Are you looking for a good coconut oil substitute? Coconut oil is a popular healthy fat added to many different foods. However, some people experience negative side effects when consuming coconut oil. Let’s take a look at a few coconut oil alternatives.
What is Coconut Oil?
It’s no surprise that coconut oil comes from pressing the white “meat” that is inside coconuts. This produces an oil that has a high amount of saturated fat. However, coconut oil is packed with a special fat called medium-chain triglycerides (MCT). This special fat has many health benefits. This is why coconut oil is generally considered a healthy fat source and is often used to supplement keto diets.
The liver quickly turns MCT oil into ketones when you’re in ketosis. That is why coconut oil is very popular on low-carb diets, but coconut oil has several other benefits.
Civilizations that rely on eating high amounts of coconut are associated with healthier hearts. This suggests that coconut oil is heart-healthy. Coconut oil can also help encourage fat burning because of the high content of MCT. Coconut oil is thought to have anti-microbial effects. It can help to reduce hunger and raise good cholesterol.
Coconut oil has also benefited skin, hair, and teeth. That is why you will find many health and beauty products containing coconut oil. Finally, coconut oil has been studied to show improvements in cognitive ability.
What are the side effects of Coconut Oil?
Coconut oil sounds great. It’s a healthy fat to add to your diet. However, some people experience negative side effects when they eat coconut oil. One of the most common side effects is gastrointestinal distress. Eating coconut oil can cause some people to have diarrhea. Sometimes this goes away after your body gets used to eating coconut oil, but for some people, it never does.
For some people, coconut oil can cause acne outbreaks, throat irritation, heart palpitations, anxiety, insomnia, and night sweats. These are some serious side effects, and you should stop using coconut oil if you experience these.
How do you get the health benefits of coconut oil if you experience these side effects? You need to look into coconut oil alternatives. Let’s take a look at a few of these coconut oil substitutes.
What Can You Use Instead of Coconut Oil?
Coconut oil is popular on the keto diet, but many alternatives can give you healthy fat if you’re unable to eat coconut oil.
Avocado Oil
Another popular fat oil is avocado oil. This is extracted from avocados. It has a mild taste and a better heat tolerance than coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil. You can use avocado oil in your cooking or supplement your diet. This is a great choice because it contains many vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and antioxidants.
Avocado oil has many benefits of coconut oil to your skin and hair health and gives you that healthy dose of fat that you need to stay in ketosis.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil is rich in healthy monounsaturated fats. It contains a large number of antioxidants. Olive oil also has very strong anti-inflammatory properties. Chronic inflammation leads to several diseases, such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and obesity. Olive oil helps to fight chronic inflammation.
Several studies have shown the link between olive oil consumption and strokes. These studies show that areas that consume more olive oil have a lower risk of developing a stroke. Olive oil is also a key diet ingredient in preventing heart disease. Plus, olive oil has even shown signs of fighting Alzheimer’s disease.
It’s been shown to reduce the risk of developing type II diabetes. The antioxidants found in olive oil are cancer-fighting agents. This superfood can also help to fight Rheumatoid arthritis.
Sunflower Seed Oil
This oil is extracted from the seeds of a sunflower plant. It’s said to contain many healthy unsaturated fats known to be heart-healthy. Sunflower seed oil is rich in the beneficial omega acids omega-6 and omega-9. Many of the health benefits of sunflower seed oil are from the varieties that contain 80% or more oleic acid.
Diets rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, like those found in sunflower seed oil, have been shown to reduce high bad cholesterol levels and increase good cholesterol levels. A study showed that people who consumed sunflower seed oil for ten weeks had lower bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels than those who ate a diet without sunflower seed oil.
Grapeseed Oil
Grapeseed oil has been shown to prevent high blood pressure and strengthen the immune system. It contains proanthocyanidins which are beneficial in fighting the development of skin cancer. Grapeseed oil is found to help accelerate the wound healing process. It’s also known to be anti-inflammatory.
Grapeseed oil studies show that it’s beneficial in reducing cholesterol levels. It also has many benefits to your hair and skin health, like fat oils on this list.
Almond Oil
Almonds are super healthy food and are common on many diets. The oil extracted from almonds also has many beneficial properties. This oil is rich in vitamin E and is a great magnesium, phosphorus, and copper source. Almond oil is antioxidant-rich and known for fighting free radicals, unstable atoms that can destroy cells.
Almond oil boosts your immune system and fights inflammation. It has high omega-3 fatty acids, which help maintain healthy cholesterol levels, boost heart health, and improve memory. It can even lower your risk of developing cancer.
Hemp Seed Oil
Hemp oil is another oil rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. It can reduce the inflammation that can lead to heart disease and cancer. This oil is very beneficial to skin health. It’s known to fight against acne, eczema, psoriasis, and lichen planus. All are diseases that affect the skin.
Hemp oil can help to reduce the symptoms of PMS due to the gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) that it contains. It’s also a very strong antibacterial agent.
Butter
In a list of oils and fats, we can leave out butter. Some might think butter is unhealthy, but that’s not necessarily true. Real butter is another type of fat shown to fight heart disease. On top of that, it also helps to regulate hormones and thyroid functions. An underactive thyroid can lead to weight gain.
Butter also combats fungal infections and improves fertility in both men and women. It boosts immunity and is great for your teeth and bones. Plus, the fat in butter gives you the energy to fuel your body throughout the day.
Butter is also the perfect coconut oil substitute for cooking applications, and it’s a common ingredient infamous for bulletproof coffee.
Summary
Coconut oil has many benefits, but some people experience some bad side effects. If you are one of these people, you will want to look into coconut oil substitutes. The various substitutes mentioned above would be a great alternative to coconut oil. We also recommend that you try MCT oil. This is the extracted medium-chain triglycerides from coconut oil. You may get many of the benefits of coconut oil without all the side effects of concentrated MCT oil.
