Zucchini promotes intestinal health and weight loss, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, fights inflammation and helps prevent cancer. And coconut oil improves stamina, mental clarity, hormone health, immunity and the healing of many digestive issues.
Let’s explore a delicious soup recipe you can enjoy all year round with both ingredients.
8 Health Benefits of Zucchini
Zucchini is actually a botanical fruit, the berry of the zucchini flower, and rich in nutrients with many health benefits. From Health Diaries:
Diet
One cup of zucchini has 36 calories and 10% of the RDA of dietary fiber, which aids in digestion, prevents constipation, maintains low blood sugar and curbs overeating.
Lower Cholesterol
The dietary fiber in zucchini helps lower cholesterol by attaching itself to bile acids that the liver makes from cholesterol for digesting fat. Because fiber binds so well with bile acid, thus crowding its ability to immediately digest fat, the liver is charged with producing more bile acid.
The liver then draws upon even more cholesterol to produce bile acid, consequently lowering the overall cholesterol level in the body. Furthermore, the high levels of vitamin C and vitamin A prevent cholesterol from oxidizing in the body’s blood vessels, thus hampering the onset of atherosclerosis.
Cancer Prevention
Because dietary fiber promotes healthy and regular bowel movements, the high amounts of fiber in zucchini also help prevent carcinogenic toxins from settling in the colon. Moreover, the vitamins C and A, as well as folate, found in zucchini act as powerful antioxidants that fight oxidative stress that can lead to many different types of cancer.
Prostate Health
Studies show that the phytonutrients in zucchini aid in reducing the symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BOH), a condition in which the prostate gland enlarges and leads to complications with urination and sexual functions in men.
Anti Inflammatory
Vitamins C and A not only serve the body as powerful antioxidants, but also as effective anti-inflammatory agents. Along with the copper found in zucchini, these vitamins deter the development of many hyper-inflammatory disorders, including asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Heart Attack and Stroke Prevention
A one cup serving of zucchini contains over 10% of the RDA of magnesium, a mineral proven to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Zucchini also provides folate, a vitamin needed to break down the dangerous amino acid homocysteine, which – if levels in the body shoot up – can contribute to heart attack and stroke.
Lower Blood Pressure
Along with magnesium, the potassium found in zucchini helps lower blood pressure. If unchecked, hypertension, or high blood pressure, can lead to arteriosclerosis (blood vessel damage), heart attack, stoke, and many other serious medical conditions. Both the potassium and magnesium in zucchini, however, can help alleviate the stress on the body’s circulatory system.
High in Manganese
A trace mineral and essential nutrient, manganese provides many health benefits and contributes to a slew of normal physiological functions. One cup of zucchini contains 19% of the RDA of manganese, which helps the body metabolize protein and carbohydrates, participates in the production of sex hormones, and catalyzes the synthesis of fatty acids and cholesterol.
The manganese in zucchini also increases the levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD), the enzyme responsible for protecting mitochondria against oxidative stress. Finally, manganese is essential for the production of proline, and amino acid that allows collagen to form, thus allowing for healthy skin and proper wound-healing.
Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
The vast majority of our dietary fats and oils are composed of long-chain triglycerides (LCT). Coconut oil is unique because it is composed primarily of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). The size of the fatty acid is extremely important when it comes to the body’s ability to metabolize and utilize its nutritional value. From Bruce Fife, ND:
Easily Digested and Nourishing
Because the MCT molecules are smaller, they require less energy and fewer enzymes to break them down for digestion. MCT are broken down almost immediately by enzymes in the saliva and gastric juices so that pancreatic fat-digesting enzymes are not required. So unlike other fats, MCT put little strain on the digestive system and provide a quick source of energy to the cells.
MCT from coconut oil are used in hospital formulas fed to patients intravenously and via tubes, comprise a major ingredient in most infant formulas and are used almost exclusively in research, medicine, and food products as an MCT source.[/toggle]
Counters Many Conditons
MCT are important for patients who suffer from digestive and metabolic problems, as other fats pass through their systems pretty much undigested. People who suffer from malabsorption problems such as cystic fibrosis, and have difficulty digesting or absorbing fats and fat soluble vitamins can benefit greatly from MCT. MCT can also be of importance to people suffering from diabetes, obesity, gallbladder disease, pancreatitis, Crohn’s disease, pancreatic insufficiency, and some forms of cancer.
Immune Support
In addition to improving the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, minerals, and protein, the composition of fatty acids in coconut oil provide antibacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic properties, supporting the immune system.
Boosts Energy and Metabolism… Not Body Fat
Because MCT are funneled directly to the liver and converted into energy, the body gets a boost of energy – not body fat. Medium-chain fatty acids produce energy. Other dietary fats produce body fat.
Chronic Illness and Cancer Prevention
Besides increasing our energy level, there are other important benefits that result from boosting our metabolic rate: it helps protect us from illness and speeds healing. When metabolism is increased, cells function at a higher rate of efficiency. They heal injuries quicker, old and diseased cells are replaced faster, and young, new cells are generated at an increased rate to replace worn-out ones.
Health problems such as obesity, heart disease, and osteoporosis are more prevalent in those people who have slow metabolism. Increasing metabolic rate, therefore, provides an increased degree of protection from both degenerative and infectious illnesses.
Supports All Ages, Even Athletes and the Elderly
The fact that MCT digest immediately to produce energy and stimulate metabolism has led athletes to use them as a means to enhance exercise performance. If you get tired in the middle of the day or feel you lack energy, adding coconut oil to your daily diet may provide you with a much needed boost to help carry you through.
As we get older, the pancreas doesn’t make as many digestive enzymes, our intestines don’t absorb nutrients as well, and we can have trouble digesting fats. Because MCT are easy to digest and improve vitamin and mineral absorption they should be included in the meals of older people. This is easy to do if the meals are prepared with coconut oil.
MCT from coconut oil have been added to baby formula for decades.
The Recipe
Here is my favorite Creamy Zucchini Soup Recipe.
Modify the recipe for your needs. For instance, consider:
doubling the amount of zucchini (without increasing the amounts of other ingredients, except spices)
using coconut oil in place of olive oil, and dousing each serving with extra coconut oil
using vegetable broth in place of chicken broth
using less (or no) curry powder
adding spices you enjoy, i.e. cardamon, nutmeg, garam marsala, turmeric, etc.
Learn More
Health Benefits of Zucchini
More Health Benefits of Zucchini
Zucchini’s Medicinal Uses
Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
More Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
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