Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
Is coconut oil a friend or foe to your health?
Over the years, coconut oil was badly criticized worldwide as one that may increase your cholesterol level, elevate your risk of heart disease and make you grow fatter and fatter.
All because of one thing - its high saturated fat content.
Many people (including doctors, nutritionists and dietitians) actually believe the saturated fat in coconut oil to be the same as that in animal fat and other vegetable oils.
It's NOT.
Coconut Oil Screams "I AM INNOCENT!"
It's time to dispel such misleading information and play fair to coconut oil - "she" is innocent! 
Check out the people of traditional cultures, such as the South Pacific Islands, Asia, Africa and the Central America where coconut and palm oils are plentiful.
For many generations, they add significant amounts of coconut oil in their traditional coconut-based diets but suffer very much lower rates of obesity and health problems than those in North America and Europe who don't eat coconut-based food at all. Why?
Look at our society today - we shun coconut oil but we heap our plates with food equally high in carbohydrates and polyunsaturated oils, which are supposed to be healthier choices.
But our so-called healthier low-fat diets (i.e. diets low in saturated fat) actually increase our risk to heart disease, cancer, diabetes and arthritis instead of lowering them. And we continue to complain about our overweight problem and poor health. It's a shame! What went wrong here?
Think about this: If coconut oil is so unhealthy, then why are the people inhabiting the islands of the South Pacific (who include coconut oil as a staple in their diets) so much healthier than us?
It all boils down to the commercial interest of some food industries that wanted to compete with the coconut industry for business. The very same group of wicked people whose sole purpose is to increase their bottom line created the negative publicity about coconut oil.
Those baddies! 
In actual fact, coconut oil possesses incredible healing and protective properties against many common illnesses and "modern" diseases.
Miraculous Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
For thousands of years, both Ayurvedic and Indian folkloric medicine use coconut oil as a traditional remedy for almost all illnesses.
Gradually, modern medical science discovers that coconut oil can actually protect against heart disease (yes, contrary to what we're led to believe), diabetes, cancers, liver and kidney diseases, osteoporosis, dental decay and skin infections.
It also relieves symptoms associated with illnesses like pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis (difficulty in breathing and absorbing nutrients), chronic inflammation, prostate enlargement, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, stomach ulcers, constipation, psoriasis, eczema and dermatitis.
Coconut oil continues to astonish doctors by its ability to kill viruses (e.g. influenza - aka flu, hepatitis C, herpes, measles), bacteria (e.g. pneumonia, urinary tract infection), fungi and yeast (e.g. candida, ringworm, thrush), which are otherwise resistant to drugs and antibiotics.
Yes, as unbelievable as it sounds, right now some doctors are including coconut oil in their treatments against the world's most deadly incurable terminator - HIV / AIDS.
The super antimicrobes in coconut oil can rip the HIV viruses apart and kill them on the spot.
According to a first clinical study on the effectiveness of coconut oil against HIV virus carried out in 2000 by Cornrado Dayrit, M.D., emeritus professor of pharmacology at the University of the Philippines and former president of the National Academy of Science and Technology in the Philippines, 9 out of 14 HIV patients after six months of treatment with using the antimicrobial acids found only in coconut oil had a decreased viral load (the number of viruses in the blood).
In 1996, an AIDS patient Chris Dafoe of Cloverdale, Indiana, having a HIV viral load of 600,000 copies - an indication of rampant HIV infection, after eating cooked coconut for breakfast every day, had his viral load plummeted all the way down to undetectable levels. Instead of dying soon he suddenly regained his life. Incredible!
You might wonder, if coconut oil or coconut-based food is so effective against HIV / AIDS, then why isn't it being widely used as treatment today?
It's the money issue again.
Because of coconut oil's low cost and ready availability worldwide, pharmaceutical companies won't be able to protect their coconut oil based drugs with a patent. Hence they can't charge exorbitantly and reap enormous rewards. That's why they don't see the profits in funding the research for the use of coconut oil in fighting HIV.
Perhaps you're still skeptical about the potential of coconut oil until you understand the underlying mechanisms that make coconut oil almost so invincible.
What Makes Coconut Oil So Powerful?
The secret lies in its saturated fat structure and the size of the structure.
Let me take you into the fat structure so that I can show you clearly why the unique fat in coconut oil can benefit your health so much.
Sorry it's going to be somewhat technical, but I promise I'll keep it as simple as possible so that I won't bore you to death. 
Are you ready? Let's go.
All oils are essentially made up of 3 types of fatty acids:
Saturated Fat - consists of a chain of carbon atoms (denoted by 'C') fully attached with hydrogen atoms (denoted by 'H').'O' means oxygen atom.
Monounsaturated Fat - similar to saturated fat structure except for a missing pair of hydrogen atoms. The missing hydrogen pair will cause the 2 neighboring carbon atoms to bond with each other via a double bond. A single bond between carbon atoms is stronger than a double bond. Hence the double bonding between carbon atoms indicates its vulnerability to external attack and will readily react with other atoms that come into contact with it.
Polyunsaturated Fat - similar to monounsaturated fat except that it lacks 2 or more pairs of hydrogen atoms in the chain. 'Poly' means many. Since there could occur 2 or more double bonding, this type of fat is very unstable and thus, highly susceptible to oxidative damage.
Fully filled with hydrogen atoms, saturated fat is very stable because it allows no space for other atoms to fit in. Hence even when you expose the oil to oxygen, heat or light, it doesn't encourage oxidation easily. As a consequence, formation of free radicals basically won't take place.
Whereas the other two types of fat (especially polyunsaturated fat) are very prone to oxidation and free radicals formation at the exposure of heat, light and / or oxygen. Therefore, in terms of structure they are inferior to that of saturated fat.
If the oil gets oxidized, its fundamental health properties will change totally and the oil will turn rancid.
Free radicals will then develop as a result and when you consume that rancid (oxidized) oil, the free radicals that finally enter your body will start to attack your healthy cells, leading to a chain reaction that creates more free radicals and cause degenerative damages to your organs and tissues, thus turning your normal body function completely upside down.
Inhaling of smoke particles from burning tobacco incites more free radicals generation. Thus, smokers and second-hand smokers who consume oxidized oil "gain" double risk in health damage.That's why people who consume oxidized polyunsaturated fat tend to develop cancer and degenerative diseases faster and more easily than those who do not or eat lesser.
But free radicals don't just come by that dietary channel.
Free radicals appear everywhere in the environment. The more polluted the environment, the more free radicals there are.
In other words, no way you can completely stop the assault by free radicals, but you can greatly minimize your exposure to their attacks by eating coconut oil which contains a high level of fat-soluble antioxidants.
That means your chances of developing cancers and degenerative diseases will become much slimmer with regular consumption of coconut oil.
Eat Fat to Lose Fat
Did you know that the unsightly bouncy flab on your body comes mainly from eating too much food containing large quantity of saturated fat?
Saturated fat from animal can easily add pounds to your weight because they're pretty rock-solid, hence difficult to digest and use as energy for your body function and activity. Not to mention they contain toxins which aid free radicals activity.
But didn't I just say that saturated fat can protect you against cancers and degenerative diseases by hampering free radicals attack?
The problem is we're consuming too much animal fat, much more than what our body can handle, hence these excess fat start to deposit in areas where we don't want them to, leading to cardiovascular diseases, stroke, high blood pressure and other heart related problems.
Sounds contradictory, huh? Saturated fat protects you yet it can also hurt you.
Not to worry though. This statement holds true only for saturated fat carried in animal fats but not in coconut oil for coconut saturated fat reacts differently in our body.
Yes. It is this coconut oil that gives you the best of both worlds. Not only its saturated structure can keep a high level of free radicals away from you, but it also promotes weight loss.
What? Eating fat can lose fat?
Amazing, right? Many people react the same way as you. Even I was shocked at this breaking news when I first heard it until I tried and witnessed the unbelievable results on myself.
Here's how the saturated fat in coconut oil can help you lose pounds.
Saturated fat comprises 3 different sizes of fatty acids.
Different sizes yield different health effects on your body.
The saturated fat in both animal and vegetable oils belong to the long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) type.
Because of its greater molecular size, your digestive system needs to produce more enzymes and expend more energy to break down the long-chain fatty acids for body functions.
This low digestive efficiency can easily lead to LCFAs being ended up as fat deposits in your body. That explains why people consuming typical modern diets (containing the common LCFAs) are accumulating larger and larger spare tires around their waists.
Overweight, if not obesity can result in a myriad of health problems like cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure, etc. For this reason, many nutritionists and dietitians emphasize on adopting a low saturated fat diet.
But little do they know that if you consume a high saturated fat diet consisting of the medium-chain fatty acids group, the health hazards would be reversed to health benefits, with almost zero adverse effect.
Let me explain.
Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are also very easily digestible, like MCFAs. But the health advantages of MCFAs in coconut oil far outweighs that of SCFAs.That's why you only hear much about the healing power of MCFAs in coconut oil rather than the SCFAs although coconut oil does carry some amount of SCFAs too.
As opposed to LCFAs, MCFAs are smaller in size and thus require less energy and enzymes to break down.
Similarly to processing of proteins and carbohydrates, your body will convert MCFAs directly and rapidly into energy for usage instead of circulating them in your bloodstream like other fats, where they ended up as body fat or deposit on artery walls.
In short, coconut oil will not be stored as fat.
What's even more wonderful is the energy converted from MCFA is used to stimulate your metabolism.
Why is this so important to weight loss? Because the ultimate success of weight loss is to be able to burn more calories than your caloric intake, continuously in the long run. And the key to success is metabolism. You need to set your metabolism to burn calories at all times. Simply put, the more boost up your metabolism, the more calories you can burn.
If you've been reading up on weight loss programs, you'll know that your metabolism is generally affected by 3 factors - your activity level, the amount of food you eat and the type of food you eat. In most cases, these 3 factors need to be interconnected to achieve the optimal metabolism.
Here's what I mean.
By exercising regularly and maintaining your calorie intake on par with your activity level (i.e. no starvation diet), you're already pushing up your metabolic rate. Choosing to eat coconut oil will further elevate your metabolism due to abundant MCFAs (about 64%) in coconut oil.
MCFA creates a thermogenic (or calorie-burning) effect where it burns more calories at an accelerated rate to produce more heat, hence you'll get rid of unwanted fat faster than you expect.
The thermogenic effect actually makes you feel warmer and more energetic for at least 24 hours!
Once you've raised your metabolic rate without extra calorie intake, your body will start to burn whatever excess body fat you have into energy for use. That's how you can gradually lose those excess fat while feeling more energetic than before.
Losing unwanted fat is tantamount to reducing excess load off your body, thus strengthening your overall body health and keeping many illnesses and diseases associated with overweight at bay.
The best thing is, unlike fad diets, while maintaining your ideal weight and shape, coconut oil diet doesn't require you to go through starving or even keep a strong will just to lose weight.
For best weight loss results, you should ingest more fruits, vegetables and plant-based foods (except for those that are usually processed and hydrogenated) because the more natural your diet is, the better will be your overall health and shape.However, no doubt coconut oil embraces excellent fat-burning characteristics, over-excess intake of it may still result in fat deposits, though rare.
But how much is too much? Read on to find out.
You don't even have to stick to a fixed diet pattern. Just stick to a sensible, nutritious diet. But do remember to include coconut oil as a significant part of your diet.
It'll all turn out naturally without you ever knowing the shedding of pounds off your body.
Another weight loss feature in coconut oil is due to the smaller size of its MCFAs, it carries less calories than all other fats. So you can eat your fill without worrying about exceeding the calories level your body needs.
Therefore, you can consume more coconut oil than any other oils without running the risk of becoming an obese.
There you have it, a dietary fat that actually promotes effective weight loss!
Sounds too good to be true? Don't take my word for it. Try coconut oil yourself. Give it 3 months and the result will speak for itself.
Expedite Repairing and Healing
If you're injured, your body will do whatever it can to repair the broken tissues and cure it ASAP.
Some people experience a week to get a simple cut healed while some takes only 2 - 3 days. This has something to do with metabolism again.
High metabolism also strengthens your immune system.If your metabolism runs high, your cells function more efficiently whereby old and injured cells get replaced faster with young and new cells. In other words, you'll take less time to recover from any injuries.
That's why people who exercise a lot tend to recover faster from injuries than those who do not because they possess a higher metabolic rate.
Another way to increase your metabolism is to eat more coconut oil.
But I'm not encouraging you to rely solely on coconut oil to speed up your body's healing ability. As I mentioned earlier the 3 factors to increase metabolism, I do highly recommend you to pick up some exercises to raise your activity level, at the same time consume a sensible coconut oil diet.
When used as a topical cream, coconut oil actually soothes and heals the irritated or affected areas on your skin caused by skin diseases such as psoriasis, hemorrhoids, warts and athlete's foot. It's also an effective healing salve against blisters and sunburns.
Again, it's the work of MCFAs which accelerates the metabolic rate activity and hence the healing process of the impaired tissues.
Watch Out, Beauty Seekers!
Did you know that free radicals can make you look older than you really are (i.e. premature aging) by building "tracks" (wrinkles) on your face, "popping up" age spots on your skin and loosening your skin tissues to make your skin saggy?
Scary? What can you do to save your soft little skin and beautiful face and stop the renegades from wreaking havoc to your body?
ANTIOXIDANT.
Yes, only antioxidant can stop them.
As its name implies, antioxidant works like a neutralizer, warding off the oxidation of cells.The more antioxidants your cells and tissues carry, the better protection you have against free radicals.
And coconut oil contains rich supply of them. Which means you can access to an abundant supply of antioxidants cheaply and easily since you can get coconut oil almost everywhere.
No more sign-ups for those expensive facial and skin treatment packages, you save tons of cash!
Coming from a natural vegetable source and free from pesticides and other chemicals and contaminants, coconut oil is an excellent beauty and hair care product.
As a beauty care product, coconut oil does more than what a simple skin cream can do.
Other lotions or creams can only temporarily soften your dry skin, but they won't get to the depth to heal the dryness.
Coconut oil does. It works by gradually softening your skin, removing dead layers and encouraging the growth of new, healthier tissue.
In short, it penetrates and moisturizes your skin readily, and keeps your skin sizzling shine and smooth for years to come.
All you need to do is apply a small amount to your skin each time and reapply it as often as necessary. You will notice the real benefits with repeated use over time.
Coconut Oil Saves Your Hair
If you got damaged hair, try using coconut oil frequently on your hair and scalp. It's been proven more effective in treating damaged hair than mineral oil and sunflower oil. That's because coconut oil is the only oil (among the three) which can effectively reduce protein loss in hair.
Coconut oil can also help to control dandruff. It works best if you use it as a conditioner over time.
Disadvantages of Coconut Oil
Now you've read so much about the fantastic health benefits of coconut oil, it's time to uncover the "bad" side of coconut oil.
No matter how good a thing is, it does possess at least one or few drawbacks to ponder about. Despite its powerful healing properties, coconut oil is no exception.
According to Dr. Bruce Fife, the president of the Coconut Research Center in his The Coconut Oil Miracle book, there is one common ailment (close to flu) that coconut oil has no effect on.
That's cold.
Symptoms of cold and flu may look alike, but they are triggered by different viruses. The most common virus that causes cold is known as rhinovirus while the one that causes flu is called influenza virus. Only your own immune system can defeat cold virus. MCFAs in coconut oil can't do anything to the cold virus, hence you'll be down with cold even if you consume coconut oil regularly.
Sorry, you can't escape.
When cold strikes you, your immune system guard will weaken and become vulnerable to the invasion of other harmful germs. They'll enter and proliferate in your body, thereby aggravating your cold condition and might even lead to other problematic illnesses or diseases.
But good news is, though coconut oil can't help you fight that loathsome cold virus, it's able to help you rid those uninvited microorganisms and ease your immune system so that it can concentrate on fighting the cold virus effectively.
In a way, coconut oil still proves beneficial in fighting cold, albeit indirectly.
Another disadvantage is apart from the fact that coconut oil can treat constipation (some "constipators" said coconut oil works extremely well on them), it may also trigger the opposite condition - diarrhea-like symptoms if you suddenly up your oil intake too much.
My advice is if you want to increase your coconut oil intake for better health benefits, add it in moderation day by day to allow your body to gradually get used to the greater amount.
The traditional Pacific islanders are taking as much as 10 tablespoons of coconut oil in their daily diet, I don't see why we can't be like them. The key difference is they've long been used to that amount while we're not, so we have to moderately add the dosage to condition our body to adapt to it eventually.
Lastly - the flavor.
Not all people like the flavor. Some simply can't stand the smell or taste.
If you can't eat coconut oil by the spoonful on its own, mix it into the food or beverage you're having. Or you can use it as cooking oil. Simply replace the cooking oil you're currently using with coconut oil and you're adding the beneficial MCFAs to your diet without increasing your total fat intake.
If you really dislike the flavor so much, I suggest you go for the RBD ("refined, bleached and deodorized") oil. This type of coconut oil bears no odor, color and taste. It's specially made for people who don't like the natural flavor that coconut oil produces.
Best Type of Coconut Oil for Your Optimal Health Benefits
When extracted from fresh coconuts using any number of the methods free from high temperatures and chemical solvents - boiling, fermentation, refrigeration, mechanical pressing, or centrifuge, the oil retains its distinctive coconut aroma, and best, its full nutritional values.
Some brands labeled the oil as Extra Virgin but which in fact is still virgin coconut oil.Unlike olive oil, coconut oil is basically classified into 2 categories only - virgin and RBD.
Such type of coconut oil belongs to virgin grade which carries a very delicate coconut taste that makes you feel like eating the yummy coconut cream.
The oil looks crystal clear in liquid form and turns snowy or cloudy when refrigerated.
I like to spread a healthy serving of coconut oil on two slices of wholemeal bread, sprinkle some grounded flaxseeds on the bread and eat them as a meal. I also cook my favorite dishes with the oil. It's simply delicious. I love the taste and smell. And I strongly recommend virgin coconut oil if you're like me.
But as I just said, if you don't like the flavor, you can use the RBD grade instead.
Why is copra unhygienic?Companies pay farmers very low wages for the job of drying coconut meat in wood-fuelled kilns or in the sun for a period of time, hence farmers do not really care about the environment where the drying takes place. The coconut meat is exposed to pests, animals and moulds.
When copra is ready to be shipped in bulk to large oil mills in Europe or Asia for further processing, the long distance and humid tropical conditions further encourage the growth of moulds on the copra. These moulds are often not removed before processing begins.
This type of coconut oil is extracted from dried coconuts known as copra, instead of fresh coconuts.
Because drying of copra is often done in unsanitary manner, oil extracted from copra must go through some heat and chemical processing to remove impurities, taste and smell which then qualify it suitable for consumption.
Don't worry though, pure RBD coconut oil still retains primarily the stable saturated fatty acids as the refining process doesn't depreciate the nutritional values.
That means, it's almost as nutritious as virgin coconut oil except for its colorless, tasteless and odorless feature. You can use this oil to prepare dishes that coconut flavor is not needed, or simply because you want just the nutrients but not the flavor.
But wait, I gotta warn you!
Some companies will partially hydrogenate RBD oil to keep it solid at higher temperatures. Hydrogenation produces trans fatty acids that could raise the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancers.
Why do companies hydrogenate coconut oil?Compared to other hydrogenated vegetable oils, hydrogenated coconut oil was a soft enough fat for blending into food due to its lower melting MCFAs and easily digestible. Hence, it was often used as ice cream coatings, non-dairy creamers, whipped toppings or cream centers in processed foods.
Other hydrogenated edible oils such as corn or soybean oils cannot achieve the same effect as their fatty acids are long chain with high melting point.
So unless you're certain that you're buying pure RBD oil, you may be consuming hydrogenated RBD coconut oil without realizing it.
Some people also worry about the hygienic condition of the way copra is handled and the chemical residue from the refining process.
Is there an alternative for RBD oil?
Yes, choose high quality refined coconut oil which uses "expeller pressed" or "centrifuged" extraction method. These methods use a more natural refining process that produces very mild tasting, smooth and creamy texture. Though it's not totally odorless, its flavor is so bland that you won't be able to notice the difference.
Again, I recommend that you use virgin coconut oil for home cooking as the healthier choice, nonetheless.
You can also eat the oil on its own if it's fine with you. But I would suggest you get your dosage in a variety of delicious recipes.
You'll love those yummy recipes created with the fragrant coconut oil.
Storing and Handling Coconut Oil
Unlike refined oils, virgin coconut oil does not turn rancid easily. Hence, you can store it in a cool, dry place for a longer period (up to 3 years).
It works equally well either at room temperature or in refrigerator.
Snowy appearance coupled with funny smell and taste means the oil has gone "defective".But in the case of thawing, the oil may stay gluey and snowy at room temperature for up to 24 hours after you take it out from the fridge. That's normal. Do not be alarmed.
Depending on your needs, some people prefer to refrigerate the oil so when she needs to cook she just simply scoop up the hardened oil and dump it into the hot pan or pot for frying or cooking. This sudden change of temperature won't destroy the supernutrients in coconut oil, so don't worry.
If you're thinking of bringing some coconut oil to your workplace so that you can continue to gain from its healthful properties even at work, you'll need to get a smaller container to hold the oil.
But make sure you wash, clean and dry the container before you pour the oil over because although coconut oil contains about 92% saturated fat which doesn't support oxidation, its 8% unsaturated fat (mono- and poly-) may still react with the oxygen in water to create free radicals.
Same for using spoon to scoop the oil. Make sure it's dry before it touches the oil.
You can argue that the rich antioxidants in the oil can help prevent oxidation. But if you want to benefit the most out of coconut oil by retaining as much antioxidants in the oil as possible before they were used up to fight oxidation, I think it's sensible to perform that little act.
Some people say it's ok to hold coconut oil in a plastic container because it's more stable than olive oil (olive oil may react with plastic to form toxins). You may see it's being packaged that way in some health food stores.
Again, I wouldn't take chances when it comes to my health. I'll pick the one that holds the oil in tinted glass container, or at the very least, clear glass container.
Eating Raw / Cooking with Coconut Oil
Use it like a dressing. Dribble coconut oil over your favorite salads or other healthy raw diets to enhance the aroma and texture.
However, salads are often served chilled. When added to cold salads, coconut oil hardens as it melts at pretty high 76°F. One way to get around this is to mix coconut oil with olive oil, which has a low melting point and often being used as salad dressing.
Besides that, you can use coconut oil for cooking, sautéing, stir-frying and baking. This is because its high saturated fat won't produce a cooked food filled with free radicals, so it's safe for you to use coconut oil at moderately high temperature. When used for deep-frying, it doesn't get absorbed by food as much as other types of oil.
But make sure you don't over heat the oil till it smokes. Because once it exceeds the smoke point of 350°F (177°C), its healthful properties may break down and cause harm to your health instead. All oils are the same.
However, under normal culinary circumstances, you should be safe so long as you control the heat well. I've been cooking and even frying with coconut oil for months now and I feel great with this flavorful and rejuvenating dietary intake.
I don't bake much, but I love the muffins that my friend bakes with coconut oil.
It adds a subtle sweetness to baked food so you can add less sugar. Try to replace butter, vegetable oil and shortening with coconut oil in your baking. As a guide, use 3/4 cup of coconut oil to replace 1 cup of shortening.
You can set the oven temperature to slightly above 350°F (177°C). The moisture in the food will keep the inside temperature well below 212°F (100°C).
So don't worry that the oil will smoke up.
I suggest adding coconut oil to your hot beverages. Yes, it doesn't mix well and floats on the surface. But it won't taste oily or leave an oily aftertaste in your mouth. In fact I enjoy the nice coconut taste in my drink very much.
How Much is Too Much?
Bruce Fife, author of The Coconut Oil Miracle recommends a daily dosage of 3 1/2 tablespoons of coconut oil for adults. But you're still fine if you keep to 1 or 2 tablespoons daily.
Again, just a reminder, don't suddenly jack up your intake to 2 or 3 tablespoons per day especially when you first try coconut oil.
Spread out the dosage in smaller amount over the day such that instead of one tablespoon in the morning on your bread or oat, you put just one teaspoon. And then another teaspoon in your snack few hours later and so on.
Give your body some time to adapt to the new friendly coconut oil and in no time you'll start seeing a brand new you wearing a youthful complexion and refreshing skin with a more energized body.
Finally, aren't you amazed that wonderful natural remedies can be within your reach and cheaply in abundance but only if you believe?
Try coconut oil today. You won't regret.
Coconut Oil Resources that Improve Your Health
Click on images below to view the best collections (4-star & above) of high quality coconut oil and best-sellers on coconut oil:
