Coconut Oil - what do I need to know?

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  • WindSparrow
    WindSparrow Posts: 224 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    It's a nice cooking oil....but it's fat, just like any cooking oil. I use it primarily when cooking my eggs and making popcorn. Most of the miracle claims are exaggerated at best and mostly just anecdotal *kitten*.

    I think it's hilarious though that the stuff was banned from movie theaters in the 90s and pretty much the "devil" and now it's a "health" food...cracks me up.

    The evil stuff used at movie theaters was partially hydrogenated coconut oil, meaning that it had been chemically altered, to add hydrogen atoms and make it more oxydatively stable, increasing nit just shelf life but also the amount of trans fats which are linked to heart disease. The stuff people go on and on about the health benefits of is the virgin, unaltered coconut oil, which is not full of trans fats.
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
    Canola oil also contains omega-3.
  • CMB1979
    CMB1979 Posts: 588 Member
    I mix it with brown sugar and use it as a body and face scrub. I also cook with it - the oil, not the scrub. :)
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    CMB1979 wrote: »
    I mix it with brown sugar and use it as a body and face scrub. I also cook with it - the oil, not the scrub. :)

    Me too. So much nicer and more effective than any store bought body scrub, and cheaper too!

  • st476
    st476 Posts: 357 Member
    I have no idea but I just wanted to say that I would feel so weird cooking with coconut oil! I first bought it for reasons other than cooking (putting it in hair to moisturize it, taking off makeup with it, shaving) so I don't even see it as something edible anymore lol.
  • lilligraz22
    lilligraz22 Posts: 183 Member
    Check out Dr oz. 100 uses for coconut oil. I love it in my smoothies and especially in my cauliflower mash!!
  • ldoucet22
    ldoucet22 Posts: 2 Member
    I make chocolate with it, sooooo yummy, just mix with good quality pure cacao powder in equal parts (I use about 1/2 cup) then add either honey or maple syrup to sweeten to your taste, you can add nuts and dried fruits to it. You then freeze them in mini muffin cups. Just pop one whenever you're craving for chocolate or something sweet. It equals about a tablespoon per muffin ;-)
  • ldoucet22
    ldoucet22 Posts: 2 Member
    I started adding more healthy fats like avocado and coconut oil to my diet, and I have never had so much success in loosing weight and maintaining it. I have avocado toast, about 1/4 cup mashed avocado and about 1 Tbs of coconut oil everyday :smile:
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
    It's a nice sub for butter in baking and add a nice flavor to some cooked dishes like stir fry etc, but it's an oil like any other, so I use it sparingly. For disclosure purposes, I focus on keeping my saturated fat low to keep my cholesterol under control.

    Honestly, I'd just rather eat coconut than consume gollops of coconut oil.
  • laceyn18
    laceyn18 Posts: 27 Member
    Jolinia wrote: »
    I've heard of using it to clean your teeth with, but the recommended swishing time is just ridiculously long.

    Are you talking about oil pulling? I read an article a while back that says you get most of the benefits in the first 3-5 minutes. I don't buy into all the claims however I've been doing this for a while (using the 3-5 min). Teeth are definitely whiter and I no longer have morning breathe (at all)! I still brush and floss, just added this to the routine.
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 427 Member
    I asked my nutritionist about and and after she stopped laughing she told me not to use it and stick with olive oil. If you like the taste that's fine, but it's so expensive and apparently not any better for you.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    RachelElser wrote: »
    I asked my nutritionist about and and after she stopped laughing she told me not to use it and stick with olive oil. If you like the taste that's fine, but it's so expensive and apparently not any better for you.

    I don't think coconut oil is more expensive, and I live in Canada where everything is more expensive.

    I buy huge jugs of coconut oil in containers that usually have protein powder in them. I bought it on sale for about $30. The equivalent in olive oil or butter would cost a similar mount if not more.

    I like coconut oild for cooking. It has a higher smoke temp.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited July 2016
    Coconut oil is definitely more expensive here, if it's on special i can get a 320g (11oz) jar of coconut oil for $8. Olive oil around $8-9 for 1 Litre.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    It's not more expensive where I live (or particularly expensive at all), although olive oil has a huge range of prices.

    I prefer olive oil, though, although coconut tastes good with some stuff.
  • gainerpal
    gainerpal Posts: 43 Member
    edited July 2016
    Hmm i love to stick it in my muffins, baking in the bed room is so much fun!!! It has short and medium chain fatty acids so it metabolizes so much quicker than other oils but it will burn off at a lower temp too and it is very high in vitamin E to promote regeneration from the inside out. Its a must for every kitchen.

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