Health Benefits of Coconut

You’re doing what with the Coconut?

Let’s say you’re at the mall, just browsing around. Then you realize you need lotion so you go to a cosmetics store and tell the salesman your situation. He then reaches behind the counter, hands you a bowling ball and says “Use it on your face, it’ll help”, you might just take offense. Now, take that bowling ball, make it smaller, a bit hairier, what do you have? A coconut. Take the same claim the gentleman had made earlier and you might just think to yourself it actually makes sense, and rightfully so.

What you’ll find is that the benefits are numerous in number. The things that I’ve experienced thus far are amazing. I’ll just give you all little glimpse of what I’m talking about.

• Coconut oil: You may have heard coconut oil and coconut butter used interchangeably, many of the attributes that the oil contains is also present in its butter counterpart. Here are a few of my favorite advantages:

• Hair Care
• Coconut oil has been proven to be one of the best natural nutrition remedies for hair. It not only supplies a means for a shiny complexion but also as a natural shampoo and conditioner, providing essential vitamins for hair maintenance. In addition, if you’re looking for dandruff treatment, you’re in luck because coconut oil does that too!

• Skin  Care
• It acts as excellent massage oil for those times when you need to relax and unwind. In addition, it can restore a healthy tone to skin by using coconut oil as a nourishing moisturizer for dry skin. If this interests you, then you might think about going a step further and include it as a part of your bath products collection i.e. coconut soap. Yes, they also act as natural soap, too!

• Weight Loss
• Coconut oil has proven to be very useful in reducing weight. It contains short and medium chain fatty acids, it’s easy to digest and helps increase metabolism by burning through more energy by relieving stress from the pancreases. If you don’t believe me, look at folks from tropical coastal areas who consume coconut oil regularly.

• Others:
• Coconut vinegar: For all my health food enthusiast friends, because it comes from a source that’s naturally higher in minerals and phytonutrients, coconut vinegar would make a great substitute for apple cider vinegar. It’s high in potassium and it helps the digestion process
• Coconut nectar: Naturally contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other nutrients including Vitamin C. It can also be used as a healthy alternative to sweetener. 

• Edibles
• Coconut water
• Nothing says comfort more than sipping on a coconut. Coconut water is the clear liquid found inside a young coconut. Coconut water has long been a popular drink in the tropics. The benefits of coconut water include but are not limited to:
• Being 99% fat free with no cholesterol
• Helps boost immune systems
• Helps balance PH and reduce risk of cancer
• Helps raise metabolism

• Coconut milk
• This is a personal favorite of mine. Reason being, it proves that there are several uses of coconut. Vegans can utilize the virgin coconut oil extracted from the residue left over from the coconut milk. Coconut milk can also be used in modern medicine with a wide range of health benefits. With the use of coconut milk you can
• Boost energy and endurance
• Help prevent tooth decay
• Use it as a protective antioxidant
• Prevent wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots
• Help prevent liver disease

There you have it folks, the coconut in a nut shell. Now that you know there are multiple uses for the coconut, go out there and enjoy it in any manner you deem fit. Enjoy!