Hold the butter.....

Now we all know how delicious butter can be on some warm toast, pancakes, a grilled cheese (cheese substitute of course), popcorn, etc. Then you eat it and think, "Why did I eat that?" You feel bloated and it all sits so heavy in your stomach. Not to mention the pound you just gained, the arteries you helped clog, the cholesterol you just spiked. Butter tastes great, yet it's so bad for you. But how can you resist?

What if I told you that you could still have all the buttery goodness and it would actually be good for you? Well you can. The secret is Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. Coconut Oil comes in a small tub and depending on the size, a tub will run you about ten dollars. You can find this product at most health foods stores, Whole Foods, and Sprouts.

Coconut Oil is made from coconut meat and composed of two fats: lauric acid and linoleic acid. Fifty percent of coconut oil is made up of lauric acid which is rarely found in foods. We just can't get it as readily. Our bodies use lauric acid to fight viral and bacterial infections. Linoleic acid is a fatty acid high in Omega 6 which is said to help with a variety of allergies and diseases.

I would encourage you to google three things, the benefits of: coconut oil, linoleic acid, and lauric acid. You will be amazed at what you find.

Back to eating! Coconut Oil should not be kept in the refrigerator because it hardens and is not as easy to use. If you find that you accidentally put it in the fridge remove it and let it stand at room temperature until it is soft again. Depending on how cold or how hot the area in which your oil is stored you will find it to either have a vapo rub like texture or a liquid oil type texture. Either one is fine. Don't be alarmed it's still good, hard, soft, or liquid-y. Personally I prefer the liquid texture.

Use it exactly as you would use butter. You can also use it to cook on the skillet, in baking, melted over popcorn. It gives everything a creamy buttery flavor. This is a product that I find hard to believe that it isn't butter.


This is the only oil I use when cooking with heat. If you do cook with it, make sure to use low heat so that the oil doesn't smoke. High heat causes oxidation, this is true of any cooking oil. Oxidation leads to free radicals, leading to all sorts of madness in your body that you do not want to have. Coconut Oil is one of the most stable oils to use that will not oxidize as easily and therefore, is my number one pick.

Got some oil left on your hands from cooking? Don't wash it off. You can actually rub the oil onto your hands. In fact you can use it anywhere on your skin as it also serves as a natural moisturizer. Some people even claim that it helps in preventing wrinkles and because it is antibacterial you can use it on rashes, athletes foot, and many other skin ailments. I've always heard that if you can't eat your moisturizer you shouldn't put it on your skin. If you are going to use it as a moisturizer, you should always separate a small amount of oil into another clean container that way you don't contaminate the two.

Do make sure the bottle says ORGANIC EXTRA VIRGIN COCONUT OIL. This is the best oil you will find. Try it and let me know what you think!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg