An oil that causes weight loss? It sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? A lesser known fact, but it is true that coconut oil aids in weight loss. Though it is not used much in cooking due to the flavour and aroma that it brings along, the oil has been used in Ayurveda for many centuries for its therapeutic and positive impacts. The modern world is also rediscovering it as a superfood.
Let’s look at some of the ways in which this wonder oil works to keep our weight in control.
Improved Digestion
Virgin Coconut oil improves digestion with its lubricating effect on our intestines and prevents constipation. This reduces the bloating feeling and in general, keeps the stomach and bowels clean, leaving you in the right temperament to indulge in an active life.
Increased Metabolism
The fatty acids in the virgin coconut oil can be easily broken down into energy and hence are not stored as fat. They are converted into Ketones by the liver and this is used as energy instantly. This quality of coconut oil helps reduce weight gain and its effects are visible within 2-3 weeks.
Increases Calorie Deficit
One can lose fat only by burning more calories. Usually, people go on a diet or indulge in physical activities to expedite this calorie burn. Virgin Coconut oil can help here. It helps our digestive system to burn more calories than what is ingested. So, for an active person, the fat burn will be higher and faster. Also, with its thermogenic nature, it promotes the burning up of stored fats.
Improve Hormone Production
You need healthy hormones to address stress and reduce anxiety. Healthy hormones means additional energy. Couple this with increased metabolism and you burn the stubborn fat deposited around the hips, thighs, and belly. While most oils are loaded with long-chain triglycerides, coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides. These triglycerides promote the production of the ‘sterone pregnenolone’ which in turn helps in the production of healthy hormones.
Blood Sugar Stabilization
A diabetes patient will better understand the importance regarding management of insulin than anyone else. Due to this disorder, the body stops responding adequately to insulin, leaving the person with high blood sugar levels and excess weight.
When you use virgin coconut oil in your foods, the digestive enzymes are not required for digestion and as a result, insulin producing efficiency of pancreas improves. Additionally, it also slows down the process of breaking down the carbs into glucose, thus maintaining consistent glucose levels.
Now let’s take a look at the ways in which coconut oil can be used to get the above benefits.
As Cooking Oil
Include virgin coconut oil instead of your usual oils for cooking. Additionally, you can use coconut butter for baking too. Coconut oil suppresses appetite and enhances fat burning in the body. But be careful, you should be replacing your cooking oils with coconut oil.
Oil Massages
Coconut oil works directly on the cellulite which gives you those stubborn waist tires. Applying coconut oil on the affected areas and rubbing it on your skin activates the lymph system. This method further helps in removing fats accumulated in the cells.
Mix it with Coffee
Mix a tablespoon of coconut oil instead of the creamer and blend your coffee brew. This frothy mix will be a good source to the medium chain fatty acids that give instant energy and help burn more fat. This type of coffee, also known as Bulletproof coffee, has become a sensation around the world because of its fat busting and energy enhancing capabilities.
It might be a lifestyle change to move to coconut oil, but it’s worth it. The results start showing up anywhere between one to six weeks and the general feel-good factor increases. Just a word of advice before you jump in, coconut oil can increase cholesterol levels. So, people with high cholesterol levels need to be careful and be thrifty with their portions.