Going Coconut!!!!

I just finished an amazing book "The Coconut Oil Miracle", I would highly recommend everyone going out and buying a copy of this book, you will not be disappointed. The past year or so i have watched as my metabolism slowed down to a snail like speed. I eat a carrot and gain 2 pounds, that's how bad it is! Sluggish metabolism, lack of energy = thyroid problems! Our thyroid controls our metabolism therefore I have started to change my diet and eliminate all processed and sugary foods. I started incorporating Extra Virgin Coconut Oil into my diet and Alahmdulillah I feel like the energizer bunny! The health benefits of coconut oil include hair care, skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc. I found a great article about coconut oil (make sure you get the extra virgin coconut oil).

The Low-Carb Coconut Weight-Loss Phenomenon

Low-carb diets such as Atkins and South Beach are currently the hottest weight loss programs on the market. But for many people the low-carb diet could work faster and more effectively with the addition of one ingredient.

Coconut oil has a unique ability to facilitate weight loss. A study conducted in Yucatan, where coconut oil is a staple, showed that metabolic rates of people living there were 25 percent higher than in comparable test subjects living in the United States. Increased metabolic rate is a key to healthy weight management and may account for the leanness of people living in areas where coconut oil is consumed on a daily basis.

In the 1940s, farmers tried dishing up coconut oil to fatten their animals but instead discovered that it made them lean and more active. Those who use coconut oil consistently for several weeks often report an increase in energy, better sleep patterns, an improved sense of well-being, and weight loss a low-carb diet is important to follow, but adding coconut oil has made the difference in the weight coming off and staying off.

Why Is Coconut Oil Effective? Simply explained, most oils from animal and vegetable sources are composed primarily of long chain fatty acids (LCFAs), whereas coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs). This means that the fatty acids in coconut oil are not packaged into lipoproteins and do not circulate in the bloodstream like other fats, but instead are sent directly to the liver where they are immediately burned up and converted into energy. It¹s like adding kindling to a fire, rather than a big, damp log.

Coconut oil yields fewer calories than any other oil because of the MCFAs, unlike the LCFAs in v

vegetable oils, which tend to get stored as fat. MCFAs actually speed up metabolism so we can more efficiently burn the calories we eat.

Coconut oil is also shown to enhance thyroid function. This in turn stimulates the conversion of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol into the anti-aging hormones pregneonolone, progesterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). These valuable hormones not only aid in weight management, but also in preventing heart disease, senility, and other degenerative diseases. It is believed that coconut oil helps convert thyroid hormone T3 to T4, a big bonus for the thousands of people who have sluggish thyroid function that causes weight gain and inhibits weight loss.
Ray Peat typifies the thousands of reports from people who have used coconut oil with huge benefits to their health and weight management. He writes:

When I first used coconut oil I saw an immediate response that convinced me that my metabolism was chronically inhibited by something that was easily alleviated by dilution or molecular competition. I put a tablespoon of coconut oil on some rice I had for supper and a half hour later I noticed I was breathing more deeply. I saw that my skin was pink and healthy looking. I increased my daily consumption of coconut oil to about an ounce. I kept eating the same foods as before except for adding about 200 to 250 calories per day of coconut oil. Over the next few months my weight slowly decreased. It had been steady at 185 pounds for twenty-five years, but over a period of six months it dropped to about 175 pounds. I found that eating more coconut oil lowered my weight another few pounds and eating less coconut oil caused it to increase.

An article was published May 20, 2003 in Women's World Magazine titled "The New Thyroid Cure: The Two Miracle Foods that Will Thyroid; Make Your Body Burn More Fuel; Triple Your Energy." This article created such a demand for coconut oil that by June there wasn't a jar of oil to be purchased anywhere in the U.S. Coconut oil is now available everywhere, but the demand has not stopped.

Coconut Oil Offers Numerous Health Benefits There's a good reason requests for coconut oil have increased. It is helping thousands of people various other health benefits. Often someone starts taking coconut oil because they¹ve heard it helped others lose weight. They have no idea of the health benefits that are in store. Sudden energy surges are one of the many positive effects people are reporting. Theresa shared her story recently of such a discovery.
Since starting the coconut oil this week, I've caught up on laundry, cleaned the whole house, garage . . . holy cow, what energy! Oh, and I got my period twelve days early. I¹m taking this as a great sign that things that were not quire right internally are being adjusted.
Other benefits associated with coconut oil include ridding the body of microbial compounds (yeasts, fungus, parasites). This oil is rich in lauric acid, and capric, and caprylic acids, which have tremendous antiviral and antifungal properties. In the body, lauric acid converts into monolaurin, a compound that is adept in fighting viral pathogens. This is the same substance that is present in breast milk, which protects infants from viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections. The medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are abundant in coconut oil, have notable anti-fungal properties. Caprylic acid, a medium chain fatty acid (MCFA), is a very potent natural yeast-fighting agent. Capric acid has similar benefits when it is formed into monocaprin in the body. Monocaprin has been shown to have significant antiviral effects against microorganisms that cause sexually transmitted diseases.

Will Coconut Oil Raise My Cholesterol? Coconut oil helps promote cardiovascular health. Serum triglycerides (generally composed of 14 to 28 carbon fatty acids) are what are found circulating in the blood stream. When these are elevated, there is cause for concern. Coconut oil is comprised of mostly medium chain triglycerides (8 to 10 carbon fatty acids), which are smaller than the serum triglycerides circulating in the blood. Because of their smaller molecular size and the greater solubility in water, the body metabolizes MCTs much differently than other, larger triglycerides.

Following rapid breakdown and absorption in the intestinal tract, MCTs are transported to the liver through a special part of the blood stream called portal circulation, which is designed to carry nutrients directly from the intestinal tract to the liver. There they enter the mitochondria (the energy-producing part of the cell) and are rapidly oxidized to ketones (mobile substances that are utilized as energy sources), which are almost immediately converted into energy. In summary, MCTs are not going to float around in the blood stream and build up in the arteries; they are going to be burned for energy quickly.

Coconut oil has been criticized for years because it is a saturated vegetable fat. Critics have associated coconut oil, as with all other saturated fats, with heart disease. Mary Enig, Ph.D., FACN, CNS has debunked this theory. She has written very persuasively that studies done in the 1950s, which formed the basis of the "bad fat" hypothesis were flawed. The original research failed to distinguish between different kinds of fat. Dr. Enig says, "This was a fundamental flaw that is obvious to us today, however, in earlier times, differentiating between different types of fats apparently was not thought to be important. The early research on which our dietary myths are now based, concluded all fat to be bad monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated."
Today we know that all fats are not created equal. Some fats are indeed health promoting, while others are damaging to our health. Consumers have been misguided about fats for a very long time, especially the polyunsaturated fats oils. These oils, along with margarine, which is loaded with trans fatty acids (very toxic fat), are the most damaging to our health, yet they have been promoted as the best fats. Conversely, tropical oils were warned against by nearly everyone in the health field because they are saturated, yet now we know they are highly beneficial for our health.

It is interesting to note that people in Asian countries that consume large amounts of coconut and coconut oil have the lowest rate of heart disease. In Sri Lanka people eat the equivalent of about 120 coconuts per year and they use coconut oil in all their cooking. Their death rate from heart disease is about one in every thousand. Certainly, there are other factors to consider besides coconuts regarding their low rate of heart disease, but one thing is for certain: If coconut oil contributed to heart disease, rates would be much higher than they are.
Some people have been concerned that if they start utilizing coconut oil in their diet, their cholesterol will go up. Interestingly, scores of people have had the opposite effect. Terri tells us her cholesterol went down.

My doctor wanted me to start taking Pravachol to lower my cholesterol, which was at 219 mg/dl. He said this [his recommendation] was because I am diabetic and didn't want me to have a heart attack once my blood sugar was under control. I told him I wanted to see if I could bring my cholesterol down naturally with virgin coconut oil and eating right.
I began taking virgin coconut oil last spring when I read about it in Women's World Magazine. When I felt like I was getting the flu, I added a concoction of lemon, garlic, and honey, which cleared it up overnight. I continued taking this concoction off and on for a couple of weeks.
When I had my blood work done in December, it showed my cholesterol was down 31 points to 188 mg/dl. I think virgin coconut oil and the lemon, garlic, and honey had something to do with lowering my cholesterol.

How to Get More Coconut Oil in Your Diet For weight loss, it is recommended that you work your way up to two to three tablespoons of coconut oil each day. Coconut oil is delicious when used for sauteing, baking, stir-frying, and any other place where you would use oil. It does not turn into trans fatty acids easily.
Many people like to add a tablespoon of the oil to their morning smoothie. Some people eat it right off the spoon. Others make healthy treats by combining it with a nut butter or unsweetened cocoa and stevia, along with ground flax seeds or chopped nuts and a dash of vanilla.

It's a new year; why not create a new you! However you work coconut oil into your diet, I'm sure you will be pleased with the results. You too may be among the thousands of people that not only lose weight, but also experience numerous improvements in health.
Cherie Calbom, M.S. is the author of eleven books including the best-selling Juicing for Life (Avery, 1992) with nearly two million books in print in the U.S. and published around the world in nineteen countries. Other best-selling books by Cherie include: George Foremans Knock Out the Fat Barbecue.