Coconut oil

Information on coconut oil uses, backed by scientific research studies with links to those studies. Coconut oil has many health benefits.

http://authoritynutrition.com/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil/

Use it anywhere you would use butter. It's great for high heat frying because it does not degrade and become toxic as some other oils have the potential to do. That being said I still use other oils for frying depending on the recipe. You could also add some to a smoothie, slather on toast instead of butter. If you have a cat you could give them a little dollop each day to help with digestion and hairballs. The major benefit of coconut is the MCFA's (medium chain fatty acids) along with lauric acid. I won't go into details here, just google it, there's tons of info on the internet about this.

I use it to cook, especially for stir fry type stuff. It performs way better than olive oil in this kind of use because olive oil caramelizes at such a low temp. I first bought it because I wanted to use it as a base to make all natural bug repellent, but then started using it for cooking. It performs better for cooking than any other oil I've tried.

i meant to reply to this on my prior post - obviously i don't do this often. did adding coconut oil to your natural bug repellent work? i just made one with witch hazel and a bunch of essential oils - hadn't seen anything with coconut oil. please let me know - heading to asia in a couple weeks and don't want to be eaten alive!

I abandoned a $300/yr face cream habit in exchange for the $8 jar of coconut oil in the kitchen - no regrets.
Still use olive oil - the two oils are structurally different and will flavor cooking differently as well. I think they both have their benefits - can't go wrong with either IMHO.

Is it better for you than olive oil or is it just bette for cooking because of the high smoke point?

Here's the one fact you can count on - three years from now, MFP will be filled with posts about some other kind of oil and why it is sooooo much better for you than coconut oil.

did adding coconut oil to your natural bug repellent work? i just made one with witch hazel and a bunch of essential oils - hadn't seen anything with coconut oil. please let me know - heading to asia in a couple weeks and don't want to be eaten alive!

I make one with witch hazel to keep in a spray bottle, but I make a balm out of coconut oil and beeswax because you can pour it in a small container and have a waxy balm repellent to carry with you places.

I use it and grapeseed oil for baking, frying, etc. I am finding I react to many foods and I started reacting to vegetable and canola oil. When I researched paleo, gluten free, etc. for my health concerns all the recipes called for coconut or grapeseed. I have not had any reactions to them and feel much better once I finish my meals,

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