Coconut oil is getting a lot of very good press lately…much of it from me! I thought I’d clear up WHY it’s good and WHAT I do with the stuff. This first post will tick off the former.
So, know this:
It doesn’t make you fat
Coconut oil is a short-medium chain saturated fat. But saturated fat is bad, right? No. Not the naturally occurring saturated fats, like coconut oil. It’s the artificially adjusted trans fats you want to avoid, like vegetable oils and seed oils. I’ll be posting on this next week, if you’re not quite convinced! Also, when I mention coconut oil, I’m talking virgin coconut oil, not the hydrogenated version (which is bad).
In fact, it helps you LOSE weight
How so? Coconut oil is mostly made up of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), also called medium-chain triglycerides or MCTs. These types of fatty acids produce a whole host of health benefits:
- MCFAs are smaller. They permeate cell membranes easily, and do not require special enzymes to be utilized effectively by your body.
- MCFAs are easily digested, thus putting less strain on your digestive system.
- MCFAs are sent directly to your liver, where they are more readily converted into energy rather than being stored as fat.
- MCFAs actually help stimulate your body’s metabolism, and increases the activity of the thyroid,
leading to weight loss. - Coconut oil is nature’s richest source of MCTs (50 per cent of which is lauric acid). This is important as MCTs are proven to assist metabolism and burn fat.
It stops sugar cravings and energy slumps
Your body sends medium-chain fatty acids straight to your liver to use as energy. This means that coconut oil