Coconut oil: The Multi Purpose Oil

To me, a nutrition expert, coconut oil is old news, but apparently to some it is still new. You have probably already seen articles on coconut oil and all its uses, but for those of you who still wonder why its the latest trend, then this is for you.

I was recently asked by a family friend, what the deal was on coconut oil. I explained to her how it is healthy to ingest but also good to use on many other things, which makes this purchase multi purposeful.

Good Fat: There are good fats and bad fats in food. Some people still think that all fat is bad and that isn’t the case, they believe that eating fat causes you to gain fat in your body. In a bad fat, yes that fat will go straight to your fat storage and cause you to gain weight. Examples of a bad fat would be anything deep fried, and trans fats such as margarine’s. Eating good fat on the other hand will help build brain cells, help to transfer hormones through your body, and protect the outer layer of every cell in your body. Coconut oil is a good fat and therefore should be consumed.

Cooking: Coconut oil is one of the few healthy oils that can be heated. Now I know most of you are going to say, but I already use Olive oil so I’m good. WRONG! Olive oil is actually not suppose to be heated, when it is heated the molecules change and it becomes a trans fat. I use coconut oil for all of my cooking needs, such as stir-fry’s and baking.

Beauty: Half of my coconut oil goes to cooking but the other half goes to my bathroom. I love to use this oil on my outsides as much as my insides, I use it as a moisturizer, applying it to my dry hands and lips in the winter. It makes an amazing conditioner for your hair, add a tsp-tbsp (depending on how much hair you have) to your hair, concentrating on the ends. Leave in for 5-10 mins and then wash out, when you add too much though it can leave your hair greasy looking, but it is super moisturizing and is the only oil that can penetrate through your hair. The last thing that I love to use it in is a bath. Add a tablespoon of it to a hot bath with essential oils, soak in it for 20 mins and it will leave your skin feeling amazing.

There are so many other uses for coconut oil, these are just a couple of my favourites. If you have not already bought a jar of this oil, you should definitely give it a chance. You can find it at any local grocery store or any local health food store.