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 fat to be nourished fully and to ensure our metabolisms are running correctly.
* Saturated fats promote conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Which in turn promotes weight loss.
But why coconut oil specifically?
* Medium-chain fatty acids or medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) lead to weight loss. Coconut oil is nature’s richest source of MCTs. Most plant oils are made up of longer chain fat triglycerides (LCTs). LCTs are typically stored in the body as fat; MCTs are transported directly to the liver, promoting “thermogenesis” which increases the body’s metabolism. There are a stack of studies that have shown this to be the case, like this one. This study shows eating 2 tablespoons of coconut oil with a meal caused body temperature to rise, boosting metabolism.
* MCTs are not easily converted into stored triglycerides and cannot be readily used by the body to make larger fat molecules. Want to learn more, click here.
* Plus coconut oil’s MCTs are a primary fuel source for intestinal cells, aiding digestion overall.
* Coconut oil’s MCTs are most similar to human breast milk. And have similar healing and metabolic properties.
How to eat coconut oil
I could go on. Others have and you might like to scour the net yourself and look at all the research on the topic. Or you might like to try just eating the stuff.
* Try it on its own. A tablespoon or two straight from the jar after a meal.
* By making my coconutty granola
* Making my raspberry ripe
* Cook some pumpkin in it, sprinkled with salt.
* And here are 19 other very clever things to do with coconut oil…
Tell me, have you had any joy losing weight with coconut oil…share your thoughts here so others can get a feel for things…
