Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Coconut Oil 101 --
Heard the latest on coconut oil? The benefits of virgin coconut oil are both internal and external. Researchers and medical professionals have known this for years. However, we became scared of coconut oil years ago with all of the bad press it got. Here's why you may want to consider jumping on the coconut oil bandwagon:
I thought I'd take a minute and explain why coconut oil (particularly virgin coconut oil and organic coconut oil) have taken a 360 and why you should really start paying attention to this wonder product.
Previously the Bad Guy
Coconut oil got a bad reputation many years ago when we recognized saturated fats as having terrible artery-clogging properties. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), not all saturated fats have these properties. Coconut oil was lumped in with all of the other fatty oils (including olive oil) and believed to raise blood cholesterol. Coconut oil does not raise blood cholesterol. It goes against what many of us have been led to believe, but it is true. There are good saturated fats and coconut oil fits this description. Here's how it is different:
Almost 100% of the oil an fats that you eat everyday are made up of long chain fatty acids (LCFA). This includes so many of our favorites (some of which did get kudos as a healthly oil) like olive oil and canola oil. The difference between most oils and coconut oil comes down to this: coconut oil is a medium chain fatty acid (MCFA). This is what separates the artery-clogging fat that are bad for you from that which has wonderful health and medicinal benefits.
MCFAs vs. LCFAs
How are they different you ask? It is very simple. MCFAs are smaller and therefore easier to digest and metabolize. They do not have to go through the same bodily processes as LCFAs. Because MCFAs are metabolzed quicker, they provide a more efficient source of energy to the body. Coconut oil also helps make vitamins more powerful due to its quick absorption. When both MCFAs and other nutrients are present in the body, the MCFAs enhances the absorption of the other nutrients. There is research to back this point up.
Coconut oil is quickly becoming a must in our diets. Don't you think it deserves another look?
Heard the latest on coconut oil? The benefits of virgin coconut oil are both internal and external. Researchers and medical professionals have known this for years. However, we became scared of coconut oil years ago with all of the bad press it got. Here's why you may want to consider jumping on the coconut oil bandwagon:
I thought I'd take a minute and explain why coconut oil (particularly virgin coconut oil and organic coconut oil) have taken a 360 and why you should really start paying attention to this wonder product.
Previously the Bad Guy
Coconut oil got a bad reputation many years ago when we recognized saturated fats as having terrible artery-clogging properties. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), not all saturated fats have these properties. Coconut oil was lumped in with all of the other fatty oils (including olive oil) and believed to raise blood cholesterol. Coconut oil does not raise blood cholesterol. It goes against what many of us have been led to believe, but it is true. There are good saturated fats and coconut oil fits this description. Here's how it is different:
Almost 100% of the oil an fats that you eat everyday are made up of long chain fatty acids (LCFA). This includes so many of our favorites (some of which did get kudos as a healthly oil) like olive oil and canola oil. The difference between most oils and coconut oil comes down to this: coconut oil is a medium chain fatty acid (MCFA). This is what separates the artery-clogging fat that are bad for you from that which has wonderful health and medicinal benefits.
MCFAs vs. LCFAs
How are they different you ask? It is very simple. MCFAs are smaller and therefore easier to digest and metabolize. They do not have to go through the same bodily processes as LCFAs. Because MCFAs are metabolzed quicker, they provide a more efficient source of energy to the body. Coconut oil also helps make vitamins more powerful due to its quick absorption. When both MCFAs and other nutrients are present in the body, the MCFAs enhances the absorption of the other nutrients. There is research to back this point up.
Coconut oil is quickly becoming a must in our diets. Don't you think it deserves another look?
