Can Coconut Oil Boost your Metabolism and Promote Weight Loss?

By Nicole Pierce, ND

Long found in many ethnic cuisines, coconut oil has been maligned as an indulgent saturated fat, but recent studies, and decades of clinical evidence, have shown that coconut oil is a healthy and delicious option in our every day diets. Coconut oil has been shown to help optimize body weight, as well as boosting your metabolic rate and improving your energy. While coconut oil is high in saturated fat, nearly 25 grams (225 calories) in half a cup, the fatty acids in coconut oil as well as coconut milk are healthy fats. Although too much of a good thing is possible with any food, consider adding moderate amounts of coconut oil to encourage weight loss.

So how does it work?

Coconut oil is high in lauric acid, an MCFA (medium-chain fatty acid), which are easily digested, absorbed, and put to use nourishing the body. Virgin coconut oil is 50 to 55 percent lauric acid. Coconut milk, like the "meat" of the coconut, is rich in coconut oil. The only other abundant source of MCFAs found in nature is in human breast milk.

Lauric Acid is an MCFA.

When comparing a diet of olive oil to MCFA’s, it was found patients lost more weight using MCFA’s. These fatty acids do not circulate in the bloodstream like other fats, but are sent directly to the liver where they are immediately converted into energy, just like carbohydrates. So the body uses the fat in coconut oil to produce energy, rather than be stored as body fat. Using coconut oil and/or milk in moderate amounts, up to about 2 tablespoons (30 ml) a day, in place of other oils, may help you lose weight even if you eat the same portions of other foods.

It may reduce your food cravings.

Adding coconut oil into your diet, can help you feel more full and eat fewer calories over all. Coconut oil and coconut milk have a delicious, creamy texture and a subtle sweetness that the New York Times described as a “haunting, nutty, vanilla flavor. It’s even milder and richer tasting than butter, sweeter and lighter textured than lard, and without any of the bitterness you sometimes get in olive oil.” In smoothies, fried and sauteed foods, and as a milk and ice cream substitute, coconut oil can satisfy cravings and replace unhealthful choices.

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It’s easy to incorporate coconut oil into your everyday diet: You can fry eggs in coconut oil, mix it either with butter or olive oil to cook vegetables, or add coconut milk or cream into your coffee or tea as a milk replacement. Another delicious option is to add coconut cream or milk into a fresh fruit and greens smoothie every morning. 

Strawberry Flax Smoothie

  • 1 cup frozen strawberries
  • 3/4 cup unflavored yogurt
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • 1 T honey or Stevia to taste
  • 2 T ground flax seed (*soaked overnight)
  • 1 T organic, unrefined coconut oil or ¼ cup coconut milk

Gingery Berry and Oat Smoothie

  • 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats (*soaked overnight)
  • 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
  • 1/2 cup unflavored yogurt
  • 1/4 t grated, fresh ginger
  • maple syrup or Stevia to taste
  • 1 T organic, unrefined coconut oil or ¼ cup coconut milk

Kale-Apple Smoothie

  • 3/4 cup chopped kale (ribs and stems removed)
  • 1 small stalk chopped celery
  • 1 frozen banana
  • 1/2 cup apple juice
  • 1 T fresh lemon juice
  • 1 T organic, unrefined coconut oil or ¼ cup coconut milk

**Click here for a helpful coconut buying guide: http://www.foodrenegade.com/how-to-choose-a-good-coconut-oil/