Coconut Oil
Beside being a perfect companion to turmeric, coconut oil is a nutritional marvel. Coconuts are indigenous to tropical regions so it’s only in recent times that they have become available world-wide. Every part of the fruit is used in innumerable and diverse ways. What makes coconut oil unique among healthy dietary oils is its chemical composition of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), of which fifty percent is lauric acid, an uncommon fat in nature and the same MCT found in mother’s milk. The significance of MCT is that the fat molecules are small enough to directly enter cells’ mitochondria, where energy production takes place. Other, long-chain fats are too big to directly enter cells and have to go through the liver first.
Coconut in all its forms is electrolytic with immunostimulating qualities. Numerous studies have found coconut oil to be antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, hepatoprotective (kind to the kidneys), antioxidant, antiparasitic, antidermatophytic (dermatophytes are a particular type of fungus), hypoglycemic (modulating blood sugar), and anticancer. (33) In addition, lauric acid stimulates hormone production and boosts metabolism. Coconut oil’s antibacterials are effective inside and out. Applied topically—and attributable primarily to its lauric acid—coconut oil kills germs that contribute to acne. (34) A 2013 study found that fermenting coconut oil made it an even stronger antibacterial. (35)
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