Eat the right fat and stay slender.

Wait a second, isn’t fat fattening? Aren’t we suppose to eliminate fat when trying to lose weight? Aren’t we suppose to deprive ourselves of all those satisfyingly rich foods when we want to lose weight? That’s what "they" all tell us right? Well not completely right, here’s what the leading experts now know.

There is an oil that is not as fattening as most because it is immediately converted into energy, not stored in our bodies like most fats. There is a fat that stimulates our thyroid to function properly boosting your energy and raising your metabolic rate to aid in weight loss. There is a fat that will totally satisfy our taste buds so we won’t crave the sugars and unhealthy fats that are killing us in a nation wide epidemic.

Coconut Oil - that’s right - Coconut Oil.

But isn’t coconut oil one of those saturated fats that will lead to heart attacks? While it is true the Coconut oil is a saturated fat, there are important facts that have been ignored. Coconut oil is a medium chain fatty acid (MCFA) that unlike the long chain fatty oils that are everywhere in our diet, won’t cause our arteries to clog up. It is kind of like how scientists have grouped fruits. A tomato is a fruit and so is a banana. They are both a fruit but are they the same? No, of course not. That is the same with oils. Beef fat is saturated fat, so is butter, so is coconut oil. Are they the same? No. They are very different on a cellular level and the way they react in our bodies is completely different. This is probably new to most Americans but this is what you need to understand.

Our bodies need fat for a healthy metabolism - good fat that is. It is like putting oil in your car. You know what your car sounds like when you run out of oil - please, don’t do this to your car, it is not pretty. Good fat is necessary for our body to function on all levels. We have all heard of Omega 3, 6 and 9 oils as being essential for a healthy body. We have known for a long time about the benefits of vitamin E. Now we need to know about medium chain fatty acids (MCFA’s) and how they benefit our body.

MCFA’s digest immediately to produce energy - they are never stored in our body. Therefore when we eat them we gain energy instead of feeling lethargic and heavy. They help our thyroid function better therefore stimulating our metabolic rate. Everyone knows that exercise increases our metabolism and how beneficial that is. The same holds true for MCFA’s and it continues to stimulate the metabolic rate for 24 hours after eating it. Since your body needs good fat to function, if you deprive it of fat, it will crave it and the most accessible fats are the notorious saturated and trans fats that we should be avoiding. Including MCFA’s in your diet will automatically reduce or even eliminate your cravings for fattening food and sweets. Sound good? Coconut oil is the best source of MCFA’s. Are you ready to start using coconut oil in your diet?

First, you should try to get 3 ½ tbsp of coconut oil a day to really feel the health benefits but you want to work up to this over time. Start with 1 tbsp and see how your body reacts. I have a sensitive digestive tract and it took three months for me to work up to the full amount so listen to your body.

Coconut oil solidifies at room temperature. My husband takes 3 ½ tablespoons of this hard oil and chases it down with some juice. I can’t do this so I warm up some coconut oil to get it to a liquid form. Then I mix it with some pineapple juice with a hand mixer. Then I drink it quickly or else it will solidify again. This way, I can’t taste the oil at all but I still get all of the benefits.

Then start using coconut oil any time you would use vegetable oil. It is the best oil for cooking since heat does not destroy it. You can also use it in baking instead of butter. It will not work if you are making butter cookies but for everything else, it will be fine. I use it all the time to make my famous chocolate chip cookies that my children can’t get enough of.

See our recipe page for some great recipes using coconut oil

Strawberry smoothie:

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup strawberries

1 scoop protein powder

1 tbsp of coconut oil (in a liquid state)

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

blend in a blender until smooth. Add more strawberries if you want it to be colder or a frozen banana if you want it to be more of a milkshake consistency. Drink immediately. Yum, Yum.

Blueberry smoothie:

1 cup coconut milk

½ frozen banana

½ cup frozen blueberries

1 scoop of protein powder

1/4 tsp almond extract

1 tbsp liquid coconut oil

Mix in a blender until smooth and drink immediately.

Last but not least - my home made granola:

7 cups of rolled oats (plain not quick - organic if you can)

4 cups of puffed rice (try kamut or millet if you want)

½ cup sunflower seeds

1 cup date pieces

1 cup of chopped almonds (you could try walnuts instead)

1 cup shredded coconut

½ cup sesame seeds

1 cup coconut oil (warm to a liquid state)

½ cup honey

½ cup raw sugar (date or turbinado)

1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1 tbsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

In a large mixing bowl, mix the first seven ingredients (dry ingredients). Then in a separate bowl, blend the rest of the ingredients (wet ingredients). Pour the wet ingredients on the dry ingredients and mix together using a large wooden spoon.

Spread mixture evenly on a cookie sheet.

Bake for ten minutes then turn over mixture with a spatula. Bake another ten minutes and turn again. Do this one more time if you like your granola chewy. If you like your granola crunchy, then repeat the process of bake and turn for a total of five times.

Allow mixture to cool completely, then store in an air tight container. Serve for breakfast with your favorite milk or yogurt and fresh fruit. Add some more raw sunflower seeds and freshly ground flax seed for added nutrition.

This granola is packed with fiber, coconut oil, health and goodness. It will give you so much energy - you might be able to skip the coffee!

I am not a doctor, scientist or a nutritionist. I am a wife, mom and a chef. I learn through experience. I have seen coconut oil change the life of my husband dramatically. It has benefitted my whole family to some degree. Give it a try and experience first hand what it can do for you.