I love coconut oil. It is wonderful for many things. It is also one of the healthiest oils to use. It is a stable oil and does not oxidize easily and can be left at room temperature for up to two years. It is has antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral and antiprotozoal properties. It is also great for fat loss as it stimulates metabolism and suppresses appetite. Another great property of coconut oil is that it can protect against heart disease by raising the HDL (good cholesterol) and improving the total cholesterol ratio.
So how can you incorporate coconut oil into you daily life?
Constipation is a big problem for a lot of people. Especially those that are transitioning to a low carb, low fiber diet. Did you know that this transition to low fiber is actually very beneficial to your colon health?
Of course constipation is not good, but using fiber to relieve this constipation can be very damaging. Fiber may actually be the cause of your constipation.
Konstantin Monastyrsky, the author of the Fiber Menace describes how all our belief systems about the virtues of fiber have been all lies.
Fiber does not prevent colon cancer
Fiber does not prevent breast cancer
Fiber does not lower cholesterol
Fiber does not reduce the risk of heart disease
Fiber does not regulate blood sugar
Fiber does not reduce the risk of diabetes
Fiber does not decrease appetite
Fiber does not help with weight loss
Fiber does not keep the colon clean
Fiber does not help stop diarrhea
Fiber does not ease constipation
Watch these videos as Konstantin Monastyrsky explains the fiber misconceptions with scientific studies.
I have found 2 effective ways of regulating bowels without the use of fiber.
Lacto-fermented foods and coconut oil.
The lacto-fermented foods provide my gut with beneficial probiotics and enzymes required for food digestion as well as nutrient assimilation. The coconut oil stimulates bile production.
Dietary fat stimulates the release of bile from the gallbladder, which, in turn, stimulates the gastrocolic reflex. This in turn stimulates peristaltic mass movement, which, in turn, stimulates defecation. Source.
For healthy bowel function I try to eat lacto-fermented foods with every meal and take 2 tablespoons of coconut oil daily.
Including Coconut Oil in your Low Carb diet may be the way to lose those last stubborn pounds. I do have coconut oil in my cupboards and use it on occasion. I dislike the taste of it in my cooking unless it is a curry or coconut bread. For instance I would not like coconut oil in my eggs because it will give my eggs a coconut taste. However I do know the benefits of Coconut Oil and will be taking it daily to help me lose my last 10 lbs. Here are some great reasons why everyone could benefit from coconut oil:
Dr. Weston A. Price was a dentist who wanted to find out why Americans had such poor dental health. He travelled to many nations to study diet all over the world. He found that the populations that ate coconut oil were the slimmest even though they ate a more fats then western diets.
Coconut oil contains lauric acid which is also found in breast milk and known to be antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal. Coconut oil is 50% lauric acid.
Coconut oil is thermogenic and will raise body temperature and speed up metabolism. It will also help with thyroid function.
It will also benefit the heart. Studies have shown that it can prevent heart disease. Saturated fats get lumped together as being bad for the heart but that is not true and coconut oil has been shown not to cause heart disease. It is hydrogenated oils and oxidized vegetable oils that are very bad for heart health. Coconut oil is also has the most saturated fat of all edible oils (90%).
Coconut oil is comprised of such fatty acids as caprylic, capric, stearic, oleic and lauric acids. These oils are metabolized directly by the liver and used as fuel. It gives the body an instant energy source.
Coconut oil is great for suppressing appetite. When I have a light meal, I can almost always predict that I will be having the munchies. To get rid of late night snacking and food cravings I eat fat! The recipe that I use coconut oil is great for appetite suppression. In my own experience I find fat to be better than fiber for controlling cravings.
A bonus is when you eat coconut with coconut oil. To make a low carb cereal I use dried shredded coconut mixed with coconut oil and yogurt. The coconut has the fiber and the coconut oil contains the fat to suppress the appetite. Adding walnuts, flax or chia seeds to this low carb cereal will also add beneficial omega 3 EFA.
The recommended therapeutic dose of coconut oil is 3.5 tablespoons. It is good to start adding it to the diet slowly (1tsp a day and add in slow increments) to see how your body reacts to it. If you have an undiagnosed case of candida you may experience a die off and may have some gastro-intestinal distress.
Because of the anti-fungal properties coconut oil is a beneficial treatment of Candida (as well as removing all sugars, grains, fruits out of the diet). Adding lacto-fermented foods such as sauerkraut and naturally fermented pickles (Bubbies brand or homemade), yogurt, kefir, raw milk also feed the good intestinal bacteria and are good treatments for Candida. (as a side note I did finally make my first successful batch of sauerkraut and will be making a video of it. Stay tuned!)
Here is a video that does a great summary of the many health benefits of coconut oil.
It is important to get the Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. The kind that is unrefined. The oil should smell and taste like coconuts. Even if you don’t like the taste of the oil it is still worth the effort to try to swallow it. A lot of coconut recipes have sugars or honey in them. I don’t recommend you do this because this will sabotage any fat loss. Any sugars will spike insulin. Insulin is known as a fat storing hormone.
I would love to know if you take coconut oil and how you eat it. One recipe I use it in is sugar free almond chocolate clusters. This recipe I will post later this week as well.
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