Misconceptions
• Low fat
People have developed a certain paranoia on fats that you want to avoid it in any way you can. Problem is, you end up craving for more and eat even more. The truth is we do need fats for our body – good fats and in specific amounts. For one, fats provide us energy if blood sugar supplies run out and fats help transport nutrients across cell membranes.
It is only when bad fats in our body build up that they become dangerous to our health.
• No to Saturated Fats
For long years the public had been made to believe that coconut oil is detrimental to our health because it is a saturated fat. Until now countless write-ups are very explicit about avoiding tropical oils. But nowadays nutritionists say, these “facts” are only misconceptions and coco oil is not the fat that you should get away from.
• Hydrogenated Oil
The past researches showed that coco oil contain trans fats that can heighten blood cholesterol level. Those could be true but it was only because the researchers used hydrogenated coconut oil in most of their studies. Any type of hydrogenated oil gives ill effects to our body.
Fat – a solution to eliminate body fat?
Coconut oil is one of the best sources of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) which are more soluble fats – the kind of fatty acids that we need. Unlike long chain fatty acids, MCFAs do not accumulate and become body fat nor do they clog up in blood vessels and impair blood circulation.
Soluble fatty acids burn calories more efficiently and improve metabolic performance resulting to more energy conversion and nutrient utilization by the cells.
One reason that encouraged the study of coconut oil for health purposes is the observation that people in tropical areas do not experience the illnesses of people from the West. Natives from the tropics are usually healthy and are strangers to heart ailments, diabetes, obesity, and cancers and they are actually using coconut cooking oil.
Coconut oil and weight loss
• Virgin coconut oil for weight loss
There are several easy ways to lose weight with the use of coconut oil and the most popular of which is taking 3.5 tablespoons of virgin coconut oil or unrefined coconut oil as a supplement everyday.
• Cooking with Coconut Oil
Changing all your oils with refined coconut oil, virgin coco oil or extra virgin olive oil also does wonders to your health. Other oils are very unhealthy and highly fattening.
• The Coconut Diet
Follow the Coconut Diet by bestselling author and nutritionist, Cherie Calbom. This four-phased dietary program encourages discipline on your choice of foods. Not only does this guide you to attain normal weight, it also helps you maintain such weight through a health lifestyle and coconut diet recipe.
Aside that the diet program is effective for losing weight, it can also be beneficial to your health. Naturopath Dr. Bruce Fife suggests coconut oil for hypothyroidism because coco oil is said to improve the performance of the thyroid gland in secreting hormones that regulate metabolism. He has come up with a thyroid-enhancing program incorporating a coconut oil diet for his patients.
Coconut oil weight loss pills are also available in the market today. However, the use of coconut oil diet capsules are not encouraged by nutritionists and coconut oil experts. Taking them could not give you the sufficient amount of coco oil the body needs in a day.
