VIRGIN COCONUT OIL IN DIET

VIRGIN COCONUT OIL IN DIET

One of the best benefits of virgin coconut oil lies in its ability to help stimulate your metabolism.

Research studies have demonstrated that replacing LCFAs with MCFAs results in both decreased body weight and reduced fat deposition. So, by changing the fats in your diet from the unsaturated long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) found in vegetable or seed oils to the medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) in virgin coconut oil, along with following an exercise plan, you may find yourself gradually losing those unnecessary pounds.

The reasons are simple:

1. The long-chain fats nearly always go to fat storage, while the MCFAs are burned for energy

2. Since virgin coconut oil helps to stimulate your metabolism, you may burn more calories each day, helping to accelerate weight loss (and probably your activity & energy level)

Virgin coconut oil has often been compared to carbohydrates in its ability to be "burned" for energy. However, since insulin is not involved in the process of digesting the MCFAs in coconut oil, you won't get those carb-related spikes in your blood sugar level. This is especially good news for those of you concerned about maintaining normal blood sugar levels.

In fact, the ability of MCFAs to be easily digested, to help stimulate the metabolism and be turned into energy has entered the sports arena. Several studies have now shown that MCFAs enhance physical or athletic performance.

Research has demonstrated that, due to its metabolic effect, virgin coconut oil increases the activity of the thyroid. A sluggish thyroid is one of the reason why some people are unable to lose weight, no matter what they do. Besides weight loss, there are other advantages to boosting your metabolic rate. The healing process accelerates. Cell regeneration increases to replace old cells, and your immune system functions better overall.

VIRGIN COCONUT OIL and YOUR SKIN

VIRGIN COCONUT OIL and YOUR SKIN

Virgin coconut oil is ideal for skin care. It helps protect your skin from the aging effects of free radicals, and can help improve the appearance of skin with its anti-aging benefits.

Physiologist and biochemist Ray Peat, Ph.D., considers virgin coconut oil to be an antioxidant, due to its stability and resistance to oxidation and free radical formation, and also because it reduces our need for the antioxidant protection of vitamin E. Many other experts believe virgin coconut oil may help restore more youthful-looking skin. When virgin coconut oil is absorbed into the skin and connective tissues, it helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by helping to keep connective tissues strong and supple.

Virgin coconut oil will not only bring temporary benefits to the skin, but it will aid in restoring your skin's youthful appearance. The virgin coconut oil will aid in exfoliating the outer layer of dead skin cells, making the skin smoother. It also penetrates into the deeper layers of the skin to strengthen the underlying tissues.

TIPS FOR USING VIRGIN COCONUT OIL

TIPS FOR USING VIRGIN COCONUT OIL

The oil is completely in liquid form at temperatures above 24^oC and will start to solidified at temperatures in less than 22 ^oC. If you prefer the oil to be in solid, just keep it in a chiller. If the oil is solid and you want to make it liquid, just leave it outside at room temperature or heat the tub in a pan of warm water - NEVER MICROWAVE. In its natural environment Virgin Coconut Oil is always liquid. It has an exceedingly long shelf life.

There are many ways to use virgin coconut oil and incorporate it into one's diet. Since it is a stable cooking oil, one can simply replace other oils in the diet with coconut oil.

Since it is solid most of the time at room temperature (in Northern Europe) or when refrigerated, it can be used as a butter or margarine substitute for spreads or for baking. Most recipes calling for butter, margarine, or any other oil can be substituted with virgin coconut oil.

Many people simply eat it by the spoonful.

Mixing the oil with hot water and drinking it is becoming more and more popular. Try also mixing it with herbal teas, honey, lemon, and other suitable beverages.

More ideas on how you may use virgin coconut oil:

- Blend in shakes and smoothies.

- Stir into porridge.

- Prick bananas, tapioca, potatoes and other vegetables and roast in coconut oil

- Use on rice or pasta.

- Also delicious when spread on bread or crackers.

- Can also be added into your pets food.

- Can always been used as a hair and body lotion.

Likewise, it has always been used as a hair and scalp conditioner. If you wish, apply to the scalp 20 – 30 minutes before washing or, for best results, leave on overnight (placing a clean towel on your pillow to protect it) and wash out the oil in the morning with a toxin free shampoo.

HOW IS THIS VCO USED ?

HOW IS THIS VCO USED ?

Virgin coconut oil is a food, and is one of the best cooking oils you can use. It has been a staple cooking oil for thousands of years in tropical climates. As a cooking oil, its chemical structure is kept in tact and therefore is resistant to mutations of fatty acid chains even when used in higher cooking temperatures, unlike most vegetable oils. Research shows that the medium chain fatty acids found in virgin coconut oil boosts the body's metabolism, raises body temperatures, and helps provide greater energy which can lead to weight loss.

Virgin coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, a nutrient that supports the body's immune system. Lauric acid is also found in human mother's milk. Dr. Mary Enig suggests the average adult include about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil per day in their diet.

WHAT EXPERTS SAY

WHAT EXPERTS SAY

"Organic virgin coconut oil stands alone as being the healthiest oil that you can use. It possesses a plethora of health benefits, and the research to substantiate it. I strongly encourage you to make organic virgin coconut oil part of your daily nutritional plan." Mark Atkinson Holistic Medical Physician MBBS BSc (HONS) FRIPHH FCMA BETD SAC DIP (Clinical Nutrition)

Dr. Mary G. Enig, Ph.D

Fellow of the American College of Nutrition and President of the Maryland Nutritionists Association. a licensed nutritionist, certified by the Certification Board for Nutrition Specialists, a qualified expert witness, nutrition consultant to individuals, industry and state and federal governments, contributing editor to a number of scientific publications, Vice-President of the Weston A Price Foundation and Scientific Editor of Wise Traditions as well as the author of Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer for Understanding the Nutrition of Fats, Oils, and Cholesterol, Bethesda Press, May 2000. the author of over 60 technical papers and presentations,

"Coconut oil has a unique role in the diet as an important physiologically functional food. The health and nutritional benefits that can be derived from consuming coconut oil have been recognized in many parts of the world for centuries.

A review of the diet/heart health literature relevant to coconut oil clearly indicates that coconut oil is at worst neutral with respect to atherogenicity of fats and oils, and in fact is likely to be a beneficial oil for [heart health].

Additionally, coconut oil provides a source of antimicrobial lipids [to support an individual's] immune system, and is a non-promoting fat with respect to chemical carcinogenesis."

Prof. Jon J. Kabara Phd.

Professor Emeritus, Department of Chemistry and pharmacology, Michigan State university.

“Never before in the history of man it is so important to emphasis the value of lauric oil. The medium chain fats in coconut oil are similar to fats in mother’s milk and have similar nutriceutical effects”.

VIRGIN COCONUT OIL - medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) The unique health benefits of virgin coconut oil are directly related to its chemical structure, or more precisely, the length of its fatty acid chains. Virgin Coconut Oil is comprised of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), also called medium-chain triglycerides or MCTs. Virgin Coconut Oil is nature’s richest source of these healthy MCFAs. By contrast, most common vegetable or seed oils are comprised of long chain fatty acids (LCFAs), also known as long-chain triglycerides or LCTs. There are several reasons to explain why long-chain fatty acids are not as healthy for you as the MCFAs in coconut oil: 1. LCFAs are difficult for the body to break down -- they must be packaged with lipoproteins or carrier proteins and require special enzymes for digestion. 2. LCFAs put more strain on the pancreas, the liver and the entire digestive system. 3. LCFAs are predominantly stored in the body as fat. (That's why most people buy into the myth that fats are automatically "fattening".) 4. LCFAs can be deposited within arteries in lipid forms such as cholesterol. On the other hand, however, the MCFAs in coconut oil are healthier, because: 1. MCFAs are smaller. They permeate cell membranes easily, and do not require lipoproteins or special enzymes to be utilized effectively by your body. 2. MCFAs are easily digested, thus putting less strain on your digestive system. This is especially important for those of you with digestive or metabolic concerns 3. MCFAs are sent directly to your liver, where they are immediately converted into energy rather than being stored as fat. 4. MCFAs in coconut oil can actually help stimulate your body's metabolism, leading to weight loss.