Benefits of Coconut Oil

Fats are known as girls biggest enemies and we are at war with them for generations. We try our best to stop our tongues from choosing juicy and delicious fat rich foods like kheer, biryani, seekh kebab etc. but they never fail to tempt us. We start using weapons like diet plans and physical exercises etc. to fight against fats which make us look like footballs. In between eating and fighting, there are other foods which are also categorized as fats but they actually help us fight against fats.

Whenever the name of coconut oil is mentioned, out of shape bodies come to our minds as coconut oil is loaded with fats, but research shows that coconut oil is really helpful in weight loss. It helps you in keeping your body in shape because coconut oil contains medium-chain fatty acids unlike other oils which contain long-chain fatty acids. Medium-Chain fatty acids are easily converted into energy and are not stored in your body. In a study, rats were overfed with different oils. The rats which were fed coconut oil gained 20% less weight and 23% less body fat as compared to the others.

Benefits of coconut oil:

Different foods affect your metabolism in different ways. Some things increase your metabolism while others slow it down. Coconut oil is thermogenic. It increases your metabolism rate which leads to increased energy production by your body. In a research, 15 to 30 grams of coconut oil increased energy expenditure by 5% i.e. 120 calories per day. Coconut oil also reduces the calorie intake by making you feel less hungry. It reduces your appetite so you automatically eat less food. It also reduces the dangerous fats present in your abdomen. In a study, effects of coconut oil and soya-bean oil were compared. 40 women were given two tablespoons of either coconut oil or soya-bean oil for 28 days. All the women lost almost equal amounts of weight, but the women who were given coconut oil also had decreased amounts of belly fat while the women who were given soya-bean oil had increased amounts of belly fat. Coconut oil increased the HDL (good cholesterol) in women while decreasing the LDL (bad cholesterol), while soya-bean oil had an opposite effect.

Coconut oil should be taken half-an-hour before meals and as it solidifies at 76 degrees F, it should be added in hot water before the intake. Only 30 grams of coconut oil should be taken each day.

As per the saying, a book should not be judged by its cover, similarly, even though coconut oil is a fat-rich food but in reality it helps in reducing weight instead of gaining it.