 recommended good fats by Mike Geary in The Fat Burning Kitchen and Isabel De Los Rios in The Diet Solution Program.
Coconut oil contains more than 90% saturated fat, mainly in the form of medium chain fatty acid. MCFAs are converted into energy immediately in the liver and small intestine.
Coconut oil is high in lauric acid, known for its antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties.
The truth about coconut oil
Coconut oil and other tropical oils have gotten a bad rap because they contain saturated fat that is believed to cause heart disease. Early research failed to distinguish the various types of fats. As a result, processed polyunsaturated oils (vegetable oils) are promoted as healthy fats when they are the worst! These oils become oxidised or rancid when exposed to heat, oxygen and moisture during cooking or processing. The radical damage gives rise to cancer, heart disease and autoimmune diseases. Processed polyunsaturated oils also contain too much omega 6 that causes inflammation in the body and increases the risk of diseases such as asthma, allergies, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Benefits of coconut oil
- strengthen immune system
- healthy for heart and arteries
- boost energy and enhance athletic performance
- speed up metabolism and burn fat
- promote healthy functioning of thyroid
Since coconut oil is rich in saturated fat, it is stable at high temperature and ideal for cooking and baking. It is less inflammatory to your body than other vegetable oils.
Coconut and weight loss
One of the best benefits of coconut oil lies in its ability to help stimulate your metabolism. It is easily digested and converted to energy, so it’s not stored as fat. For those of you having trouble maintaining a healthy weight, pure coconut oil could be your new best friend.
People with sluggish thyroid function suffer from weight gain and inability to lose weight. Coconut oil is beneficial for them as it enhances thyroid function and aids in weight loss.
Let me pass on a story Dr. Mercola told me (by-the-way, every word is true!).
Back in the 1940s, farmers found out about the metabolism-stimulating effects of coconut oil purely by accident. They thought it would be a good idea to use inexpensive coconut oil to fatten up their livestock.
Well, to their surprise it didn’t work! Instead, coconut oil made the animals lean, active, and hungry!
How to use coconut oil
Besides using coconut oil for cooking, I like to have it raw in salad and in mashed hard boiled eggs that I eat with chopped tomatoes (instead of bread).
Coconut oil can be added to smoothie or yogurt.
What is the best coconut oil
When selecting and buying coconut oil, make sure it meets the following requirements:
- certified organic
- cold pressed
- made from fresh coconut, not copra
- no refining
- no bleaching
- no deodorization
- no hydrogenation
Depending where you live, you can probably buy coconut oil at a supermarket or health store.
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[...] Your diet should consist of mainly natural whole foods. Fiber carbs, lean protein and healthy fats (coconut oil, avocado, nuts) prevent insulin and blood glucose fluctuations, and slow down the digestion and [...]
[...] are all nuts and seeds, nut butters, avocados, olive oil, organic meats and eggs, coconuts and virgin coconut oil. On that note, saturated fats from tropical oils are VERY misunderstood, even by many nutritionists [...]
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