How to Eat Coconut Oil For the Best Health Benefits

Paleo Diet Cookbook :

If I ask you to recommend a recipe using coconut cream, you probably thought of curry. What if I change it to coconut oil, what recipe comes to your mind then? Indeed, both provide similar nutritional and health benefits but coconut oil provides stronger health benefits due to its concentrated healthful components.

How to Eat Coconut Oil For the Best Health Benefits

This nourishing fat protects you against heart disease (yes, contrary to what we're led to believe), diabetes, cancers, liver and kidney diseases, osteoporosis, dental decay and skin infections, viruses, yeast and fungi. It does wonders to your skin and hair too. And an excellent tool to help you lose that excess body fat.

Let's take a look at how you can eat coconut oil to reap its full health benefits.

Raw Coconut-Flavored Diets

Salad Dressing - Dribble the oil over your favorite salads to enhance the aroma and texture. But when you serve chilled salads, it's best to mix the oil with olive oil to help lower coconut oil's melting point so it won't solidify easily when in contact with chilled salads.

Spread - I love to spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of the flavorful tropical oil on two slices of wholemeal bread with a generous sprinkle of ground flaxseeds. It's a simple yet appetizing spread with high nutritional values.

Cooking with Coconut Oil to Reap Health Benefits

Sauteing, stir-frying and deep-frying - Coconut oil can withstand cooking temperature up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 degrees Celsius) without breaking down into toxic substances or releasing free radicals due to its very stable saturated fat structure. Basically, you can cook anything and in any way you want as long as you don't overheat it.

No matter what kind of oil, once overheated, will produce toxic by-products that can cause cancers. How do you know if you've overheated the oil? Look out for this telltale sign - it starts to smoke.

Also, foods deep-fried in it don't absorb as much oil as in other vegetable oils. So, you don't have to worry about ingesting excessive coconut oil that may turn into your fat deposits and leave an oily aftertaste when reaping its health benefits.

Baking - Learn to substitute butter, vegetable oil and shortening with coconut oil in baking as it adds sweet-smelling coconut fragrance to baked goods. As a guide, use three-quarter cup of the oil to replace 1 cup of shortening. Don't worry about setting the oven temperature at slightly above its smoke point. The moisture in the food will keep the inside temperature well below 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius).

Adding to Beverages

You can simply mix it in your hot beverage, be it tea, coffee, hot chocolate or hot soup. Though it doesn't mix well and float on the surface, it won't taste oily or leave an oily aftertaste in your mouth. In fact I enjoy the rich coconut taste in my drink very much.

Eating Coconut on Its Own for Health Benefits

I recommend a daily dosage of 3 1/2 tablespoons of coconut oil for greater health benefits for adults when you prefer to eat the oil on its own. But it'll be fine if you keep to just 1 or 2 tablespoons daily.

I'm merely giving you some ideas over here to help you obtain coconut oil's health benefits. You can in fact, generate more ideas when you explore cookbooks and recipes, create your own recipes, and learn from your friends.

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1000 Calorie Diet Menu and Meal Plan

Paleo Diet Cookbook :

One good way to reduce weight is to lose calories. This is done by taking in fewer calories than what we usually consume. This will eventually lead to weight loss. But we should also make sure that we are giving our body the right amount of calories, else the body metabolism will sputter and may lead to unforeseen complications.

1000 Calorie Diet Menu and Meal Plan

There are a lot of diet plans that offer you reduced amount of calorie intake. A 1000 calorie diet plan is one such very low calorie diet plan.Be cautioned that 1000 calories a day will be suitable for people who exercise minimally and this diet plan is only for a short time frame. This diet plan should not be continued for more than three days in a row. This is a very low level of calories diet plan so always consult your doctor before embarking on a 1000 calorie diet plan. This diet plan provides us with so few calories that it might be impossible to meet the nutritional demands of the body with this plan. This plan is generally recommended by doctors when obesity has become a threat to life itself or as a preparation for a surgery. Therefore only after you doctor approves of your plan you should follow this diet. Also make sure that you drink lots of water when following this diet plan and keep your body well-hydrated.

USDA Recommendations:

The USDA recommends the following proportions for a 1000 calorie diet so that it allows proper nutrition while also contributing to weight loss. One cup of fruits and vegetables, 3 ounces of grains, 2 ounces of meat and beans, 2 cups of milk, 3 teaspoons of oil and 165 discretionary calories of your choice as the ideal diet plan. Also drink as much water and zero calories beverages as you like to make sure that your body gets the necessary fluids.

Sample Diet Plan:

Sample 1:

Breakfast:

The breakfast should primarily consist of cereal and bananas. Typically you can have a cup of cereal, a cup of skimmed milk and a small size banana.

Morning Snack:

The morning snack can contain one cup of skimmed milk blended with quarter of a cup of frozen strawberries.

Lunch:

Typically the lunch is composed of sandwich and fresh fruit. 2 slices of whole wheat bread, 3 ounces of lean meat, 1 plum, lettuce, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. You can also have chopped onions, mushrooms, olives and sprouts.

Afternoon snack:

You can enjoy any food you like but it should amount to 50 calories. Typically cottage cheese worth 50 calories can be consumed as an afternoon snack.

Dinner:

Dinner should consist of one cup of shredded lettuce, half a cup of your favorite beans, one flour tortilla shell, rice worth 75 calories and one slice of low fat mozzarella cheese.

You can have a cup of strawberries as a bedtime snack.

Herbal teas and water and zero calorie beverages should be consumed all through the day.

Sample 2:

Breakfast:

Apple oatmeal is the best nutritious and low calories breakfast that you can think of. This will also provide you with the energy that you require for the whole day. Apple oatmeal is prepared using half a cup of water, three quarters a cup of skimmed milk, 1/3 cup of oatmeal, half an apple and quarter a teaspoon of cinnamon.

Snack:

You can have a handful of the nuts of your choice but make sure that they are not salted. Typical nuts that you can consume include almonds, walnuts, brazil nuts etc..

Lunch:

A scrambled egg toast made from a large egg, a slice of whole wheat bread, one table spoon of skimmed milk and half a oz of low fat shredded cheese.

Dinner:

Dinner should consists of 2 cups of shredded lettuce, 6 cherry tomatoes, half avocado, half a cup of sliced red pepper, one thinly slice onion, one table spoon of low fat dressing and 2 oz chopped chicken.

Having said all that, 1000 calories is a very low calorie intake and should be used only as a starter for weight loss or as a cleansing diet. This diet is also recommended when you need to rebalance your digestive system after a bout of unhealthy eating. But always get the doctor or a professional health expert's approval before starting with this diet plan. As this diet is so calorie deficit, special attention should be placed on the nutritional value of the ingredients of your diet plan to make sure that you get the proper nutrition content during the days your dieting with this diet plan.

An unhealthy body will lead to a number of complications and will not lose weight effectively. So be sure that you are consuming enough nutrients to maintain your healthy body.

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Paleo Diet - Can We Eat What Our Ancestors Ate?

Paleo Diet Cookbook :

Way back in the day, the Paleolithic era ran from around 3.5 million years ago until about 10,000 years B.C. The latter was the dawn of agriculture and humans moved away from being hunter gatherers (for the most part) and towards becoming tillers of the land. In our modern age, our food tends to be more processed, and therefore, often less nutritious.

Paleo Diet - Can We Eat What Our Ancestors Ate?

There has been a trend towards organic, natural, or locally grown produce and grass-fed meat animals, and when we cook we use single ingredients and fresh herbs. The Paleo diet usually consists of fish, vegetables, nuts, fruit, roots, and meat from grass-fed animals. Most dairy products, grains, salt, refined sugar, legumes, and processed oils are excluded.

Several small studies show positive health outcomes if consuming a Paleo diet from our pre-agriculture days and there is a big movement towards humanely-raided and grass-fed food animals, and locally grown and organic produce. Because of the increasing numbers of both health food stores, natural food stores, and farmers' markets, most of these types of foods are abundant. A good cookbook for the Paleo diet helps vary the menu for people new to this way of eating.

The Paleo diet is a way of living, as well as eating. Superfoods play a major part in this food plan as they are nutritionally dense and they offer many health benefits, as well as having fewer calories and no side effects, like some supplements do. Emphasis is placed on vegetables and fruit which is low glycemic, so this diet may also benefit diabetics. Of course, checking with your health provider is always a good idea, and especially if you are diabetic.

Not allowed on the Paleo diet are soy, wheat, dairy, gluten and legumes. Portion control is important and it can be adjusted according to your health, how much exercise you get, and existing health conditions. This diet is one where locally grown produce and grass-fed meat animals are consumed, and it's definitely one that our ancestors would more than likely have used. Aside from the common or garden beef or chicken, you can also eat lamb and bison and organ meats.

Both the Atkins diet and the Paleo diet have similarities, as well as some differences. The Paleo is anti-inflammatory, gut healing and anti-autoimmune. In Atkins, the diet guidelines allow for processed food and artificial sweeteners and these can be over consumed. Caffeine is not allowed and this could be a hard thing for some people to give up.

If in doubt about a food which is allowed on the diet or not, always think - was it around over ten thousand years ago?

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The Paleo Dieter Eats Breakfast

Paleo Diet Cookbook :

Breakfast is fairly easy to do Paleo - with plenty of eggs and meats to choose from, making a scramble is quick and easy. One of my favorites I call the Frasier breakfast - tossed salad and scrambled eggs (from the Frasier Show theme song).

The Paleo Dieter Eats Breakfast

Another way is to take leftover veggies and sauté them then add your beaten eggs. Either let them set-up (or stick under the broiler) for frittata or stir them up for a paleo version of Migas.

If you eat bacon or ham (with no nitrates, from organically feed animals), you can fry up the meat and cook eggs in the fat. Very tasty!

And, there's always the power smoothie:

Packed with good fats, proteins, antioxidants and flavor, very satisfying and will keep you going for hours. The possibilities are plentiful; don't limit yourself to the basic egg white protein powder and banana. You can throw into the blender:

Coconut milk, usually a whole can, some coconut cream if you want extra calories and flavor.

Add any whole fresh or frozen fruit. I like frozen berries either mixed or individuals: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries even cranberries (very tangy). The berries add lots of color to the smoothie and antioxidants.

Add one or two whole raw eggs. Don't worry about raw if you use free range, naturally fed organic eggs. Try some duck or ostrich eggs if you can get them from your local co-op or farmer's market. The eggs add protein and fat.

Or, add a spoonful of your favorite nut butter. It will add a subtle taste of the nut to the finished smoothie. If you want crunchy, add the whole nut instead.

Add a spoon of pure vanilla extract and, there you go!

This is a pretty simple recipe, but it's tasty, quick and powerfully good for you.

But let's be honest; sometimes you really miss pancakes. So here's a way to stay paleo and have your (pan) cakes too!

The Paleo Diet Quick Pancake Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 Large eggs
½ Cup Cashew Nut Butter
¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon
½ Cup Apple Sauce (sugarless)
½ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Coconut oil

Directions:

Combine ingredients 1 - 5 in a bowl and stir the mixture until smooth.

Add a little coconut oil to a frying pan - just enough to lightly cover the bottom. Turn the heat on medium. When the oil starts to pop (or a drop of water dances on the surface), pour the batter and spread it into a pancake shape.

Cook for a minute or two, until the edges start to brown and flip to fry the other side.

Serve with a Paleo-friendly topping of your choice (I prefer Blueberries warmed and mashed into a spread) and enjoy!

Add a Paleo breakfast beverage if you're really hungry.

Paleo Vaninut Milk Recipe:

Ingredients:

4 Cups of That Coconut Water
1 Cup Raw Almonds
A pinch of sea salt (if you still use salt)
Seeds from 1Vanilla Bean
¼ Cup of Agave Nectar or honey equivalent.

Directions:

Put the coconut water and almonds in a blender and run on high until the mixture looks smooth. Use a nut-milk bag or cheesecloth and strain the mixture, disposing of the pulp.

Return the strained milk mixture to the blender and add the sea salt, vanilla bean seeds, and agave nectar and blend at high speed until smooth.

Want more quick, easy and tasty paleo recipes? Visit The Paleo Dieter blog.

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