Every year or so, a new health or food trend arises. But, with the appearance of so many new trends, it is true that some diets and some products truly produce miracle-like results. Amongst these, the most recent is the mediatic Coconut oil.
We use coconut oil very frequently in our ketogenic recipes simply because it is one of the best healthy fat sources in keto diet.
Coconut Oil Benefits
Coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids, which are processed in the body much differently than the long-chain fatty acids in vegetable oils such as soybean and cottonseed oils. This small difference then leads to the huge health discrepancy between these oils.
Medium chain fatty acids, or MCTs, consist of a fatty acid chain that is much shorter than long-chain fatty acids, making them easier to break down and digest.
On top of this numerical difference, medium chain fatty acids are sent straight to the liver where they are immediately processed for energy use and not stored as fat.
So, if they are immediately used up for energy, what happens to any excessive Medium chain fatty acids? Medium chain fatty acids that are not instantly used as fuel are turned into ketones, which are fatty acids that can cross the blood-brain barrier to energize brain cells.
We may also talk about the differences not in the overall composition of these oils, but also on the individual fatty acids that make up these oils.
Processed vegetable oils such as canola, corn, soybean, cottonseed and safflower oils contain large amounts of omega 6 fatty acids. Unlike the anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids, omega 6 is a type of fat that causes harm when eaten in excess.
With the exception of healthy vegetable oils such as olive and coconut oil, other vegetable oils increase inflammation and can have deleterious effects on the immune system. On top of all this, they can even cause DNA damage and contribute to chronic inflammation.
Finally, processed oils are loaded with trans fats, which are highly dangerous to the heart with trans fats even being linked to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
When it comes to avoiding fat in the name of keeping your heart healthy, trans fats are the ones to look out for, and not saturated fats.
By now, you may be thinking, but why do these facts matter?
The truth is the sum of these unique features that make up coconut oil, bring about a huge array of benefits. Amongst the top benefits, we may encounter weight loss and appetite control, anti-aging effect and more energy, heart disease and cancer prevention, and even metabolic disease prevention.
With such an arsenal of benefits of coconut oil, it’s no surprise celebrities and other public figures are becoming the greatest advocates of coconut oil.
With different reasons behind it, different goals, and even different types of application, here is a list of some of the top celebrities who use coconut oil.
Celebrities and Coconut Oil
Emma Stone
Actress Emma Stone mentioned in an interview with Vogue that her use of coconut oil and other medium chain fatty acids is largely due to her allergies!
In an attempt to avoid a reaction, Emma shared her secret, sharing with the magazine: “I’m allergic to everything so I just use extra virgin olive oil on my skin because I know it won’t cause a reaction. At night, I take off my makeup with coconut oil.”
Source: vogue.com
Miranda Kerr
Miranda Kerr, famous Victoria Secret’s model, has found a huge array of uses for coconut oil! In an interview with the Huffington Post, the model and mom, mentioned: “I cook with it, use it in my hair, it’s great to remove makeup … really good for eye makeup if you’ve got sensitive eyes. If you have a burn, like if you’ve burned yourself with a curling iron, you can put a bit of that on there to help. Sometimes I sleep with coconut oil in my hair.”
Later on during the interview, Kerr also offered a great recipe for those looking forward to making their own invigorating body exfoliating cream: “(…) sometimes I like to mix it up and get sea salt and coconut oil (…) I feel like the sea salt is very invigorating and revitalizing.”
Source: huffingtonpost.com
Gwyneth Paltrow
Looking for an easy teeth-whitening solution? Actress Gwyneth Paltrow may just have the solution! In an interview with Glamour Magazine, she shared: “I use coconut oil a lot. I do on my face, on my skin, and in my cooking. And I just started oil pulling, which is when you swish coconut oil around [in your mouth] for 20 minutes, and it’s supposed to be great for oral health and making your teeth white. It’s supposed to clear up your skin, as well.”
If you are still on the fence about this odd technique, there have been several studies ready to reassure you with one 2009 study finding that people who practiced oil pulling for 10 days showed a reduction in dental plaque comparable to plaque reductions seen in people who used chlorhexidine mouthwash during the same time period;and a 2008 study finding that oil pulling effectively reduced mouth bacteria in the plaque and saliva samples of study participants.
Source: glamourmagazine.co.uk
Apolo Ohno
Ohno, and Olympic Gold Medalist and winner of “Dancing with the Stars” uses coconut oil to help him prepare for competition. In an interview with the New York Times, the speed skating champion says his routine is to eat a dinner of steamed broccoli and brown rice topped with coconut oil. The goal? To provide the extra energy required the night before a big race.
Source: nytimes.com
Dr. Oz
The public figure and notorious Physician has endorsed coconut oil on his show, even dedicating a special episode to the oil, entitled “Coconut Oil Superpowers”. During the episode, Dr. Oz concluded that the use of virgin coconut oil is a powerful tool for weight loss due to its efficiency at speeding up your metabolism. He later referred to coconut oil as “the miracle fat that fights fat” and “this is the fat you eat to lose the fat you don’t want”.
Source: doctoroz.com
Angelina Jolie
The health-conscious actress, activist, and humanitarian, is also on the list of celebrity fans of coconut oil!
According to sources close to the actress, “Angelina has been known to start her day with little more than a spoonful of coconut oil and a handful of cereal,”
The powerful energizing oil is enough to keep the busy actress ready for a full and busy day.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
Kourtney Kardashian
The older Kardashian sister, and perhaps the most health-oriented one has been a huge fan of coconut oil! She has even written in her blog, “I eat coconuts all the time and I use coconut oil every day. Not only do I love the smell and the taste of coconut, this magical fruit has so many health benefits! It boosts your metabolism, aids in weight loss, supports immunity, stops sugar cravings, and best of all — hydrates and makes skin stronger, preventing wrinkles and sagging! I love to make coconut pudding for a little sweet treat, I also use the oil as a hair mask and I use coconut oil as body lotion every day! It makes my skin and hair so smooth and soft.”
Source: hellomagazine.com
Blake Lively
The actress and recent mom has shared some of her family secrets when it comes to using coconut oil, sharing with online magazine “The Cut”, “Something my mom does that is kind of cool: She puts coconut oil on the ends of her hair. When you shampoo your hair, you’re trying to get the oil out of your roots, but you really want the rest of your hair to maintain its moisture. When you put coconut oil on the ends, the shampoo gets oil out of the roots, but also protects the ends.”
Source: thecut.com
Gisele Bundchen
The retired supermodel is sharing some of her own vegan recipes featuring coconut oil! Although it may be hard to find the perfect vegan birthday cake recipe, Bundchen shared in an interview with Vogue: “Cocoa powder and coconut oil and, you know, those dried things — what are they called? That’s it! Dates — and I put them all in the processor and whoosh! Delicious!”
Source: vogue.com
Although these were just some of the top celebrities known to use coconut oil, there are still plenty, plenty more! As more data and research is done about Coconut Oil, we can expect that more celebrities come forward showing their support and sharing their tips on how to use it!
From hair care to makeup removal, from skin moisturizer to vegan key ingredient, are just some of the uses for this wonderful oil.
Hope you enjoyed the article and we are excited to hear some of your favorite uses for Coconut Oil. Comment below and let us know.
