Coconut Oil
For years, people everywhere have been going nuts for coconut oil – it smells great, adds a delicious flavour to cooking and contains many health benefits that are due to the three unique fatty acids it contains – lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid. For this reason, it’s also an excellent addition to your current beauty routine. Coconut oil contains natural antibacterial properties and is extremely easy to digest due to the presence of its medium-chain tryglicerides (MCTs). Coconut oil has a creamy texture that is versatile in cooking, and makes for an excellent skin and hair moisturiser.
Lauric acid makes up approximately 50% of fatty acids in coconut oil. The substance monolaurin is formed when you digest lauric acid, and this is an excellent compound for gut health. Monolaurin is found to be able to penetrate the biofilm of certain viruses, which has made it an interesting field of study for its potential against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Look to coconut oil to assist your dental health routine too – current evidence supports use for atopic dermatitis as well as the practice of “oil pulling”.
If you are on a keto diet, you’ll love using coconut oil and MCT oil in your diet. Similarly, these oils are very popular among those on a Paleo diet. Coconut oil and MCT oils give a lot of readily available energy, that is perfect for athletic performance and metabolic functions. The MCTs in coconut oil are metabolised differently to other fats. MCTs in coconut oil go straight to your liver, so you can use them straight away as energy, or otherwise they will be ketones. When looking for an aid to fight candida, along with a no-sugar diet, coconut oil is your perfect companion.
Coconut oil is high in saturated fat, and there is a misconception that all saturated fats are bad for you. However, if you are concerned about your LDL (low-density lipoprotein) ‘bad’ cholesterol levels, we have many alternative plant oils that can help you with your health goals!