There’s much to be said about the coconut and its many uses. The water is full of electrolytes, the meat is high in fibre and good fats, and the oil is a more healthy alternative than most available. A basic internet search of “coconut oil benefits” will give you enough reading material for a week. The consensus among health bloggers, doctors, and cooks is positive. I have been researching a lot of health related topics recently, and one theme that keeps popping up in the many blogs and websites I have been scouring is that coconut oil is the oil that you want to be using for pretty much everything.
Finding coconut oil in the land of coconuts
I hadn’t used it while here in Bahia Ballena'Costa Rica though — ironically enough since we are surrounded by coconuts and coconut trees — simply because I didn’t know where to buy it. While it is awesome and way more preferable to buy from locals, it can be difficult to find them with no established business place, signs, or websites.
A common misconception is that oil (and fats in general) are bad for your body, which just isn’t true. Oil and fats are necessary for your body, but you want to be putting good, “healthy” oils in/on your body. Bad fats mostly fall into the category of trans fats and include hydrogenated oils ( if you search you will find that there are hundreds.
Cooking and baking
As oils heat up, they change chemically as higher temperatures oxidize them and make them go “rancid”, and thus they become extremely unhealthy for consumption. Coconut oil is the only one that “stands up to the heat” due to its stable nature and high cooking temperature. It is argued that for anything that involves high heat, you want to be using coconut oil.
As a beauty product
You can use coconut oil directly on on your hair and skin to make it soft and strengthen it. I read that coconut oil actually has an SPF 4 so while it will definitely make you bronze if used on your skin in the sun, it will provide some protection as well. This is good to know if you are coming down to tropical Bahia Ballena to do a Bodhi surf and yoga camp
. If you are into making your own beauty products such as lotion, lip balm, or salves, coconut oil is very commonly used as a base.
Oil pulling
An ancient Ayurvedic health technique with a weird title that is gaining popularity in some circles called “oil pulling”. It is the process of putting a spoonful of sesame or, better yet because of its antibacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-inflammatory properties, coconut oil into your mouth first thing in the morning and swishing it around for 20 minutes before spitting it out. What does it do? Some argue that it is the best thing that you can do for your health. It basically acts as a sticky substance that traps all of the bad things in your mouth and rids it of them when you spit it out, without the chemicals of mouthwash
. In addition to supporting oral health, some swear that it also provides a number of other health benefits such as
- Relieving headaches
- Detoxifying blood
- Helping with issues such as insomnia, allergies, hormonal imbalance, arthritis, and skin conditions
So there you have it, if you are not currently using coconut oil in your home it’s definitely worth looking into.
Coconut Oil Nutrition Facts, Including How Many Calories It Has
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, these are the nutrition facts for a 1 tablespoon serving of coconut oil.
Calories 121
Protein 0 grams (g)
Fat 13.5 g
Saturated fat 11.2 g
Carbohydrates 0 g
Fiber 0 g
Sugar 0 g
That’s very similar to other oils. For instance, a tablespoon of olive oil has 119 calories and 13.5 g of fat.
When Compared With Olive Oil, Is Coconut Oil a Healthy Fat?
The difference lies in the types of fat each contains. As you can see, coconut oil is made of mostly saturated fat (it’s 83 percent saturated fat) and therefore is listed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPlate guidelines as a less healthy fat compared to one like olive oil, which has only 1.9 g of saturated fat (14 percent; the remainder is healthy unsaturated fats). The American Heart Association recommends that an average person who eats 2,000 calories per day limit their saturated fat intake to 13 g. As you can see, eating 1 tablespoon of coconut oil would nearly get you to that limit, so, particularly when compared with olive oil, coconut oil is not a healthy fat.
1. Protect Your Skin From UV Rays
When applied to your skin, coconut oil may protect it from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, which raise your risk of skin cancer and cause wrinkling and brown spots.
In fact, one study found that coconut oil blocks about 20% of the sun’s UV rays.
However, keep in mind that it doesn’t provide the same protection as conventional sunscreen, which blocks about 90% of UV rays.
Another study estimated that coconut oil has a sun protection factor (SPF) of 7, which is still lower than the minimum recommendation in some countries.
2. Increase Your Metabolism
Coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). These are fatty acids that are quickly absorbed and can increase the number of calories you burn.
Controlled studies have shown that MCTs can significantly boost your metabolic rate — at least temporarily.
One study found that 15–30 grams of MCTs increased the number of calories burned by an average of 120 over a 24-hour period.
3. Cook Safely at High Temperatures
Coconut oil has a very high saturated fat content. In fact, about 87% of its fat is saturated.
This feature makes it one of the best fats for high-heat cooking, including frying.
Saturated fats retain their structure when heated to high temperatures, unlike the polyunsaturated fatty acids found in vegetable oils.
Oils such as corn and safflower are converted into toxic compounds when heated. These may have harmful effects on health.
Therefore, coconut oil is a safer alternative for cooking at high temperatures.
4. Improve Your Dental Health
Coconut oil can be a powerful weapon against bacteria, including Streptococcus mutans, the bacteria in your mouth that causes dental plaque, tooth decay, and gum disease.
In one study, swishing with coconut oil for 10 minutes — known as oil pulling— reduced these bacteria as effectively as rinsing with an antiseptic mouthwash.
In another study, swishing daily with coconut oil significantly reduced inflammation and plaque in teenagers with gingivitis (inflamed gums).
5. Relieve Skin Irritation and Eczema
Research shows that coconut oil improves dermatitis and other skin disorders at least as well as mineral oil and other conventional moisturizers.
In a study in children with eczema, 47% of those treated with coconut oil noticed major improvements.
6. Improve Brain Function
The MCTs in coconut oil are broken down by your liver and turned into ketones, which can act as an alternative energy source for your brain.
Several studies have found MCTs to have impressive benefits for brain disorders, including epilepsy and Alzheimer’s.
Some researchers recommend using coconut oil as a source of MCTs to increase the production of ketone.
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