Do you feel like you’ve sacrificed a few HP in the gym? Consider adding coconut oil to your diet. This natural superfood has been an integral part of athletes’ diets for decades and is considered “the healthiest oil on earth”.
Coconut oil has a long list of health benefits. Research suggests that it can boost your energy and endurance, thereby enhancing physical and athletic performance. Also? It’s freaking delicious. Obviously, it’s not the kind of thing you want to chow down on if you’re allergic, but otherwise? Knock yourself out.
We can hear your unspoken thoughts (yes, despite the tin foil) “But… coconut oil is a saturated fat, right? Isn’t that bad for you? How can one possibly get quick energy from a fat?”
After the cut, this is answered with some tasty and delicious biochemistry. OM NOM NOM.
Most fats and oils are composed of long-chain fatty acids. These long chains require a lot of bile acids and many digestive steps – and thus more energy – to be broken down into smaller units that can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Coconut oil is unique in that it is a medium-chain fatty acid. These shorter chains are water-soluble and are able to be digested more quickly, entering the bloodstream with less energy used.
Image courtesy of Nutrition Review
Essentially, it’s a fat with the metabolic behavior of a carbohydrate. Why is this a good thing?
Carbohydrates – especially ones with a high Glycemic Index – do give you quick energy, but they also cause your blood sugar levels to rise. This, in turn, tells your pancreas to quickly release more insulin to gather up that excess sugar and store it as – DUN DUN DUNNN – fat. Fats? Not so much, if at all. Thus, coconut oil can be used for immediate energy whether you’re trying to level up in the weight room, or bust out a racing speed of epic proportions – without the worry of packing the pounds onto your posterior.
And what about that fat? The fats found in coconut oil actually raise your HDL [good] cholesterol, improving the HDL/LDL [bad] cholesterol ratios, which is the key to a healthy heart.
In addition to being an efficient and relatively low-calorie source of energy, coconut oil can also be used to improve skin and hair, and also stave off infection. Because of its higher smoking point, coconut oil is better to use in cooking than olive oil, which breaks down at lower temperatures. Thus, you can use it to cook anything you’d normally lube up the skillet for – stuff like eggs or stir fry.
Coconut oil can be found pretty much anywhere – from your local health food store to the national grocery chains, and even online. The next time you want to pwn some plates, try putting a little coconut in your coffee, protein shake, or just eat it straight – instead of reaching for that power bar. Your performance – and your body – will thank you.
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Me — I put a 1T in my morning coffee, another 1T in my lunch salad. The energy boost is amazing. But then again, I follow the Primal Blueprint (marksdailyapple.com) so I eat lots of fat, medium amounts of protein, and low carbs.
eeeexcellent! I do as well, so a lot….eh, scratch that – ALL of my posts will be coming from a primal perspective. grok on!
I thought that was you! Grok on, indeed. I was the one on the forums who posted a
while ago asking if anyone else was going to comic-con. . .
What brand of coconut oil do you use? The brand I have (Spectrum Refined Medium
coconut oil) doesn’t really have any taste, and I quite like the taste of coconut.
ooh, i recognize your username! sweet.
usually it’s spectrum for me because its what our local grocery store carries. i did pick up a jar of now naturals coconut oil the last time i hit the health food store, and its definitely more aromatic and flavorful than the spectrum. also a heck of a lot more cost effective, i think. i definitely recommend it.