Nutritional value of coconut oil

Coconuts have been used as a staple part of the diets of almost all Polynesian and Melanesian and many Asian people. They are used as food and as flavoring and are made into beverages. They are highly prized for their rich oil content which are used for all cooking purposes.

Coconut oil is edible oil extracted from the kernel or meat of a true coconut. Harvested from the coconut palm tree, it’s one of the few foods that can be classified as a true super-food.

Coconut oil has the highest percentage of saturated fatty acids of all common food oils. The chief fatty acids of coconut oil are: lauric (45%), myristic (18%), palmitic (9.5%), oleic (8.2%), caprylic (7.8%), capric (7.6%), and stearic (5%).

Lauric acid is well known for antimicrobial properties that strengthen the human immune system. It is converted to the monoglyceride monolaurin in the human or animal body. And since almost half of coconut oil is comprised of this fatty acid, consumption of coconut oil is a healthy practice.

As a functional food, coconut oil is now being recognized by the medical community as a powerful tool against immune doses. This includes fat loss, better brain function and various other amazing benefits.

Coconut oil has served as the raw material for producing medium chain triglycerides, which are very useful in the treatment of certain digestive disorder.
Nutritional value of coconut oil