Roselle

Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn.) is a tropical plant widely cultivated in Thailand. Roselle produces red edible calyxes which primarily can be used for making brilliant red color jam, jelly preserve juice. Since early 1970s, Roselle has recieved great considerable attention as a potential source of natural food colorant, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Currently roselle is also claimed as a Thai traditional medecine for kidney stones and can be used as antibacterial and antifungal substances.

Roselle, contains one of the highest content of Vitamin C - estimated at 280mg every 100gm of dried calyx of roselle. It's not only vitamin C, it also contains other essential vitamins such as Vitamin D, B1 & B2.

Other than the usual vitamins, it contains nearly 486mg of Calcium, substantial amount of Magnesium, Beta-Carotene, OMEGA-3, Essential Amines, and lots of other useful phyto-resources.

It is thought that the antioxidant chemicals, such as flavonoids, polyphenolics and anthocyanins, contained in the flower play a large role in preventing the oxidation of low density lipoproteins (the “bad cholesterol”). This oxidation is what contributes to atherosclerosis, the build up of a waxy plaque on the walls of arteries.

Coconut Oil

Extra virgin coconut oil is a stable, healthy saturated fat that is naturally free from trans-fatty acids. It contains medium-chain fatty acids, especially lauric acid.

Dr.Mary Enig a Ph.D. nutritionist, biochemist and one of the world's leading authorities on fats and oils states "Approximately 50% of the fatty acids in coconut fat are lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid, which has the additional beneficial function of being formed into monolaurin in the human or animal body. Monolaurin is the antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal monoglyceride used by the human or animal to destroy lipid coated viruses such as HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus, influenza, various pathogenic bacteria including listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and protozoa such as giardia lamblia. Some studies have also shown some antimicrobial effects of the free lauric acid."

What is Lauric acid?

The difference between coconut oil and other medium chain triglyceride oils is coconut oil contains a particular fatty acid called laurate (lauric acid), while commercial medium chain triglyceride oil preparations don't.

Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid which is found abundant* in coconut oil. Of which lauric acid is one unique composition of human breast milk. Human breast milk fat includes the fatty acids, lauric acid and capric acid. Lauric acid in breast milk plays a vital role to immune-compromised individuals, protect a baby's intestines from bacterial, protozoal, viral, and fungal infections.

A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published in 1998 reveals that lactating mothers who eat coconut oil and coconut products, increased lauric acid and capric acid levels in their breast milk significantly. Generally lactating women milk fat will have 3% lauric acid and 1% capric acid if their diet does not contain lauric acid. But if a lactating woman eat foods rich in lauric acid, the amount of lauric acid in her breast milk increases substantially to levels three times the original level and nearly double the amount of capric acid.

Extra Virgin coconut oil and Weight loss

The effects of virgin coconut oil to promote weight loss have clearly been revealed by many researchers. Virgin coconut oil can promote weight loss because

• the healthy medium chain fatty acids of virgin coconut oil do not circulate in blood circulation like other fats, because they are not packed into lipoproteins but the virgin coconut oil will be through directly to the liver where they are immediately converted into energy, not stored as body fat, just like carbohydrates. Therefore, our body can use the fat in virgin coconut oil as energy.
• Thermogenic efefcts by medium chain fatty acids in coconut oil speed up the body's metabolism burning more calories and promoting weight loss.

MC Gill University researchers based in Canada discovered that consuming virgin coconut oil alone can make you lose up to 36 pounds per year. Substitution other vegetables oil with virgin coconut oil and include it in your daily food intake.

Other health benefits of virgin coocnut oil on weight loss :

• Reduces the number of fat cells, and amount of fats stored
• Reducing obesity. Obesity is caused by eating too much long-chain fatty acids (vegetable oil), while medium-chain fatty acids (as in coconut oil) reverse this condition.
• Speeds up metabolism after meals. Rapidly oxidized or burned by the liver - as fast as pure glucose
• Results in steady weight loss for obese individuals, and weight maintenance for healthy people
• Helps maintain already healthy levels of cholesterol and thermogenesis
• Improves athletic endurance exercise performance
• Great for low carbohydrate diets
• Can be used in place of butter. Enjoy in cooking, frying, baking or in smoothies
  
  

Extra Virgin coconut oil and antioxidants

Extra virgin coconut oil is another potent antioxidant. Extra virgin coocnut oil is very rich in natural vitamin E because the coconut fresh meat is produced through cold process. Vitamin E was not lost in the heat. Vitamin E in virgin coconut oil is in tocotrienols form which is very much more potent in their anti-oxidation and anti-cancer effects than tocopherols form. Tocopherols is another form of vitamin E family and tocopherols are widely used in many cosmetics skin care.

The tocotrienols vitamin E in virgin coconut oil is 40-60 times more potent antioxidation than tocopherols.

Extra Virgin Coconut Oil on Health benefits

• Reduces liver's production of LDL "bad" cholesterol
• Has no effect on production of HDL "good" cholesterol
• Reduces circulating triglycerides and free fatty acids FFAs
• Reduces intra-cellular lipids in muscle tissue, reducing insulin resistance
• Fights many bacterial infections, including H.Pylori which is the cause of most ulcers.
• Fights many viral infections
• Improves NIDDM (type 2 diabetes) glycemic metabolism, by increasing insulin sensitivity and insulin controlled glucose disposal
• Help reduce blood pressure
• Accelerates or catalyzes burning and oxidation of other oils by the liver