NaturalSociety August 13 2013
Men and women alike have excess ‘belly-fat,’ usually an anthropomorphized representation of a lack of healthy fats in our bodies- like the ones in coconut oil. A peer-reviewed study from Brazil shows how eating just two tablespoons of coconut oil a day can help whittle our middle faster than spending months on the dreaded treadmill.
Coconut oil is full of medium chain triglycerides. (MCTs) The good thing about this type of fat is that it is more likely to be burned as energy than turned into extra blubber. Additionally extra virgin, organic coconut oil is full of lauric acid and caprylic acid, two important fatty acids that contain anti-viral and anti-microbial properties, so while your body can more easily utilize these fats as easy energy, coconut oil also helps to boost immunity and keep you from getting sick.
Furthermore, the Brazilian study showed that participants had exceptionally higher rates of good cholesterol, or HDL. Also, people who ate other forms of ‘good’ fats, like soybean oil did not realize a smaller waistline, while those who consumed coconut oil did. Part of this may be because participants ‘spontaneously’ reduced the number of unhealthy carbs they were eating and naturally increased their consumption of healthy proteins – which may also account for the loss in belly fat.
The researchers in the study concluded, “Supplementation with coconut oil does not cause dyslipidemia [an abnormal amount of fats in the bloodstream] and seems to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity.”
A doctor, Weston Price, who traveled to the South Pacific, where people often consume high levels of coconut oil, found that they were healthy and trim despite eating a diet high in ‘fat.’ The reason for this is that coconut oil is a natural fat, and not a polyunsaturated fat, the man-made type, which can cause obesity and heart disease.
Extra virgin coconut oil can also:
- Increase heart health by increasing good cholesterol
- Support the immune system
- Reduce abdominal fat
- Help support a healthy metabolism
- Keep skin, hair and nails healthy and vibrant
- Support the thyroid in its proper functioning
Even if you don’t live in a tropical climate, you can eat just two tablespoons of coconut oil a day to enjoy better health and a smaller waistline.
I read about a doctor whose husband was lapsing into dementia due to Alzheimer’s. She started feeding him coconut oil and brought him ‘back’ to mental health. So,IMHO, there are still benefits to be found in this easy to find and use product. I switched over a year ago from cold pressed oils to coconut. I also understand that it is safer for stir-frying.