The Coconut Diet

Championed by Cherie Calbom in The Coconut Diet, this low-carb diet incorporates daily servings of coconut oil to boost metabolism and treat a variety of ailments.

What it is: The Coconut Diet combines a typical low-carb diet with daily intake of coconut oil, which the diet claims helps boost the body’s ability to burn calories. The diet claims coconut oil also has numerous health benefits including alleviating fatigue, high cholesterol and yeast infections.

How it works: The diet has four phases, but practitioners consume 2-3 Tbs. of coconut oil every day throughout the diet. Phase 1 severely limits intake of carbs, while Phase 2 is an optional month-long detox program. Carbs are reintroduced slowly in Phase 3, while Phase 4 is the typical maintenance phase.

What you do: Coconut oil can be used in salad dressings, smoothies, breads and homemade coconut milk. For the first three weeks, no carbs are consumed and the month-long detox phase 2 can be rather intense, based on what organ you are targeting. In phase 3 and 4, whole grains and fruits are reintroduced.

Benefits: This diet champions the idea of healthy fats and their place in a balanced diet. Though a saturated fat, the medium chain fatty acids may help promote metabolism and boost energy, but this is controversial. The diet outlines many health benefits of coconut oil.
 

The Down Side: Coconut oil can cause some side effects as part of the “detoxification” if not introduced slowly. These include stomach cramps and diarrhea. There is little scientific evidence that coconut oil will aid in weight loss.