Can Coconut Oil Be Used For Cooking?

For beauty problems, coconut is probably the best cure. But can this beauty product, which is use to heal dry skin, and frizzy hair and remove makeup, be consider something that can be keet in your pantry? 

The benefits of using coconut oil for cooking have created a buzz in the medical world and it has become a debate-worthy topic. They were use in the past because they were rich in saturate fats. Saturated fats are responsible for and are related to heart disease. But in recent research, it was found that not all saturate fats are equal. Some types of saturated fats remain linked to an increased risk of heart disease while some are very beneficial for health.

What is coconut oil?

In recent years, coconut oil has been regard with the special name “superfood”. The oil has been found in the kitchen for about more than 30 years. Coconut oil is 100% fat, out of which 90% is saturate. It is popular in Southeast Asian countries and comes from the flesh of the coconut. 

One tablespoon of coconut oil contains 130 calories and 14 grams of fat, 13 of which are saturate while olive oil has 120 calories and 14 grams of fat, out of which only 2 grams are saturate. 

How to use coconut oil for cooking?

Before you begin cooking, you must see the type of oil you are using. If it’s virgin coconut oil, then it is best for baking and sautéing and has a smoke point of 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Refined coconut oil is best for frying or cooking at higher temperatures as it has a smoking point of 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

The oil comes in glass jars and solidifies at room temperature. If you want to measure it then you need to heat it to 76 degrees Fahrenheit until it is liquid. If you use coconut oil to sauté or grease the baking pans, then try purchasing it in spray form. Whether the coconut oil comes in a jar or a spray can, it can be store anywhere – pantry or fridge.

 

Some advantages of using organic coconut oil for cooking are –

Rich in nutrients and flavorful

This is one of the reasons for the hype of coconut oil for cooking. It is an animal-friendly alternative to butter available in all parts of India. Many resorts and hotels substitute butter with coconut oil in their vegan menu. 

Nutrition-wise, coconut oil is rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties, especially virgin coconut oil. Coconut oil helps in boosting thyroid function and removes any bacteria and viruses which may cause illness.

It must be note that health claims relate to coconut oil, such as its medium-chain triglycerides are beneficial and help in increasing good cholesterol, are base on short-term studies and are not proven scientifically.

 Coconut oil has a special composition of fatty acids

As mentioned above, coconut oil has a different and unique composition of fatty acids from other oils. High composition of saturated fat lauric acid makes up around 40% of the fat content in the oil. This quality makes coconut oil highly resistant to oxidation at high temperatures.

For this reason, coconut oil is perfect for high-heat cooking methods like frying. 

Coconut oil is rich in medium-chain fatty acids and contains around 7% caprylic acid and 5% capric acid. Patients with epileptic on ketogenic diets often use these fats to induce ketosis. Coconut, however, cannot be use for this purpose as it has a poor ketogenic effect as compare to others. 

 Coconut oil improves blood lipids

Studies have shown that including coconut oil daily in your diet improves the level of lipids circulating in your blood. This has the potential to risk heart disease.

In a study, 91 middle-age adults were examine. They were given oil, butter, or extra virgin oil to eat for a month. The coconut oil increased the good HDL cholesterol more than the butter or the extra virgin olive oil. Also, it did not affect bad LDL cholesterol.  

Another study was conducte with women who had abdominal obesity. It was found that coconut oil increase HDL and lower the LDL to HDL ratio, whereas soybean oil increase LDL cholesterol and decrease HDL.

Taking these studies into consideration, we found that coconut oil is a better protector when it comes to heart disease, especially than other sources of fat such as butter and soybean oil.

Coconut oil helps in losing weight

In a study with women suffering from abdominal obesity, it was notice that coconut oil reduce waist circumference as compare to soybean oil along with many other health benefits. 

In another study, it was find that virgin coconut oil reduce the appetite of people when include in breakfast compare to extra virgin olive oil. But despite this evidence, research is limit and nothing certain can be said when the question of coconut oil’s weight loss benefits arises.

 People in previous times were healthy

People have been consuming coconut oil for many years and if we were to see any side effects or health problems caused due to coconut oil, then we must have seen them by now. In the past, people got a large intake of their calories from coconuts and were healthier than Western society people.

For example, the Tokelauans got 50% calories from coconuts and were the largest consumers of saturated fat in the world. Kitavans got approximately 17% of their calories from coconuts. Both of these populations showed no signs of heart disease and had good overall health.

Wrapping Up

Though there are many benefits to using coconut oil in your everyday cooking, it must be keep in mind that these benefits also depend upon the overall lifestyle, physical activity, and diet.

Although there is no scientific proof of the benefits of coconut oil, it appears that consuming the oil will not harm you in any way as long as it is consume in moderation.