Coconut Oil is the most versatile tool I have in the kitchen, though its uses are not limited to cooking.
Ten, even twenty years ago, the stuff had a bad wrap as it is largely a saturated fatty acid. However, coconut oil redeems itself in its specifics. It is rich in medium-chain triglycerides, a type of fat the body uses very efficiently and with minimal effort. Upon consumption, this fat is carried to your liver via your bloodstream and immediately transformed into energy.
Don't believe me? Pop about a tablespoon before a workout and enjoy an improved performance! This increased energy also revs up your metabolism, so coconut oil is quickly being recognized as a weight loss tool.
FAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU FAT! Fat is essential for so many vital processes in your body. Brain and nerve function, hormonal balance, nutrient absorption, healthy arteries and skin cell regeneration all rely on our intake of fats. By cutting healthy fats (minimally processed and non-animal fats) from your diet you are really doing your body a disservice.
Coconut oil is also known for it's ability to soothe digestion all the way down the line. It has natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, immune strengthening, heart-disease-risk-lowering properties.
Can you cook with it?
YES! In fact, (organic extra-virgin) coconut oil is the healthiest cooking oil you can use. Those medium-chain fatty acids translate into extreme stability when exposed to high heat.
Best Uses in cooking:
- Warm a tablespoon in a pan to use in place of all cooking oils
- Use in place of butter 1:1 in cooking or baking
- Use to oil your BBQ grill
- Use to thicken raw sauces
- Eat a spoonful raw before a workout, or any time in the day, except after a workout
- Add a spoonful to a smoothie for a healthy does of essential fatty acid
- Use it to pop popcorn in a pot on the stove and sprinkle some sea salt on top for a sweet and salty low GI, low carb snack
I'm such an advocate of coconut oil, the only other oil I use is organic extra-virgin olive oil, but I never cook with it. I restrict its use to salad dressings and raw sauces.
How does it taste? The truth is, all coconut oils were not created equal. The healthiest version would be an organic, extra-virgin coconut oil and some varieties have a stronger coconut taste than others. The kind I favour is among the highest quality with the mildest flavour: https://www.drbenkim.com/sunshop/index.php?l=product_detail&p=60
Shopping Tip
To avoid trans fats, which are dangerous, non-essential fats stored by the body, check the label for the words: "partially hydrogenated" which means "I contain trans fat" and NEVER BLINDLY TRUST A PRODUCT THAT CLAIMS: "NO TRANS FAT!" It is legal for companies to claim this of products which contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving and MANY just lower the serving size on their label to appease this law.
Other Uses
My favourite use for coconut oil apart from cooking, is to slather it on all year as a moisturizer. Most moisturizers even baby products are laden with harmful chemicals (cancer-causing parabens are among the worst) which are sucked right into your body via your skin.
My rule? If I read the label and I don't know what it is, I don't put it on or in my body. I highly recommend this practice. When we raise our standards, companies are forced to raise theirs relatively.
Coconut oil has a natural SPF of 5, will keep your skin ridiculously smooth and soft, helps prevent premature aging and wrinkling, is safe for baby's skin, and it smells yummy!
Choosing to work with coconut oil is an easy positive change you can make which will make improve both your short-term and long-term health.
I promise you'll become coo coo for coconut, just like me!
Sarah
Sources: www.drbenkim.com, Brendan Brazier's "The Thrive Diet"
You say you never use Olive Oil to cook with, why is that? I hope it's not because you think it'll hydrogenate at cooking temperatures and become a saturated trans-fat, because that's a myth. All oils will oxidize and hydrogenate at high temperatures (if repeatedly heated) to some extent but Olive oil is one of the most stable (and therefore resistant to hydrogenation) and as far as cooking is concerned is one of the best oils to use based on its monounsaturated fatty acid content. That said, I look forward to adding Coconut Oil to my ingredient list! Sounds Yummy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! Coconut oil is yummy but its flavour is subtle enough for everyday use.
ReplyDeleteYou're right that olive oil is also one of the better oils to cook with and its processing does not typically involve subjection to high heat.
All oils contain a percentage of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, but the oils with the highest saturated fatty acid content are the most heat resistant of the three.
Coconut Oil's fat profile: 91.1% saturated, 6.2% monounsaturated, 1.9% polyunsaturated.
Olive Oil's fat profile: 13.8% saturated, 75.9% monounsaturated, 10.3% polyunsaturated.
As a medium-chain fatty acid, coconut oil is also broken down quicker by the body so it is less likely to be stored as fat (though any excess of fat, protein or carbohydrate will be stored as fat.)
Check out this link for an awesome guide to choosing healthy oils: http://drbenkim.com/articles-oils.html