Burn fat while boosting your energy with extra-virgin coconut oil
08/10/2021 / By Skye Anderson / Comments
Burn fat while boosting your energy with extra-virgin coconut oil

We all know vegetables to be healthy superfoods, but have you ever wondered why vegetable oils are considered some of the worst oils for your health?

According to experts, vegetable oils in the U.S. tend to be highly processed. Because of this, they lack both flavor and nutrients and contribute nothing good to your body. In fact, according to Lisa Howard, author of the “The Big Book of Healthy Cooking Oils,” the word “vegetable” in vegetable oils is only used by manufacturers so they can substitute whatever commodity oil they want without having to print a new label. These include oils derived from plants like soy, corn, cottonseed and canola, all of which have been linked by studies to health issues.

But just because these vegetable oils are deemed unhealthy doesn’t mean that all plant oils are. There are also healthy plant-based oils that offer incredible benefits. Some classic examples are olive oil, avocado oil and coconut oil. So what sets these oils apart from other plant oils?

It’s all in the fats

While there are adulterated and refined versions of these healthy oils, olive oil, avocado oil and coconut oil are, in their purest form, are the best oils for your health. They’re better than “vegetable” oils because most of the fats they contain are monounsaturated fatty acids. In contrast, vegetable oils are richer in polyunsaturated fats.

Although unsaturated fats, in general, are described as healthy fats — infinitely better than saturated and trans fats, in fact — Dr. Cate Shanahan, a board-certified family physician, says there’s a catch: Polyunsaturated fats are highly unstable. The refining process vegetable oils go through also doesn’t help as it strips them of their antioxidant content. Without these antioxidants, polyunsaturated fats are more prone to oxidation.

According to studies, the oxidation of polyunsaturated fats happens frequently during food processing, storage, cooking and even after food ingestion. This event gives rise to free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can harm your cells and their components. The damage that free radicals cause when they’re allowed to build up inside your body is linked to the development of many serious diseases.

Olive oil, avocado oil and coconut oil are traditionally extracted straight from their respective sources (either fruits or seeds) using mechanical methods like cold pressing. Extra-virgin versions of these oils do not undergo refining, so the vitamins, antioxidants and healthy fats they contain remain intact. But the monounsaturated fats these three oils contain differ from one another, and coconut oil happens to have a type of healthy fat that makes it an effective energy booster and weight loss aid.

What extra-virgin coconut oil has to offer

The predominant fat in olive oil and avocado oil is oleic acid, a long-chain monounsaturated fatty acid. Long-chain fatty acids serve various functions inside your body, most notably as sources of energy for your cells. On the other hand, coconut oil contains mostly lauric acid, a type of fat known as a medium-chain triglyceride (MCT). While long-chain fatty acids are 13 to 22 carbon atoms long, MCTs are only six to 12 carbon atoms long.

Coconut oil also contains other MCTs, such as caprylic acid and capric acid, albeit in smaller amounts. Unlike long chain fatty acids, MCTs are absorbed more easily by your body and transported straight to your liver, where they are immediately metabolized. This means that MCTs are more efficient energy sources than the long-chain fatty acids in olive oil and avocado oil. This also means that consuming coconut oil can give you an instant energy boost.

Another great thing about MCTs is that they can also be turned into ketones by your liver. Your body makes ketones when it’s not getting enough glucose from the foods you eat to fuel your cells. In order to produce ketones, your body has to burn stored fat at a very high rate. This is actually the basis for the ketogenic diet, which is designed to get you in a ketones-producing state (ketosis) by limiting your carbohydrate consumption. By helping you enter ketosis, the keto diet helps facilitate weight loss.

A 2012 study also reported that the MCTs in coconut oil can help you burn more fat than long-chain triglycerides (LCTs). After observing overweight men who followed diets enriched in either MCTs or LCTs, Canadian researchers found that those who consumed MCTs lost more body fat after four weeks than those who consumed LCTs. They attributed this to the ability of MCTs to increase energy expenditure and fat breakdown.

Extra-virgin coconut oil is considered a superfood for many reasons. Aside from being a good source of healthy fats, it is also rich in antioxidants that can help protect your cells from oxidative damage. In addition, the MCTs in coconut oil can promote weight loss and even boast antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. To experience the health benefits of this versatile superfood, try using extra-virgin coconut oil for cooking, baking and making salad dressings, or mix it with your morning coffee or tea.

Sources:

Time.com

MindBodyGreen.com

OpenVentio.org [PDF]

Healthline.com 1

Healthline.com 2

Healthline.com 3

ScienceDirect.com 1

ScienceDirect.com 2

BioCyc.org

NaturalHealth365.com

MedlinePlus.gov

EndocrineWeb.com

OnlineLibrary.Wiley.com

JournalofDairyScience.org

NutritionAndMetabolism.BiomedCentral.com

100% Fresh Food News, Right at Your Fingertips!
Find out everything you need to know about clean and healthy eating when you sign up for our FREE email newsletter. Receive the latest news on all the top superfoods, recipes, natural remedies, diets, food tips, and more!
Your privacy is protected. Subscription confirmation required.

Related Articles
Comments
comments powered by Disqus

100% Fresh Food News, Right at Your Fingertips!
Find out everything you need to know about clean and healthy eating when you sign up for our FREE email newsletter. Receive the latest news on all the top superfoods, recipes, natural remedies, diets, food tips, and more!
Your privacy is protected. Subscription confirmation required.

Popular articles