How Much Coconut Oil Should I Eat Daily?

The coconut palm, or Cocos nucifera, grows throughout tropical regions of the world, where local populations have found a variety of applications for the tree's leaves, flowers and nuts. The coconut itself provides nutmeat, milk and oil that are all useful for cooking and flavoring foods. Coconut oil is high in saturated fat, but also contains lauric acid, a compound that may have health benefits.

Dosage

No recommended dose of coconut oil exists, but Pacific Islanders' traditional diet provides several grams of lauric acid, or at least 1 tbsp. coconut oil, daily. Between 10 g to 20 g lauric acid daily may benefit your health, suggests lipid biochemistry expert Dr. Mary G. Enig. Coconut oil contains 50 percent lauric acid, so 1 tbsp. coconut oil provides around 7 g lauric acid. This means 1 to 3 tbsp. daily is an appropriate dose. If you're not counting calories and you have normal cholesterol levels, you can safely consume up to 4 tbsp. coconut oil daily, suggests Certified Nutritional Counselor Brian Shilhavy.

Features

Although coconut oil is high in saturated fats, these fats consist of medium-chain fatty acids, which the body digests more easily than the long-chain fatty acids in meats. The body uses these fats almost the same way it uses carbohydrates, explain health experts from the University of Michigan. Lauric acid is among the purportedly beneficial fatty acids in coconut oil. Apart from coconut oil, human breast milk is one of the only other naturally rich sources of lauric acid.

Purported Benefits

Proponents of consuming coconut oil daily claim the lauric acid and other fatty acids in the oil boost the immune system, helping the body fight off harmful microbes. In test tube studies, these fats can inactive a number of viruses, including the herpes simplex and measles viruses, notes Dr. Mary G. Enig. [See ref 2, search "measles"] In addition to exercise, supplementing the diet with 30 ml, or about 2 tbsp, coconut oil daily appears to encourage loss of belly fat without causing abnormal cholesterol levels, found a study published in Lipids in 2009. People consuming the traditional coconut-oil-rich diet of the Polynesian islands have low rates of heart disease and proponents of coconut oil believe the oil may be partially responsible for this.

Getting Your Daily Coconut Oil

Similar to butter, coconut oil is a soft solid at lower room temperatures, but becomes a liquid when warmed. This means you have many ways to get your daily coconut oil. At breakfast, stir liquid coconut oil into yogurt or drizzle some over your oatmeal. For lunch or dinner, roast vegetables in coconut oil or flavor pasta or rice with it. Spread solid coconut oil on crackers or bread rolls for a snack.

Considerations

Choose virgin coconut oil when possible and avoid hydrogenated coconut oil. [See ref 3] Coconut oil contains around 117 calories per tbsp., so if you're limiting your calorie intake, use coconut oil sparingly. Because the oil is high in saturated fat, it may raise your cholesterol levels. To avoid health problems, have your cholesterol levels checked regularly if you consume coconut oil every day. If you already have high cholesterol, consult your health care provider before using coconut oil as a dietary supplement.