As you must have garnered from reading the previous chapter, coconut oil is one fantastic substance. From moisturizing your skin to helping those with Crohn’s disease to being added to toothpaste, coconut oil can help just about anyone. Coconut oil contains saturated fats in the form of Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT’s). MCT’s, when digested, can be used as energy and can turn into ketone bodies. Ketone bodies provide the brain energy if glucose cannot be accessed. Coconut oil can be used both internally when digested and externally.
Diseases and Health
There are quite a few diseases and conditions that coconut oil can possibly help. The symptoms of Alzheimer’s can potentially be minimized with coconut oil because the oil helps against oxidative stress inside the mitochondria of the heart’s cells. The ketone bodies that provide the brain food really help in the case of Alzheimer’s disease. Coconut oil has been said to clear the hazy fog that Alzheimer’s plagues its effected.
Another condition coconut oil is said to help: Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s affects digestion and causes inflammation throughout the digestive tract. Crohn’s patients have to modify their diet and take medication to help keep down the inflammation and other symptoms. Coconut oil has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial qualities. Because
irritable bowel syndrome has similar symptoms, coconut oil’s anti-inflammatory qualities can also help IBS.
Oils used in cooking can cause thyroid problems to become worse or cause them in the first place, but the MCT’s in coconut oil help with low thyroid function because they can speed up metabolism. For similar reasons, MCT’s can help with weight loss.
Diet
Now that we know coconut oil is fantastic in terms of your health, how exactly should it be consumed? Some eat it by the spoonful each morning, but why not cook with it? It can be the relatively healthier alternative to certain butters or fats.
One of the easiest ways to consume coconut oil is to replace other oils with it. When you spray your pan to make your eggs in the morning, spray it with coconut oil. When you spray the baking pan with a cooking oil to make sure your enchiladas don’t stick, use coconut oil. One step further is to replace oils with it in actual recipes. When your cake recipe calls for vegetable oil, you can use coconut oil instead. It makes it even sweeter.
If butter is an additive and not an ingredient, coconut oil makes a great replacement! Use it on toast instead of butter or even use it in place of butter when making grilled cheese. Have it on a bagel, coconut oil with its MCTs is both healthier for you and provides a bit of energy.
Coconut oil can be added as a sweetener to drinks. While
tea or coffee. It adds just enough sweetness, and you can avoid white sugar or creamers which are worse for you.
And lastly, you can add it to your recipes. Do you make granola? Add it to your granola! Do you ever make your own potato chips or salad dressings? Both can be made with coconut oil. It is all about finding good recipes that already have coconut oil as an ingredient or as something you can add to make it better for you. Coconut oil is definitely healthy for you so why not replace some more unhealthy fats for it!
Hygiene
Coconut oil has a ton of uses in the bathroom as well as the kitchen. Not only can we cook with it to get those amazing effects, we can use it on our skin in different ways as well. First, coconut oil is great for our hair. The fatty acids help it act as a great conditioner. They help to loosen and soften the hair
helping to detangle. Application is best working from the roots to the ends. Because it is oil, it helps to keep the hair from being frizzy. The oil keeps any water from getting to the hair as to make it frizzy and messy.
Second, coconut oil may just be great for your mouth. Many people choose to forgo mouthwash for this oily substance. This is called oil pulling and has become quite popular in certain circles. The oil can help get rid of extra undigested food, and some even say it whitens their teeth despite there being no medical evidence of this.
If you do not have an oily complexion, coconut oil can work as a make-up remover. As well as being healthy due to it being natural, coconut oil is incredibly hydrating. Some women even recommend rubbing it around the eyes before going to bed.
Just as people use it as a make-up remover, coconut oil can help the lipid barrier of the skin in night cream. It helps to hydrate the skin. Once again, this is only really helpful if you do not have an oily complexion. If you do have an oily complexion, products can still work for you with coconut oil as one of the ingredients instead of being the main component.
Continuing with moisture as one of the major beauty benefits of coconut oil, it also works great as a lip balm. Once again, the coconut oil is great at helping to hold moisture in because of its protective barrier. Coconut oil is certainly a fantastic substance.