Coconut oil is extracted from peeled
and dried coconuts. Out of many existing oils, coconut oil is the
richest one in fatty acids. This is a sentence where you may stop and
ponder. You have probably been warned all your life to avoid fatty
acids. We have to agree with that attitude, but like it is with
everything else, there are differences between fatty acids too. Some
of them are actually good for the human organism. We will explain
which coconut oil ingredients have beneficial effect on our overall
health and we will try to keep it short and informative.
What is it made of and what kind of effect does it have?
Lauric acid is an exceptionally
important component of coconut oil. The same acid can also be found
in mother’s milk and it serves the function of protecting infants
from infections. You don’t have to be a medical expert to, from
there, draw the conclusion that it has beneficial effects on the
human body. Just as mother’s milk protects the child from
infections and helps build its immune system, this acid has strong
antiviral and antibacterial properties and therefore destroys
protozoa and other harmful single cell organisms in our bodies.
Some studies imply it may also have
anticancer properties. When implemented in one’s diet, natural
coconut oil protects the liver, heart and blood vessels, strengthens
the immune system and helps with losing excess weight.
In addition to lauric acid, coconut oil
also contains caprylic acid which bolsters the growth of beneficial
bacteria, especially those which are also commonly found in milk
acid. The reason why coconut oil isn’t harmful to us like many
other saturated fatty acids are is that it contains healthy mid-chain
fatty acids. Those are the exact kind of acids our bodies easily
process. In addition, coconut oil doesn’t overburden our digestive
tract like other oils do, so it is easily converted into energy, and
that is exceptionally good for athletes.
What should you know when choosing?
Let’s say we understood the basics of
how coconut oil works and decided to implement it into our regular
diet. Which things should we pay attention to? To start off, make
sure your coconut oil isn’t hydrogenised. It’s better if it’s
cold and unrefined. These coconut oils are the ones who have better
beneficial properties than other herbal oils.
High quality coconut oil is easily
recognizable by the fact that it starts to solidify on temperatures
below 24 degrees on Celsius scale. While it’s in liquid form, it’s
transparent. When it shifts to solid form, it gets a white shade. The
higher the quality, the more mellow its aroma is, and as such it
should not affect the taste of the meal its putted in.
Possibilities of using coconut oil in diet
Unrefined coconut oil can be used in
everyday diet. It’s exceptionally stable and can withstand high
temperatures, so all of you who like to eat fried food can use
coconut oil.
Considering it is a natural
preservative agent, meals you cook using coconut oil will last
longer. If you do not find the idea of frying or cooking with coconut
oil appealing, you can use it to spice a salad up or add it to your
favorite smoothie.
We recommend to everyone with a sweet
tooth to add it to every cookie mixture which originally uses wheat
dough. This will give your cookies softer texture and richer flavor.
If you’re not a good chef, but still want to do something good for
your health, you can even drink coconut oil on its own, from one to
three tablespoons a day.
Other possibilities of using coconut oil
Coconut oil has strong antioxidant
effect which made it a common ingredient in many cosmetic products
aimed at skin nurturing. It can often be found in natural anti-agind
crèmes. And as it also has great anti-inflammatory properties, it is
also commonly used for massages. There are many possibilities. It’s
up to you to experiment with them and see what you like best.