Coconut Oil

So fellow lovers of food you will be happy to know that I am betting half my posts will be about food; restaruants, recipes, secret ingredients, and all the others that you could imagine about the amazing thing called FOOD!

Spot light on Coconut Oil!

About 1 month ago I bought a jar of extra virgin coconut oil and have been using it in all my recipes. It can be used as a healthy alternative to butter, crisco, etc. in recipes. It is also delicious, I have discovered, in protein shakes and smoothies.

The health benefits of coconut oil are endless. Everything from increasing metabolism and assisting in weight loss to fighting immune diseases to a great hair and skin moisturizer.

Lauric acid accounts for 50% of the fatty acid in coconut oil . It is responsible for most of the wonderful benefits of coconut oil. Even reducing the viral load of HIV!!!!

Besides being the "healthiest oil on earth" (what many claim it to be such as doctors) it tastes so Delectable !!! I am a fan of tropical dishes from dinner to dessert. i cook a lot with pineapple, mango, coconut, etc. and so cooking with this oil...even if I just use it in the pan I cook my pancakes, it adds a touch of tropical delight !

If you are going to cross over to the coconut oil side do it the right way and only use extra virgin coconut oil. and I would also recommend organic.

The difference bewteen virgin and all the others?

wellllllllll....
Most commercial grade coconut oils are made from copra. Copra is basically the dried meat of the coconut. It can be made by smoke drying, sun drying, or kiln drying, or derivatives or a combination of these three. If standard copra is used as a starting material, the unrefined coconut oil extracted from copra is not suitable for consumption and must be purified - i.e. refined. This is because the way most copra is dried is very unsanitary. Most of the copra is dried under the sun in the open air, where it is exposed to insects and moulds. The standard end product made from copra is RBD coconut oil. RBD stands for refined, bleached, and deodorized. Both high heat and chemicals are used in this method.

RBD oil is also often hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. Hydrogenated oils have been shown to increase serum cholesterol levels which contribute to heart disease.

One of the main differences between Virgin Coconut oil and refined coconut oils is the scent and taste. All Virgin Coconut Oils retain a distinct fragrance and taste of coconuts, whereas the copra-based refined coconut oils have no taste or fragrance at all due to the refining process.

so go out and by yourself a jar. reap the tasty benefits.


I love you coconut oil!