Coconut oil: The tropical staple that one sees in every online hack and on every grocery shelves in its all glory. Coconut oil health benefits are numerous, it has a delicate smell and is easily available in a raw and refined form for cooking, drinking, and for including in your beauty routine.
The sweet-smelling tropical staple has rumored to slow aging, treat diseases like Alzheimer’s, arthritis, diabetes, and aid in healthy weight loss. Really? Weight loss? Well, that always catches our eyes, doesn’t it? Coconut oil health benefits are bot only for our body but also for our minds.
HOW COCONUT OIL IS EXTRACTED?
Coconut oil is extracted from the white meat inside its nut, which is compressed to extract the oil from it. Coconut oil in its raw form has 84% of its calories in saturated fat form. The saturated fat in coconut oil explains why raw coconut oil is solid at room temperature like butter etc. The inside of the coconut mush is high in protein, contributes to higher energy levels and a strong metabolism while the coconut milk is widely used as a refreshing drink during summers and for making coconut water too.
Coconuts have two parts: The white fat inside it and the coconut milk. The white fat is high in proteins and helps with boosting immunity and the milk is used as a healthy beverage.
Coconut oil has also been a vital part of household cooking, DIY hacks, as salad dressing reason why it is a hot topic over the internet for years now
COCONUT OIL HEALTH BENEFITS
Researches prove the coconut oil health benefits, both for internal and external use. Read them below!
1. Prevents heart diseases and high blood pressure
Nutritionists suggest that having one Teaspoon of pure coconut oil orally twice in a week prevents heart diseases. Coconut oil is high in saturated fats, it may boost (HDL) good cholesterol preventing against heart diseases and lowering the bad cholesterol (LDL) amount in the blood. It wards off diseases by turning bad cholesterol into HDL.
Read Also: How Yoga Helps In Weight Loss
2. Controlling blood sugar
Usage of coconut oil while cooking also helps in preserving insulin sensitivity in the body thus controlling any sugar problems. (The results, however, vary from person to person and it shouldn’t be taken in high amounts without consulting a cardiologist)
Also Read: Foods that help stabilize insulin and blood sugar
3. Affordable makeup staple
For most working women, cleaning their makeup at the end of the day is a tiresome work, Coconut oil is one of the best makeup removers/cleansing balms in your grocery closet. Coconut oil may be used to clean your makeup as it gets rid of the excessive makeup and deeply cleanses one’s pores while gently removing all the impurities and leaving the skin supple and hydrated. The best affordable makeup remover ever!!!
4. Shiny hair
Coconut oil mixed with Castor oil, Sesame oil, almond oil, leaves the hair with a natural shine and to repair the damage from UV rays. The coconut oil properties for hair shine and growth include its ability to reach the scalp better than other mineral oils.
5. Healthy fatty acids
Coconut oil health benefits include containing a high amount of saturated fats. These fats gave different effects on the body than other dietary fats present in foods.
A major component of most dietary fats is LCT’s whereas coconut oil contains some medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are shorter fatty acid chains. These fatty acids to straight to your liver and help in optimum liver performance thus preventing any liver diseases.
6. Lower appetite
The conversion of MCTs to ketones in the liver may account for lower appetite thus a person consuming fewer calories in a day.
Read Also: Dieting But Not Losing Weight?
7. Glowy Skin
Coconut oil has been used by beauty experts all over the world. The famous Beauty Influencer, Huda Beauty also recommends using coconut oil in your DIY Face masks and as a moisturizer. The calming and soothing coconut oil properties make it an amazing ingredient for homemade masks.
8. Organic mouthwash
Oil pulling is a technique where you swish an oil in your mouth for approx. 10 minutes to get rid of any bacteria that causes dental plaque, gum diseases, and tooth decay.
Coconut oil can be used as a mouthwash daily as it has anti-inflammatory properties
9. Healthy mayonnaise – Preservatives free
Commercial condiments often container soybean oils and added sugar as well as preservatives. These kinds of chemicals can have adverse effects on the human body. Coconut oil can be used to make mayonnaise at home that is healthy and delicious
See the recipe here!
10. Treating infections
Rashes, infections, and bacterial wounds are proven to be treated effectively by using coconut oil due to its anti-bacterial properties. It also treats yeast infections due to the presence of lauric acid, the main fatty acid on coconut oil
How to add coconut oil in my routine?
- As a cleansing balm to take your makeup off
- As a moisturizer and SPF after exfoliation
- In salad dressings for health benefits
- Massage with coconut oil once a week for shiny hair
THE BOTTOM LINE
Coconut oil health benefits are noteworthy but it also has many clever and practical uses in daily lives. Make sure your grocery cabinet has this magic oil because you never know when you are out of your makeup remover again! (been there, don’t do that)
