The Benefits of Coconut Oil

By Eve Pearce

Totally Devoted’s range of cookies contains so many wonderful, natural ingredients that it’s hard to pick out just one. However, given the multiple benefits offered by coconut oil, it’s worth highlighting how this key element in each of our cookies can help support your health and wellbeing; both inside and out!

What is coconut oil?

Coconut oil is extracted from matured coconuts and is used widely in foods, medicines and soaps. In terms of its nutritional qualities, coconut oil is rich in a medium-chain triglyceride called lauric acid, which is a particular type of fatty acid. Incidentally, this is also found in mother’s breast milk, which makes it a great addition to our feeding cookie. It is also dairy and wheat free and suitable for vegans, for whom it provides a great, sweet-tasting cooking ingredient. While coconut oil is a saturated fat, rest assured that it’s not one of the bad guys. Indeed, much of the negativity that once surrounded coconut oil has been disproved and it is actually now widely advocated as a healthier alternative to other types of saturated fats, such as butter. This is because medium-chain fatty acids are usually quickly burned as energy rather than being stored as fat like their long-chain counterparts. In fact, you’ll now find it on the shelves of many health food stores, as people are increasingly discovering its versatility. Added to this is the fact it offers a whole host of valuable health benefits.

[Image of coconut – the oil extracted has a host of health benefits]

Everyday health benefits

Saturated fats are essential to support the growth and development of babies and young children. Lauric acid is only available to babies through mother’s milk, so by boosting your own levels, you’re also boosting your baby’s intake. Once in the body, lauric acid is converted to monolaurin, which has powerful antifungal, antiviral and anti-microbial properties. This provides essential support to young immune systems, which are still in the process of developing. Medium-chain fatty acids are also easily absorbed by the body, providing babies with an important energy supply.

As well as these great health benefits, coconut oil is also a centuries-old beauty product! In particular, it’s great for the skin and hair. Because it is easily absorbed into the body, it provides excellent nourishment and protection from the ageing effect of those nasty free radicals. Its benefits are so widely appreciated that I’ll bet if you take a look at the ingredients in any of your favourite hair treatments and body lotions, you’ll find coconut oil listed. By enjoying our range of cookies, you can reap these benefits at a time in your life when you may be especially in need of a little pampering.

Additional benefits

Beyond day-to-day health, coconut oil may also have a role to play in brain health. Indeed, there is evidence suggesting it can even improve some serious degenerative conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease. Again, this is due to the high lauric acid content of coconut oil, which is processed by the body to make something called ketone bodies. Our brain uses these ketone bodies as fuel when its main source, glucose, is not available. With some conditions, the brain becomes unable to use glucose as its regular fuel supply, which is where the ketone bodies come into play. This fuel theory also extends to treating and controlling epilepsy by reducing seizures. In this context, it can complement something called a ketogenic diet, which is high in fats and low in carbohydrates. By forcing the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates, glucose levels drop and the level of ketone bodies increase, leading to a reduction in epileptic seizures.

Of course, these are extreme examples of how coconut oil can be utilized, but anything that promotes brain health has got to be worth knowing about. While many of us are concerned about looking after our body’s health, often the brain is overlooked; maybe because we think about loss of brain function as something we only need to face in our senior years. However, given the fact the brain is at the heart of everything we do, it’s a good idea feed it things it loves; such as our great new clever cookie, which, of course, is made with coconut oil!

Keeping healthy the easy way

Looking after your health is important throughout your life, but there are certain times when it should be the number one priority. With our great range of cookies, you can be sure you’re getting a delicious treat filled with ingredients that are specifically included to help you take care of your health and that of your family during these key times. Our use of coconut oil is a great example of this; providing an easy and tasty way to include it in your family’s diet.