It wasn’t long ago that nutritionists and food scientists finally unraveled the mystery behind coconuts and how those residing in coastal areas have such soft, supple and healthy hair. Yet in the past few decades, the hard hairy drupe of the tall slender coconut palm tree has emerged as yet another magical “superfood” that is rumored to delay aging, help the heart hit its peak performance, fight Alzheimer’s, arthritis, diabetes and even lose weight. Coconut has over 20 incredible benefits and that’s why today many aisles of healthy food shops are jam-packed with everything 'coconuty' from snacks, milk, flour, sugar, oil, drinks to coconut inspired dishes and more. Over 1,500 studies have proven coconut oil, the sweet-smelling tropical staple as one of the healthiest foods on the planet. Its benefits go beyond being an aromatic or greasy fat favorite for frying, baking and toasting. It is even used as a healthcare cream.
Let’s take a look at some other super benefits of coconut oil.
1. Perfect for Fighting Multiple diseases
Coconut oil is rich in Lauric acid which is a substance that is antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic all in one. It acts on and heals urinary tract infection, Kidney infections, Gallbladder disease, eczema, Dandruff, Dermatitis, and Obesity. Additionally, according to various studies, ketones that are products of coconut oil’s digestion help counter Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and seizures. It also helps control Type II Diabetes, osteoporosis, Stomach Ulcers and tooth decay. Without a doubt, consuming coconut oil every day can help you maintain your health and be less susceptible to diseases.
2. In Promoting Good Health and Wellness
Coconut oil is that one food type with unmatched benefits in promoting overall wellness in the body. MCFAs in coconut oil help improve memory and brain functioning while its high amounts of antioxidants help reduce inflammation by suppressing inflammatory cells. When consumed, the oil also helps increase metabolism and thus help achieve sustained energy and endurance.
3. Weight Loss
You’ve got no reason to settle for those demanding and obnoxious dieting and weight loss plans when you can just switch to using coconut oil. Coconut oil is capable of reving up the body’s overall rate of metabolism while burning fat especially belly fat. This substance can also create a feeling of being full by decreasing appetite thanks to the medium-chain triglycerides and ketones.
4. Hair Care and Scalp
Coconut oil’s abundance in vitamin E content and the Capric and Lauric acids means it comes in handy when you require a perfect natural hair conditioner. By regularly applying the oil on your hair, it will keep them soft and supple, nourished, healthy and protected from breakages courtesy of the antimicrobial qualities that help counter hair loss. You just have to apply them in their natural form and if using over the counter products always use coconut oil-based hair care products.
5. Skin Care
Aside from being your best natural hair conditioner, coconut oil can do wonders for your skin. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory cell properties help reduce sagging, wrinkles and aging while protecting the skin from the harmful effects of UV rays. Again, if psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other common skin infections are wreaking havoc on your skin or if you would love a natural massage then start the road to recovery by using Coconut oil.
6. Coconut Oil in treating and preventing Cancer
Cancer cells only thrive by using energy derived from glucose. And so with ketones and the ketogenic diet, someone who has cancer can use coconut oil to increase their chances of survival. Moreover, MCFA's digest the lipid wall of Helicobacter pylori and this has been proven to increase chances of stomach cancer. So in order to receive good results, a consistent use of coconut oil will help fight off and can help prevent the cancer from spreading.
7. Fights High Blood Pressure and Heart Disease
With Coconut oil’s abundance in natural saturated fats that help combat "bad" cholesterol, your blood will have in abundance more “good” LDL cholesterol with consistent use of the oil. And by converting the bad ones into good cholesterol, it will promote heart health while fighting the high blood pressure.
Just recently, a professor, Dr. Karin Michaels made claims that coconut oil is poison. Coconut oil is highly saturated, but before we condemn it to being a poison we must take into consideration the thousands of years that it has been used to cure many different ailments. Everything must be used in moderation and lets just believe the good outweighs the bad.