HEALTHY FOOD
COOKING WITH
COCONUT OIL
WE'RE A NATION OF PEOPLE WHO LIKE CONVENIENCE AND
VERSATILITY. WHY, THEN, WOULDN'T WE NATURALLY GRAVITATE
TOWARD FOODS THAT ARE VERSATILE IN THEIR USES AND
CONVENIENTLY FOUND IN NATURE AND, MOST RECENTLY, IN
MOST STORES?
A Healthy Alternative for Home Cooks
C
oconut oil is no longer the quintessential moisturizer
for long, silky, luxurious hair. It's no longer relegated
to just lotion for our bodies. For hundreds of years,
indigenous people have extolled the benefits of
coconut. Now, finally, the rest of the world – our consumerism-
driven world – has caught on. From raw goods to baked and
fried foods, coconut oil can bring health benefits and add a
unique flavor to any dish. It's pressed directly from the fruit of
a coconut palm tree. Its popularity is growing, especially as a
replacement for artery-clogging butter.
Besides being readily
available, it also provides a
significant number of health
benefits. To date, there are
seventy-seven uses known
for coconut oil and a great
number of curing properties
associated it. For example,
coconut oil is believed to have
the ability to suppress cells
that can become inflamed
by illness, ailment, or injury.
It's also used to assist with
memory impairment issues
and to help ease digestion by
destroying harmful bacteria
that make their way to the
stomach.
WHAT IS COCONUT OIL?
Also known as copra oil or
edible oil, coconut oil is
extracted from the kernel
or meat of mature coconuts
harvested from the coconut
palm. It contains a high
saturated fat content, thus
making it slow to oxidize. It
is resistant to rancidification
– meaning, it won't go bad
quickly. It can last up to six
months at twenty-four degrees
Celsius or seventy-five degrees
Fahrenheit, which makes it
ideal for storing for long-term
use.
There are several varieties of
coconut oil, not all of them
appropriate for cooking.
Refined, bleached, and
deodorized (RBD) oil is pressed
in a heated hydraulic press to
extract the oil and prepare it
for use in food consumption/
preparation. This process
yields almost all the oil
available. It has almost no
coconut taste or aroma. It is
widely used in commercial
food processing, cosmetic
manufacturing, and home
cooking.
There are tremendous benefits
to cooking with coconut oil.
Number one: it is easy for the
body to burn as fuel for energy.
Number two: it has anti-
microbial properties.
Lauric acid, capric acid, and caprylic acid are rare substances
that are found in nature under the proper circumstances.
Coconut oil provides those unique conditions.
Lauric acid is the substance that enhances digestion and
absorption. This is the same substance that is touted to benefit
babies while breastfeeding. It has antiviral, antimicrobial, and
antibacterial properties.
Capric and caprylic acids have been found to disintegrate
human gallstones. They are a safe and proficient method of
dealing with gallbladder disease. Along with that benefit,
coconut oil as a whole has a great many other benefits,
including:
q q Use it as a replacement for
q q Moisturizing skin
butter
q q Reducing cellulite
q q Decreasing age spots and q q Use as creamer in your
coffee
wrinkles
q q Use as a delicious popcorn
q q Killing candida
flavor
q q Providing hormonal
q q Add it to smoothies or
balances
granola mixes
q q Balancing the level of
q q Substitute for cooking
blood sugar
spray
q q Improving digestion
q q Use it as a healthy base for
q q Burning fat
homemade mayonnaise
q q Increasing HDL and
q q Replace unhealthy fats like
lowering LDL
creams, spreads, butter
q q How to cook with coconut
oil:
when baking
q q Cook on high heat when
frying or sautéing
By Davide Castellano
28 / HEALTHY RGV