I was on Facebook one day when an ad came up for a facebook business page that I decided to click on because I LOVE COCONUT OIL and coconut milk!!!!
So when I read that I could enjoy my very favorite cooking ingredient and GET HEALTHY as a result, it felt like being given a license to eat chocolate all day every day and lose weight.
I read that its also helpful to include in your meals if you have type 1+2 diabetes, and as my mum has type 1 I really was motivated to learn more about the health benefits of coconut.
Next I'll tell you about some of the things I learned, and you will probably want to enjoy guilt free treats with coconut too!
Now while its not a miracle food, it has recently been discovered that there is a genuine scientific base for why it is healthy for you... something that vegans have known for years.... (but who wants to live on mung beans?) so we ignored their helpful information about it.
The saturated fat in coconut oil is in the form of lauric acid, which is much healthier than most other oils we use in cooking... BUT beware... there are good and bad fats!!!
1 Not all coconut oils are created equal:
Coconut oil has 12 grams per teaspoon... so bear that in mind if you are overweight. And don't go getting the Hydrogenated coconut oil even if it is cheaper on the shop shelves, because Hydrogenated oils and trans fats are bad for our cholesterol, so look for labels that say "virgin coconut oil"
2 Controls weight
Insulin controls your blood sugar levels and so taking up to 4 teaspoons of coconut oil a day balances your blood sugar levels out, and that helps you manage your weight
3 It can soothe your digestion if you have IBS
There have been lots of reports about how it soothes your bowels because it is easy to digest, so even people with IBS say that it helps them.
4 Helps people with type 2 diabetes
Diabetes can be helped by coconut oil because MCFA fats are easily absorbed on a cellular level to convert to energy quickly and that means less stored fat and improved insulin sensitivity.
5 Coconut oil great for cooking, especially at high heats
Most cooking oils we use actually become unhealthy when they are heated to a high temperature, so you need to only use oils that don't change their properties when you cook with them.
I now use coconut oil just like I used to cook with all the olive oils, and it tastes even better and is healthier.
Conclusion:
There are dozens of things I could write about here, and I'll probably keep adding new points here, but I'll start out with just these points... so keep checking back for more info over time, OK?
There are so many ways that this works for your health and beauty... please share some of your ways that you enjoy coconut....
Or do you HATE the taste and smell of it???
Share your thoughts here!!!