As a woman who leads an active and paleo lifestyle, I’m always on the lookout for new ways to improve my health, and I’m sure all of the ladies here do the same. Some of you may know about oil pulling and some of you may be thinking I’m talking about some new kind of mining technique. Well, I can assure you this technique is completely safe for your mouth and its benefits are stronger than toothpaste. Don’t believe me? Keep reading to find out what you may not know about oil pulling – it’s interesting, but true!

So, what is oil pulling and what are the benefits? In simple words, oil pulling is sort of like using coconut oil as mouthwash. You place a tablespoon of it in your mouth and then swish it around for 15-20 minutes. The main benefit of doing this is that it reduces harmful bacteria and plaque in the mouth. This then leads to better breath, whiter teeth, less cavities and healthier gums – crazy, right? I stated coconut oil above as this is the most popular and effective oil used for oil pulling. Sesame oil and sunflower oil are more traditionally used for oil pulling, but coconut oil is not only healthier for you, it tastes better as well, so it’s the way to go.

Although oil pulling has recently become more popular, especially in the paleo community, it is not a new remedy at all. It has been used for thousands of years as an Indian folk remedy. Besides oral improvements, many have reported other health benefits from oil pulling, such as healthier skin, improved vision, better sleep, etc. My thought on this is that by reducing your bad bacteria orally, you are reducing your overall bad bacteria that in turn helps your body in many other ways.

Tips and directions for oil pulling:

Use a high quality oil like Raw Skinny Coconut Oil. If you are going to take 15-20 minutes out of your day, you might as well use the best of the best for the best results:

Put about a tablespoon of oil in your mouth.

Swish the oil around your mouth for about 15-20 min making sure to push and pull it through your teeth to get it all over.

Spit it out. That’s right. DO NOT SWALLOW IT! It just did its job, which means it pulled tons of bacteria from your mouth. You want that out of your body, so spit it out and say good riddance. (Trash works best to spit into. You don’t want to clog your sink!)

Continue doing this daily to see improved benefits.

According to Director of Marketing at Skinny & Co. “ Skinny Coconut Oil was proudly the only coconut oil represented at the American Dental Association Conference as they are the only alkaline coconut oil in the world. On the pH scale, Skinny tests at a 7.8 (alkaline), whereas our competitors (Nutiva, Spectrum, Tropical Traditions and Kelapo) are testing at a 3.5 – 5.5 (acidic). Needless to say, acidic oil harms enamel – making it imperative to oil pull exclusively with Skinny & Co. Coconut Oil.”

Refs:

http://authoritynutrition.com/oil-pulling-coconut-oil/

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/12/08/coconut-oil-combats-tooth-decay.aspx

From my kitchen to yours,

Tina Turbin

If you have any questions or suggestions just email me at Tina (at) Paleomazing.com.