Coconut oil - a full, useful and tasty replacement of the familiar edible oils

Coconut oil can be used not only for cosmetic purposes, but also for cooking. Despite the sweetish smell, it is suitable for frying, adding to salads, meat, fish and vegetable dishes. Food, cooked on it, gets a light coconut flavor and smell. In the 20 century it was believed that coconut oil for food is not suitable, because it contains too much fat. Today this opinion is refuted, and the oil returned to the kitchens of most housewives.

Useful properties of

Coconut oil is 99% fatty acids, with 90% of them saturated, which for a long time gave it the glory of a harmful product. It was believed that these fats provoke the development of heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems. Later studies have shown that there is no connection between fat and heart disease. On the contrary, unrefined coconut oil can improve the metabolism of fats, normalize cholesterol and weight. A vivid example of this is the peoples who actively use them for food - they are distinguished by good health and longevity.

As it turned out, the saturated fatty acids that make up this oil differ from the fats of animal origin by the length of the chain. For this they even received a separate name - medium-chain triglycerides. They are completely differently processed by the body, becoming a fast source of useful energy or transforming into ketone bodies, useful for treating CNS diseases( epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease).



Coconut oil is slightly more caloric than the usual olive or sunflower oil - 900 kcal for 100 ml. But in this case contained in it SCT have the ability to give more energy than the same amount of fat with a long chain. The energy consumption is also increased: only 15-30 g of SCs increase this figure by 5% for the next day. If you translate into calories, you will get about -120 kcal without much effort.

Choosing coconut oil for food, you can get many other advantages, because it:

• has enveloping properties, which improves digestion and assimilation of nutrients;
• removes excess cholesterol, is a means of preventing hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases;
• cleanses the liver, improves its functioning, stimulates the production of bile;
• strengthens bone tissue, as it promotes better absorption of calcium, magnesium and other minerals;
• normalizes the endocrine system, so it is good for diabetics to consume coconut oil;
• helps reduce seizures in epilepsy and improve brain function in Alzheimer's disease.

Lauric acid, which is about 50% oil, is a strong antibacterial agent that effectively copes with viruses, bacteria and fungi. Regular application of coconut oil will help prevent their development or accelerate recovery.

Permanent fatigue, lethargy and forgetfulness can indicate abnormalities in the thyroid gland. To provide her with sufficient food, you need to include in the diet coconut oil, which will help to solve this problem.

For weight loss

Thanks to the ability of SCT to transform into ketone bodies, coconut oil, when used regularly in food, quickly quenches the hunger, thereby reducing the number of calories consumed. As a result of the studies it was found that a small amount of oil in the morning allows you to eat a day for 256 calories less. Given the ability to increase energy consumption, coconut oil allows you to lose up to 380 kcal per day.

Important! Coconut oil helps to get rid of fat deposits in the abdomen, the struggle with which usually presents the greatest difficulties. At the same time, both subcutaneous fat and enveloping internal organs are cleaved.

Despite the abundance of fats, coconut oil is absorbed almost completely, so it is not postponed in the body by excessive numbers on the scales. True, for this you need to fulfill one condition - the maximum amount of it per day should not exceed 2 tablespoons.

There is also a special diet for coconut oil, with which you can lose up to 3 kg per week compliance with its requirements:

• daily rate - 1400 kcal;
• during the diet significantly restrict the use of carbohydrates( that is, you need to abandon flour, confectionery, bread, sweet fruit);
• strictly in the morning, the menu must necessarily be apples, cereals, oranges or other citrus fruits;
• the menu excludes canned food, starch, smoked products, soda and alcohol;
• in the basis of the diet - proteins, vegetables and sour milk;
• 1 tablespoon of oil taken on an empty stomach, as well as for filling salads, cereals and other dishes.

If you do not want to diet, you can just use coconut oil instead of other types - creamy, olive, sunflower.

Contraindications

Coconut oil when used internally has obvious benefits for the body, but with excessive enthusiasm can cause harm. In particular, because of the high content of fats, it can cause irritation of the gastrointestinal tract or exacerbate chronic pancreatitis and cholecystitis.

Like other products, coconut oil can cause an allergic reaction, and it can manifest itself not immediately, but after a few uses.

Some scientists are still convinced that because of the abundance of fats, the use of coconut oil for food does not bring much benefit, but rather harm, regardless of the length of molecularchains. To listen or not to this opinion, the personal choice of everyone. To be sure for sure that there are no harmful effects, you can regularly undergo examinations and monitor the level of cholesterol.

Rules for choosing

Coconut oil can be nutritional or cosmetic. Food is considered hot pressed oil, as more affordable, but the product of cold pressing will retain more valuable components.

When choosing coconut oil, it's best to do it live, when you can smell it and see the consistency. Quality unrefined coconut oil has a pleasant, not sharp coconut flavor. Too yellow or even brown indicates poor cleaning. Ideally, its color should fluctuate between translucent and pale yellow. If the oil is stored in a cool room, it can get a uniform white color and thicken.

Ways of using

The distinctive feature of this button is that it does not lose its useful properties when heated, does not become carcinogenic, like other oils. It will reassure those who have experienced, whether it is possible to fry on coconut oil. It is possible and necessary, not only to fry, but also to stew or bake. It can be used at temperatures up to 350 degrees, which is advantageously different from olive oil, which when heated quickly begins to smoke.

Coconut oil has many uses in cooking - it can be added to the first and second courses, side dishes, sauces, meat or fish dishes. The melted butter serves as an excellent dressing for salads. The usual dishes after the addition of coconut acquire new shades of taste, truly surprising by its transformation.

Baking based on coconut oil acquires the ability to stay fresh longer, remain lush and soft. You can add it as a dressing in milk porridge - rice, pumpkin, millet or wheat. It will give them nutrition and a light coconut flavor. You can also replace coconut butter, which is added to mashed potatoes or pasta.

As coconut oil is almost non-rancid, it can be used for deep-frying up to 5-7 times. At the same time, carcinogens are not produced in oil.

Coconut oil is endowed with antibacterial properties, which allows it to be used as a prophylactic against various kinds of infections. For example, if 15 minutes a day to rinse the mouth with a small amount of it, you can get rid of an unpleasant smell, problems with teeth and gums, infections of the mouth. A couple of spoonfuls of butter in a cup of hot milk, cocoa or tea will serve as an excellent remedy for cough and cold. And if you just take them inside, you can normalize digestion, strengthen immunity and cope with stress.

Recipes with coconut oil

Coconut oil does not require special recipes for use, you can simply replace it with any fat indicated in the ingredients( butter or sunflower oil, margarine, etc.).But there are several dishes created precisely on the basis of coconut.

Chocolate sweets

Dietary sweets without added sugar will serve as a pleasant and useful treat for tea or coffee without excess calories.

• coconut oil - 125 g;
• cocoa powder( better defatted) - 3 tablespoons;
• dates - 8 pcs.

The cooking recipe consists of only two steps. Dates need to be ground( or bought in this form) and mixed with the rest of the ingredients. The resulting mass is spread into molds and sent to the refrigerator for several hours. Frozen sweets to taste like a truffle.

Ginger biscuit

Crispy crust hides the soft core. The cookie is made from useful natural ingredients, without the use of sugar and animal fats. The recipe is based on flax flour, which serves as a rich source of essential trace elements.

It will be required for work:

• 50 g of oat flakes;
• 50 g of flax flour;
• 4 tbsp.coconut oil;
• 2 tsp.ground ginger;
• 1 tsp.ground cloves;
• 100 ml low-fat kefir;
• salt, vanillin - pinch;
• sweetener - to taste.

All the ingredients are mixed to produce a soft plastic dough. Small balls are formed from it, which are then flattened to the desired thickness( about 1-1.5 cm) and laid on a baking tray. Bake the biscuits for half an hour in a preheated oven to 180 degrees. After this, it is necessary to leave the food in the oven for another 20 minutes, so that it is slightly dried.

Coconut oil has many indisputable advantages and useful properties that can be used not only in cosmetology, but also in cooking. You can include it in the diet not only to treat or combat any problems, but also to prevent their occurrence. Moreover, this is a rare case when useful is also quite tasty. How to make butter at home: