Coconut oil is edible oil, which is extracted from the meat of matured fresh coconut fruit. It contains saturated fats that are good for sustaining overall human well-being. It is widely available to consumers in both non-refined and refined types. For cooking, refined coconut is beneficial as it provides numerous health benefits.
Refined coconut cooking oil is produced from coconut meat, which is filtered, dried, and then pressed into oil. In short, it is made from organic dried coconut fruit and no chemicals or additives are used in processing. Moreover, it is great for stir-frying veggies, cooking meat, and baking. Importantly, the whole process of refinement of coconut oil does not have any influence on medium-chain fatty acids and saturated fats.
Is Refined Coconut Cooking Oil a Good Choice for Health?
Yes, refined coconut cooking is a healthy choice as it contains the same nutritional value as unrefined oil regardless of the refinement process. It has a unique combination of fats, fatty acids, and antioxidants that magically provide diverse health benefits to the human body. It has antimicrobial, antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal effects that strongly protect the body from microbes. Furthermore, it is highly resistant to high heat, which makes it best for cooking, like the frying process. It has amazing advantages to overall health that ranges from fighting infection, protecting the immune system, and boosting metabolism.
What are the Health Benefits of Refined Coconut Cooking Oil?
Wondering about the health benefits of using refined coconut cooking oil? Let’s discover the numerous beneficial functions of coconut cooking oil to human overall health.
Healthy Fatty Acids
It contains medium-chain fatty acids, lauric acid, caprylic acid, and saturated fat that are great for human health. It helps in boosting heart health, raising good cholesterol, and encouraging the body to burn fats. Furthermore, the fatty acid goes to the liver, use as a source of energy, and then turns into ketones, which have powerful benefits in brain health.
Nurture Heart Health
Recent studies suggest that regular consumption of refined coconut cooking oil greatly improves the blood lipid profile. The diet made in coconut oil significantly raises good cholesterol and lowers bad cholesterol as compared to other cooking oils. It is also protective against various heart health risks.
Aids in Weight Loss
Many people out there gain weight as they consume more calories and use less energy for any activity. The fatty acids in refined coconut oil greatly control the appetite and burn more calories in the body.
Diminish Hunger
Recent studies also show that it may reduce hunger among people who eat food cooked in refined coconut cooking oil. The MCTs in coconut oil leave the people fuller after consuming food, which indirectly reduces hunger. The other reason may be that it metabolizes fats as ketones that lower the appetite level.
Helps with Fertility
Eating food cooked with coconut oil help in maintaining the pH of the body, which promotes vaginal health that is vital for fertility.
Support Digestion
The other benefit of coconut cooking oil is that it helps in the digestion of food and absorbs fat-soluble vitamins. It acts as a natural antiseptic that kills toxic bacteria, which fights stomach inflammation and poor digestion.
Aids in Liver Health
The food cooked with refined coconut cooking oil protects liver damage and cures urinary tract infections.
Boost Brain Function
It contains MCTs, which proves to be beneficial against Alzheimer’s disease that is a common cause of dementia. This coconut oil boosts brain function and treats a milder form of the disease.
Works for Diabetes
The refined coconut oil helps in lowering the obesity level in the human body, which fights insulin resistance. It greatly reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Antimicrobial Effect
It has a unique set of fatty acids that kills various deadly pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, or fungi in the GI tract. It also prevents inflammation and infection of the stomach.
What are the Different Ways to Consume Refined Coconut Cooking Oil?
Following are different ways to use refined coconut cooking oil;
For Cooking
It is preferably used in a pan. It can be used to stir-fry and saute the vegetable, chicken, fish, and egg.
For Baking
It can be used as an alternative to butter and applying on a pan while baking cookies or cakes. Moreover, it is consumed by drizzling it on chicken, fish, and vegetables.
In Tea and Coffee
It is also added to tea and coffee in a moderate amount.
How one can Know Whether the Cooking Oil is Refined or Not?
As we know, coconut oil comes in two forms virgin oil or refined. The main difference between virgin oil is that it is non-refined and refined oil is completely refined. Moreover, non-refined oil is composed of natural nutritional value and many people think the refinement process is terrible, but in reality, it is not the case.
Consistency and Color
The refinement process makes the coconut cooking oil more consistent as it filters out the solid particles of the coconut. The color of refined coconut oil is off-white with a little tint of yellow.
Flavor
The refined coconut oil uses high heat, which takes out the natural flavor of the coconut. It makes the coconut flavor neutral.
Aroma
This oil lacks the aroma of coconut as it is processed through refinement.
Source
The refined coconut oil is made from dried coconut, which is also known as copra. The refined oil is further processed without or with chemicals.
Conclusion
Although the benefits of refined coconut cooking oil are numerous as it contains essential nutrients. It may also improve the lipid profile, boost energy or endurance, aids in brain health, supports digestion, and work with weight loss. These health benefits are attributed because of high content of antioxidants, fats, and unique fatty acids. In conclusion, refined coconut cooking oil appears to be safe and improve health. For cooking, it is a better choice than virgin (unrefined) oil. Lastly but importantly, use this refined coconut cooking oil in moderate amounts.