Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil - Food for Life

Cactus Island Nursery has partnered up with Nature Pacific to bring you the very best in Coconut Oil Products: Banaban Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. Coconut Body Butters, Coconut Cooking Oil, Coconut Massage Oil, Coconut Oil products for your Pets, even Coconut Jig Jig Oil! For a look at all Nature Pacific's great products, just click on the banner below. GlobeCharge

Coconuts aren't called the 'Tree of Life' for no reason; their nutritional and health benefits are endless. Not only has coconut oil anit-microbial and anti-viral properties, it is also packed full off medium chain fatty acids, which actually help you lose weight! A statement from Paul Richardson, the inventor of Cocotap "I have to live in the tropics, after years of coconut oil consumption I now have no blubber left".... Medium chain fatty acids speed up your body's metabolism, helping you burn calories. Coconut oil contains a unique form of saturated fat, which improves digestion, strenghtens your immune systems, and protects you against infections.

Look for the proper, unrefined coconut oil, such as the Banaban Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. Do not use the the hydrogenated oils. Hydrogenated oil can actually raise cholesterol levels.

As stated by the Nature Pacific website:

Premium Virgin Oil is extracted from fresh organically grown Fiji coconuts with the least amount of processing so that the natural vitamin E, antioxidants and fresh coconut "essence" are retained.

Nutritional Benefits
* Easy digestibility and absorbable
* Contains Vitamin E
* Composed mainly of short and medium chain fatty acids which have desirable qualities and functions
* Does not contain cholesterol
* Reduced fat accumulation in body
* Easily oxidized and therefore a preferred energy source
* Requires no transport system to absorb, digest and metabolize
* Very low content of Omega 6 fatty acid
* Helps maintain healthy ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 fatty acids when consumed as a part of diet
* Rich content of lauric acid, the source of disease fighting fatty acid derivative monolaurin
* Contains 6-8 per cent monounsaturated oleic acid
* Inhibitory effect against certain chemical carcinogens
* Superior antigenotoxic activity

Studies undertaken by the Biochemistry Department, University of Kerala showed that coconut oil:
* Does not elevate blood total cholesterol
* Increases blood HDL cholesterol
* Consumed along with coconut kernel lowers blood cholesterol
* Does not elevate LDL cholesterol or LDL cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio
* Decreases serum triglycerides

The recommended therapeutic dose of coconut oil is 3-4 tablespoons a day. So little for so many benefits!