The beauty world is obsessed with adding coconut oil into your daily routine, but did you know that coconut oil can be beneficial to your diet, as well? There’s been all of this craze surrounding the wonders of coconut oil, and with its potential health and nutritional benefits, it seems as though coconut oil really could be a healthy addition to your diet, when used in moderation, of course!
Coconut oil is made up of mostly saturated fat, but “the saturated fat in coconut oil is mostly lauric acid, a medium-chain saturated fatty acid that appears to have a more neutral effect on heart health when compared to longer-chain saturated fats found in meats and dairy products,” Wendy Bazilian, R.D., author of The SuperFoodsRx Diet, told Shape Magazine.
In other words, one of the benefits of adding coconut oil to your diet is the fat in coconut oil might be used for energy more easily. Healthy fats of this kind help the body absorb fat soluble nutrients like the antioxidants vitamin A and E. It’s important to note that while the oil is composed of these potentially beneficial medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), it is still composed of 92% saturated fat and should only be consumed in moderation. But, when used carefully, it can be a very tasty addition/substitute for some of your favorite foods for added sweetness and flavor!
If you’re wondering how exactly you can start eating/cooking coconut oil more frequently, I’d suggest giving these delicious diet tricks a try:
Use coconut oil to make popcorn:
How delicious does that sound? Fluffy popcorn lightly tossed in coconut oil? I don’t think you’ll ever pop corn any other way!
Give this recipe for Coconut Kettle Corn a try!
Bake brownies with coconut oil:
For a (somewhat) healthier alternative to using butter or shortening, use coconut to make some fudgy brownies!
Use this recipe to bake up some ooey gooey goodness now.
Add coconut oil to your drinks:
Coconut oil can be added to smoothies, tea and coffee for an a little extra flavoring.
Check out this article to find out how best to add coconut oil to drinks, hot or cold!
So, there you have it, folks. Coconut oil can be a great addition to your diet, especially if you try it in these three yummy ways. You can’t go wrong with popcorn, brownies or smoothies— coconut or no! Are you cuckoo for coconut oil, yet?
Be mindful that coconut oil needs to be used in moderation and that further research will need to be conducted about the long term risks/benefits.
Image: Meal Makeover Moms/flickr
