A common misconception about coconut oil is its association with weight gain. For decades, people who were struggling with weight loss would avoid coconut oil. They would read food labels and anything that contained coconut oil was immediately put back on the shelf. This was during that fairly lengthy time period in which people believed that almost anything that contained fat was bad and that it was going to lead to weight gain, no matter how beneficial it might be otherwise and no matter what the caloric content was in some cases.
Coconut oil has been redeemed in the eyes of the public now that the crusade against dietary fat has finally gone away. And the good news? Coconut oil and weight loss go together like a hand and a glove. How? Metabolic regulation.
A good portion of what constitutes effective weight loss involves stabilizing one's blood sugar. The rapid spike in blood sugar is what is going to cause weight gain in many cases. People who are able to regulate their blood sugar are going to be able to prevent that from happening. If they are able to keep their blood sugar even, then they're going to be in a situation in which the weight comes off, assuming that they're still exercising and burning calories and eating cleanly.
Coconut oil is high in the healthy fats that are going to successfully regulate a person's metabolism. Healthy fats also have a way of making people feel significantly fuller after they eat, which is going to make a big difference when it comes to how many calories they take in at the end of the day. People will be able to feel full on fewer calories if they are able to supplement what they eat with coconut oil.
More technically speaking… Coconut oil consists of 50% lauric acid, which is a medium-chain triglyceride. Also included are myristic, caprylic and palmitic acid. The presence of these acids helps to reduce appetite while increasing proper function of the thyroid. This does not mean they are an appetite suppressant rather they allow a healthy level of food consumption and provide longer time durations of feeling full. The increase in metabolism and thyroid function assists in our body burning fat calories rather than storing them. The presence of medium-chain triglycerides in coconut oil allows the rapid digestion of these acids before they reach the intestinal tract whereas other oils contain slow digesting long-chain triglycerides. These particular long-chain triglycerides also trigger the body's fat storing function ultimately resulting in weight gain.
Some people have been wary of coconut oil because it does contain saturated fat, and it is fairly high in calories in its own right. It should also be noted that saturated fat is no longer considered as unhealthy as it once was. In fact, it might not actually present the health risks that people imagined that it would as it relates to cholesterol. It should also be noted that saturated fat is not going to cause weight gain in its own right for anyone.
So eat up! Coconut oil is an ally in the battle for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. And remember, everyone’s body is different. One person’s diet might look quite different than another’s. Find what works for your body.
Curious about how much coconut oil you should eat daily? Learn more in this post about coconut oil consumption. Want to know which coconut oil I use and love? You can find those brands over on my products I love page.
Wait…..don't go! Check out this awesome coconut oil based lotion recipe that really can help with weight loss!
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