coconut oil- why is it good?
 

I have been reading here and there about this and that, and have come across using coconut oil. I bought some today. Now that I have it I'm having a hard time with the idea of eating saturated fat.

I'm too worn out researching things lately. Can anyone tell me why coconut oil is supposed to be good for you and why it should replace butter and vegetable oils?
Also, should it be your main source of fat, a replacement, or just a certain amount a day?

Re: coconut oil- why is it good?
 

I can't tell you about amounts and all that, but coconut is a superfood, and pretty much any way you can get it into you is good. Also, it's the only fat that does not change on a molecular level when it is heated, which is also good, though I can't remember why.

Re: coconut oil- why is it good?
 

Well, no - it's not the only oil that doesn't change on a molecular level when heated. However, because it is saturated, like lard and butter, it is very stable at high temperatures. Polyunsaturated fats, such as many plant oils, are very unstable when heated and undergo reactions that change their structure and can create harmful byproducts. Monounsaturated fats are less prone to this problem.

Generally speaking, you should never cook with vegetable oils. Olive oil should be eaten raw on salads and such. Coconut oil is lower molecular weight than the oils in butter even, so it should be used only at lower temps when cooking.

Coconut oil is antifungal in nature, which is great for the body. It has also been found to help in thyroid function. Many folks swear by its healing properties.

As far as fear of saturated fats, it is pretty well established now I think that there is not a correlation between saturated fats and heart disease. There is a lot of info you can read on that, but in the alternative health communities at least, the causal link is considered to be a total fallacy.

My personal stance on it is that I prefer to eat a moderate amount of a variety of wholesome fats - from nuts, butter, fish, meat, eggs, yogurt, cheese, and sometimes coconut oil.

Re: coconut oil- why is it good?
 

so... I know that cooking and baking is probably not healthy in some ways (I don't know a lot about whole foods, raw foods diet, etc.) But what fats or oils SHOULD we bake with or cook with? (different subject I know...)

Re: coconut oil- why is it good?
 

coconut is good for baking and cooking. I think that Safflower or Sunflower are good too..but not sure on that one.

www.nutiva.com has some good info about coconut oil

Re: coconut oil- why is it good?
 

:popcorn I'm curious too. I've tried some and love it! Even just eating it by the spoonful is yummy.

Re: coconut oil- why is it good?
 

I don't know what "molecular weight" means, but what about baking with co? Is that still healthier than butter?

Re: coconut oil- why is it good?
 

it makes the best buttermilk biscuits..... yummy!! and pie crusts..

Re: coconut oil- why is it good?
 

I've got some but haven't fully gotten in the habit of using it. I do know that it's a 1-1 ratio if you are subbing it in and you can sub it in for pretty much anything (butter, crisco, etc).

My google reader has like, 200 results for "coconut oil" when I searched, but I pulled up a few blog posts that convinced me to buy/try.

Baseline Fats Chart

FAQ on Coconut Oil and how to use it

Uses of coconut oil

Q&A on Coconut oil

---------- Post added at 10:25 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:24 PM ----------

Oh, and I just noticed one of those said to put it on eczema spots. i'm going to have to try it for my super stubborn patch (the only thing that's been working has been steroid cream.. which I'm out of).

Re: coconut oil- why is it good?
 

[QUOTE=Auroras mom;3078264] Coconut oil is lower molecular weight than the oils in butter even, so it should be used only at lower temps when cooking.

QUOTE]

What about baking though- temps are usually like 350F and up.... does it destroy the good properties of it or turn it "bad"?

Re: coconut oil- why is it good?
 

Does this mean that we really shouldn't be making popcorn with it(since that uses high heat)?

---------- Post added at 03:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:19 PM ----------

I think it depends on what camp you decide to go with.

I recently heard a speaker(affiliated with Weston Price, I believe) saying that all vegetable oils(corn, soy, sunflower, safflower, canola etc) are really bad for us, even if they are organic.

He recommended cooking/baking with lard, butter, palm fruit oil and coconut oil. (All organic/pastured/no abx, etc where that applies)



Here is a smoke point chart on wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoke_point
It confuses me, though, because it says extra virgin olive oil has a smoke point higher even than coconut oil. So is it really bad then to cook on the stovetop with olive oil(like sauteeing veggies and such)?

Re: coconut oil- why is it good?
 

Will you share these two recipes? They sound delish!

Re: coconut oil- why is it good?
 

I use butter, coconut oil, and honestly - olive oil (even though I shouldn't).

*** Re - the popcorn question - I use olive oil (I know, I know) or buter usually - but the butter can scorch. I dunno! Maybe use bacon fat, LoL. Sometimes it seems in all this health stuff that we just cannot win for lsoing? Because even if I use the right oil, I bet my pans are poisonous!

Re: coconut oil- why is it good?
 

That's how I feel - I cut out something or add something into our diets, then I find out something else we rely on isn't good. Pretty soon we'll only be drinking water and eating organic raw carrots. Oh wait, but our water has chlorine and fluoride and the carrots were grown with polluted rain water. :doh :-/

Re: coconut oil- why is it good?
 

coconut oil is supposed to be an excellent high heat oil.... or least I always thought so... :think

Molly..I just take a normal (Betty Crocker) buttermilk biscuit recipe and substitute coconut oil for the butter or shortening. Same thing with the pie crust.