Coconut oil?

[whitewithtwo]

I'm new to low carb/paleo eating and I keep seeing coconut oil mentioned for cooking, what's the theory behind this? I usually use olive or rapeseed oil, should I be switching to coconut? Also where is best to buy it? My local supermarket has some but it's £6 for a tiny jar and my budget doesn't stretch to that!

I'm not really an expert on coconut oil but I have read quite a lot about its benefits and people do rave about it. My budget is tight too so I get the LucyBee one from Sainsburys which is £6 for 300gr.

I use mine mainly as a supplement and I put a tablespoonful into each division of an ice cube tray and put it in the fridge to harden before tipping them out into jars. I have a cube with my morning coffee and its easy just to grab one from the jar. I'm not crazy about it in cooking. Its lovely for frying off spices and onions etc in a curry and I don't mind it for cooking courgettes or frying off blanched, green beans but that's about my limit. Makes a great hair conditioner too!

From what I've read its supposed to be a really healthy fat with lots of other health benefits. I lost most of my weight before I ever heard about it so if your budget wont stretch then just continue to follow your plan and you'll be fine. Don't beat yourself up over it just because the paleo community are raving over it. You'll do just as well with olive oil and some grass fed butter.

Thanks miffy, that's very helpful, I think I'll stick with what I'm doing for now then and see how I get on. I didn't know you could put it on your hair, i might have to buy a jar to try that out

There is no evidence that coconut oil is healthier than any other oil. Its an internet myth spread by someone who was trying to sell it on his website and was told to remove the claims by the FDA because he couldnt substantiate them.
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Coconut oil is often used by people eating paleo as a replacement for butter. Rapeseed oil isn't ideal for paleo/primal eating because it contains polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Olive oil isn't recommended for cooking in paleo/primal diets because of its smoke point so you don't want to heat it to high temperatures so coconut oil is a popular substitution. The 'myth' of coconut oil (no idea whether it's true or not) is that because it contains medium-chain triglycerides: these apparently cannot be stored by the body so coconut oil gives you a burst of energy as it has to be used up immediately.