Of the many super and wonderful foods available on the market, coconut is among the top of them all. Coconut has an endless list of benefits with natural organic coconut oil having positive effects on every system in our body, many of which have been scientifically tested and proven.
From simple skin care, to healthy hair, to weight loss, to hormonal balance and mental sharpness, coconut does it all. The fleshy part of coconut consists of 50 percent water, 35 percent coconut oil, 10 percent carbohydrate and 3.5 percent protein. It is also an excellent source of manganese, copper, zinc, selenium and molybdenum. The following is complied list of top 10 amazing health benefits of coconut.
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10. Weight Loss
Coconut promotes body weight loss. Research conducted on coconut in relation to weight loss showed that beside coconut increasing the amount of fats in our body, it also help cut down the white fat stores. In the study, two mice were used, one of which was fed with coconut oil while the other with safflower oil. The mouse that fed with safflower oil was found to have made more fat cells compared to the one fed with coconut oil.
It was discovered that coconut is made of medium chain fats that are easily absorbed by the body hence used as preferable source of energy. It is then burned down through metabolism process thereby reduce the fats pile up in the body cell, this is unlike when other fats are involved.
9. Fight Infection
Fifty percent of coconut oil is made up of medium chain triglyceride lauric acid which makes the oil very amazing. Triglyceride lauric acid has many health benefits, which the most important being, it’s a powerful anti microbial, killing protozoa, viruses, fungi and bacteria.
The lauric acid helps dissolves the cellular walls of these microbial organism making it easy for white blood cells to kill them. People who incorporate coconut oil in their diet daily, significantly increases their body’s resistance to diseases and improve their digestion system.
8. Lessen the Effect of Diabetes
Healthy fats in coconut play important role in regulating the body blood sugar. They slow down the whole digestion process, thus ensuring even and steady streaming of energy from food by lowing the glycemic index of the food. For instance, if you incorporate coconut oil in meal that contains carbohydrates, carbs are converted into glucose relatively slow, which help maintain a steady blood sugar level in your body.
7. Great for the Skin
Coconut oil can be used as a natural moisturizer which is free from toxic chemicals which are often used in artificial moisturizers. It also helps your skin manage the whole aging process including the wrinkles, stretches and lines. The oil helps keep the connective tissue of the skin stronger thus prevents wrinkling and sagging of the skin.
6. Healthy Hair
Oil found in coconut oil helps nourish the hair, keeping it healthy and vibrant. The oil also makes the hair shine and appear thicker. Its anti- bacterial properties protect the scalp from infections that cause dandruff, itching, dry and weak hair. In addition, vitamins K and E essential for faster and longer growth of hair are found in coconut oil.
5. It’s Good for the Brain
The medium chain primary fats in coconut have been found improve the cognitive performance, stall or even reverse neuron-degenerative diseases if they are still in their early stages. Our brain are primarily made of fats, therefore including coconut in diet will help nourish your brain cell hence better brain health because coconut contains healthy saturated fats.
4. Helps Manage the Crave for Sugary Things
This may be seen as counter intuitive but consumption of coconut fats in large amount can beat your sugar craving which will improve your body health. The saturated fats that contained in coconut provide a solid sustenance for your body and brain, this naturally helps eliminates crave of sugary things. If you are diabetic and you are struggling to avoid sugary things, include coconut in your daily diet and you will be able to control crave for sugary stuffs, hence stay healthy.
3. It Eases the Digestion Process
Coconut oil contains anti- microbial properties that have a soothing effect on Candida, parasites and bacteria which cause indigestion, bowel syndrome and bloat. The oil contains lauric acid that helps dissolves the cellular walls of these microbial organism making it easy for white blood cells to kill them, hence smooth digestion which is free from harmful micro organism.
2. Helps Kill Hunger, making you Eat Much Less
Its ability to reduce hunger is a very interesting feature of coconut. The metabolized fatty acid found in coconut oil form ketone bodies which have an appetite reducing effect. A study carried on 6 healthy men showed that men who eat lots of coconut took 256 lesser calories on average per day compared to those that didn’t eat coconut.
Although, the study was carried over a short period of time, if these effects were experienced over a long period of time, it could drastically affect the body weight as a whole. Coconut can therefore comfortably be regarded as weight loss supplement for those who can’t indulge in sporty exercises to cut down their weight.
1. Keeps the Heart Healthy
Although, coconut oil is high in saturated fat, it is very important for the heart health. Coconut oil contains a lot of lauric acid which help prevent several heart conditions like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It also reduces the chance of LDL increase in our body and incidences of injuries to the blood arteries which is very essential for better heart health. Those with heart condition are often advised to drink coconut oil to assist the heart function a little bit better.
As stated early, the list health benefits that coconut has to offer is endless. Every system of human body needs coconut at some point for it to function properly. If you haven’t started using coconut and its product, there you have it. Include coconut in your dietary and start enjoying the health benefits it has to offer.