Someone has asked me how coconut oil helps you lose weight. Good question. I had to think about it for a bit. In the meantime, I ate some more of the stuff in dishes like my raspberry ripple recipe.
Anecdotally, according to a survey of one, I know it works. I eat about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil – straight from the jar, or in a sugar-free chocolaty dish like the one above – most days after lunch. And I’ve lost weight from doing so.
If you want to read more anecdotes about weight loss from eating coconut check out these forums.
How does it work? Again, anecdotally, I believe it’s because coconut oil:
a) kills sugar cravings, immediately (I don’t go reaching for more food, especially sweet food, after lunch).
b) fills you up, immediately. After 2 tablespoons I’m not hungry for about four hours. A rare state of being for me.
c) does something else…I’m not sure what…but it certainly seems to speed up metabolism.
I wanted to learn more myself about why this is so, and, so, did some research. I like dot-points, so allow me to present my findings as a series of bulletted factoids and findings:
For more coconut oil recipes like the one above, you might like to download my I Quit Sugar Cookbook.
The saturated fat deal
* Know this: saturated fats, overall, help you lose weight. Coconut oil is a saturated fat. To fatten a pig, farmers feed them polyunsaturated fats (primarily soybean and corn oil). To produce a leaner pork? The Department of Animal Science of North Carolina State University advises you stop feeding them polyunsaturated oils and start feeding them saturated fats. Can you see the picture forming?
* Consider this: we eat less saturated fat then ever before, but we’re the fattest we’ve ever been. Perhaps there’s a connection here?
* Saturated fats are required to absorb nutrients. Four vitamins—A, D, E, and K—are soluble in fat only. We need