Coconut is our Favorite Superfood

Whether it hits after lunch or a few hours before the workday ends, even the most motivated people can find themselves skipping workouts and putting off important projects because of midday fatigue.  Before you pull that third shot of espresso… 

What if the one thing your body craves isn’t more caffeine, but some critical fatty acids from a coconut?

MCT oil which is a type of oil from the coconut, is known for fueling your brain for more energy and focus throughout the day. 

So, a few teaspoons in the morning or before a workout can fuel your brain and body for hours —better than any other food or coffee drink.

And because the body metabolizes MCTs at a higher priority than carbs or other fats (and optimizes your metabolism for fat-burning), they’ll help you burn calories instead of packing them away as fat.

So what is this magical oil?

MCT oil or medium chain triglycerides (MCT’s) are unique fatty acids that are found naturally in coconut and palm oils.  They have a remarkable ability to stabilize blood sugar and enhance ketone body production.  This process makes MCT’s a powerful tool to reduce inflammation, improve metabolism and enhance cognitive function.

The term “medium” is in reference to the length of the chain of fatty acids.  Oils can have short, medium or long chains.  Most oils are a combination of short, medium and long chain fatty acids.  MCTs are the easiest type of fatty acid that your body can burn for calories. They get absorbed directly from the gut to the liver and then are used for energy instead of being stored as fat.

Research confirms that MCTs can make you lean and healthy. In one study, researchers compared the results of MCTs with long-chain triglycerides on body fat, energy expenditure, appetite, and other aspects of weight loss in overweight men. They put these men on different diets for 28 days. One group ate a coconut-oil-rich diet high in MCTs. The other group ate a diet rich in long-chain triglycerides like olive oil. They then switched the diets so that they could see differences in the same subjects.

The researchers found the coconut group lost more body fat, which they attributed to a greater increase in energy expenditure and burning fat. Coconut oil actually sped up their metabolisms, allowing them to lose more belly fat and curbing their appetite compared with the men on the olive-oil-rich diet.

In fact, studies suggest that MCTs can help men burn about 460 extra calories a day and women about 190 extra calories (I know, women it’s just not fair!).  MCTs also affect your hormones, including appetite-controlling hormones, helping you feel full.

Part of what makes MCT oil magical is the ketones it contains. Ketones are unique energy producing molecules made from fatty acids.  Our bodies can make them from stored fat or from MCTs.  Ketones feed all the cells of the body, but in particular they are a preferred fuel for the brain.  This is what makes MCT oil brain food.  Research has demonstrated that MCTs can readily cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and be oxidized by the brain. Not all food can do that.  

More information on brain health is in Healing Arts podcast Poison and the Blood Brain Barrier and includes steps to follow to help with ADD, poor memory, lack of motivation, depression, and dementia by detoxifying the body of pesticides,  and heavy metals, eating probiotic foods to keep the gut balanced. and eating more essential fatty acids than just coconut oil which are vital for the brain, like avocado, flaxseed, hemp seed, oily fish, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts..  Good brain health includes making quality sleep a priority and reducing psychological and emotional stress through exercise, meditation, journaling.

You need to be careful of the MCT oil you purchase.  Read what type of oils make up the MCT oil.  The best MCT oil is made of caprylic and capric acid.  An MCT oil is processed in a manufacturing plant to remove all the longer chain fats and other compounds except these two fatty acids.  Your MCT oil should also be tested for purity and heavy metals. Th MCT oil we use at Healing Arts is Jarrow.  

MCTs raise up ketones and lower blood sugar naturally.  They have a strong blood sugar stabilizing effect that helps to reduce inflammation. For more on Reducing inflammation through the diet  - Listen to our podcast on Chronic Inflammation.  

You might be hesitant to use coconut oil or MCT oil because it's high in saturated fat, which has unfairly been demonized for decades. There is a world of difference between quality saturated fat in coconut or MCT oils and what you might get in a fast-food meal.

You can get MCTs from whole foods: 

Coconut oil: 15%

Palm kernel oil: 7.9%

Cheese (if you tolerate dairy): 7.3%

Butter: 6.8%

Milk: 6.9%

Yogurt: 6.6%

But you can also get MCTs from specially concentrated MCT oil, which is much more concentrated.  A tablespoon of coconut oil will give you 2 grams of MCTs while MCT oil will give you 15 grams of MCTs.

Most people tolerate MCT oil very well, however, too large of a dose too quickly can cause gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, and diarrhea.  If you have this problem, don’t panic and give up on MCT oil right away. You can easily reduce or eliminate these symptoms by starting with very small doses at a time.  This would mean ½ tsp once a day and slowly increasing the dosage as tolerated.

Adding MCT oil can substitute for some of the oil in your diet but should not be used to replace all the fat in your diet.  Begin using MCT 1 tablespoon per day and slowly increase over several days.  1-3 tablespoons per day is recommended.  

It can be used as a salad dressing, in smoothies, for cooking or just straight up off the spoon.  As a 

Cooking Oil:  MCT oil is highly stable under heat like coconut oil but no coconut flavor

Salad Dressing:  No major flavor so combine it with herbs and vinegar

In Coffee & Tea:  Great for thickening up coffee or tea and improving their health benefits. Putting it in coffee started with Dave Asprey and is called Bullet Proof Coffee.

Smoothies:  Add 2 tbsps of MCT oil in a smoothie to curb hunger and have the smoothie keep you satisfied longer.

If you are thinking of adding MCT oil to your diet ask me at your next appointment and I will muscle test you for it. 90% of patients test well for it.

But there are a couple of issues with most MCTs you’ll find on grocery store shelves…

They’re packed with fillers and derived from low-quality sources…

Clumpy powders and tasteless oils don’t mix well and are hard to get down...

They’re not optimized for absorption!

The one I use, JARROW is different. It contains emulsified MCTs for unparalleled absorption. Plus, it will completely disperse when mixed into any liquid (no blender required).

Besides the MCTs coconut oil has many health benefits.  Coconut oil is great for hair care, skin care, stress relief, cholesterol level maintenance, weight loss, boosting the immune system, proper digestion and regulating metabolism. It also provides relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV, and cancer.  I have also seen it help improve dental quality and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and their respective properties, such as  antioxidant, anti-fungal, antibacterial and soothing qualities.

For Hair care:

Coconut oil is one of the best natural nutrients for your hair. It helps in healthy growth of hair and gives your hair a shiny quality. It also provides the essential proteins required for nourishing and healing damaged hair. By regularly massaging your head with coconut oil, you can ensure that your scalp is free of dandruff, even if your scalp is chronically dry. It also helps in keeping your hair and scalp free from lice and lice eggs.

Heart diseases:

There is a misconception spread among many people that coconut oil is not good for heart health. This is because it contains a large quantity of saturated fats. In reality, coconut oil is beneficial for the heart. It contains about 50% lauric acid, which helps in actively preventing various heart problems like high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. The saturated fats present in coconut oil are not harmful as you commonly find in vegetable oils. Coconut oil does not lead to increase in LDL levels, and it reduces the incidence of injury and damage to arteries and therefore helps in preventing atherosclerosis.

Digestion:

A tablespoon taken before each meal can help improve digestion. It can also be taken in warm ginger tea to sooth heartburn or nausea.

Skin care:

Coconut oil is an excellent massage oil for the skin. It acts as an effective moisturizer on all types of skin and has a natural SPF 4. It also delays the appearance of wrinkles and sagging of skin which normally accompany aging. It makes for a great after-shave lotion. Coconut oil also helps in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections. It can relieve the pain of hemorrhoids when used topically. When put on cuticles it helps nails grow and also makes a great eye-makeup remover!

Weight loss:

Coconut oil is very useful for weight loss. It contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that help in taking off excessive weight. It is also easy to digest and it helps in healthy functioning of the thyroid and endocrine system. Further, it increases the body’s metabolic rate by removing stress on the pancreas, thereby burning more energy and helping obese and overweight people lose the weight. 

Immunity:

Coconut oil is also good for the immune system. It strengthens the immune system because it contains antimicrobial fats. Yes, these fats kill germs, lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid which have antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. A tablespoon melted into a cup of warm tea can help sooth a sore throat.

Candida:

Coconut oil has been shown to prevent and even cure candida. It provides relief from the inflammation caused by candida, both externally and internally. Its high moisture retaining capacity keeps the skin from cracking or peeling off. Further, unlike other pharmaceutical treatments for candida, the effects of coconut oil is gradual and not drastic or sudden, which gives the body an appropriate amount of time to slowly kill the fungi and prevent adverse symptoms that can occur when killing the fungi too fast. Adverse symptoms of treating candida to aggressively is known as a die-off reaction. But, in the treatment of this condition, people should systematically and gradually increase their internal dosages of coconut oil and shouldn’t initially start with a large quantity. Start with 1/2 teaspoon and work up to 3 tablespoons over several days.  When having a yeast infection you can soak a tampon in coconut oil and insert it overnight for topical treatment.  

Now there are different types of coconut oil: refined, virgin and pure.  Only use organic coconut oil and for cooking use refined organic coconut oil.  For the skin, hair, medicinal uses it could be pure or virgin organic coconut oil.  It's best to get muscle tested to see which one works best for your body.  

There is also a great book by Bruce Fife for even more info on coconut oil called "The Coconut Oil Miracle”.

There has also been in recent years a lot more coconut based foods being made.  Three years ago coconut water was just making an appearance on store shelves and now you can get it anywhere. There are all kinds of enhanced waters these days, but coconut water is the real deal. The drink quickly became a staple everywhere from health food stores to fitness studios but it's sweet, nutty taste isn't for everyone. Do the nutrition facts back up the hype? Here's what you need to know.

Coconut water is the clear liquid inside coconuts. You'd typically get coconut water from young, green coconuts—those harvested at five to seven months of age, whereas the browner coconuts, are a better source of coconut milk.

Drinking coconut water for post-workout recovery is amazing! I’m so grateful there is something out there other than gatorade.  Just like gatorade, coconut water is abundant in several electrolytes including potassium, sodium, and magnesium. If you're having an intense sweat session, especially in the summer months when you may be sweating more, grab a coconut water and not regular water.  The electrolytes in coconut water can help regulate fluid balance, prevent dehydration, and even ensure proper muscle function. Of course, you'll want to make sure you refuel with enough carbohydrates and protein post-workout as well but coconut water really can help prevent muscle soreness and cramping. 

Coconut water also helps reduce blood pressure and stroke risk. Bananas are notorious for their high potassium levels, but just one cup of coconut water contains more potassium than a medium sized banana. Research suggests that potassium-rich diets can help support the heart by reducing blood pressure and even protecting against stroke.

Coconut water helps with digestion because it contains magnesium, a mineral that helps to keep things moving and prevent constipation. Magnesium also helps prevent cramping.

If you're under the weather, the body can lose a tremendous amount of fluid from vomiting and diarrhea. Coconut water can help with hydration status and balance electrolytes better than regular water in this scenario and you don’t want to drink ginger ale with all the added sugar.

Also use coconut water as an alternative to sugary beverages. Unlike sugar sweetened juices and sodas, coconut water usually has little to no added sugar (in unflavored varieties) and is yet still sweet. This makes it a great choice for those craving something sweet and yet trying to reduce their consumption of added sugar.

I personally add 4 ounces of coconut water to my morning superfood smoothie because it has a way of enhancing the health benefits of the other superfoods in it so I can get even more nutrition out of my smoothie. I only drink one type of coconut water, Harmless Harvest. I was first attracted to it being organic and not thermally pasteurized and after trying lots of different coconut waters it’s the taste that keeps me loyal to this brand. For your convenience and my enjoyment we sell Harmless Harvest coconut water at the office.