The coconut is a unique fruit that is well known for providing health benefits such as the reduction of heart disease incidence rate, bactericidal properties, improve metabolism and reduction of tooth decay.
Research into the health benefits in recent years have revealed that Coconut derivatives such as coconut oil and coconut milk may actually be bad for your health.
At a glance, coconut oil and milk may do a lot of good to your wellbeing prompting the increased use of these products. But that is where the danger in it is –the possibility of excessive use for nutrition, either on a daily or protracted time frame.
Bodyandsoul.com quotes the heart foundation which says;
“Coconut oil, milk and cream are all high in unhealthy saturated fat, which raises bad cholesterol levels, clogs the arteries and increases the risk of heart disease”
Further research into the nutritional benefits of coconut milk confirms this as New York Daily News indicates that it has 10 grams of saturated fat (which is almost all you should have in an entire day), and a paltry 2 grams of protein.
However, this doesnt mean that coconut products are bad for you; it simply means that it should be taken with moderacy in mind.
Supporting this, the Coconut Research Center’s Dr Bruce Fife recommends one to three tablespoons of coconut oil a day for health maintenance. It can be used for frying and baking or it can be added to foods such as popcorn instead of butter.
So to put it in the words of Los Angeles-based nutritionist and celebrity chef, Shauna Faulisi, “there’s room for coconut oil in your diet, as long as you’re removing sugars and refined carbs and focusing on getting in lots of greens, moderate amounts of high-quality protein, and healthy fats.”
As far as using coconut oil to hydrate your skin or fix your split ends, nothing so far claims using it externally has any effect on your heart health, so feel free to keep lathering it up!