Coconuts have been a staple in many eastern tropical countries diets for centuries, and in recent years coconut oil has garnered the attention of the medical, beauty, and health community for good reason! A multi-purpose substance that can be consumed or used topically for a variety of uses, coconut oil is not only beneficial to your internal health, but your outer health as well! Sit back, relax, and imagine you are on an island sipping a tropical drink as you uncover the eight KEY benefits of coconut oil!
The saturated fat in coconut oil, a medium chain triglyceride (MCT), is different from the saturated fat found in meat and dairy that instead of being stored in your body actually takes the fast track to your liver where it is able to be converted into energy! Encouraging your metabolism to work just that much more, Scientists have worked it out that over the course of twenty-four hours when you consume atleast 15-20grams of MCT’s you can increase your energy expenditure by 5%!
#2) Coconut oil, promotes good bacteria by killing the bad
The anti-bacterial properties in coconut oil shine when you apply coconut oil to your skin topically! The reason being that coconut oil contains Capric, Capryllic, and Lauric acids which are not vastly different from the medium chain fatty acids that make up the saturated fat that coconut oil is mostly composed of. Simply a dab on a sore, or cut, will create a protective chemical layer against dust and microbes!
#3) Coconut oil also can promote good bacteria inside your body as well
When ingested, coconut oil gets an anti-microbial boost as when the Lauric acid is digested by your stomach enzymes “monolaurin” is created, which together with the Lauric acid has been shown to kill pathogens that lead to staph and yeast infections!
#4) Coconut oil can improve the health of your skin
Hailed for its anti-aging properties and being dominantly composed of saturated fats (medium-chain triglycerides to be specific), coconut oil is full of fatty acids, therefore, that when applied to the skin actually allows your skin to maintain its level of hydration thus keeping it smooth and preventing it from cracking!
#5) Coconut oil is packed with Vitamin E
Not just good for the skin, the high presence of Vitamin E means that coconut oil is also good for the moisturizing of your hair as well! It’s a good thing that coconut oil smells great as well! 100 grams of coconut oil has about .1mg of Vitamin E.
#6) Coconut oil is filled with Proteins
Coconut itself is rich in many proteins, and their constant presence in your body promotes cell and tissue repair at a normal rate! Not only will your healing rate increase with a protein-rich diet, but the presence of these proteins In coconut oil prevent it from ever going sour and wasting away!
#7) Coconut oil curves cravings and hunger
The medium chain triglycerides present in coconut oil have the added key benefit of promoting the formation of “ketone bodies” (which include acetone, acetoacetic acid, beta-hydroxybutyric acid)! Essentially these are created when your body metabolizes fats in the liver.
Your body typically produces these when you are fasting! Therefore you are telling your body to lose weight! A very useful tool in the pursuit of one’s health goals!
#8) Coconut oil helps to balance your hormones
The medium chain triglycerides in coconut oil help the body in the conversion of cholesterol into the steroid hormone pregnenalone which is a precursor to many other hormones!
Essentially, you are having more soldiers “manning the door” to warn your body that hormones are coming! This allows the time for your body to process and better handle hormone spikes in addition to helping you reduce your cholesterol promoting vascular health!
Coconut oil sure is a simple and yet complex ingredient that has the potential to revolutionize not only your dietary regime, but your beauty regime as well! I hope you enjoyed this tropical excursion, and that you give coconut oil a try!
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