Coconut oil has become one of the must-have ingredients for people who are becoming aware of the importance of healthy living. This oil is popular all over the world. But, it turns out that its cousin, coconut butter is trying to reach the same level of popularity.
This special type of butter is very versatile – you can use it in coffee, spread it on a slice of bread, etc. Even though both coconut oil and coconut butter come from coconut trees, they don’t have the same properties.
For instance, coconut butter is made in a specific way – by mixing all parts of coconut like the flesh and juice for example. On the other hand, coconut oil is just extracted directly from the coconut. That’s why coconut butter includes potassium, fiber, iron, and magnesium besides fat. Of course, they are very similar in at least one thing – they are great for our health.
Coconut Butter Health Benefits
Enhances Immunity
It was confirmed that this butter is packed with lauric acid. Lauric acid is useful for those who want to enhance immunity and eliminate dangerous bacteria, fungi, and viruses in our bodies. This acid is also part of breast milk and plays a crucial role in the development of the immune system in infants.
Supports Weight Loss
In case you are interested in losing extra weight, coconut butter is here to support your efforts. This butter accelerates the metabolism which ultimately leads to weight loss. If your metabolism is fast, the body can easily process the food in a fast manner which means that you’ll get more energy and eliminate calories faster too.
What is even better, this butter is packed with healthy fats that are used by our body for producing energy. Healthy fats make us feel sated for a long time and suppress appetite.
Take between one and two teaspoons of this butter on a daily basis and you will feel the effects after 15 days.
Keeps the Skin Healthy
Besides improving our health from the inside, coconut butter can enhance our appearance too. This butter is able to fight free radicals that cause damage to the skin. It acts as an excellent natural moisturizer too because it can go deep into the skin and enhance the tissues. Finally, coconut butter can boost the elasticity and smoothness of the skin and eliminate the signs of aging.
Regulates Blood Sugar
It is a well-known fact that blood sugar levels can affect our weight. If the levels of blood sugar are high, your body will have problems breaking these compounds. So, the extra sugar in our body is simply stored in the form of fat.
If you include coconut butter in your diet, you will be able to reduce the glycemic index. In this way, you will protect against the sudden increase in blood sugar levels. In addition, it keeps your insulin resistance low and this sensitivity is linked to type 2 diabetes.
Tasty Ways to Enjoy Coconut Butter
One of the things that make coconut butter extraordinary is the fact that we can use it in many different foods. This butter has a specific, beautiful taste and it can easily blend into any snack, meal, or beverage. So, if you use coconut butter in your daily diet, you will also consume a tasty meal while losing weight and providing nutrients to different body parts.
- Take one tablespoon of coconut butter from the glass jar and eat it. This is one way to do this.
- Take some coconut butter, melt it and use it on top of your winter squash or sweet potatoes.
- Put it in a smoothie. It will make your smoothie extremely refreshing.
- Put it in a curry dish.
- Melt it and then sprinkle it on berries or other similar fruits and serve it as a tasty dessert.
- Use it instead of regular butter on your toast. Make a combination with almond butter for even better results.
- Take a spoonful of coconut butter and add it to your cacao nibs. This mixture has amazing antioxidant properties.
- Mix it with chicken or shrimp and pour hot sauce too. In case you are following a vegan or vegetarian diet you can mix it with tofu.
- When you are baking, replace your regular dairy butter with coconut butter because it is much healthier. Don’t forget that baked goods made with coconut butter are dryer, so try to increase the content that can bring moisture.
Don’t forget that you can use this butter to create flavored coconut spreads. The following is a shortlist of recipes like this.
Flavored Coconut Butter Spread Recipes
Cacao Espresso Chip Coconut Spread
Ingredients:
- One shot of warm espresso (room temperature is fine)
- Five tablespoons of coconut butter
- Half a banana (you can use avocado instead)
- One teaspoon of raw cacao nibs
- Cinnamon
- Two teaspoons of cacao powder
- A small amount of salt
- Two teaspoons of agave or maple syrup.
Picante Goji Coconut Spread
Ingredients:
- Two tablespoons of goji berries. Soak them in warm water for about 20 minutes and drain them well before you use them.
- Five tablespoons of coconut butter
- Two dashes of cayenne powder
- One banana
- Two teaspoons of agave or maple syrup.
Plain Strawberry
Ingredients:
- Six strawberries
- Five tablespoons of coconut oil
- A pinch of salt
- Two teaspoons of agave or maple syrup.
Almond Butter Coconut Butter Spread
Ingredients:
- Three tablespoons of coconut butter
- Two tablespoons of almond butter
- Two teaspoons of agave or maple syrup
- One banana
- A dash of cinnamon
- A pinch of salt.
Instructions:
Take all the ingredients and pour them into a food processor or blender. Blend them well until you get a creamy consistency. In case you require additional liquid in this process, just add plain water or non-dairy milk. If you think that the mixture is very runny, just store it in the freezer or fridge until it gets more solid. You can keep these mixtures in a refrigerator for at least ten days.
Sources Whole New Mom | Lunch Box Bunch | 12 Minute Athlete | Faithful to Nature | Go Paleo
