7 Ways to Eat More Coconut Oil

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7 Ways to Eat More Coconut Oil and Get the Benefits without Eating it Straight
Wellness Mama » Blog » Health » 7 Ways to Eat More Coconut Oil

I’ve written before about 101 ways to use coconut oil for everything from oil pulling to lotion to toothpaste. One question I often get asked is how to actually eat coconut oil, especially if you don’t like the taste…

The word is getting out about the health benefits of coconut oil, but especially for those just starting to use/consume it, trying to actually eat it can be a difficult task. For some people, eating too much at once can even cause upset stomach until the body adjusts.

For those who are trying to eat more coconut oil in their diets but have trouble with the taste or texture, here are a few of the ways we consume it without the taste or texture becoming too overpowering:

1. In Coffee or Hot Drinks

A way to supercharge coffee and make it healthy and great for your skin

One of my favorite ways to consume coconut oil daily is in a cup of hot coffee or tea each morning. The trick is to blend the mixture enough for the oil to emulsify, which creates a creamy and rich consistency and not an oily consistency (which I personally don’t like). Here is my recipe for healthy coconut oil coffee, and check out the unusual ingredient I add to make it even more creamy (and healthy).

2. In Smoothies

7 Ways to Eat More Coconut Oil

It’s easy to hide the taste and texture of coconut oil in a smoothie, though sometimes it can leave clumps. I actually like the little crunchy pieces of coconut oil, but for those trying to hide the texture, the trick is to melt the coconut oil until it is just barely melted an add slowly as the smoothie is already being blended so it emulsifies in and doesn’t clump.

We often add 1-2 tablespoons to a smoothie this way and the taste and texture aren’t noticeable.

3. Homemade Energy Bars

chocolate coconut granola bars

These are another kid favorite at our house. The kids love the taste and I like that they are packed with healthy fats and are a great natural source of energy.

Here is the recipe.

4. Coconut Butter Cups

Healthy Coconut Butter Cups Recipe

Just like the energy bars, these coconut butter cups are a favorite in our house. They are a little chocolate cup filled with coconut and coconut oil “butter” and can be flavored however you’d like.

Here is the recipe for Coconut Butter Cups.

5. Cooking and Stir Frys

fast and easy chicken and vegetable stir fry recipe

Coconut oil’s high smoke point and concentration of stable saturated fats makes it a good choice for stir frys and cooking. We often use coconut oil as the base oil to coat the pan when cooking eggs, stir frys and other pan-cooked dishes.

Many of the recipes on this page (especially the stir-frys) use coconut oil as a base.

6. In Baking Recipes

Grain free, gluten free blueberry crumble muffins

Coconut oil can substitute for butter in most baking recipes and can also replace margarine and vegetable oils in most cases. My recipe list has many recipes that use coconut oil to help you get started.

7. For Frying

easy and healthy coconut shrimp recipe

If you’re going to fry something, stable oils like coconut oil, tallow and lard are great choices. This coconut shrimp recipe is one of my favorites as the coconut oil adds to the coconut flavor of the recipe.

At our house, we use coconut oil for pretty much everything…

From a previous article:

What Kind of Coconut Oil?

For external uses, expeller pressed or other types of refined coconut oil will work, but for internal use, an unrefined virgin coconut oil is best. This book provides more information about the benefits of coconut oil and the difference in the types of coconut oil.

I also love that this company supports small family farms in the Philippines. We order in five-gallon pails, which is more expensive up-front but which saves a lot of money in the long term.

My husband and I both take about 4 tablespoons a day and the kids get a couple tablespoons in food, smoothies, or hot herbal tea.

Where to Get Coconut Oil?

I love this organic virgin and fair-trade coconut oil from Thrive Market (which is like Costco online but for healthy products). Their coconut oil is 40% off retail, which is the best price I’ve found for it online. And Thrive Market sells many of my favorite products at 30-50% off normal prices!

Free Coconut Oil Book for You

If you’ve never ordered coconut oil before, now is your chance to try it. When you order through this link, you will get a copy of the Virgin Coconut Oil Book which explains the story of how they discovered this high nutrient coconut oil and the many ways it can be used to support health. The book will be automatically added the first time your order.

Do you use coconut oil as much as me? How do you use it? Share below!

Coconut oil is beneficial for so many reasons but can be hard to eat if you don't like the taste. Eat more coconut oil by using in cooking, baking, stir-frys, in coffee and more.

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

158 responses to “7 Ways to Eat More Coconut Oil”

  1. mya Avatar

    Hello I am new to your blog and I’m at the point where I am on a natural journey I guess because I will be 30 soon and I have overall been struggling with some health issues. I have been struggling to lose weight despite eating properly and excercising. I also suffer from sweating especially at night I suspect that I have a hormone problem I can barely get doctors to take me serious but through reading your blog I am Inspired and motivated to heal and repair my body. Thank you

  2. Rabia Avatar

    Great article on coconut oil, it is indeed healthy, but people often ignore the fact that coconuts are produced in the tropical and South east Asia regions, where people consume coconut water, because the summers are very hot and humid, and it gives them instant hydration. Also, people in the tropics are way more active, eat little or no processed foods, or vegetable oils, have different metabolic rates, and therefore, can consume an oil rich in saturated fats.
    Bottom line, what works for people living in my region may not work for people living in the US and Europe, so it’s best to eat locally produced food that is more suitable for your lifestyle and weather conditions. Cheers!

  3. Olivia deveney Avatar
    Olivia deveney

    I am so excited reading all the post on coconut oil I used it on my toes on my feet .to help get shut of fungas .believe me it worked .I am delighted with the resu!ts .every mor I showered then put coconut oil on my toes .good results .olivia

  4. MICHELE Avatar
    MICHELE

    Can you eat Crisco Brand Coconut oil right out of the jar?Is this a decent Brand? Same benefits?It’s Organic /Virgin

    1. Margaret Avatar
      Margaret

      I have been using the Criso organic coconut oil for my skin and hair, but I just started ingesting it. I take it right out of the jar, and it tastes pretty good. I’ve only been ingesting it for a couple of days now, but so far so good.

  5. Andrea Avatar

    I haven’t done any research on this bit was just curious on your opinion. Do you think ingesting that much coconut oil every day does anything to your gut health since it is a natural antibacterial? Do you take a probiotic every day too?

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar

      I do take a probiotic daily as well, and eat tons of probiotic foods. I find that the coconut oil does not mess with the good bacteria.

  6. Michelle Cooper Avatar
    Michelle Cooper

    Hi,

    Im curious does the coconut oil good for arthris?

  7. Sue Avatar

    Sadly, I’m one of those people that gets really sick when I ingest straight coconut oil. It’s not a taste, smell or mental thing, it’s a gastro reaction. My stomach reacts very violently and I get huge cramps for about an hour. Not fun.

    Oh, I can and do enjoy coconut food in all its other forms, in fact, I love it as one of my favorite deserts – even raw coconut meat and water; straight from the coconut. Is there any way people like me can get our stomach to except coconut oil though? Maybe some trick, brand of oil or a side food I can eat with it to counter act the effects? HELP!

  8. Shea Avatar

    Hi, I was wondering about higher cholesterol levels due to higher coconut oil consumption. I recently had my annual doctor’s visit and blood work analyzed. They noted higher cholesterol level at 220 for a 24 year old female, although my good cholesterol was ok at 74. They attributed it to higher saturated fats in my diet. I started consuming 2-3 tbls. of coconut oil daily to balance my hormones per your blog. It totally helped but now I’m worrying about cholesterol levels. I also started to eat red meats again but only 1-2 times per month if at all. What are your thoughts? I love the hormone balancing effects including improved skin complexion that appears to be from coconut oil in my diet, but want to watch my cholesterol levels. Thank you and I love your blog!! It’s very well-balanced.

  9. cathy Avatar

    Have you ever had or heard of “magic shell”? It’s the chocolate ice cream syrup that hardens on your ice cream. The magic ingredient that makes it harden? You guessed it…coconut oil! As it hardens to a solid state below 76 degrees. There are easy recipes on the internet to make your own at home with a little chocolate syrup and coconut oil, yet another way to get a daily dose. Plus it’s bound to cost less than what the original product does in stores.

  10. Carol Bemis Avatar
    Carol Bemis

    I just saw my doctor today and told her I was using coconut oil (I take about 2 – 3 tbs a day). I’m not sure if she’s acquainted with the benefits of using coconut oil, but she was concerned about the fact that it was an oil and could cause weight gain….something I really need to monitor.

    Can I use coconut milk or water instead of oil. Do they have the same benefits as the oil.

    1. Angela Avatar

      No you can’t. Coconut oil helps with weight loss. Your doctor is uninformed.

    2. Angela Avatar

      I’m up to 6 tablespoons a day. I’ve read that you can take up to ten tablespoons in order to regulate hormones. Muy basal temperature Is rising!
      When I started I had to back off, because I was terribly sensitive. Now it doesn’t bother Madre anymore.

  11. TJ Avatar

    I have Crisco Organic Coconut Oil. It doesn’t say whether it is refined or unrefined, or whether or not it is virgin oil. Will I still receive the same health benefits?

    1. Vikki Avatar

      Most questions are answered about crisco’s coconut oil here:

      https://clearandwell.com/crisco-certified-organic-coconut-oil/

      It says at the bottom: We just heard back from Crisco about whether the coconut oil is refined and here’s what they said: It is expeller pressed, and then refined using a mechanical process that does not include the addition of any solvents or other chemicals.

  12. Amber Avatar

    Hello,

    I just found this beautiful site. Thanks Katie!!!

    I just bought my first coconut oil and have been doing the “Oil Pull” and must say WOW. I was suffering from inflamed gums before for about 2 weeks and brushing,flossing, and rinsing with mouth wash was killing me and making the issue worse. The day after I started “pulling” the inflammation was less. A week after it was completely gone and my gums feel great. I am not taking a small spoon full a day. I tried a TBS and had bowl issues( makes a great laxative, LOL).

    I do have a question though.

    What is the best form? refined or unrefined?

    Thanks again for all the hard work Katie. Wish there had been a site like this when I first became a mom 17 yrs ago. And thanks to everyone else with all the helpful comments.

  13. Paulette Hogan Avatar
    Paulette Hogan

    Just bought my first jar today! Looking forward to the benefits I keep hearing & reading about!

  14. Daniella Avatar

    Coconut oil is the best lube. It’s anti-bacterial, anti-viral, moisturizing, edible, smells good and gets absorbed into your body at the same time! I used to suffer from dryness and would get chronic yeast infections from the friction, and my doctor recommended using coconut oil as a “massage oil” and it has saved my life! Ladies, especially those that don’t produce enough moisture or have unbalanced PH levels, use coconut oil!!! The only thing is that you can’t use it with generic condoms because oil causes the breakdown of the rubber.

    Enjoy!

  15. Emma Taylor Avatar
    Emma Taylor

    Half no added sugar, crunchy peanut butter, half coconut oil, whip thoroughly. If you want a little sweetness add a few drops of Stevia. Put in a sterile jar or back in n the peanut butter jar if it’s now empty and store in fridge. Great on celery. Doesn’t stick to the roof of your mouth or on dentures like regular peanut butter. One way to feed it to kids is to crush up mints (the big powdery ones) and choc biscuits, mix half condensed milk and half coconut oil in til you can roll into a log and freeze. Then just cut off a slice here and there for a. Treat. Soon they will be more accustomed to the flavour.
    When cooking with coconut oil, using half ghee, half coconut oil can disguise the smell and taste. Try shallow frying some potato, sweet potato and honey slices in it to see how it caramelizes. You can now get coconut oil capsules.
    I know this is not health nut stuff but if you’re not accustomed to the flavour and you would like to be, then it’s a good way to begin.
    Blend 8 strawberries with 200 grams of neufchatel cheese and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to make a mousse that will set like cheesecake in the fridge.

  16. Mamtha Avatar

    what i the exact usage of coconut oil on a daily basis and how should it be consumed? Before meals, with meals or after meals..

  17. Annie Avatar

    I like to use coconut oil on my toast instead of butter. I can get about 1 tablespoon of the oil per piece of bread. I just don’t like the nasty oil residue left in my mouth after pulling.

    1. Anthony Avatar

      I love coconut oil on toast or toasted bagel instead of butter or cream cheese. I don’t notice the same oily “after feeling,” in fact I love the coconut oil’s aftertaste and usually makes me hungry for more.

  18. Tiffany Klepak Avatar
    Tiffany Klepak

    I have a liver disease and I have angsidey and I want to know out of all the stuff coconut oil does for u does it really work I have nervous leg sindrom can I still take this product

    1. Lisa Avatar

      This claims to be very beneficial for restless leg syndrome. Or nervous leg syndrome as you call it. It claims to actually help that affliction!

  19. Katie Avatar

    I have heard/read all the benefits of coconut oil. To include enriching breastmilk. Curious if anyone has had any increase in breastmilk production. Thoughts on this…?

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