The Simplest Way To Use Coconut Oil

There are so many benefits in using coconut oil…

The simplest way to use coconut oil is add it to your cooking. Many years ago,when I had a high intolerance to dairy, I used a hydrogenated margarine called Nuttelex. Made from supposedly good things like sunflower seeds I was oblivious to the potential dangers that margarines like these could cause.  That was before I discovered what the word Hydrogenated meant.

Bruce Fife writes in his Coconut Cures book:

Hydrogenation is a process in which unsaturated fatty acids are transformed into more saturated fatty acids. Through hydrogenation unsaturated fatty acids in vegetable oil can become highly saturated. The problem with this process is that when vegetable oils (including coconut oil) are hydrogenated, many of the fatty acids are transformed into trans fatty acids. These man-made fatty acids are foreign to the body and cause all manner of health problems. All hydrogenated vegetable oils contain trans fatty acids.  A mountain of research now shows that hydrogenated oils from any source increases risk of heart disease. Studies suggest that the risk of cardiovascular disease is increased more by the consumption of hydrogenated oils than by the consumption of any other type of fat.

The one thing to remember about hydrogenated oils is that simply put – they are really bad for you.

After finding this out I moved away from margarines and started searching for a better option without the trans fats. I didn’t find much. Given my needs I was looking for something that could replace butter on my toast as well as an oil to cook with.  I settled for olive oil to saute or stir fry until I discovered coconut oil.  Why change? While olive oil is good, has a great flavour and smell, it still doesn’t outdo the benefits of cooking with coconut oil.  Instead I use olive oil now for all my salad dressings, dips, and mayonaise.  I use coconut oil for all my cooking as well as spreading on toast and drizzling over vegetables.

Be careful even coconut oil can be hydrogenated!

The best coconut oil to buy is cold pressed.  I use a brand called Niulife that you can purchase here.

So the simplest way to use it or try it out is to replace your regular cooking oil with coconut oil.  You can get all the benefits and the nutritional value of coconut oil just from cooking with it.

For people who find the taste too much, check out my article on skin care for another option of putting coconut oil into your body.

More reading:

Coconut Oil For Skincare

Here’s some great recipes using coconut oil