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Coconut oil is a staple in my kitchen for many reasons, including health benefits. I use it for just about everything! I consider it a super food because of all of the wonderful things it can do for your body. In addition to coconut oil, coconut milk and coconut meat are also very nutritious. I use coconut milk in place of dairy since I don’t have easy access to raw milk and most pasteurized milk products don’t agree with me.
The first thing to remember about coconuts and coconut oil is that they have been a major source of nutrition in traditional cultures for hundreds, if not thousands of years. One thing that I always like to do when assessing food is to think about the traditional cultures who eat that food item. If they have been eating that item for eons, then I consider it to be real food.
MCFAs and LCFAs
Since the middle of the 20th century, saturated fat has been portrayed as a the bad guy. Coconut oil is a saturated fat, but it is important to understand that not all saturated fats are created equal. Saturated fat is an essential nutrient that is needed for the body to maintain proper cellular function. Coconut oil has the highest amount of saturated fats, at 92%, but well over half of those are made up of medium-chain fatty acids. Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) are metabolized much differently than long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs), which is what most vegetable and seed oils consist of. Contrary to most mainstream medical advice, MCFAs do not raise cholesterol levels and they actually have been shown to help protect against heart disease. Studies have shown that they can help lower the risk of atherosclerosis and heart disease.
Lauric Acid
The most important MCFA in coconut oil is lauric acid. Coconut oil is made up of about 50% lauric acid. The best place to find lauric acid in abundance is in a mother’s breast milk. Lauric acid is critical for immune development and function, which is why infant formula has lauric acid added to it. Lauric acid is not only needed by babies, but it’s an essential nutrient for all of us in order to keep our immune systems functioning optimally. Sally Fallon recommends that people with compromised immune systems should consume between 20 and 25 grams of lauric acid per day, which is the equivalent of 3-4 tablespoons of coconut oil. The next best place to get lauric acid, after coconut oil, is in grass-fed milk fat or butter. All other oils are deficient in MSFAs.
Studies have also shown that MCFAs actually help boost metabolism and can prevent weight gain and even stimulate weight loss. This is because they are easily digested and quickly turn into energy and they do not spike blood sugar levels because insulin is not needed to help digest the oil. This helps alleviate the strain that other oils can put on the pancreas and digestive system. In addition to helping the immune system and providing quick, healthy energy, it has also been shown to help regulate and maintain normal thyroid function.
Health Benefits
While coconut oil is not quite back into the mainstream diet, it is gaining popularity and the scientific community is beginning to acknowledge the potential health benefits of this oil. Some reports show that coconut oil can potentially help with the following problems:
- Kill viruses, bacteria, yeasts and fungus
- Eliminate parasites
- Boost energy
- Improve digestion and absorption of nutrients
- Improve insulin levels and helping regulate blood glucose
- Eliminate stress on the pancreas
- Prevent osteoporosis
- Reduce inflammation
- Support thyroid function
- Prevent weight gain and promote weight loss
- Reduce skin ailments like eczema and psoriasis
- Control dandruff
- Help prevent wrinkles and sagging skin
This is not a complete list of the wonderful benefits of coconut oil, but it is a few of the things that studies have shown coconut oil to help with. I am not a doctor, nor am I recommending that coconut oil is a treatment for illness. I just have done a lot of research and spoken with a lot of people who have had success in the areas above when adding coconut oil to their diet. I personally use coconut oil for just about everything, from sauteing to baking to skin care. It is a very versatile oil and should become a mainstay in your kitchen.
Important disclaimer: None of these statements have been evaluated by the FDA and are based on the testimony of family, friends, and readers. Coconut oil is not a drug or a medicine, it is a food.
Tell me, what do you use coconut oil for? If you want to see more ways to use coconut oil, check out my recent posts titled “52 Uses for Coconut Oil – The Simple, The Strange, and The Downright Odd!” or “122 Uses for Coconut Oil – Even More of the Simple, the Strange, and the Downright Odd!“
You can also check out more of my writing on coconut oil:
- Let’s Get Personal: How Coconut Oil Has Been Helping Me (where I talk about my weight loss success by upping my coconut oil!)
- Coconut Oil for Pets (coconut oil is not only good for us, it’s good for our furry and not-so-furry friends too!)
- Coconut Oil and Alzheimer’s (information showing how coconut oil might be able to help those suffering from Alzheimer’s)
- Coconut Oil Hair Treatment with Honey and Egg Yolks (Perfect for deep conditioning and treating frizzy, dry hair!)
For lots of health-related information on coconut oil, I have found this book from the founders of Tropical Traditions to be very informative.
Virgin Coconut Oil Book from Tropical Traditions
Sources:
- Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
- Eat Fat, Lose Fat by Sally Fallon and Dr. Mary Enig
- Coconut Oilby Dr. Mercola
- Health Benefits of Coconut Oil by Coconut Connections
- The Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife
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I read that mixing coconut oil and baking soda makes a good deodorant. I have used it a few times and it seems to work well, although I haven’t tested it while hiking on a hot day.
I’ve read that too, but I’ve never tried it. I use coconut oil on my skin all the time and it works wonders. I might have to try the deodorant thing. I have stopped using commercial deodorants because of the chemicals and aluminum and have switched to natural ones from Vitamin Cottage, but that took me a little time to switch over as I was always worried about smelling! Maybe I’ll test this coconut/baking soda combination out this winter …
YES!! I just tried it out this week… just put a ‘dab’ on and rubbed it in. Has a bit of a natural smell. I can’t say nutty at all but just… like the beach lol in some way. Anyway, all day long and I felt great knowing it was natural.
I have been using coconut oil and baking soda as a base for deodorant for about a year now. I won’t go back to conventional deodorant… it doesn’t work as well! I also put some arrowroot powder in also to help absorb any moisture, and I add a couple of drops of tea tree and lavender oil for it’s antibacterial properties. Works great!
I agree – it works great for homemade deodorant. I make a version similar to yours and really like it! 🙂
I use coconut oil to remove my waterproof eye makeup. No stinging of the eyes AND it’s great for my skin, so I don’t worry about getting all the oil off when I’m done. I’ve worn waterproof mascara for years, and hate the commercial mineral oil concoction. One day I thought, huh, I wonder….and sure enough it took my mascara right off!
Great tip Anne! Thanks! 🙂
I use it all the time – in place of “vegetable oil” in cooking, like butter in baking (when I need a d/f option”) I fry with it, I put it in my hot tea to drink, I use it for hand and foot lotion. I love coconut oil. This is a great post – lots of wonderful information!
Hi Christy – thank you for stopping by and commenting. You know, you’re not the only one to tell me to put it in my tea. I have yet to try it – It just sounds strange to me, but I know people who say they never drink tea without it now. I think I’m going to have to give it a try! I also use it in pretty much all of my cooking and baking. I probably go through about a quart a month. In addition, I use it on my skin, both as a moisturizer and in my body scrub. I have a simple scrub recipe here, if you want to check it out: https://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2010/09/simple-body-scrub/. Thanks again! 🙂
I only recently bought a jar of coconut oil. It is one thing that Sally Fallon recommends that I had not gotten to trying yet. This is a nice concise article on the benefits and the controversy of the saturated fat; thanks. I was looking to use it some in cooking and for skin moisturizing. –Renee
Thanks Renee – I’m glad you stopped by. Once you start using the coconut oil, you’ll become addicted! I use it in everything – almost all of my cooking and baking gets coconut oil. I also use it on my skin – it’s a great moisturizer. I have a recipe for a simple body scrub here: https://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2010/09/simple-body-scrub/. It will make your skin feel heavenly! I am glad my article was helpful – thank you for commenting! 🙂
I use it in my hair. It keeps curly hair soft and moisterized and prevents the inevitable curly hair FRIZZ! Plus it has a nice smell.
Thank you for sharing this. We use a lot of coconut oil in Asian cooking but we were always told that it is bad for the heart by the doctors. I’m glad that they’ve got it wrong 🙂
CO is not bad for us. The lipid hypothesis that we’ve been fed by mainstream medicine is a bunch of hooey! I love this post from Chris Kresser: http://chriskresser.com/the-saturated-fat-myth-debunked-in-two-minutes-and-thirty-five-seconds
For me, it comes down to looking at history. What were our ancestors eating? Until the 1900’s things like heart disease were incredibly rare. When industrialized food came on the scene, so did all of our Western diseases!
Coconut oil raises levels of HDL (good cholesterol), but it raises levels of LDL (bad cholesterol), too. While it doesn’t negatively affect your ratio, which is really what matters, it doesn’t help it, either.
For two months I couldn’t afford my cholesterol medication, but continued to take two tablespoons of coconut oil every day. When I got my lab results, my cholesterol numbers did not drop, but they did not rise, either. I’d say that was a win/win. The statistics do nothing to indicate the internal metabolic effects of eating coconut oil.
THE DEODORANT IS AWESOME. I USE IT ALL THE TIME.
EMAIL ME FOR THE RECEIPE. I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO STORE BOUGHT AND ALL THE POISONS IN IT.
The recipe I found and use for deodorant is 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup cornstarch(I use arrowroot) and a few drops of lavender oil(can use any other scent). Melt the co, add the rest and pour into an old deodorant tube(cleaned out with any holes temp. taped up). Wal-la It works wonderfully except you’d want to either let it dry before putting clothes on or dust your underarms with a bit of arrowroot powder and rub in.
I just ordered some co for several reasons. One I have not discussed, thyroid issues. I have an under active thyroid and wondering how this will him, how to use, etc…
Thank you!
I have heard that it is beneficial for thyroid issues. Here’s an article I just found that might be helpful: http://www.coconutdiet.com/thyroid_health.htm
Is it always used melted?
No, you can use it melted or solid. If it’s solid, it can be used like shortening or butter in some recipes. Melted can be used for anything you would normally use oil for. Also, in solid form, you can whip it and make your won body butters as well. 🙂
For more uses for coconut oil, check out this post: https://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2012/05/122-uses-for-coconut-oil-even-more-of-the-simple-the-strange-and-the-downright-odd/
I have been eating coconut oil for about 6-7 weeks now, went to get my blood work done this morning, I’m very curious to see what my results will be.
I was hoping to improve my cholesterol levels, increase the good and decrease the triglycerides. I was able to get the bad cholesterol down with diet and exercise, but the good cholesterol wouldn’t go up and the triglycerides were still kind of high.
Also, I had gestational diabetes with all my pregnancies and it stayed with me after the last one, so I have type 2. I have been able to control it with diet and exercise and slowly losing weight, but I’m really curious to see if the coconut oil is helping too…
My doctor wanted me to start diabetes and cholesterol meds, but I insist on doing it naturally, so I really hope that the coconut oil is helping….
Going to get my results next week, I will report back….
Hi Yvette – Good luck! I hope that the reports are positive. I think that our bodies are totally capable of healing themselves if given the right tools, like good nutrition, enough sleep, reduced stress, etc. Have you ever checked out this site: http://coconutoil.com? There is tons of amazing info on coconut oil and health benefits. I know they have some specific articles on cholesterol and diabetes. A search of the site should pull those up for you! I look forward to hearing how things go for you and thank you for taking the time to stop by and share your story! I really appreciate it! 🙂
Ok, back from the doc and the news not so good.
My bad LDL cholesterol went up, the good HDL didn’t go up at all and my overall cholesterol went up since adding the coconut oil 🙁
My sugars are good, but I’ve been taking Mulberry Leaf Extract for that and it seems to be working. I’m just disappointed the coconut oil didn’t do anything for my cholesterol. I know everybody is different and for some it works, but for me it doesn’t…. On to try something else….
My doctor is pretty good with letting me try the different natural supplements and not pushing the meds on me too much, so I hope I can find something that works for me without having to end up with the prescription meds….
Hi Yvette – Sorry to hear about your disappointing news! 🙁 If it makes any difference, I honestly don’t really believe the whole “good” cholesterol versus “bad” cholesterol thing. I think both forms serve a purpose in the body. Here are some articles that you may (or may not) find interesting. In any case, thank you for coming back by and sharing more of your story! I hope that I will see you around here more! 🙂
http://coconutoil.com/putting-the-myth-to-rest-there-is-no-such-thing-as-bad-cholesterol/
http://coconutoil.com/why-cholesterol-is-essential-for-optimal-health/
http://coconutoil.com/is-inflammation-not-ldl-cholesterol-the-real-culprit-behind-heart-disease/
http://coconutoil.com/ldl-cholesterol-may-protect-us-against-cancer/
Yvette, red rice yeast will bring down your cholesterol… Both HDL and LDL. There are no side effects. My dr. Knows about this. Johns Hopkins newsletter (and my dr) said it is a mild statin. It has worked for me.
I tried to use coconut oil for baking but honestly i didn’t like it and the texture wasn’t right either…
i use it a lot on my skin and on my baby skin after his bath. It worked great on his eczema too.
Nice to see a post dedicated to coconut oil! I use the stuff for cooking, but I also use it on my skin instead of other creams ( I don’t like the chemicals they put it in) and I even use it when I go sunbathing–no burn at all! 🙂