coconut oil miracles?

I would never have thought that my coconut cookies had such beneficial effects for so many ailments and were preventative for disastrous diseases! I recently dove into research on the properties of coconut oil and discovered some very interesting results. 

Coconut oil ameliorates the cholesterol1 profile: it reduces total cholesterol1, triglycerides, phospholipids, LDL, and VLDL and increases HDL cholesterol.
 
Coconut oil is strongly antioxidant2 due to the presence of lauric acid and phenolic compounds, as was measured in the liver, heart and kidneys. It has antimicrobial effects, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-mycotic (treats infections from Candida): some of the viruses that have been destroyed by a derivative of lauric acid contained in coconut oil include HIV, measles, herpes simplex virus-1, vesicular stomatitis virus, influenza and cytomegalovirus. For its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects it is used in treating acne. 

There is also evidence that the coconut oil prevents osteoporosis, stimulates the thyroid functions, is thermogenic, helps reduce body weight and abdominal fat, is hepatoprotective, protects the heart by protecting heart mitochondria (producers of energy on all cells), alleviates arthritis, and has shown to improve Alzheimer’s disease condition and cognitive functions and to attenuate progression of weakness and spinal cord motor neuron loss in ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).

Most of the properties of coconut oil derive from it being a saturated fat3 (yes a SATURATED fat, you read well!). Moreover, it contains medium chain fatty acids (and not long chain as in most vegetable oils). Beside their beneficial chemical properties, MCfas are burned for energy and do not accumulate as body fat!


So…my cookies. I am never a good deliverer of recipes because I never measure ingredients but mix them by eye and feel. So let’s say I will approximate a recipe which changes at every time, but which always gives good results!

Hearty Coconut Cookies
3/4 cup of wholewheat flour (you can replace with spelt or any other liked flour)
1/2 cup of buckwheat flour
1/2 cup of coconut flour
3 spoonfuls of coconut oil
2 eggs
1/3 cup of raw sugar
¼ cup of raisins
1/4 cup of dark (80%) chocolate chips
1 teaspoonful of cardamom
2 teaspoonfuls of cinnamon

(if the dough is too brittle, you can add 1/2 cup of oatmeal milk or soya milk)
 
Work the dough with your hands until smooth, flatten with roller, cut cookies at a 3 mm height, place in over at 180 degree Celsius and cook for 15-20 minutes. Taste after cooling!

1 Soon to appear on this blog, a summary of latest research on cholesterol and why, according to many doctors and researchers, it is not always a good idea to lower it.
2 In a future post I will be talking about oxidation and the deeds caused by such a devastating chemical event
3 In an imminent post I will discuss about saturated fats, the not so bad (the best?) fats to better include in the healthy diet.