Coconut Oil Health Benefits

Coconut oil is full of saturated fat. Normally this statement would scare anyone off from ever considering coconut oil to be a health food.

The truth of the matter is that saturated fat has gotten a really bad reputation lately as being nothing but unhealthy for our bodies. Although, this may be true of most saturated fats, coconut oil is very different.

The fats in coconut oil has a unique property that actually causes it to have both antimicrobial and anticancer benefits in the body. Coconut oil is also used to treat thyroid conditions and aid in weight loss. (Who would have thought that eating more fat could help you lose weight?)

It is a mistake to assume that every type of saturated fat leads to heart disease.

The difference between the saturated fat in coconut oil and the saturated fat in other types of food is that coconut oil is a medium chain fatty acid while the rest are long chain fatty acids.

This makes a hugde difference because medium chain fatty acids, also known as lauric acid, actually helps to reduce heart disease and atherosclerosis.

Lauric acid is specifically known for its antimicrobial attributes. Lauric acid can be turned into a substance known as monolaurin by our bodies, which is both anti-viral and anti-bacterial. Monolaurin also helps to destroy lipid coated viruses, which include HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus and influenza.

Keep in mind that not every brand of coconut oil is healthy, hydrogenated coconut oil is just as dangerous to your health as other trans-fats. What you need to look for is unprocessed coconut oil in order to reap the health benefits.

In addition to the great benefits that come with using coconut oil for your food, is the nourishment you could provide to your skin by using it as a daily lotion or face moisturizer.

With coconut oil, you will be able to give your skin a nourishing and chemical-free treatment on a daily basis that won't clog up your pores.

One brand I highly recommend is Nuvita organic coconut oil. It is USDA certified organic, and produced as extra-virgin.

What sets Nuvita's coconut oil apart from the others is that their oil is cold-pressed from fresh coconuts within two hours of chopping. This allows it to go through the least amount of processing as possible. Their coconut oil is not hydrogenated, so you will be able to get all of the benefits of coconut oil from this source.

Sources:
www.westonaprice.org/knowyourfats/coconut_oil.html
www.coconutresearchcenter.org
www.coconut-info.com
www.lauric.org/technical.html