Vegetarian Recipes, Fresh Coconut Oil, and Losing Weight
Coconut oil is becoming more broadly known for its nutritional values.
What are some of the benefits of coconut oil?
This article will give you some basic information to help you to understand what Coconut Oil is, and what it can do for the body.
Coconut Oil and Weight Loss – Is There Such Thing as Good Fat?
Not all fats are bad for you. There are good fats which help the body lose weight.
Coconut oil contains some of these “good fats.” One factor that can contribute to weight gain and obesity is A lack of sufficient amounts of good fats.
Coconut Oil contains types of fats which are directly sent to the liver and are transformed into energy. These fats also speed up the body’s metabolism, and thus help the body to burn body fat more quickly.
Coconut Oil Does not Go Rancid Easily
Coconut oil does not go rancid quickly and it has a long shelf-life. In fact, even after one year at room-temperature, coconut oil shows no signs of rancidity.
Coconut Oil Can be Substituted for Butter or Margerine
Since Coconut oil becomes solid at room temperature (unless you are in a very hot climate), it can be used as a full or partial replacement for other (less healthy) solid fats, such as margarine or butter.
Coconut Oil does not have to go through the unnatural (and dangerous) methods which are used to make other oils into solids. This is because Coconut Oil has a melting point of 76 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have ever noticed an oil become solidified in a very cold fridge, then you have seen that oil becomes solid at lower temperatures. But each oil has a different level of temperature at which it becomes solid. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature. This means that it can be spread on bread, melted on hot vegetables, and used in other ways that are normally reserved for margerine or butter.
Coconut oil also provides a healthy solution for vegans or vegetarians who are looking for butter substitutes, but who want to avoid unhealthy alternatives like margarine.
Coconut Oil for Frying
Coconut oil can be heated without undergoing the same unhealthy changes that other oils go through when they are heated. It is thus very good for healthy frying or other high-heat cooking.
People Who Use Coconut Oil
People who live in tropical climates and who consume large amounts of coconut oil in their diets, have less heart disease, have less cancer, have fewer colon problems, and are generally healthier. Examples of such are peoples of the Yucatan and of Melanesia.
Coconut Oil for Immunity, Anti-Aging, and Losing Weight
Coconut oil stimulates the thyroid, which is the most important gland in your body’s immune system. This assists in weight loss, helps to lower levels of harmful cholesterol, helps the body to produce anti-aging hormones, and helps prevent illness.
In the 1940′s, some farmers tried to fatten their animals by feeding them coconut oil. But instead, the animals became leaner and more active.
Coconut oil is said to help prevent cancer, obesity, heart disease, and senility.
Coconut oil contains substances which help the body to fight harmful bacteria and viruses. This helps prevent illness and infection in the body.
Coconut Oil to Combat Wrinkles
Coconut oil (consumed internally and also applied directly to the skin) also has anti-wrinkle effects. It helps to create or maintain young-looking skin. It does this by helping to keep the connective tissues of the skin strong, and it reduces fine lines. Coconut Oil helps the skin maintain elasticity. It also assists your skin to exfoliate outer dead cells and tissues. It can be used as a make-up remover, and for shaving.
Summary
For thousands of years, coconut oil was known and used for its health benefits and therapeutic properties.
But in the late 1900’s, it was made unpopular by public-relations campaigns against its use. (The sources of these campaigns were probably connected with manufacturers of competing products. Or maybe they were the manufacturers themselves.)
Not all coconut oil is the same. Coconut oil which has been hydrogenated or processed can be harmful to the body. It’s best to use virgin, raw, organic coconut oil. Don’t use deodorized, bleached, heat-processed, hydrogenated, or impure coconuts oils.
How much coconut oil should one consume in a day? A recommended therapeutic amount is three to four tablespoons per day.
In baking, coconut oil can replace solid fats (such as shortenings).
In pastry recipes, you can try substituting coconut oil for 50% of whichever fats are required by your recipe.
Coconut oil can also used as a substitute for butter on bread, pasta, popcorn or hot vegetables. You can try using coconut oil when frying vegetables, eggs, fish, etc. It does taste different than butter but you might even like it better.
(The statements in this article have not been evaluated by the food and Drug Administration. The article is not intended to prescribe for, to diagnose, to treat, to claim to prevent, to mitigate, or to cure any human disease. The information in this article is neither adopted nor endorsed by this website. It is provided for general informational purposes.)