Coconut oil is one of nature’s most powerful forms of nutrition. Mothers’ milk is considered the most perfect food on the planet for human consumption due to its ideal nutritional content and immune boosting compounds. The closest match in nature to mothers’ milk is found within the coconut. This tropical staple is loaded with many powerful fatty acids that give it a unique taste and an abundance of health enhancing benefits.
Coconut oil enhances every bodily system. It is most renowned for its ability to dramatically boost immunity through the presence of medium chain triglycerides (MCT’s) like lauric acid.When the body consumes lauric acid it is metabolized into a monoglyceride called monolaurin. Monolaurin liquefies microbial fatty cell membranes causing them to disintegrate. It is quite possibly one of nature’s most powerful anti-microbial agents.
Coconut Oil Balances Hormones
Coconut oil also helps to balance hormones, stabilize blood sugar levels and boost the cellular healing process . It is also known to stimulate the thyroid and reduce stress on the liver, pancreas and digestive system. This increases metabolism which helps us burn fat far more effectively while stimulating clean sources of energy that make us feel terrific.
How Much Should I Consume?
The minimal daily dose of MCT’s in coconut oil you should consume should be equivalent to what an infant will receive through human breast milk. The amount that infants consume helps to build their natural immune response to protect them from infectious illness while providing the nutritional support to help them grow and mature correctly.
Based on body size, an average adult of 150 lbs should consume about 3 ½ tablespoons of coconut oil daily.Taking this amount of coconut oil for your body weight should be enough to benefit from the MCT’s. Fortunately, the immune boosting and anti-microbial effects of MCT’s are accumulative. This means that in many cases more is better.
Coconut milk is another incredible way to add the MCT benefits into your daily life. Coconut milk is very rich and creamy. It is fantastic in a berry shake, mixed into hummus, guacamole, rice dishes, and soups. Be sure to get the regular or full fat milk in a glass container or can and not the light or carton based varieties.
Look for organic varieties without preservatives. 3oz of coconut milk = 1 Tbsp of coconut oil. One full can supplies roughly 12 oz of coconut milk which is equivalent to 4 tablespoons of coconut oil.