Go Nuts for Coconut Oil! (Part 2)
Go Nuts for Coconut Oil! (Part 2)
Hello again and welcome to part two of Go nuts for Coconut oil. If you’ve read part one, you’ll already be familiar with some of the fantastic health benefits that coconut oil has to offer, but the rewards do not stop there. In fact, we have merely scratched the surface when it comes to this super oil, so let’s get on with it delve deeper still.
We have all come across those large plastic bottles of golden sunflower oil and vegetable oil on the super market shelves as a large quantity of households use them for everyday cooking. But there is one major flaw regarding these oils… they carry hidden dangers to our health, especially when we cook with them! You see, sunflower and vegetable oil are unsaturated, which we assume is healthier for us than saturated fat… right? Well in some instances this may be correct. But when it comes to cooking, it is quite a different story. The problem lies in the shape of the fat molecules (now, for those of you who know your scientific diagrams, please note that the following is merely a rudimentary model to illustrate my next point).
This is an example of an unsaturated fat molecule: Unsaturated fats have at least one double bond within their chain. In the below diagram, the double bond is depicted by the (=) sign in the middle. This double bond makes a bend in the chain. These fats are called ‘unsaturated’ because not all of the carbon atoms (C) are surrounded by hydrogen atoms (H).
This is an example of a saturated fat molecule: Saturated fat molecules have no double bonds, therefore have no bends in their chain and remain straight. These fats are called ‘saturated’ because all the carbon atoms (C) are surrounded by hydrogen atoms (H).
When you apply heat to an unsaturated fat, it weakens the structure at the double bond and straightens out the chain.
This is an example of an unsaturated fat molecule while cooking: As you can see, it has a shape very similar to that of a saturated fat, but not all of the carbon atoms are completely surrounded by hydrogen so it still has that unsaturated fat characteristic in a saturated format.
This type of molecule does not occur naturally in nature hence our bodies do not know how to assimilate them when consumed. Heat makes unsaturated oils turn rancid and converts them in to the dreaded enemy… trans fats!!!
The great thing about coconut oil is that it’s incredibly resistant to rancidity and is stable up to around a staggering 198oC, by cooking with saturated fats such as coconut oil; we can dramatically reduce the amount of trans fats in our diet over all. I recommend using coconut oil for frying or added it to boiling water when cooking carbs like rice and pasta; it even works well for cake baking. Unsaturated oils are best saved for uncooked recipes such as salad dressings or consumed via naturally foods such as seeds nuts and avocados for example.
And now for the bit you’ve all been waiting for. Coconut oil can actually help you to lose weight! YES it’s totally true and without further ado here’s why. Basically, coconut oil is very rich in fatty acids known as ‘medium chain triglycerides’ but we’ll just call them MCT for short. MCT’s are easily digested by the body and therefore can be effortlessly converted in to energy. Quite simply meaning that the more MCT’s we eat (as opposed to other fats), the more likely we are to burn them off instead of storing them up as unused fat reserves.
As if that wasn’t good enough, MCT’s are known to increase metabolism and thermogenisis (thermogenisis is the rate at which the body burns calories to create heat and energy). Simply by switching from your regular cooking oil to coconut oil, you can aid weight loss, boost metabolism and effectively generate more energy! Who says that saturated fat is bad for us?
Yet, isn’t it amazing how often the food industry tells us that ‘low fat’ packaged foods actually help us to lose weight. Let’s contemplate why that is for a moment… if we believe that eating less fatty foods promote weight loss, then we will buy more of what they want to sell us. Putting us on the rocky road to potentially gaining even more weight and buying yet more of their ‘low fat’ foods in a desperate attempt to shed the extra pounds. It really is a vicious cycle designed to misinform the public in to lining the pockets of the foodie fat cats. If everyone knew the real truth, they probably wouldn’t make any money!
So let’s quickly recap:
- Swap your regular oil with coconut oil when cooking
- Consume coconut oil for increased metabolism, thermogenisis and weight loss
- Use unsaturated oils in uncooked recipes only
- Natural foods provide the best unsaturated fats available to eat
- Avoid ‘low fat’ pre-packaged meals and snacks
- If you didn’t cook it yourself, you can not guarantee the quality of the oils contained therein
In part three of Go nuts for Coconut Oil, I’ll be explaining why coconut could be the answer to you skin and hair care needs!
"Here’s to you and you’re coconutty health!"
Shelley Winford
Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor
