Lady Godiva
04-21-2005, 05:29 AM
Add a Little Coconut Oil to Your Diet
If I say "oil," and you immediately think "fat," "bad," and "unhealthy," think again. Some oils, when consumed in the right amounts, are extremely good for you and should not be avoided. You probably already know that olive oil, for example, is considered a smart fat for its heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids. But did you know that coconut oil is another such "smart" fat? For years, coconut oil was wrongly accused of being among the "bad" saturated fats that increase cholesterol and your risk for heart disease. But, in fact, coconut oil has the opposite effect: it can actually increase your good cholesterol, lower your bad cholesterol, and provide you with a host of many healthy benefits.
The many benefits of coconut oil
Even though coconut oil happens to be high in saturated fat, it's surprisingly not in the same category as other saturated fats, such as butter and palm oil (or "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil") that are clearly not the best for your health. Researchers started to look again at coconut oil once studies noted that people who live in tropical climates and have diets high in coconut oil are healthier, have fewer instances of heart disease, cancer, colon problems, and so on, than people who eat other fats. They also tend to be leaner and don't have a problem with weight, much less obesity. So what gives? As it turns out, the components of coconut oil stimulate your thyroid, one of the most influential glands in your body. Your thyroid produces hormones that regulate your body and have the potential to make you feel tired, hungry, sleepy, and so on. If your thyroid is not functioning properly, you are bound to have numerous health problems. Weight gain, unfortunately, is one of them because once your thyroid gets out of whack, so does your metabolism.
Coconut oil has many other benefits you won't find in other saturated fats, such as germ-fighting and immunity-building capabilities. For example, at the heart of this oil is a substance called lauric acid, which is also prominent in the saturated fat of human breast milk. Lauric acid is responsible for giving vital immunity-building properties to a baby's first stage of life. And outside of human breast milk, nature's most abundant source of lauric acid is coconut oil. My point here is not so much that you should run out and start drinking coconut oil by the gallon, but rather, you should not necessarily wipe it from your diet because you equate it with other bad saturated fats. You can reap some benefits from this oil if you consume it in moderation.
How to incorporate coconut oil into your diet
It's easy to find fun ways to incorporate coconut oil into your diet. The trick is to make sure you don't consume too much and then lose the benefits that a balanced amount of this oil can provide. Just as you wouldn't want to sit and drink a quart of olive oil—or any high-calorie, high-fat food for that matter—you don't want to consume huge portions of coconut oil. The key is balance. Most all-natural and organic food stores carry 100% extra-virgin coconut oil that you can use in place of butter for cooking. So when a tropical recipe calls for butter, add a pat of coconut oil instead. You can also buy cans of coconut milk and add it to your favorite protein shake in lieu of milk. Or pick up a few slices of shaved coconut to sprinkle on top of yogurt or eat by itself as an afternoon snack. Just be sure to read all labels carefully and measure out your one-serving size. Generally, you don't want to exceed more than two tablespoons of pure coconut oil a day. Remember: the calories and fat still count!
If I say "oil," and you immediately think "fat," "bad," and "unhealthy," think again. Some oils, when consumed in the right amounts, are extremely good for you and should not be avoided. You probably already know that olive oil, for example, is considered a smart fat for its heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids. But did you know that coconut oil is another such "smart" fat? For years, coconut oil was wrongly accused of being among the "bad" saturated fats that increase cholesterol and your risk for heart disease. But, in fact, coconut oil has the opposite effect: it can actually increase your good cholesterol, lower your bad cholesterol, and provide you with a host of many healthy benefits.
The many benefits of coconut oil
Even though coconut oil happens to be high in saturated fat, it's surprisingly not in the same category as other saturated fats, such as butter and palm oil (or "partially hydrogenated vegetable oil") that are clearly not the best for your health. Researchers started to look again at coconut oil once studies noted that people who live in tropical climates and have diets high in coconut oil are healthier, have fewer instances of heart disease, cancer, colon problems, and so on, than people who eat other fats. They also tend to be leaner and don't have a problem with weight, much less obesity. So what gives? As it turns out, the components of coconut oil stimulate your thyroid, one of the most influential glands in your body. Your thyroid produces hormones that regulate your body and have the potential to make you feel tired, hungry, sleepy, and so on. If your thyroid is not functioning properly, you are bound to have numerous health problems. Weight gain, unfortunately, is one of them because once your thyroid gets out of whack, so does your metabolism.
Coconut oil has many other benefits you won't find in other saturated fats, such as germ-fighting and immunity-building capabilities. For example, at the heart of this oil is a substance called lauric acid, which is also prominent in the saturated fat of human breast milk. Lauric acid is responsible for giving vital immunity-building properties to a baby's first stage of life. And outside of human breast milk, nature's most abundant source of lauric acid is coconut oil. My point here is not so much that you should run out and start drinking coconut oil by the gallon, but rather, you should not necessarily wipe it from your diet because you equate it with other bad saturated fats. You can reap some benefits from this oil if you consume it in moderation.
How to incorporate coconut oil into your diet
It's easy to find fun ways to incorporate coconut oil into your diet. The trick is to make sure you don't consume too much and then lose the benefits that a balanced amount of this oil can provide. Just as you wouldn't want to sit and drink a quart of olive oil—or any high-calorie, high-fat food for that matter—you don't want to consume huge portions of coconut oil. The key is balance. Most all-natural and organic food stores carry 100% extra-virgin coconut oil that you can use in place of butter for cooking. So when a tropical recipe calls for butter, add a pat of coconut oil instead. You can also buy cans of coconut milk and add it to your favorite protein shake in lieu of milk. Or pick up a few slices of shaved coconut to sprinkle on top of yogurt or eat by itself as an afternoon snack. Just be sure to read all labels carefully and measure out your one-serving size. Generally, you don't want to exceed more than two tablespoons of pure coconut oil a day. Remember: the calories and fat still count!