Coconut Health Benefits by Laura Ng

Tropical fruit like coconut benefits your health more than most of the fruits you've been eating out there. On top of that, coconut can be produced into coconut cream (or milk) and coconut oil to serve different dietary needs for you, so you can gain more health benefits in various ways you eat.

Health Benefits of Coconut Cream / Milk

Coconut cream adds a savory flavor to curries, desserts and cakes. That's because it enhances the aroma and taste of the dishes. You can obtain it easily and cheaply. It bears a thick, paste-like consistency. When diluted, it becomes coconut milk.

However, people avoid coconut cream due to its high fat content, particularly those overweight people who are trying to slim down.

But do you know that it actually bears good saturated fat which your body can easily metabolize and convert to energy fast? That means, it won't transform into bad cholesterol which clogs up your arteries.

Moreover, the principal fatty acid in coconut milk is lauric acid, which is the same fat found in abundance in mother's milk. After it turns into monolaurin, it strengthens your immune system and protects you against various illnesses like hepatitis C, herpes and even HIV! It also protects your brain and bones. On top of that, it holds important anti-carcinogenic and anti-pathogenic properties which help to prevent cancer.

Health Benefits of Virgin Coconut oil

Extracted from fresh coconut meat and coconut cream concentrate, virgin coconut oil bears such a fragrant and appetizing taste that you can use it to whip up delicious meals effortlessly. But that's just a small benefit about coconut oil. Like coconut cream, it can help reduce your bad cholesterol level and improve your good cholesterol level. Polyunsaturated vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower and safflower oils can't achieve that.

Oh, one more difference between coconut oil and other oils - one gram of its fat carries only 6.8 calories whereas the fat in all other oils carry 9 calories per gram. And together with its metabolism-boosting effect, coconut oil helps you lose weight too.

More Coconut Oil's Benefits

Are you suffering from high blood pressure and thyroid dysfunction? Coconut oil helps you regulate both of them effectively.

If you have damaged hair, try using coconut oil on your hair and scalp. It's been proven to be a more effective treatment for damaged hair than mineral oil and sunflower oil. That's because coconut oil is the only oil among the three which effectively reduces protein loss in hair.

Looking for a cheap yet useful facial care product? Virgin coconut oil is your choice. Here are some benefits:

1. It penetrates and moisturizes your skin.

2. It minimizes your skin damage from sun exposure that causes sagging, wrinkling and blemishes.

3. It removes dead skin cells, producing an even texture and glow.

4. It heals damaged or diseased skin.

What other benefits do you think coconut can bring to you in terms of its coconut oil or coconut cream? The list of benefits can go pretty long, but I'd rather you go discover yourself by start eating any of these 2 coconut foods. I'm sure you'll be able to benefit more from just what you're seeing here.