Coconuts can help boost your immune system, improve your digestion and help you lose weight Coconuts are a good source of nutrition, high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. They can help improve your immune system, digestion and help you lose weight. The coconut tree is called “The Tree of Life” by pacific islanders because it is such an important source of food and medicine.
Coconut oil is a topic that has been discussed among nutritionists. Coconut oil was demonized back in the 1980s. Many health practitioners agree that tropical oils are to blame for heart disease. More recent research shows that they are not as bad as once believed.
I’ve noticed that coconut anything has become a trendy healthy food item.
Why?
I wanted to find out more about the health benefits of this oil.
Virgin Coconut Oil: Uses, Nutrition And Health Benefits
There are two varieties of coconut oil available -virgin and refined oil. Virgin coconut oil is produced by cold-pressing the liquid from the coconut meat and extracting the oil from the milk and water. It has a milky appearance. It is 100% natural, unbleached and cold-pressed. Virgin coconut oil is popular because it smells and tastes good, it has powerful antioxidants, healthy fatty acids, and essential vitamins.
The oil is extracted from coconuts without the use of heat, meaning it is in its purest form. Coconut oil is gaining popularity across the world because of its many benefits and nutrients.
Refined coconut oil is processed by exposing it to heat. This text is saying that the product has very little coconut flavor because it is made from dried coconut. This coconut oil has been processed to remove impurities, bleached to remove its natural color, and deodorized to remove any lingering smells. This process, called RBD, involves heating the oil to very high temperatures to remove the odor, filtering it through clays to lighten the color, and removing impurities. Adding sodium hydroxide to the final product ensures a longer shelf life.
Even though refined coconut oil is cheaper, experts do not recommend it because it loses all its nutritional value during the processing.
How To Make Virgin Coconut Oil
The main difference between regular and virgin coconut oil is that regular coconut oil is made from copra, while virgin coconut oil is made from fresh coconuts. Oil that is labeled as virgin is extracted from the milk of fresh coconuts. The oil is separated from moisture and then goes through several processes including fermentation, churning (centrifugal separation), and refrigeration. After that, enzyme actions take place.
Raw materials and the process of extracting virgin oil do not allow for the use of heat. It is important to be careful while selecting the kernel and raw ingredient coconut milk should not be exposed to heat or sunlight at any point during the process. Instead of using a traditional method of extraction, some manufacturers of virgin coconut oil use a micro expelling process, which involves cold pressing of fresh, dried coconut meat.
Virgin coconut oil that has been cold-pressed is thought to be much better than the oil that has been extracted through fermentation. The oil obtained from fermentation has high moisture content and can go bad quickly. If you need to melt the oil during the winter season, take the oil in a small glass and place the glass in warm water. Never melt it directly on the heat.
What Is Extra Virgin Coconut Oil?
Extra virgin implied to coconut oil is essentially meaningless. There is some debate over what qualifies as “extra virgin” olive oil, with some experts believing it to be the best grade available, and manufacturers also labeling coconut oil as extra virgin. The only coconut oil that is recognized as real by governing authorities is virgin grade. There are two types of coconut oil- virgin and refined coconut oil.
Edible Oil
However, coconut oil that has been refined, bleached or deodorized is not good and edible Coconut oil that is unrefined, unbleached, and undeorized is good and edible for use. However, coconut oil that has gone through any of the refining processes is not good and edible. Its uses range from cooking oil and hair oil to producing herbal oil. Purely crushed coconut oil is edible and packed with medium-chain triglycerides, which can help lower cholesterol and promote heart health.
How To Make Coconut Oil At Home
It’s become increasingly difficult to find a pure and unadulterated cooking oil in supermarkets, with so many different options available. The custom of making oil and desi ghee at home goes back to a time when our grandmothers used to extract the creamy liquid from nuts.
However, most of us have turned to packaged refined oil in recent years due to industrialization and the need for convenience food. This oil is loaded with emulsifiers, additives, and hydrogenated fat. Cooking oil is an essential ingredient in every meal. You can make coconut oil at home by following these simple steps.
Ingredients:
3-4 coconuts will give you 1L of milk from which 50g of oil can be extracted.
3-4 grated coconut
Method:
Extract coconut milk by pressing it with hand using a muslin cloth. Add little hot water to make it easy to press out all the milk.
Strain the coconut using a muslin cloth to remove any impurities.
In a heavy bottom vessel cook the coconut milk on a stove. Cook for 2-3 hours on a low flame.
Stir until the milk turns brown, but be careful not to burn it.
As the milk begins to thicken, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool. Pour the milk into a cloth and squeeze out the oil. Store it in a can or bottle.
Homemade coconut oil has a shelf life of one year, but leaving it open may cause it to spoil and lose its nutrients.
Benefits Of Virgin Coconut oil
The cologne and taste of virgin coconut oil is unique and rich in essential fatty acids and antioxidants. The liquid gold provides many medicinal and therapeutic benefits.
Ayurvedic Indications Of Coconut Oil
This is not the first time Coconut oil has been mentioned in history. The incredible health-benefiting traits of coconut oil were mentioned in Ayurveda manuscript Sushruta Samhita, around 2000 years back. Coconut oil is good for you according to the holistic science of Ayurveda. It helps improve strength and vitality. Coconut oil has traditionally been used externally for healing wounds and treating skin problems like eczema and psoriasis.
Coconut oil has the ability to reduce the effects of vata and pitta dosha while increasing kapha dosha. None Herbal medicines that use coconut oil as the main ingredient are mostly used externally and sometimes internally to help with a variety of health issues. This oil has a sweet taste, can help increase bulk, and can help improve strength. The oil also promotes hair growth and removes excess pitta and vata dosha.
Uses
Abhyanga: Self-massage
Coconut oil can help improve blood circulation, lubricate internal organs and joints, improve sleep quality, add moisture, and make skin softer and smoother.
The best results are obtained by using this product daily or at least 2-3 times per week.
Gundusha: Oil Pulling
The practice of oil pulling, using coconut oil, is effective in combating harmful bacteria, reduces bad breath, prevents dental cavities, and promotes gum health.
Recommended Usage: 1-3 times per day
Nasya: Nasal Drops
The benefits of nasya therapy include moisturizing the nasal passages, healing cracks in the nostrils, cleansing the sinuses, and improving voice, vision, and attention.
Recommended Usage: As and when needed
Nutritional Content
Almost all of the calories in coconut oil come from fat. This may sound like it would be bad for you, but fat is actually an essential macronutrient that is required for several bodily functions. Fat plays an important role in the body by helping to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, produce hormones, protect organs, and maintain body temperature within a normal range.
Calories
One tablespoon of coconut oil contains 13.5 grams of fat, which provides 9 calories per gram. Therefore, one tablespoon of coconut oil will provide you with about 120 calories.
Saturated Fat
A diet high in saturated fat can raise the level of bad cholesterol in your blood, which increases your risk of heart disease. The regular diet should consist of no more than 10% saturated fat. One tablespoon of coconut oil contains 90% saturated fat, half of which is lauric acid. (Red yeast rice, n.d.) Other types of saturated fat have a different chemical structure than this fat substance, which promotes an increase in high-density lipoprotein or HDL. Use olive oil sparingly as it is still high in calories and fat.
Medium-chain triglycerides are easier to digest than other types of fats.
Lauric acid makes up approximately 40% of the total fat, with capric acid, caprylic acid, myristic acid, and palmitic acid making up the rest. The body converts lauric into monolaurin, which helps protect against viruses and diseases.
The capric acid in coconut oil responds with enzymes produced by bacteria, which later converts it into a potent antimicrobial agent called monocarpin.
. These three acids have strong antimicrobial and antifungal properties.
Stearic acid could be used for cleansing and solidifying, which are both important for skincare.
Unsaturated Fatty Acids
The oils in virgin coconut oil are made up of both polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, with linoleic acid and oleic acid being the most prominent.
Polyphenols in coconut oil contain gallic acid, which is responsible for the amazing fragrance and has a unique taste. Virgin coconut oil is a great source of polyphenols
Health Benefits Of Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is uniquely delicious and has an impressive range of nutrients that offer many health benefits. There are many health benefits to consuming avocados, such as improving heart health by increasing good cholesterol levels, aiding in weight loss, alleviating symptoms of infections, boosting skin and hair health, promoting digestion, and bolstering immunity.
- Promotes Levels Of HDL Cholesterol
Based on Harvard Medical School’s findings, coconut oil can help improve your levels of HDL cholesterol (the good kind). This in turn can help support a healthy heart. Remember to use moderation when consuming anything for good health.
- Weight Loss
In the Journal Lipids, there is evidence that suggests that coconuts can help burn abdominal fat and help with weight loss. Coconut oil is easier to digest than all other edible oils and helps the thyroid and endocrine system work properly. A study conducted at University Sains Malaysia suggests that coconut oil can boost the body’s metabolic rate by reducing stress on the pancreas and helping obese people to lose weight.
- Supports Heart Health
Coconut oil contains a high percentage of medium-chain triglycerides, which are easily absorbed by the intestine and can be metabolized to create energy. Instead, they are thought to stimulate thermogenesis, which can help to promote weight loss. MCTs don’t help transport cholesterol, but they might help promote weight loss by stimulating thermogenesis.
A number of studies on heart disease patients have found that a diet rich in virgin coconut oil boosts levels of good cholesterol while reducing levels of bad cholesterol.
- Treats Alzheimer’s Disease
The study found that Alzheimer’s patients who used coconut oil had better cognitive abilities than those who didn’t, especially in the areas of language and orientation. There are MCTs in coconut oil which are really good for memory.
- Prevent Yeast Infection – Candida
Candidiasis is caused by an excessive growth of the yeast Candida albicans in the gut. Coconut oil has anti-inflammatory properties that can help relieve inflammation caused by candida, according to a study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food. Coconut oil’s ability to retain moisture prevents the skin from drying out. Coconut oil contains acids that help to fight Candida albicans.
- Improves Dental Health
Scientists have found that oil pulling can help with dental problems such as plaque and halitosis. Oil pulling with coconut oil can be effective in reducing plaque formation associated with gingivitis.
- Digestive Health
Coconut oil contains lauric acid and monolaurin, which have strong antimicrobial, antibacterial and antiviral properties. These properties help to control various bacteria, fungi, and parasites that cause several problems in the gut.
- Stress Relief
Coconut oil that is pure and virgin can be used as a carrier oil for aromatherapy. This oil is very relaxing and can help to ease stress. Coconut oil has antioxidant properties that can help ease mental stress and fatigue. Try gently massaging it into your head.
- Diabetes
Coconut oil can help to stabilize blood sugar levels and promote the production of insulin. It also helps to manage diabetes by stimulating the effective use of blood glucose.
- Bone Health
Coconut oil can help your body absorb calcium and magnesium, which are important for healthy bones. It is therefore useful for women who are more likely to develop osteoporosis after the age of 40.
- Treats Epilepsy
Several studies have found that the MCT ketogenic diet can be used to treat refractory childhood epilepsy and drug-resistant epilepsy. MCTs in coconut oil have been shown to be effective in reducing seizures and epilepsy.
Coconut Oil Uses
- Coconut Oil Salad Dressing
Do you make your own salad dressing? Usually olive oil and vinegar or something similar? Well duh, we can substitute in some coconut oil!
Here’s one from the folks at coconuts and kettlebells:
- 2/3 Cup Coconut Oil (melted)
- 1/3 Cup Extra Virgin Oil Oil
- 1/3 Cup of Balsalmic Vinegar (Try Lemon!)
- ½ Table Spoon Raw Honey
- 1 Small Garlic Clove (Hulk Smashed)
- ½ Teaspoon Dried Oregano
- Sea Salt and Ground Pepper to Taste
- Coconut Oil in Granola Parfait
Ah, yogurt parfait. It’s breakfast, it’s a snack, it’s amazing.
I just put some granola, a handful of sliced nuts, some blueberries, and raspberries, into a bowl of yogurt. But you could mix some melted coconut oil with the granola before mashing it.
