Day 10 of Turning Your Life Upside Down: Introducing Coconut Oil, Your New Best Friend

I began my love affair with coconut oil this past summer when my husband's grandmother told us about the research she'd read on coconut oil's positive association with autism and Alzheimers.  We have both in the family so I made sure coconut oil was on my next grocery list.  Aside from the health benefits we feel we're getting, I quickly found coconut oil is a bit of a wonder food and very versitile.

You are one google away from at least a hundred articles, blog posts, and other writings on this beloved oil. I will list some of my favorites at the end of this post.

I keep some in my spice cabinet as well as in my bathroom make-up drawer.  A dab of coconut oil on my face and rough skin at night makes for great moisturizer.  I realize I have by no means exhausted all of the uses for this oil, but here's how it's changed my life in front of the stove...

Coco Oil in the Kitchen

I use two oils in my home: olive and coconut.  I use coconut oil for next to anything I'm cooking in a pan but there are some exceptions where I need to cook on higher heat and olive oil works best for that.  Coconut oil has a lower smoke point and it does best on medium-high heat.  When an oil reaches a smoke point, it can become harmful so it is best to avoid this.

Coconut oil is also great to bake with as a pan greaser or a butter replacer and as long as you're using refined, everything you make will not taste like a pina colada. 

It has also replaced our butter spread and I use it when I make salad dressing, as well.  This is where coconut oil can get a little tricky...in warm temperatures, it will remain liquid, but as the temperature cools, coconut oil hardens.  This means you have to be conscious of taking the salad dressing out of the fridge a few minutes before serving dinner to ensure the oil is in liquid form and ready to pour.  This is not a big inconvienance and having coconut oil in my life makes it worth the few minutes of prep it sometimes takes.

Here are some great websites to reference if you'd like more information:
Tropical Traditions
Spectrum Organics
80 Uses for Coconut Oil
Unrefined vs. Refined

Less Dairy

Allowing coconut oil to take over my kitchen is also an attempt to limit the dairy in our lives.  We are not totally dairy free but drink no cow's milk (we love almond milk instead).  Having Celiac Disease, it is very likely that I have other food sensitivities and dairy is at the top of that list for me.  Since cutting cow's milk out of my diet as a drink, I have seen decreased bloating and a better belly condition overall.  They boys have not had milk since they were about two and three and taking them off not only helped with their appetites (they were filling up on milk and not eating) but also showed us a big improvement in allergy symptoms. 
Not sure if you should move away from dairy, as well?  Here's some articles that may help you decide.
Is Milk really good for humans? Decide for yourself.
The Milk Myth

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This post is a part of a series.  To catch up, read:
Day 9 of Turning Your Kitchen Upside Down: How to Grocery Shop Part 2