Holy Coconuts!

When I first told my mom that I eat coconut oil on a daily basis, she was stunned. Going against the nutritional advice of the government, I have been downing coconut oil by the teaspoon and using it for all of my paleo baking adventures for the better half of 2010. True, it is more than 90% saturated fat, however, the acids contained in coconut oil actually make it a heart-smart choice for your kitchen. Lauric acid, which makes up about 50% of the oil itself, is amazing at preventing high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels.



The sexiest benefit of coconut oil is its ability to increase your metabolism. That's right, something that tastes amazing can help you keep off excess weight! Coconut oil is super easy for your body to digest and promotes healthy functioning of your thyroid and enzyme systems. Further more, it removes stresses on your pancreas, causing you to use more energy (without even knowing it) and burn through more fat. It doesn't hurt that it's calorie count is slightly lower than its vegetable oil counter parts, and the high fat content is extremely easy for your body to burn through and is known to improve energy and muscular endurance. That being said, please don't run out and eat a whole jar of coconut oil this very second. Like anything in life, the benefits of coconut oil can only be achieved through a balanced diet. If you're zoning, 1 tsp = 3 blocks of fat, so be mindful of what you're intake of it is.

Now that I've sung the praises of coconut oil, here is a delicious recipe that uses it as a baking aid:

Paleo Coconut Waffles & Pancakes

Primal Blueprint Recipe: Coconut Pancakes/Waffles from Adam Kayce on Vimeo.

So I totally stole this one from Jessica Sharrat's blog and I am totally against recipe hijacking but it looks absolutely amazing and I couldn't resist sharing it with all my paleo peeps! I am saving it to try this weekend for my cheat after our Free Workout at CrossFit Round Rock, so I will update this as soon as I give it a go.