Tuesday 18 November 2008

COCONUT OIL..............one of the healthiest dietary oils on earth

It's often lumped together with other saturated fats and we're told to avoid it because of this, but actually coconut oil is a fabulous addition to anyones diet/health regime for many reasons.

Yes it is a saturated fat, but there are different types depending on their short/medium/chain lengths , and coconut oil differs from others giving it remarkable healing properties.

It's made up of short and medium chain fatty acids with 50% being lauric acid, getting converted to mono laurin in the human body, making it anti bacterial, anti fungal and anti viral. On this basis it has the potential to help fight such things as herpes, influenza, HIV and several bacteria in the body.

The large proportion of short chain fatty acids allows the fats to be directly converted into pure clean energy and NOT stored in the body (liver) as fat.This takes the pressure off the livers metabolic load.

Simply put it's quickly metabolized and will NOT assist in weight gain - yippee! and it tastes great!


It's so versatile - its highly heat resistant (oxidises at temperatures over 198 degrees) making it a very stable oil for cooking. It's solid at room temperature so can be used as a spread alternative to butter and margarine. Try it, its yum!

Most recipes calling for butter, margarine or any other oil for that matter can be substituted with coconut oil.

Preferably organic, coconut flour (naturally gluten free), coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut shavings and dessiciated coconut (unsweetened) are all great versatile additions to the diet from curries to muesli.

I use organic coconut milk in a post exercise 'shake' and recommend it to clients ,particularly protein types, to replenish muscles : combine coconut milk, banana, ice, cinnamon and cocoa powder in a blender and whizz up - very tasty, and an instant re vitaliser.

It also makes you feel satiated so its possible to go without eating for hours.

Having very dry skin the oil (same as you'd use for cooking) was also recommended to me some time ago as a moisturiser; its beneficial also for eczema, psoriasis, sunburn and wrinkles! and it makes you smell good!

For glossy hair, use the oil as a pre wash conditioner, to lubricate and soften the hair shaft with NO chemical or additives.

Basically coconuts offer a TOP product range for inner and outer health and in summary the benefits are :

- helps weight loss, lowers cholesterol
- helps reduce the risk of heart diesase
- can help those with diabetes, and thyroid problems
- helps IBS symptoms and other digestive disorders
- is a great skin rejuvenator
- is an effective hair moisturiser
- boosts energy/vitality

Apparently just as an interesting aside, as many as 100 million people worldwide are dependent on coconut as their major source of income. Quite significant hey?!

For further reading on the major benefits of coconuts read The Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife.

Today's Tip : Open your mind, it's liberating!

5 comments:

Paul said...

Personally, I've always been a bit coconut shy. I hope the blue quality streets have all the same properties.

Paul said...

just been playing a game to see what words come up in the word verification section.. My favourite words so far...

mitholog and trargis

Unknown said...

brilliant please keep posting - this is really compelling stuff, and utterly hilarious.

Paul said...

lucy, tell us about yourself.

Unknown said...

What for this is much more interesting than my life - thought the purpose of the blog was for the author to share their opinions and thoughts - and the comments section for the readers to leave, well their comments. Far be it for me to hijack this blog with a blog of my own in the comments section. This surely would subvert its purpose. Anyway I like readig this blog it is funny. Anyway Paul you are still a sick-elephant. Perhaps you could ask a question about the best way to get a daily dose of coconut oil, or how much is too much coconut oil. . .