As promised, and without further adieu, I present to you a how to guide on getting coconut oil into your bod pod. I’ve already posted how its changed my life in the beauty department so now let’s talk about health.
Coconut oil has amazing health benefits. It’s actually a superfood. That is one of my favorite words. That means a whole lot of goodness is headed your way. It has lauric and caprylic acids, which kill bacteria, viruses, fungi, and yeast and, in turn, boost the immune system. Now there’s saturated fat in it and lots of it. But relax, here’s why you don’t need to care about that…The fat contained in coconut oil is Medium Chain Triglycerides. If this sounds like a complicated scientific term, that’s because it is. To break it down for you, it’s a healthy fat. It is metabolized differently than those long chain icky ones that are found in junk food. If you don’t trust me, go ahead and do some research to ease your pretty little head.
The first time that I took the plunge and actually ate (or in this case drank), coconut oil I had about a half a tablespoon in my green shake in the morning. Then another half a tablespoon at night in tea. I didn’t really notice anything different at first except perhaps feeling fuller a bit longer than usual. The next morning when I was brushing my teeth I looked in the mirror and noticed that my complexion looked different. Amazing different. My skin looked hydrated but not oily. It looked perfect actually. Like you see in face wash commercials. I wanted to do that thing where they splash the water on their face in slow motion. It was THAT good. I had never seen my skin like that. It was so soft and smooth. I’m not sure exactly how it happened but I have to believe it had something to do with the oil. Unless a magical, anti pimple, skin perfecting angel blessed my face when I was sleeping? Maybe.
So I continued on my quest of ingesting coconut oil. My skin started glowing. I actually had a complete stranger tap me on the shoulder and ask me about my skincare routine while on line at Target. Now, to give full disclosure, I will say that I eat a pretty clean diet so I’m sure that has a lot to do with it. Before I switched to a mostly plant based diet, my skin was pretty much skin of a hormonal teen. Switching my diet was a huge step in the right direction for my skin, but I saw an even bigger improvement when I started the coconut oil regimen.
Here’s the deal…the consistency is vile in its waxy form, which is what it will be like at room temp unless you are in a really warm room. Like hot yoga warm or on the beach or something. I insist you NEVER try to just take a big old heap on a spoon and shove it in your pie hole. It does not taste like pie. It doesn’t taste bad, it just won’t end well. But there are plenty of ways to get this stuff down the hatch. Here are some of my favorite ways…
Cook with it. You can use it in place of any oil you cook with. It has an extremely high smoke point at 350 degrees. Keep in mind that it does have a coconut flavor. It’s not very intense but is great for sautéing and even better for baking. To use in baking, you will need to melt it. Some people put it in the microwave. DON’T. You will destroy all the good stuff you’re trying to get from it. It melts on contact with skin so it doesn’t take much heat. I’ve found the easiest way to melt it is to get a very small mason jar or other type of air tight jar and put the oil in that. Then just drop it in a bowl of hot water. If its warm out and you have some time just put the jar in the sun and it will melt pretty quickly. Don’t melt it until your ready to mix it in or it will solidify again. It can be a tricky bastard like that.
Blend it. One of the best ways to eat coconut oil is to toss it right in your smoothie. If you don’t have a high speed blender it will solidify in small waxy balls if you have something cold in it like yogurt or ice. I don’t mind it but it may be less than appealing to some. If you do have a high speed blender (Vitamix or similar), you won’t even know its in there. You don’t have to melt it first.
Tea I love me some herbal tea. You can melt a good tablespoon into your hot tea. The melted oil will float on the top and you can just sip it off. My favorite tea is Echinacea with a little raw honey and some ginger grated in. The coconut gives this a really great smoothed out flavor. Any tea you prefer would also work fine.
So how much? One to three tablespoons a day is the goal. Now don’t go effing crazy and dump three tablespoons in your smoothie the first day. Here’s why…It will make you nauseous. You will want to die. You will need to lay down and feel like you want the sweet angel of death to have mercy on your soul. Okay I’m exaggerating… but really it’s not good. Your stomach will hurt and you’ll feel awful. Ease into it. Try a half a tablespoon and gradually add more.
The same rules apply when buying coconut oil whether you’re ingesting it or using on your skin. UNREFINED and COLD PRESSED coconut oil is the only type you should buy. Any brand is fine as long as you follow those two criteria. Here is an example… .
I like to buy a large mouth, shallow mason jar and put oil in that and keep it in the bathroom to use for my skin and keep the rest in the jar in the kitchen. No need to be putting my fingers in the same jar I’m eating from. Vom.
Haven’t read The Holy Grail aka Coconut Oil? Click here see more coconut oil magic!
Already using coconut oil?? Reply below and tell me how it’s going! Also, have any questions you want answered?? Comment or email me at nikki@greensypants.com! Don’t forget to follow on twitter so you know when there’s new greensypants info to soak in!
Til next post…
Smooches,
Nikki
greensypants 