Coconut used to be a no-no for nutrition meal plans due to their high saturated fat content, but recent studies imply that we may have been to quick to judge the unusual fruit.
Places where coconuts are consumed as a stable food are often some of the healthiest populations in the world. The Tokelauans in the South Pacific get 60% of their calories from coconuts and are mostly in excellent health, with no heart disease.
Coconut benefits your hair, nails and skin. Individuals with dry skin often benefit from cosmetic coconut oil, which can improve the skin’s moisture content. It can also be effective as a mild sunscreen, blocking about 20% of UV rays, and is used in a mouthwash technique called oil pulling.
The saturated fats in coconut oil are actually metabolized differently than saturated fats in foods like cheese and stake. They go directly from the liver to the digestive tract, where they can be used for a quick source of energy.
They also release ketones throughout the body, which assist in weight loss by increasing energy expenditure and can have therapeutic affects on several different brain disorders. A ketogenic diet can dramatically reduce the rate of seizures in epileptic children, and ketones may provide an alternate energy supply for the brain in Alzheimer’s patients with a reduced ability to use glucose energy.
Coconut oil also assists in weight loss by reducing hunger, causing people to eat fewer calories a day. Coconut oil is especially effective in reducing abdominal fat, which is one of the most dangerous places to store fat and is associated with many diseases. Many people have reduced their weight circumference simply by adding coconut oil to their diet, and coconuts can be a great addition to nutrition meal plans.
Coconut oil also contains high amounts of Lauric acid, which can kill harmful fungi, bacteria and viruses and prevent dangerous infections. Coconut flour has health benefits for people with diabetes as well, lowering the glycemic index when added to baked goods.
Coconuts are good healthy diet foods with great benefits, but as with most foods, it’s important to use them properly and in moderation. With so many coconut products out there, it might be a good idea to try nutrition counseling, especially since products with additives like trans fats, salt and sugar can harm more than they help. Nutrition counseling services can steer you away from less useful products and help you get the most out of nutrition meal plans involving coconuts.
