CocoNUTS about Coconuts!

I am nuts for coconut products; either beauty, food or beverages; they all work for me! I first made the switch from fruit juice in the morning (high in sugar) to coconut water and from organic semi skimmed milk to coconut milk and I can honestly say I love the taste, flavour and health benefits that these products add to my diet. 

My favourite all-round coconut product by far has to be coconut oil; I use this to add extra taste to stir-fries, Thai dishes and curries. It adds a real depth of flavour to creamy dishes such as risotto too and is super healthy compared to mechanically pressed oils such as vegetable and sunflower oils (try to steer clear from these at all costs!) As it has a higher smoking temperature than most oils it is great for wok-style cooking. Olive oil is great too to use for drizzling and frying (at lower temperatures) - remember there is such as thing as 'good' fats - see my previous post 'will eating fat make me fat?! 

Coconut oil contains medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) which is a healthy form of saturated fat compared to trans fats. Our body metabolises MCFA fats in the liver which converts these into energy rather than being stored as fat. It has helped massively with my digestion as the fatty acids in coconut oil contains anti microbial properties which sooth bacteria, candida or parasites that can cause poor disgestion; I now suffer less from heartburn and hardly any tummy bloating after eating a meal - there is nothing worse than feeling 'over-full'!

Incorporating coconut oil into your diet is ideal if you are embarking on a healthy eating plan, mini-detox or just want to lose a few pounds. Alongside reducing abdominal obesity when used as part of a healthy eating plan, it boosts metabolism - studies have shown that people who consume coconut oil burn more kilojoules than those who don't - a good benchmark is about 2tbsp per day - plus eating it pure helps to control those sugar cravings!

One of the real reasons that I love this product - apart from the fact that it is healthy and tastes gorgeous - is that it smells divine - how many other kitchen products can you think of which can be used in your beauty regime? It works really well on nails and cuticles - it is an essential part of my mani-pedi routine now. I also smooth it onto areas which prone to drying out such as knees, elbows and heels and use it on my face if my skin needs a pick-me-up - it is amazing in winter when the cold weather dries skin out. You can use it as a hair mask but my hair is too fine for that - try though if you have thicker hair which needs a moisture boost!

Last tip? A huge amount of body scrubs on the market are full of plastic micro-beads which really aren't great for the environment - a really simple way to make a fuss-free homemade scrub with coconut oil is to melt a a few tablespoons of oil and when cooled mix with brown sugar or sea salt. Really easy and super effective!