For decades, the term ‘fats’ has been associated with its many stereotypes and subsequent negativity. As a result, the majority of people who continuously seek the perfect diet fail to understand the fundamentals of what benefits fats can actually bring to the table in terms of health.
We live in a society where the press, media, TV adverts and websites collectively tell us that purchasing their products is the right thing to do because of their ‘so-called’ health benefits. Society has a way of being persuasive, which leads you to think that picking up your favourite ready meal in your local store, as it’s low in fat is surely a good thing. Well, it’s not. And for many, this remains a common misconception.
In fact, certain fats including those found in coconut oil are particularly good for you. Rather than providing you with a scientific explanation, here’s a few reasons why I believe this superfood can help you promote healthy living.
Approximately 65% of the fats in coconut oil are made up of Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT’s) which give coconut oil some very interesting and useful properties compared to other fats. One example is the way they get metabolised. Not all fats get metabolised and used the same way. For example, fats mainly containing Long Chain Triglycerides (LCT’s) need to be broken down by pancreatic enzymes in the gut before they get absorbed through the intestinal wall. They then get distributed into the blood stream by passing the liver, and fatty components get distributed throughout the body, where they get burned or stored for energy.
MCT rich coconut oil does not require the same method of digestion. In fact MCT’s are broken down almost immediately, where they are sent directly to the liver and burned for energy, not stored as body fat. MCT’s are used much more like carbohydrates rather than fats. The benefit of this is, it is then a source of instant energy for the body.
It’s high in lauric acid which has been shown to increase protection against bacteria that can cause stomach ulcers, food poisoning and even acne.
It’s also very good for moisturising your skin and hair. And has been shown to whiten teeth and keep gums healthy. This is the wizard of the food world in terms of readily available energy, the pre workout of all pre work outs, so to speak.
Not only is it a fantastic antioxidant, it also limits inflammation due to it being almost all saturated fat and deficient in polyunsaturated fat. It’s ideal for cooking due to it being more stable at high temperatures and having a very high smoking point (about 350°F). The benefits of this are; when used for cooking it will lose none of its flavour and keep all of the nutritional benefits.
To conclude this I feel I have only covered some of the basics of what this superfood can be used for. It can be used for just about anything. My personal favourite is a big dollop in my morning coffee to get my brain kick started and them neurotransmitters firing.