# 5 Organic Obsession- Organic Coconut Oil

I discovered organic coconut oil about 9 months ago and have been using it non stop ever since.  I absolutely LOVE this stuff!  The flavor is amazing and can be cooked with in many dishes and especially baked goods.  It also has much better health benefits than butter.
Now, don't get me wrong, coconut oil is made up of primarily fats just like avocados, just like butter, and just like olive oil.  Now the main difference between these listed items is the good fat vs bad fat argument.  Saturated Fats are NOT all chemically the same. There are long, medium ,and short chain saturated fats. Our bodies utilize Medium chain fatty acids, like coconut oil, more quickly for energy. They are great for endurance athletes and those trying to "jump start" their metabolism.Coconut oil is also GREAT for your hair, skin, and nails.  I also give it to my dog who has sensitive dry skin and used to scratch herself a lot.  1 tbsp a day was all it took and now, no more scratching!  I just put it in her bowl and she just licks it up, no need to mix it with anything.

Deal Scenario:
Amazon.com  Be sure to use the subscribe & save option and set it to send you a new 2-pack every 6 months, that's what I have.  It doesn't matter what brand you get as long as it's ORGANIC and NON-REFINED. i.e. make sure it says extra virgin.  You want the purest coconut oil for the best health benefits, the least processing possible!

Replace This:
Use coconut oil instead of butter and/or shortening!  I use this to bake ALL THE TIME!!  I started out by doing 1/2 butter and 1/2 coconut oil and the faint coconut taste added a world of flavor my chocolate chip cookies and I felt much better about eating them afterwards :-)  I have started using ONLY coconut oil in my recipes but found that I only need to use about 80% of what the recipe calls for in order to get the same effect as using pure butter.

You can also try to make some ethnic recipes like Thai Coconut Curry.  The boyfriend makes his special Thai red curry with coconut milk AND coconut oil.  The coconut oil adds the little drops of fat that you always see floating around in soup and it makes it taste so delicious!  The sweet taste of coconut with the spicy curry is an awesome combination :-) We eat it with organic brown bismati rice

For the pet lovers out there, check out my previous post on "10 reasons why you should feed your pet coconut oil" or my "Raw Food Diet Recipe" post which includes organic coconut oil!