Digestive Health and Weight Gain
When we are eating healthy whole foods with the
absence of highly refined carbohydrates, weight gain should not be a
problem. However, many people who have switched over to healthy diets,
and have even limited their carbohydrate intake, still have problems
losing weight. One reason is because many Americans suffer from some
kind of digestive disorder that prevents them from properly digesting
their food. Without a properly working digestive system, essential
vitamins and minerals that are necessary to maintain proper weight may
not be absorbed adequately from the foods we eat, even if we are eating
healthy foods.
Candida is one digestive disorder where the digestive
tract is overloaded with yeast because of the lack of probiotics in our
digestive system. You can read more about Candida and coconut oil here. Other digestive disorders common today would include disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Ulcerative Colitis, Gastritis, Diverticulosis and Constipation. More severe digestive disorders would include Crohn’s Disease, where many people have such a hard time digesting foods properly that they are actually underweight.
Whether or not you have a diagnosed digestive
disorder, chances are that your digestive system needs some detoxifying
and help! This is especially true the older we get. It is reported that
about 95 million Americans suffer from some kind of digestive disorder.
Americans spend more than $100 billion dollars annually on digestive
health care! This is over three times as much as is spent annually on
weight loss (about $33 billion dollars). Adding coconut oil to your diet
can help overcome these problems that affect our health and our ability
to lose weight, and they are unique part of the Coconut Diet that makes it more effective than popular low-carb diet plans.
I have suffered from
ulcerated colitis for three years. My internist doctor said it would be a
chronic disease since they don’t know what causes it. Each year I have a
colonoscopy – very painful. I started taking one tablespoon of Virgin
Coconut Oil each morning and a teaspoon of curcumin spice in my green
tea. I have been doing this for 1 year and after my last colonoscopy,
the doctor asked me why I was there. I told her I suffer from colitis.
She then informed me that I no longer have any problem with my colon and
it is clean of all problems. This I attribute to Virgin Coconut Oil and
curcumin spice. Edward – Coconut Diet Forums
I’ve been using
coconut oil about a month now, 2 tsp. per day. Mix it in anything
possible or just throw it on top of pizza slices. I have IBS and am a
compulsive overeater. Within a short time of taking it, I realized I was
no longer wanting food. In the past month I have lost 5 lbs. and just
as many inches. Instead of being a computer potato, I am up and about,
doing things….just have so much more energy. The biggest change is the
IBS. Instead of the runs now, I almost need laxatives. *laughing* It’s
been since my early 20′s that I’ve felt this way….I’m 42 now. Coconut
oil is fantastic!!! Net B.
Digestive Disorders and Coconut Oil
Many people have reported great relief from digestive
disorders such as Crohn’s Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome after
adding coconut oil into their diet. Pharmacist Joe Graedon and his wife
Dr. Teresa Graedon of The People’s Pharmacy tell the following story
about Macaroons:
The coconut cookie craze started when we got a letter from Donald … in Pittsfield, Massachusetts: “I have had Crohn’s disease for forty years, and during that time I have had a never-ending battle with diarrhea. Lomotil helps some, but it doesn’t eliminate the problem. Three months ago I bought a box of … Coconut Macaroon cookies. I’ve been eating two a day and have not experienced diarrhea in that time. If by chance I eat three in a day, I get constipated. Believe me, I have a new life now. My brother-in-law has a friend who just had cancer and suffered diarrhea as a consequence of the operation. We told him about the cookies, and they corrected his diarrhea. I would be delighted if others were helped by my discovery too.”
>We chuckled when Donald’s letter arrived. Cookies for diarrhea, what a joke. Yet Crohn’s is no laughing matter. Inflammatory bowel disease can be a life-and-death condition with surgery and removal of portions of the large intestine a not-uncommon complication. This disorder often leads to industrial-strength diarrhea. It is a persistent condition that can last for decades, if not a lifetime. We were rather skeptical that Donald’s unorthodox approach would help anyone else… It seemed bizarre, but we could not resist sharing his experience with our readers. To our surprise, the letters started pouring in. One woman speculated that it might be the coconut that was working the magic. We started to hear from other people who tried the macaroons. One man wrote about his experience: “With chronic diarrhea due to Crohn’s disease I will try anything for relief. I read about the person who controlled his diarrhea by eating two …. Coconut Macaroon cookies a day and decided to give it a try. Relief is imperfect and somewhat inconsistent, but I’ve had the problem for twenty-five years. There is substantial improvement, better than from any medicine I have taken.”1
I also have ulcerative
colitis. I have had it for 16 years. I had been symptom free (with no
meds) for about 10 years. Last summer, my symptoms returned and I was
put back on Asacol (orally) and Canasa (suppositories). After getting my
symptoms under control, I came off the Canasa. My doctor told me to
take it as needed. Well, every time I stopped taking it, my symptoms
started to return. I began taking Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) about 1 month
ago and haven’t had to go back to the Canasa since! It’s one of the
many benefits I have begun to see from VCO! Lori – Coconut Diet Forums
Coconut Oil and Intestinal Absorption
Macaroons are made up mainly of desiccated (dried)
coconut, which is 60-70% fat (coconut oil). Coconut oil is one of
nature’s richest sources of medium chain triglycerides, or fatty acids
(MCTs). These smaller chain fatty acids have been shown to absorb easier
and quicker in the digestive tract than longer chain fatty acids found
in other fats, like vegetable oils. In fact, studies are now showing
that longer chain fatty acids found in polyunsaturated oils (soy, corn,
and other vegetable oils) are the most harmful oils for those with
intestinal problems like Crohn’s disease, as they increase inflamation. A
study done in the UK in 2003 reported:
Enteral nutrition is effective in inducing remission in active Crohn’s disease. Speculation on the underlying mechanism of action has moved away from the presentation of nitrogen and towards the fat content of the various enteral feeds. Evidence is accumulating that additional long-chain triglyceride in such feeds impairs the response rate in active Crohn’s disease, whereas no deleterious effects of additional medium-chain triglyceride have been identified. It has been proposed that long-chain triglycerides composed from n-6 fatty acids may be the most harmful, since such fatty acids are substrates for inflammatory eicosanoid production.2
MCTs on the other hand, are not only more easily
absorbed in the digestive tract, they apparently also help other
nutrients become absorbed as well. A study done in Denmark in 1998
compared absorption of fat in patients who either had their colon
removed or partially removed. The patients were fed a diet of either
long-chain fatty acids (LCT) or medium chain fatty acids (MCTs) combined
50% with LCT. Their results showed that those fed LCT deposited most of
the fat into the faeces and were not absorbed in the bowel. The group
fed the MCT diet not only absorbed the MCTs better, but the MCTs
apparently helped them absorb the LCT as well: “MCT redoubled fat
(MCT+LCT) absorption from 23% to 58% in patients with a colon, and
increased overall bomb calorimetric energy absorption from 46% to 58%.”3
Another study done in 2009 in Spain that compared
sunflower oil with coconut oil on mice found that the mice fed the MCT
diet with coconut oil had reduced colitis and reduced intestinal
inflammation offering therapeutic hope for those suffering from Crohn’s
disease.4
This ability of MCTs to help other nutrients in
absorption is also seen in a study done in Belgium in 2002. This study
compared the absorption rate of vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) in formulas
with either exclusive LCTs or a 50/50 formula of MCT and LCT. The
results showed that serum alpha-tocopherol remained the same in those
given exclusively LCT formulas, but doubled in those given the MCT/LCT
formulas.4 Therefore those suffering from digestive disorders
such as Crohn’s disease and IBS should see very positive results from
consuming coconut oil rich in MCTs, not only for the health benefits of
coconut oil itself, but because the fatty acids in coconut oil could
help them absorb nutrients from other foods as well.
For years I suffered
from IBS or Crohn’s disease. The suffering was not minor, I was in sheer
misery most of the time. Often it occurred to me, other people have no
idea how much pain I endure just to make it through the day. I am now
well, I feel completely healed. I trace the beginning of my pain relief
and then recovery to the day I believe I was Divinely led to your
coconut oil. Your coconut oil has the additional advantage of being
delicious. I tried some other coconut oils that were supposedly
excellent, but they did not compare to yours in “deliciosity”. Thank you
for your excellent product and also the graciousness of your staff,
which has always been very helpful. Sincerely, Doug Phoenix, Arizona
Original article source here: http://www.coconutdiet.com/digestive_disorders.htm
