The word ‘superfood’ seems to be thrown around a lot lately. Any product with a reasonable selection of health benefits seems to gain the accolade, leaving few knowing what an actual superfood really is. But when it comes to coconut oil, the title of ‘one of natures true superfoods’ is well deserved. Coconut oil is rich in fatty acids, which have been at the center of an hysteria of positive press recently, praising their effect on general health levels. Whether you choose to cook with it, oil pull it, use it in dressings or find another way to use it, here are 3 great reasons to make coconut oil a regular part of your diet.
Coconut Oil Can Help You Lose Weight
It seems counter-intuitive that adding fat into your daily diet can help you lose it, but that’s exactly what happens in the case of Medium Chain Triglycerides such as those found in coconut oil. Studies show that MCT’s are metabolized differently by the body compared to longer chains, as they go straight to the liver to be used as energy. The benefits of these healthy statured fats go even further towards aiding weight loss. Increasing their consumption results in feeling fuller for longer. A tablespoon of coconut oil contains just 117 calories, yet could be responsible for saving you eating several hundred when hunger strikes.
Coconut Oil Can Ward Off Illness
Very rarely is achieving good health easy. A good session of exercise will show you that. But sometimes, nature includes a shortcut that makes staying in tip-top shape that bit easier. The high content of lauric acid found in coconut oil turns into monolaurin when digested. Both lauric acid and monolaurin are effective weapons used by the body to fight off infections, harmful bacteria, fungi and viruses. Coconut oil is an essential immune boosting superfood, which will keep you fit throughout the winter, and help keep everything nasty at bay.
Coconut Oil Improves Cholesterol Levels
Throughout the 1980’s, popular opinion was that all fats were bad. They were to be shunned from the diet, and consuming any would raise your risk of heart disease. Now, as science has become more aware of what constitutes good heart health, coconut oil is due its apology. The saturated fats contained in the oil don’t damage the blood lipid profile as once believed. Instead, they actually helps lower cholesterol, improving cardiovascular health as a bonus.
Choosing The Right Kind Of Oil
If you believe its time to put this super-oil to use to improve the health of yourself and your family, then you’re not alone. Thousands are now turning their backs on traditional oils in order to reap the rewards of a minor kitchen-ingredient change. Despite every supermarket or grocery story now selling some form of coconut oil, be sure to choose the organic, virgin kind. Organic, virgin coconut oil is its purest form, removed of fillers, chemicals and GMO ingredients. There’s no certain path to easy health, but when so much can be gained from such a small change, it’d be ludicrous not to make it.