The Best Coconut Oil Recipes You Need To Try (2024)

FAQs

What is the biggest risk from adding coconut oil to your diet? ›

Increased risk of heart disease and stroke

Coconut oil is full of saturated fat, which can raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol and your chances of cardiovascular disease and stroke. The American Heart Association recommends you to eat low-saturated fat foods and use healthier oils when you cook.

According to dermatologists, it's better to use unrefined coconut oil, specifically one that's been cold-pressed, not expeller-pressed. Cold-pressed coconut oil is thought to contain more nutrients than expeller-pressed, so using the former is more beneficial when it comes to skin care.

There's no need to refrigerate coconut oil. It'll last a long time—up to two years—in your pantry. Just keep the lid on tight. Depending on how warm it gets where you live, your oil might go from solid to liquid in the jar.

Coconut oil for skin has been known to help reduce dark spots, soothe facial redness and help to fix an uneven skin tone. As one of the benefits of coconut oil for skin is that it helps to increase the natural production of collagen, this helps to improve skin elasticity for firmer skin.

If you're using 100% pure, no additives coconut oil, you can use it on your hair, or for cooking.

The general rule is that coconut oil will last for up to two years if properly stored. However, the shelf life depends on what type of coconut oil you have on hand. Virgin or extra-virgin coconut oil, also called unrefined coconut oil, is made from fresh coconut meat, or copra. It has a shelf life of up to five years.

High cholesterol: Coconut oil contains a type of fat that can increase cholesterol levels. Regularly eating meals containing coconut oil can increase levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol. This might be a problem for people who already have high cholesterol.

For those at risk of or who already have heart disease, the AHA advises no more than 6% of total calories from saturated fat, or about 13 grams based on a 2,000-calorie diet. One tablespoon of coconut oil comes close to that limit, with about 12 grams of saturated fat.

Allergy to coconut oil or related plants: Coconut might cause serious allergic reactions in people who are allergic to coconut oil, coconut palm pollen, components of coconut, or other members of the Arecaceae plant family. High cholesterol: There is concern that eating coconuts might increase cholesterol levels.

When should you not use coconut oil? ›

Coconut oil works as a moisturizer for your body, especially if you have dry skin. But that may not be the case for your face. Dr. Wu notes that it's generally not recommended to use coconut oil on your face because it's highly comedogenic (in other words, it's a pore clogger).

This is similar to other popular cooking oils. The problem with coconut oil is that up to 90% of its fat content is saturated fat. That's the type of fat that raises LDL or “bad” cholesterol. LDL cholesterol collects in your blood vessels and raises your risk of having a heart attack or a stroke.

Coconut oil has become increasingly popular among people following the high-fat, very-low-carb ketogenic diet. Adding it to your coffee can help you reach or maintain ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body uses ketones — molecules produced from fat breakdown — as fuel instead of glucose, a type of sugar ( 1 ).

The clear winner in this matchup is olive oil. That is because it is rich in good fat (polyunsaturated fat) and low in bad fat (saturated fat). Coconut oil contains 80 to 90 percent saturated fat. According to the experts, a tablespoon of coconut oil contains about six times as much saturated fat as olive oil.

Olive oil is a better choice for your health than coconut oil. Its health benefits are supported by more scientific evidence. It may lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers, and it is better suited for deep-frying.

Olive oil has more health benefits, such as lowering LDL cholesterol and the risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and even some cancers. Extra virgin olive oil boasts a higher smoke point than coconut oil, making it suitable for deep-frying, baking and general high-heat cooking.

The healthiest oil to cook with is olive oil. It's versatile, being used in everything from frying to finishing. It's also rich in healthy fats, antioxidants, and polyphenols, all of which have shown protective effects against cancer and liver, heart, and neurodegenerative diseases (27, 28).