Benefits of Coconut Oil

By on February 20, 2009 in Food & Nutrition, Healthy Living

I wanted to share this post in hopes of inspiring people to add healthy saturated fats to their diets. Yes, I said it SATURATED FATS!!! Isn’t fat bad for you? Won’t it make me gain weight? Doesn’t it cause high cholesterol? The truth of the matter is that fat has gotten a bad rap, and most Americans are missing out on the important health benefits they offer.

Coconut oil is a tropical oil, rich in saturated fat. It is stable at room temperature, and melts at heat above 76 degrees. This is an excellent oil to cook with. Due to its stability it does not create free radicals in the body like many polyunsaturated fats do, as they easily become rancid.

People who live in tropical climates and typically have a diet high in coconut oil are healthier, have less heart disease, cancer, and colon problems than those consuming primarily unsaturated fat.

Coconut oil contains 40% lauric acid (also found in breast milk), which has anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. This can be very beneficial for anyone working on strengthening their immune system and healing their digestive track. Coconut oil also has a stimulating effect on the thyroid, and is excellent to increase your metabolism. That’s right, people can actually lose fat by eating fat!

Coconut oil helps increase HDL (healthy cholesterol), which is crucial to building healthy cell membranes. Many people still believe that the lower their cholesterol the better. When the truth is we are healthier and our mood is better when we have healthy cholesterol levels.

As a general public we have been led to believe that a low fat diet is best. We have been greatly misinformed and are suffering the consequences as our health is declining. Fat and protein help sustain your energy and balance your blood sugar. Low fat dieters often feel hungry and crave sugar.

So pick up some unrefined cold-pressed coconut oil and start experiencing the benefits.

 

www.healingmovement.net

About CarlyB

Carly Balsz, R.N., is a Certified Colon Hydrotherapist and founder of Healing Movement in Santa Monica, created to help people build their immune systems by addressing digestive issues. She began as an R.N. at UCLA Medical Center’s Liver Transplant ICU.  After battling Candida yeast overgrowth, a weak immune system and difficulties with digestion for most of her life, she started her search for a holistic way to heal herself. She began studying nutrition and the Body Ecology Diet, pioneered by Donna Gates.  After discovering the secret healing treasures of young coconut water kefir and raw cultured vegetables (recommended by the diet), she began manufacturing both products. Today Carly offers food preparation classes, probiotic foods, and dietary counseling, as a Body Ecology Coach and a Certified Nutritional Therapy practioner. To learn more, please visit www.healingmovement.net.

 

 

 

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3 Responses to Benefits of Coconut Oil

  1. Balanchine February 20, 2009 at 11:43 am #

    thanks for this, Carly. I hear mixed reviews about coconut oil. I visited Micronesia for a while where coconut oil is used for beauty a lot too (skin and hair). I'll rest easy knowing that I can continue to consume and cook with coconut oil and be benefitted by it.

  2. dymty February 20, 2009 at 12:07 pm #

    Hi Carly,

    Thank you for sharing this. I agree that the low-fat – no-fat bandwagon is not necessarily the healthiest way to eat. As you point out, there are definite benefits to eating to right kind of fats.

  3. marie.rasco February 20, 2009 at 12:31 pm #

    I agree that the low-fat option isn't always the healthiest. I will have give cooking with coconut oil a try. Thank you for the tip!