How Beneficial is Coconut Oil for Weight Loss?
Article by: Kunal Tambe
Since ancient times, people have used coconut oil for its edible and healing properties, such as treating burns, hair loss, and heart diseases. And with the growing trend of plant-based diets and organic wood-pressed coconut oil, this food item has become popular due to its flavorful taste and weight loss advantages.
Are There Benefits of Consuming Coconut Oil for Weight Loss?
Coconut does contain healthy fat, but the studies revolving around the involvement of coconut oil in your fitness journey have been debatable. Let’s take a look:
Might Help with Abdominal Fat
A study published in Lipids revealed that coconut oil might promote abdominal fat reduction. A double-blind study was conducted with 40 women aged 20 to 40 years. Participants were randomly assigned to consume either two tablespoons of soybean or coconut oil daily for 12 weeks while following a low-calorie diet (1000-1200cal/day) and 50 minutes of walking per day.
Clinical data were collected before and after the trial period that showed the coconut oil group increased HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) while the soybean oil group saw a decrease. The coconut oil group saw a decrease in LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), while the soybean group had an increase.
Both groups experienced a decline in BMI (Body Mass Index), yet only the group taking coconut oil saw a decrease in waist size. Total cholesterol rose in the group that consumed soybean oil and decreased in the coconut oil group.
May Promote a Feeling of Fullness
Consumption of coconut oil may lead to a sensation of satiety and help regulate appetite, which is crucial when you want to lose weight. Studies demonstrate that incorporating coconut oil into meals can increase the stomach’s volume, resulting in greater feelings of fullness.
Some scientific research suggests that eating saturated fats may create a greater feeling of fullness than consuming monounsaturated fats. However, other studies have reported that the degree of saturation of fatty acids does not influence feelings of fullness.
Therefore, it is unclear if choosing coconut oil over other fats is more effective for creating a feeling of satiation. But some people do find coconut oil fulfilling.
Can Boost Your Metabolism
Coconut oil is filled with medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which are lipids that are metabolized instead of being stored in your adipose tissues like long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs). And since MCFAs have a shorter chain, they are shifted to the liver, where they are converted into energy, resulting in less fat storage.
This way, MCFAs are digested to boost your energy and increase your metabolism.
The increase in metabolism can help to accelerate our fat-burning capability. This is why many sports nutrition bars and drinks now incorporate coconut oil in their products.
How to Use Coconut Oil for Weight Loss
When combined with foods needed to lose weight, coconut oil can do wonders. Since we have established how coconut oil can assist you in weight loss, it’s time to understand how you can use it in your daily routine.
As Cooking Oil
At room temperature, coconut oil turns into a solid state due to the saturated fatty acids in the oil, which keeps it stable even when heated at high temperatures. This characteristic makes it an excellent choice for cooking.
However, it is essential to note that coconut oil has a lower smoking point than soybean oil and canola oil.
It can create carcinogens (substances responsible for causing cancer) if used for deep frying food; therefore, don’t use it for this purpose.
You can replace other traditional cooking oils with coconut oil since is rich in MCTs and can be used in various ways, like popping popcorn, adding to curries and soups, or even drizzling over rice. Coconut oil can also be a great substitute for olive oil when stir-frying, sautéing, or for salad dressing. It can also be used to marinate meat with a spice mix and can be added to sauces for extra flavor.
In Baking
Bake delicious treats such as brownies, cookies, and cakes with coconut oil! Substitute it for regular oil 1:1 and ensure eggs and milk are at room temperature before combining it with the oil for a smooth batter.
In Drinks
Incorporating coconut oil into drinks is a common and widely embraced way. Adding 1-2 teaspoons of coconut oil to any beverage, including coffee, tea, herbal teas, and even plain hot water (along with lemon and honey on an empty stomach), is an effective method.
Moreover, you can stir it into smoothies or make a coconut matcha latte.
Of course, this method won’t magically shrink your waist size. But it will satiate your hunger, keeping you away from binge eating.
Or Eat a Spoonful
Coconut oil can be beneficial for health, but it should be consumed in moderation because it has high calories. Eating a tablespoon daily can help curb your appetite. A study suggests coconut oil is anti-inflammatory and provides cholesterol benefits.
Increasing intake to 3 tablespoons daily can lead to nausea, so it is important to keep your daily intake in moderation.
Final Thoughts
Many people claim coconut oil has helped them in their weight loss journey, but you need to note that solely relying on it for weight loss isn’t going to take you to great heights because it’s not a magical potion. Instead, adding it to your regular healthy living and eating habits can aid in losing fat as it empowers you to do what you need to do for weight loss!
Author Bio – Kunal Tambe is part of the content marketing team at Two Brothers Organic Farms. With his team, he works tirelessly to create awareness about organic farming, food sovereignty, sustainable practices, nutrition, climate change and a myriad of issues that surround these topics. His content offers value to farmers, the agriculture industry and to end consumers. Besides writing and developing content strategies, he loves adventure sports and listening to classical music.
