Achieve Your Warrior Body with Coconut Oil

Ok, how do I put this lightly?  You need more coconut in you life. Many tropical cultures survive on diets consisting primarily of coconut in various forms.  It’s probably the most important source of plant-based fat in existence, perhaps chief even among animal-based fats also. Why? Medium-chain triglycerides.

Fats are complicated.  As is also the case with the opposite sex, we can’t live without them, they come in different shapes and sizes, and have fundamental but varied affects on our bodies.  For the purpose of explaining the awesomeness of coconut, we will peel back a few layers of the onion and discuss lipid biochemistry on a cursory level.  Fats (triglycerides) are made of three fatty acids docked to a glycerol molecule that forms a “backbone” structure.  These triglycerides are classified in a few ways. One way is according to the saturation of the carbon chains that make up each fatty acid.  The more hydrogen is bound to the chain (creating strong, chemically stable hydrocarbon bonds) the more saturated it is.

The other way to classify fat is by the length of the fatty acid chains.  Typically each fatty acid has 4-24 carbon atoms.  Most of the fat we Americans get contains long-chain triglycerides with 18-24 carbons.  These require a bit of processing in the digestive system before they can be absorbed and appropriated by cells.  Some fats however, have less carbon atoms in their chains and are quickly broken down and utilized.  Short and medium-chain triglycerides(MCTs) are like adding gasoline to your body’s diesel fuel mixture. MCTs do not require the secretion of bile salts for digestion and are burned quickly, igniting your fat-burning metabolic system(aka increase “thermogenesis”).
unnamedMCTs found in coconut oil also provide a host of other health benefits. They support the immune system, restore healthy cholesterol levels, increase hormone function, and strengthen the liver.  They have powerful antimicrobial, antiviral, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties.  And if that wasn’t enough, they also contain more essential fat soluble vitamins than you can shake your coconuts at, and help you utilize them.
In summary, coconut oil ranks among nature’s super foods for its ability to energize, stimulate metabolism, support immune and hormone function, make you live longer, and look better.  There are several products we derive from coconut including coconut milk, coconut flakes, coconut butter or raw flesh, coconut water, coconut oil, and coconut rum.  Coconut rum is a joke and doesn’t provide any of the health benefits described in this article, but does make me want to recline in a beachside hammock and listen to Jimmy Buffet.
Probably the easiest way to up the coconut ante in your diet is with coconut oil, the concentrated essence of the hairy, brown blessings. Coconut oil can be used in cooking, baking, added to shakes, or domed straight-up.  It can also be used topically as a moisturizer, antiseptic, and antibacterial.  For any of these applications I like Kelapo organic extra-virgin coconut oil. It’s sourced from the highest-quality crop, fair-trade certified, unrefined, and cold-pressed to protect all the goodies you’re after.  Kelapo makes a cooking spray that isn’t tainted with soy, and a pouch-format that allows you to warm-up and liquefy the oil for easier use.  Find it at Whole Foods or online at Kelapo.com.  Get nutty, get cutty
By Nathan Irizarry, Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Sources:
Fallon, Sally. Nourishing Traditions. Washington, DC: NewTrends Publishing, Inc. 2001. Print.
Berardi, John. “The F Word.” T-Nation. Testosteron, LLC. May 30, 2005. Web. Nov 13, 2013.
Meadows, John. “The Truth about Saturated Fats.” T-Nation. Testosteron, LLC. Nov 12, 2010. Web. Nov 13, 2013.
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