Uses for Coconut Oil

Never mind that coconut oil is found in the kitchen, coconut oil has become the moment's most obsessed about natural beauty staple. According to our experts, coconut oil is used in many natural beauty products, and for good reason.  It's naturally antibacterial and antifungal, it's an excellent moisturizer, it can penetrate hair better than other oils, and, well, it smells like cookies.

Here are some common uses for Coconut Oil outside of the kitchen:

PERSONAL HYGIENE

1. In homemade deodorant or deodorant bars
2. Mixed with equal parts sugar for a smoothing body scrub (use in the shower)
3. For making your own toothpaste
4. By itself as a natural deodorant
5. Oil pulling with coconut oil and a drop of oregano oil helps improve gum health
6. By itself or with baking soda as a naturally whitening toothpaste
7. On cuticles to help nails grow

How to Know if Coconut Oil is Not Right for Your Skin

There has been a debate on whether we should use coconut oil on our face.

There is no such thing as one size fits all skin care. While coconut oil is safe and has no reported reactions or allergenic effects, it’s best to test coconut oil on a small area of your skin prior to using any new coconut oil skin care protocols.

How will you know if coconut oil is not right for your skin?

Typically, people experience one of two reactions.

Berry Coconut Oil Smoothie

This smoothie is high in antioxidants and is one of my favourite smoothie recipes using coconut oil. The fats in coconut oil increase nutrient absorption, so all of the vitamins and antioxidants in the berries are used faster and more efficiently in your body. This smoothie also tastes fantastic and is a beautiful pink colour.

Check out this link for the recipe http://islandsmoothieguy.blogspot.ca/2015/08/berry-coconut-smoothie.html

Coconut Oil Touted as Alzheimer's Remedy - CBN.com

Coconut Oil Touted as Alzheimer's Remedy - CBN.com
Researchers say the ketones found in coconut oil have slowed the progression of Alzheimer's disease in some people and may actually prevent it.

Coconut Basic Overview

The Tree of Life

The scientific name for coconut is Cocos nucifera.  Early explores named it "coquo" (coco), meaning "monkey face" because the three indentations (eyes) on the hairy nut resembles the head and face of a monkey. Nucifera means "nut-bearing."

Coconut trees have been found growing near coastal waters all over the world.  A coconut tree can grow up to 100 feet tall, and yield thousands of coconuts and many thousands of liters of sap over its 70-100 year lifespan.

For thousands of years, Pacific Islanders have used coconut as their primary source of food and medicine, and as a result, have always been among the healthiest, longest-lived people in the world.  Because they have maintained their traditional diets, they are known to be generally free of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other degenerative conditions common in our western culture.

The coconut provides a nutritious source of meat, juice, milk, and oil that has fed and nourished populations around the world for generations. On many islands coconut is a staple in the diet and provides the majority of the food eaten. Nearly one third of the world's population depends on coconut to some degree for their food and their economy. Among these cultures the coconut has a long and respected history.

Coconut is highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is classified as a "functional food" because it provides many health benefits beyond its nutritional content. Coconut oil is of special interest because it possesses healing properties far beyond that of any other dietary oil and is extensively used in traditional medicine among Asian and Pacific populations. Pacific Islanders consider coconut oil to be the cure for all illness. The coconut palm is so highly valued by them as both a source of food and medicine that it is called "The Tree of Life." Only recently has modern medical science unlocked the secrets to coconut's amazing healing powers.

Coconut In Traditional Medicine

Cooking with Coconut Oil

With everyone talking about the health benefits of coconut oil such as containing medium-chain fatty acids, which you'll burn quickly, it can help fight off diseases and fungus, it can help stabilize blood sugar and blood pressure and hormones, and it contains the "good" kind of cholesterol. It has a high smoke point, which makes it very versatile. And best of all, it has a great flavor. For maximum benefits, it's recommended that you choose raw, cold-pressed oil.

Here are some things you can cook with coconut oil.  Hopefully, this will get you into finding alternative uses for Coconut Oil to reap the benefits.

How Coconut Oil Is Made

Coconut oil is extracted from the meat of the coconut, which is harvested from the coconut palm tree.  There are 3 ways of extracting coconut oil:

 

1. Extracting for mass production by pressing it out of copra, or dried kernel, "Refined, Bleached and Deodorized (RBD) method.” This method involves chemical solvents that result in a higher oil yield. It is quicker and cheaper to manufacture and the final product can be sold at a cheaper price. However, this method often leads to hydrogenation or partial hydrogenation of the oil and the presence of trans-fatty acids, as well as the removal of beneficial fatty acids.

 

2. Another way of extracting coconut oil from the copra is with the old extraction method of physical or mechanical refining. This method does not involve solvents or lead to hydrogenation and trans-fatty acids. The oil is still refined, but without the use of solvents and several stages of processing to render the end result. Furthermore, this older method of extraction leaves the coconut oil with its medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) intact.

 

Both of the above refining methods remove the coconut scent and flavor from the final product. Coconut oil extracted via the older method is often labeled “expeller pressed coconut oil.” The RBD coconut oil is labeled as simply “coconut oil.”

3.  The third way of extracting coconut oil is from the fresh flesh. This coconut oil is known as “virgin coconut oil.” Don’t be confused, if you find extra virgin coconut oil at the market. Extra virgin coconut oil and virgin coconut oil are one-and-the-same. There currently are no industry standards that differentiate one from the other. The term “extra virgin” is borrowed from the olive oil industry.  The process for extracting virgin coconut oil requires very little heat and no solvents. This coconut oil is made from the first pressing of fresh coconut flesh, leaving the medium-chain fatty acids, nutrients, mild coconut flavor and smell intact. If you like the taste and smell of coconut oil, virgin (or extra virgin) coconut oil is worth selecting because it contains more nutrients and has more health benefits than refined coconut oil.

Coconut Oil and Alzeimer's

Coconut oil and Alzheimer’s disease has made it into the mainstream media. People are beginning to see positive results in using coconut oil to reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s.  Most of these reports focus on the action of ketones, which offer great promise for Alzheimer’s sufferers.  Dementia, ALS, multiple sclerosis, plus many other neurodegenerative disorders is also known to be be prevented (reversed) by eating coconut-related foods. Coconut oil energizes the brain by killing (unwanted) bacteria; balancing hormones; maintaining healthy blood sugar levels and eliminating brain inflammation. The scientific data is crystal clear - coconut foods can dramatically improve brain chemistry; cognitive function plus much more.

Coconut oil, is highly saturated, and in its natural unrefined form has a shelf life of more than 2 years. Unlike unsaturated oils, it is not prone to oxidation.

As coconut oil’s use becomes more accepted and widespread, and as people begin to realize the dangers of the low-fat dietary belief, we expect to see more testimonies in relation to diseases like Alzheimer’s.  

Coconut Oil vs. Olive Oil

Olive oil has a reputation for being one of the healthiest oils to eat and cook with, but recently, coconut oil is gaining the same support within the health community and popularity.

It is an extract produced by pressing olives until they release oil. The oil is then purified and bottled. Depending on how the olives are processed determines the different grades of oil.  Extra-virgin olive oil is the first produced by squeezed olives and most free of contaminants, while later grades are darker and considered less pure.  The virgin and extra-virgin olive oils contain the highest levels of polyphenols, a powerful antioxidant.

Coconut oil is much like olive oil. Extra virgin coconut oil is extracted from the meat on the insides of the coconut through a cold-expeller press. The coconut oil is a stark, bright white color and has a fresh coconut smell.  There are two main ways to produce the oil.  It can either be skimmed from coconut milk, which is a mixture of coconut meat and water, or pressed directly from shredded and dried coconut meat.  Virgin coconut oil refers simply to oil made from fresh coconuts rather than dried ones.

The taste profile of coconut oil is light and sweet, with subtle hints of actual coconut. The flavour is versatile in both savory and sweet dishes.  Coconut oil can change from a liquid and solid state very easily.  It can become a liquid at temperatures above 76 degrees Fahrenheit and anything below this is a solid state. 

Coconut oil contains about 66 percent Medium Chain Fatty Acids, (MCFA).  The main one being lauric acid.  MCFA's affect blood sugar somewhere between a carbohydrate and a fat.  They give the brain energy without an insulin spike associated with carbohydrates.  MCFAs are converted into the preferred source of brain food in patients affected by diabetes or Alzheimer’s.