We’ve written before about the reasons why coconut oil is a game-changer for gut health, but knowing the benefits alone doesn’t necessarily make it easy to ramp up your routine for optimal digestive health. We get it—and we’re here today to give you a step-by-step guide to making coconut oil a part of your digestive health-boosting habits. Ready to get started? Let’s jump in.

Oil Pull For More Than Oral Health

While this traditional Ayurvedic practice has been lauded for its ability to whiten teeth, strengthen enamel, and reduce inflammation in the gums, oil pulling has benefits that go beyond your mouth. Support your digestive health and help your body detoxify naturally by making oil pulling a part of your morning rituals. According to Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner Sahara Rose, “Internally, oil pulling helps remove oil-soluble toxins from the system (as these bacteria are harbored in our mouths), improving digestion, preventing inflammation and boosting the immune system.”

Before you do anything else—yep, even before your first cup of coffee—spoon out a tablespoon of Conscious Coconut Oil and swish around in your mouth. While 15-20 minutes is the optimal amount of time to reap all the benefits of this practice, even just a few minutes while you blend up your smoothie (see below) or run through the rest of your morning routine can do wonders for your digestive health.

Add CoCo To Your Coffee

Okay, now’s the time to brew up that cup of coffee. While coffee’s gotten a bad rap in the past for making you more jittery than energized, recent research is in favor of fueling your day with a steaming hot cup of joe.

Not only does drinking coffee set you up with an antioxidant boost, but your morning cup also contains active substances that may help protect you against conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease. In addition to those (amazing) benefits, reports have also shown that coffee may be linked to reduced risk of chronic constipation. Drinking coffee can stimulate movement and contractions in the digestive tract, promoting bowel movements and improving digestion.

And when you mix a dollop of Conscious Coconut Oil into your coffee, you’re only increasing the drink’s digestive-boosting power. Pairing coffee with a scoop of coconut oil not only kicks your energy into gear, but the magic duo also improves circulation and stimulates the lymph nodes, all the while supporting healthy digestion.

Fire Up Your Metabolism First Thing

We’re all about easing into the day ahead, but the morning is also an opportune time to get your metabolism running and digestion firing. While it’s not a conversation topic most of us share out about on a daily basis, constipation is a condition that many people experience to varying degrees, and it’s definitely no fun to start your day feeling blocked up. 

By speeding up your metabolism and helping excess waste move through the body, coconut oil can help keep cramps and bloating at bay. Because coconut oil has a unique composition of fatty acids, breaking it down in your body can increase the amount of energy you burn. Consume coconut oil in the morning to support your body’s natural detoxifying systems and set yourself up for digestive success.

Supercharge Your Smoothie

For a breakfast that’s quick to make and can help you pack as many nutrient-dense ingredients as possible into a single glass, smoothies really are magic. If you’ve been on the smoothie train for years like us, you know that blending up fruits, veggies, protein powders and more can help boost your first meal of the day with a healthy dose of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. A spoonful or two of coconut oil increases the detoxifying power of your regular smoothie with healthy fat that rids your system of bad bacteria and protects the body from other toxins. Try this Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Smoothie for a breakfast that tastes just like your favorite shake while still being low in sugar and high in superfoods like chia seeds and, you guessed it, coconut oil.

Snack For Healthy Digestion

Raise your hand if it isn’t truly 3pm if you aren’t getting hit with major snack cravings. When they inevitably hit, do yourself a favor and boost your energy by making coconut oil a part of your go-to afternoon snack. We love drizzling melted coconut oil over popcorn for a sweet and savory option, but we recommend diving into all the many healthy snack recipes out there. Try homemade Plantain Crisps for a healthier take on everyone’s favorite grocery store snack, or if you’re looking for an after-dinner sweet treat, these No-Bake Coconut Crispy Treats are a breeze to mix up (and so, so good).

Cold-pressed and small batch Conscious Coconut Oil makes it simple to support your digestive health. Explore our entire coconut oil collection for all the ways you can make CoCo a part of your everyday routine.