Guest Blog: Healthy Cookie

Cuckoo for coconut... oil!

Have you heard the latest craze about "healthy oils"? Well in case you haven't, doctors and health professionals have recommended a daily intake of two servings of "healthy" oils every day. These oils include common ones such as olive oil and canola oil, but there are also less popular ones like grape seed and coconut oil. 

One of my friends has started to carry around coconut oil in her purse. She swears by it, so I decided to see what all the fuss was about and picked up two jars of it at my local Whole Foods. Why two? One for the kitchen and one for the body.

Coconut Oil for the Body:

It's pretty much become my go-to for just about everything. I slather it on for the following:

• Dry elbows/knees
• Cracked heels (put on before bed and then cover with socks - silk in the morning)
• Sunburn (melts onto your skin and your pores suck it up)
• Dry hair (coat the end of your hair and tie it up for an hour or so, then rinse out)
• Makeup remover (dab a little bit onto a cotton swab, and wipe away the day)

Coconut Oil for the Kitchen:

While some people just swallow a spoonful, I wouldn't recommend this as the texture is very strange. I usually melt it in the microwave and then use it for:

• Sauteeing (use it instead of olive oil or canola oil for cooking vegetables)
• Smoothies (it will get hard as a rock once it hits something cold, but as long as you're using a blender it'll grind up well)
• Popcorn (use this kind of oil instead of the typical greasy kind)

I should warn you that coconut oil did once have a bad rep because it is high in saturated fat, but this fat increases levels of good HDL (high-density lipoprotein) and bad LDL (low-density lipoprotein) in the blood, but is not thought to negatively affect the overall ratio of the two. The new federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that no more than 10 percent of total dietary calories a day come from saturated fat. For a 2000-calorie diet, that's about 20 grams. [Read more HERE.]

So don't wait, get yourself a jar of coconut oil. It can be found at Whole Foods and health stores. And if you're interested in larger quantities, there are several web sites that sell it. The key is to look for virgin oil so that you know nothing else is mixed with it.

Now go ahead, go cuckoo for coconut oil!

For more information on healthy oils, visit this link: wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/guides/oils.php

by Cookie M., Contributor