What's With All This Talk About Coconuts?

Okay, is it just me or has the topic of coconuts been coming up everywhere!? Oil pulling, coconut milk, coconut butter, coconut oil and now I just discovered the mecca of it all MCT Oil.  I have heard of the benefits of adding coconut oil to my food last Summer, but this concept has really started to explode, so I wanted to sum of the common uses and benefits to this amazing 'superfood'!

So,  coconut oil can be used for many things:

1. For cooking
2. As a skin moisturizer
3. As a hair pomade
4. For oil pulling (I will talk about this a little later)
5. As a make-up remover
6. As a sweetener substitute

The benefits go on and on, but here are the major ones:

1. Maintain your SKIN/COMPLEXION
2. May promote HEALTHY BRAIN FUNCTION, in fact there was a recent study that suggests it may help with Alzheimers (Newport, Alzheimer's Disease: What if There Was a Cure?)
3. Great for supporting the THYROID
4. Great for your HEART
5. Can aid in WEIGHT LOSS and
6. Can help speed up your METABOLISM

Not to get too detailed on this, but the reason why coconut oil is so amazing is that it contains Lauric Acid and MCT's. Lauric acid is converted once in your body and can potentially destroy viruses, flu and even herpes and HIV. The MCT's assist in reducing body fat, which helps with weight loss. They also help mitigate insulin and glucose sensitivities. Which brings me to my newest discovery, MCT Oil. I purchased a bottle of this oil from my local Vitamin Cottage, it is 100% pure Medium Chain Triglycerides that are found in coconut oil. It is suggested that this oil increases your energy and lowers fat storage in the body. I have started adding a tablespoon to my Shakeology each morning to put it to the test. I will do a blog report on this in about 30 days to see if I notice a difference. The bottle I bought was around $18 and has 63 tablespoons in it, so about .29 cents a serving. Worth every penny given the potential benefits!

Now, onto a topic that makes me a little queasy to think about, but people have been raving about - Oil Pulling. Essentially what this is taking a tablespoon of coconut  oil and swishing it in your mouth for 20 minutes. Then spitting it out. If you do this everyday it is supposed to help with your breath and improve your overall oral hygiene. I have not gotten the courage to try this yet, because I am a total consistency and texture girl, so I am a little fearful. Planning on giving this a try and will report my results!

If you looking for way to incorporate coconut into your daily diet, you can purchase butters, water, milk, and oil from almost any grocery store. There are some great ways to incorporate it into your recipes, but here is one of my all time favorites it super simple and perfect for hot days in the Spring and Summer - the kids will love it too!

Coco-Berry Sorbet

Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
2 tbsp coconut butter
1 tbsp coconut milk













Steps:
1. Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender
2. Enjoy!

*Recipe and some info derived from BetterNutrition Magazine