Have you ever cooked food with coconut oil? I sometimes do and the aroma is quite tantalizing. I had a friend who used to come to drop her kid to play school and guess what? Her skin ‘glowed with health’ and she would often say that she used coconut oil in her cooking.

I think a little bit of history about coconuts would spice up your day. A plant evolutionary biologist by name Kenneth Olson and his team mates examined the DNA of more than 1300 coconuts. They found that coconuts were brought to cultivation in two different regions of the world. One is the Pacific Basin and another is the Indian Ocean Basin. The researchers concluded the study by saying that the coconut DNA is a treasure trove of details regarding human adventure.

The coconut tree is also called as the tree of life. All the parts of the tree are beneficial to the masses. But we are going to discuss only about the health benefits of coconut oil. Coconut oil when digested helps to fight the bacteria that cause tooth decay. It has anti infective properties, provides energy, improves digestion and metabolism, boosts immune system, heart friendly and supports healthy functioning of organs, balances body weight, results in healthy glowing skin and hair.

The specialty about the coconut oil is that it contains lauric acid. This is a medium chain fatty acid and comprises about 50% of the pure coconut oil. The medium chain fatty acids are heart friendly. They reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and heart diseases.  Lauric acid is converted to monolaurin in the body. It has anti viral, anti microbial, anti protozoal and anti fungal properties.

Coconut oil is good for pneumonia patients because it contains lauric acid which naturally boosts the body’s immune system and raises the effectiveness of antibiotics used for treating pneumonia. According to natural news.com coconut oil may reverse the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. The inability of the brain to process glucose leads to cell death. But the ketones can help the brain and serve as another source of fuel. Now these ketones are produced by medium chain tri glycerides such as those found in coconut oil.

Coconut oil can also be used as a beauty aid. It helps to rebuild our tissues. It can be consumed as well as used externally. If used regularly it reduces wrinkles and makes the skin healthy and glowing. Coconut oil contains saturated fat so according to my opinion adding coconut oil to your cooking once a week would be a wise thing to do.

Take care,

Swarnam

Photo of coconut garden in Thailand

By Surs Nual Pradid

Photo courtesy of www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net