Why Eat Coconut Oil
By now, you have heard about the benefits of coconut oil.
Soft and shiny hair,
Oil pulling for white teeth and fresh breath,
And, don’t forget about the impacts to eat coconut oil can have on your health as well…
Adding coconut oil to your diet is do good for you, and luckily, very easy to do.
Why You Should Add Coconut Oil to Your Diet?
First of all, you should know that coconut oil is not a fatty or unhealthy oil.
When you add more coconut oil to your diet, it can help you feel full faster and for longer, which also helps with weight loss.
There are many more health reasons to eat coconut oil. Increased energy, lower blood pressure, better digestion. Additionally,
7 Ways to Eat Coconut Oil
1. Add it to Your Drinks
A super-easy way to get more coconut oil into your diet is by adding it to drinks. You can add it to hot or cold drinks,. Since coconut oil comes in solid form it is easier to add to hot drinks like coffee or hot chocolate.
The following includes some different ways to add coconut oil to your hot drinks.
Spiced Coconut Latte
This first hot drink recipe is a coffee latte drink that also includes some spices. While this is perfect in the fall or winter, it doesn’t have to be a seasonal drink. This latte will help with digestion and boost your metabolism, which is always a plus!
For the spiced coconut latte, you will need to start with organic fresh brewed coffee. Then mix in some coconut oil, along with grass-fed butter, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and vanilla extract. This gives you one super delicious latte.
Coconut Oil Creamer
If you drink coffee on a regular basis, but you don’t want to have to mix a fancy latte every morning, then creamer might be a better option for you. To make your own creamer, combine raw honey with coconut oil, pure vanilla extract, and some cinnamon or cocoa powder. Whisk them together into a smooth consistency and save in a container until you are ready to use it. This also works well in hot chocolate or tea.
Fruit Smoothie with Coconut
You can make any type of smoothie you want, adding coconut oil in small quantities does not have a powerful flavor. It adds a little texture and a lot of nutrition to any type of smoothie you enjoy. If you prefer juicing, add it to your juice at the end, then mix well.
2. Cook with Coconut Oil
The next way you can add coconut oil to your diet is actually one of the most common and popular methods to go with. The next way involves cooking with the coconut oil. Replace other forms of oil or butter and add in coconut oil instead.
Replace Your Cooking Oil
A super simple way to cook with coconut oil is by replacing other types of oil with it. Keep a container of coconut oil in your cupboard so that it is easy to grab when oil is the ingredient for a dish. You can also mix it with almond or olive oil as a healthy alternative. This is a simple choice when cooking on the stove since it allows the oil to melt.
Stir Fry with Coconut Oil
A more specific way to use coconut oil with your cooking is by making stir fry with it. While coconut oil is good for all temperatures, it is better for medium temperature cooking, going up to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit. It is ideal for making stir fry, which also happens to be a healthy dish.
Choose any type of stir fry, but one with lots of veggies. This can be a vegetable stir fry or one that has a protein source like fish or chicken. add a tablespoon or two of coconut oil into the stir fry pan, heating it up until it melts. You can then add in your vegetables and cook until soft. This works for fresh or frozen vegetables. Serve it with rice and you have a super healthy meal.
Breakfast Foods
Don’t rule out making delicious breakfast foods with coconut oil! For example, you can use it to make yummy and healthy fried eggs. Add the normal amount of oil you would to the pan of coconut oil and let it melt. Crack a few eggs onto the pan and cook them like normal. Not only is this healthy, but it adds a fun flavor your family will enjoy.
Pancakes
Coconut is perfect for making pancakes in a much healthier way. Not only can you make them by replacing other oil with coconut oil, but you can even use coconut flour and reduce the carbs a bit. Make sure you melt the oil before adding it to the pancake mixture and pouring it onto the pan.
3. Use Coconut Oil for Flavoring
Another way you can use coconut oil in your food and get more of it into your diet is by using it for flavoring. This can add nutrition and flavor to different dishes.
Here are some ideas to help get you started:
Popcorn
You may either cook the popcorn in the oil , and also flavor after cooking. You will avoid artificial ingredients in the microwave bag, and give you a fresh taste you can’t beat.
Oatmeal
Another food that you can use coconut oil on is oatmeal. You can add a tropical and nutty flavor with the coconut oil. All you need to do is make your oatmeal with a little less water than normal, then add a little bit of coconut oil to it.
4. Bake with Coconut Oil
There are many different ways to use coconut oil in your baking. While you do need to be aware of the flavor coconut oil can provide , you can use it as a substitute to almost any recipe. When mixing with cold ingredients, coconut oil will solidify. Here are some different options where you bake with coconut oil.
If you enjoy banana bread, you will love adding coconut oil to the recipe. This only requires about 10 minutes of prep and a little under an hour to bake the bread. Warm banana bread for breakfast for your family, or make it a snack or treat when you have leftover bananas.
For a simple banana bread, combine bananas with cinnamon, baking soda, salt, vanilla extract, eggs, coconut oil, and honey or maple syrup. To make it as healthy as possible, try to use organic mashed bananas , and raw or organic honey. Cage-free eggs are always a better option when baking.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
You can also make your favorite chocolate chip cookies, by replacing the butter and oil in the recipe with coconut oil instead.
5. Add it to Soup and Chili
Let’s get a little more involved into cooking with coconut oil. Adding coconut oil to your diet is not a difficult process, but you might not be completely aware how to add it to some of your favorite dishes. Here are some examples of soup and chili recipes that you can make with coconut oil. Keep in mind you can experiment on your own, altering these recipe ideas or adding the coconut oil to your favorite recipe.
Broccoli Cheese Soup
This is a good soup recipe when you want something healthy and filling, but also fulfills those comfort food urges. The broccoli cheese soup is easy to make and is easy to do with coconut oil. Typical broccoli cheese soup will ask for about ¼ cup or so of butter. Cut this amount of butter in half or whatever your recipe asks for, then use the other half as coconut oil. Other ingredients might include chicken stock, cream, flour, onion, broccoli, and carrots.
For something a little different, you can try this spicy and flavorful soup. You can enjoy this soup in the fall or winter when butternut squash is in season, or other times of the year when you want some warm comfort food. It requires typical soup ingredients like chicken stock, butternut squash, onion, ginger, and spices. Then you can use coconut oil instead of canola oil, along with coconut milk for the cream. Add some spicy with a red curry paste.
6. Eat it from the Spoon
This might not sound like the most appealing option, but you should know that coconut oil is safe to take straight. If you want something healthier, then consider taking it by the spoonful. To some of us this is not very appealing to taking a spoonful of solid coconut oil and letting it melt in your mouth. If you have ever done coconut oil pulling to clean your teeth and freshen your breath, then you are already aware of the taste.
If you want to try taking coconut oil from the spoonful, then you should try to do it about 20 minutes before a meal. This will make you feel fuller and increase your metabolism. It will also increase your energy and decrease the amount of food you will eat.
7. Tips for Storing Your Coconut Oil
By this point, you are aware of the different methods used to add coconut oil to your diet. This information is useful when you want to enjoy having more coconut oil in your life.
Keep the Coconut Oil Fresh
If you store coconut oil at the right temperature it will store for a long period of time. Keep it in a cool dark place. It is not necessary to keep it in the refrigerator. This will make it an even harder consistency.
Combine it With Other Oils
Another way to keep the coconut oil in more of a liquid consistency is by combining it with other oils. If you have ever seen a container of coconut oil as a clear liquid, then it is not pure coconut oil. So if you want your coconut oil to be liquid at all times, you will need to mix it with an oil like olive oil or almond oil.
There are 100’s of uses for coconut oil. It is one of my favorite foods. Look for more stories to come on the use of coconut oil.
Shirley Noah, is Founder and CEO of InGoodHealthCoach.com, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a wife, mom, grandmother, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. In Good Health Coach is a culmination of her thousands of hours of research. For more health topics and habits see www.ingoodhealthcoach.com
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