Why you should be eating and cooking with coconut oil
This may surprise you but not all oils are for cooking. Some oils have certain purposes and are not always interchangeable due to their smoke point. Smoke point means how hot something can get before it starts to smoke, burn or even catch on fire. When oil gets heated beyond its smoke point, it starts to break down chemically. It loses most of its antioxidants, releases toxic chemicals in the form of smoke, and becomes filled with carcinogenic free radicals. You shouldn’t eat it or consume any food cooked with it. Not only will it taste like chalk at this overcooked point, it’s also really bad for you.
One of the reasons you should cook or bake with coconut oil is that it has a high saturated fat content. You can use it to cook at high temperatures and even leave it at room temperature for months without it going rancid. It is an extremely stable oil. The medium-chain fatty acids present in coconut oil are a wonderful source of energy for the body. MCFAs help raise metabolism, which can help you maintain a healthy weight or even lead to weight loss when combined with exercise and a healthy diet. You can also add coconut oil to just about any smoothie to give it a fatty "ice cream" flavor and texture. Try blending frozen fruit with palm sugar and coconut oil. It makes a delicious, ice cream textured dessert that will just blow your mind with its nutritional potency, too.If you're into raw foods recipes, you'll find yourself using coconut oil for all kinds of things. Especially desserts, where coconut oil is often part of the icing that goes on the raw cake or pie. It's super delicious. |