Underneath its hard surface, the oil of the coconut is swimming with vitamins, minerals, fat, and antioxidants that promote and protect our health. The oil of the coconut has been feeding and healing people for several thousand years and this tradition continues today.
Like the natural fats found in breast milk that strengthen the immune systems in breastfed babies, nature has given the oil of the coconut a special saturated fat that strengthens the immune system and protects the body from the harmful affects of infectious bacteria. The fat in coconut oil is different than the saturated fat from animal and vegetable sources. It was once thought that all types of saturated fats were bad for you and caused deadly heart disease, among others.
Today science has shown that there are health benefits in certain fats such as that found in coconut oil. Science has also shown that heart disease and other serious illnesses develop as a result of a number of different factors including a hereditary predisposition for disease and a combination of poor lifestyle choices such as a diet of processed foods high in nitrates and other harmful additives, inactivity, smoking, and alcohol/drug consumption.
Coconut oil can offer protection that can prevent the development of heart disease, stroke, arteriosclerosis, cancer, digestive disorders, immune system weakening, osteoporosis, and other illnesses and disease. Coconut oil can also help diabetics to control their insulin levels leading to better control of the disease and its affects on the body. It promotes the proper functioning of the metabolism, which utilizes needed fat for energy and eliminates unnecessary fat from the body. Because of the health benefits and protections offered by coconut oil you will find that it is used in commercial baby formulas, energy drinks, and even in the intravenous fluids given to patients in hospitals.
Coconut oil enables the body to better absorb the nutrients from other foods for higher nutritional levels in the body and better health. Coconut oil hydrates the body for supple, healthy skin and helps prevent skin damage from excessive sun exposure such as age spots, wrinkles, and even skin cancers. Coconut oil promotes proper digestion so that needed nutrients can be harvested from foods eaten, and waste can be eliminated quickly from the body as a preventive against colon and other digestive cancers and diseases.
Coconut oil is also resistant to break down when exposed to high temperatures. This prevents the nutritional and health protections from being lost by cooking foods in high heat. This makes coconut oil a superior cooking oil to prepare your foods with and it can be stored in the pantry longer than most other types of oils which makes it a most cost effective purchase.
You can help your dog or cat improve their health as well with coconut oil. A tablespoon of coconut oil mixed with your pets regular food one or more times a week, will aid them in absorbing the nutrients contained in their food and with digestion and elimination, for a healthier and happier pet.
Cook your foods with coconut oil for healthier meals. From the pantry or stovetop, coconut oil can be used in other ways. A fourth of a cup of coconut oil added to the tub as it fills with warm water creates a pampering soak for your skin and rejuvenation for your senses. Coconut oil can be applied directly to the elbows, knees, and other dry skin patches to hydrate and heal dry skin.
Some people are afraid that switching to using coconut oil will drastically change the tastes of the foods they cook. Coconut oil does not have an overwhelming flavor that will overtake the natural flavors of foods. The hydrogenated oils most of us have been cooking with are in fact guilty of this. You will find that coconut oil brings out the full flavor in the foods you cook and you may discover for the first time how wonderful the natural flavors of these foods taste. Use coconut for all its many benefits for better health.
