Yes, you can use coconut oil instead of canola oil in many recipes, but keep in mind that coconut oil has a stronger flavor and can alter the taste of your dish. Additionally, it has a lower smoke point, so it may not be suitable for high-heat cooking methods.
Looking at recent research, when substituting conventional coconut oil for olive or canola oil, there was virtually no difference in weight loss and a slight increase in both LDL (bad) and HDL (good) cholesterol.
Cooking Tips
Coconut oil has a medium smoke point; canola oil's smoke point is medium-high. This means that canola oil is acceptable for baking and stir frying, while coconut oil should be restricted to sauces, light sauteing and low-heat baking.
On the other hand, using coconut oil to cook your food is the healthier choice. This is because saturated fats have a more stable chemical structure. In addition, unsaturated fats are not unhealthy for the reason that they contain medium chain triglycerides, which can be easily digested by the liver.
Coconut oil has a high smoke point and is more stable to cook with. This means that it doesn't oxidize, go toxic and produce free radicals at high temperature, like vegetable oil. Coconut oil also has medicinal properties. About 50% of the fatty acids in coconut oil are from lauric acid.
Heart-healthy oils like canola, corn, olive, peanut, and sunflower oils contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. They help to lower harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and raise healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
Coconut oil can be substituted 1:1 for other fats.
When it comes to baking, coconut oil makes a wonderful substitute for butter and other oils, like olive oil, canola oil, and vegetable oil. Regardless of the type of fat used in a recipe, you can swap in an equal amount of coconut oil.
Coconut Oil In Cooking
Since refined coconut oil has a higher smoke point, it's the better choice for high-heat cooking applications such as searing, sautéing, roasting, stir-frying or frying.
The best substitute for canola oil? Olive oil is well known to be a heart-healthy cooking oil (source). If you're making something savory like a salad dressing or sauteing, you can use olive oil as a 1 for 1 substitute for canola oil.
Best for Shallow Frying and Sautéing
Therefore, oils with moderate or high smoke points can be safely used. Some examples include olive, avocado, canola, corn, safflower, sunflower, and grapeseed oil.
The oils which should be avoided for cooking are oils like soybean, corn, canola, sunflower, and safflower. These oils have unstable fats and will decimate the nutritional properties of your food.
Which oils are anti-inflammatory? To help combat inflammation, choose oils that higher in monounsaturated fat or omega-3 polyunsaturated fat. Good choices for anti-inflammatory oils include olive oil, avocado oil and flaxseed oil.
Olive oil has a lower smoke point-the point at which an oil literally begins to smoke (olive oil's is between 365° and 420°F)-than some other oils. When you heat olive oil to its smoke point, the beneficial compounds in oil start to degrade, and potentially health-harming compounds form.
High cholesterol: Coconut oil contains a type of fat that can increase cholesterol levels. Regularly eating meals containing coconut oil can increase levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol. This might be a problem for people who already have high cholesterol.
Coconut oil has been found to be a safe and effective moisturizer for conditions like xerosis, or rough, dry skin. In addition, coconut oil can decrease protein loss in your hair, improving your hair health. However one study found coconut oil to be comedogenic, which means that it clogs pores.
Eggs can be cooked in many different ways. Many prefer cooking oil or butter but the one thing that can guarantee you speedy and effective weight loss is the wonderful coconut oil. Yes, the traditionally used oil can even make your eggs taste better without compromising on the calorie or fat!