How & Why Do YOU Use Organic Virgin Coconut Oil?

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A while back, I asked members at a couple of my favorite nutrition forums some questions about organic virgin coconut oil, and following are their replies.

***A big THANK YOU to everyone who responded!*** (Sorry if I didn’t include yours, but some were repeats.)

First, have you seen these posts?

• The many health benefits of organic virgin coconut oil
• Where to get the best deals on organic virgin coconut oil
• Coconut oil…for Alzheimers?
  

photo by Swami stream

I asked the following questions:

1. What are the various reasons you use coconut oil (health benefits, taste, or ?)
2. What do you mostly use coconut oil for? (Topically or for cooking?)
3. What foods do you cook in it and how?

• Gillian: A long shelf life is a wonderful thing. Besides being convinced of its basic healthiness, I have found that it absolutely stops the lip blisters from herpes, as advertised, and that I have much less trouble with my Raynaud’s (chronically cold feet & hands.) A friend of mine is quite sure he’s having less trouble with athlete’s foot, too. I haven’t used it much topically; my skin is in pretty good shape so I haven’t felt the need. I put it in the deep fryer as a heat stable oil that I can reuse many times. ( I live with a vegetarian so lard or tallow is not an option there.) Works great, no problems. Homemade potato chips are a hit… I’ve taken to doing all my sautéing with it rather than olive oil and no one has ever noticed. I will eat it straight off the spoon if I feel like I haven’t gotten enough otherwise, though I know many people get queasy doing that. I’ve tried making the coconut chocolate drops and those go easily down everybody. (Unless they hate chocolate – is there anyone like that?) I tried making mayo with it but the emulsion broke when it got cold. I’ve seen others say that half coco, half olive works, but I haven’t tried that yet. I’d like to get a homemade mayo that my husband will eat; he thinks the all olive oil has too strong a taste, so we’re still on Best Foods. (Note from Kelly: when frying with coconut oil, you still need to be careful about its smoking point, and I’m not sure if I’d reuse it…does anyone out there know if that’s OK? I thought I’d read somewhere that it’s best not to use oils over and over again. Also, here’s a healthy coconut oil MAYO.)
• Erica: I started using coconut oil when I heard it was good for the diet. I had never had the virgin coconut oil before that. Now I love it, and I use it in my morning tea, along with Stevia and cream. I eat a spoonful of it to stave off hunger. I lick it like it’s pudding. Topically, I use the VCO after my shower as a bath oil, body and face. Sometimes I cook with the VCO, but my daughter isn’t fond of coconut, so I’ll buy the Spectrum Naturals refined 76 degree melt oil that doesn’t have any flavor. (Note from Kelly: I don’t care for the taste of the Spectrum Naturals refined coconut oil, so here is what I use and it’s the least expensive expeller pressed refined coconut oil I found online.)
• Tas: 1. What are the various reasons you use coconut oil? Originally, just the health benefits. At first I wasn’t too keen on the taste/smell when cooking anything other than what I might normally use coconut in, but it has really grown on me now. I still don’t like the idea of having it in a hot drink as some do.
• Carol B.: We love popcorn with a mixture of coconut oil/butter, sea salt/pepper and parmesan cheese. The pepper was a mistake by my autistic son once and we LOVED it.
• Esposita: We began using it because of the health benefits. We do, now, enjoy the taste and I am often finding new ways to incorporate it into our daily diet. We use it both topically – in GOOT (garlic oil ointment treatment) and in homemade salves – and for cooking. We sauté a lot of veggies in it, use it in place of shortening (baking, tortillas, greasing pans), and I know there are other ways I use it, but I can’t think of them right now!
• DiaperSwyper: I’m discovering, again, what a great carb craving suppressor it is. If I’m craving a carb loaded sweet “something” it takes the desire away. (Or at least most of it.) My DH (“dear husband”) has taken it in the morning and totally not been hungry for most of the day. Swallow a tsp. and chase it down with water. You can also put it in hot tea or water but I care for greasy water even less.
• Healthy Bratt: 1. What are the various reasons you use coconut oil (health benefits, taste, or ?) It absorbs quickly, nice texture, smells nice, tolerable flavor, antifungal, soothing to skin, mixes well with essential oils; 2. What do you use coconut oil for? Salves, moisturizer, body lubricant, massage oil, sunscreen, diaper rash/yeast, some cooking, but not fond of the taste in most foods; 3. What foods do you cook in it and how? Granola – recipe here. (Note from Kelly: here’s another granola recipe.)
• Wyomama3: 1. What are the various reasons you use coconut oil (health benefits, taste, or ?) Internal and external health benefits, source of vital healthy fat, anti fungal, it absorbs quickly, non greasy and doesn’t leave that ‘heavy, caky feeling’ on the surface of the skin, retains the scent of my Essential Oils, it can be a solid or liquid; 2. What do you use coconut oil for? I simmer herbs to make salves, I add garlic to make GOOT, use it on my body after bathing (scented with EO’s), on the baby after bathing, as a face moisturizer, as a sunscreen – it leaves that coconutty summer smell. I use it for cooking and frying; 3. What foods do you cook in it and how? Frying tortilla’s or wonton wraps – it doesn’t leave foods in that soaked-in grease state, I use it in some desserts and baking; it’s good for any baked tropical dessert. Remember: if you add it as a liquid to anything cool, it will quickly harden again.
• Jill: REASONS: health, taste, and for a metabolism boost.
• Hedy: If I want to take extra, I like it stirred into hot chocolate.
• Kati*did: I spread it on bread (instead of butter) and use it in all baked goods except tortillas (the coconut oil makes them stiff when cold), in stir fries, eggs, in/on pancakes/crepes, and add it to homemade almond butter (half and half). I also use it as a lubricant.
• joyful_mommy03: I started drinking smoothies in the morning in order to get 2 T. of coconut oil in my diet because I had heard about it’s metabolism boosting abilities and that it tends to suppress the sweet-tooth – it really seems to be working for me as I have only gained 20-25 lbs. this pregnancy instead of my usual 35 or so. Also good as a hair friz tamer and in bath salts. In cooking, we generally only use it for sweet items because of the coconut flavor.
• Kelly the Kitchen Kop: I used to detest the flavor of coconut (and still wouldn’t eat shredded coconut), but it has definitely grown on me. I’m thankful for this, now that I know all the health benefits there are to getting more in my diet. My two favorite recipes with coconut are my popcorn and smoothies. I’m also going to try homemade mayo soon using coconut oil for half the oil it calls for. Another favorite use I have for it is as a Skin Moisturizer- I love the smell and just knowing that some of the health benefits are soaking in through my skin.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE USES FOR COCONUT OIL?!

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