Heart Smart Granola: Coconut Oil Revisited

NOTE: Below is an article I posted 2 years ago about the health benefits of coconut oil. Since I am using it more and more, I thought I would reprint it with my recipe for granola.

In an article from www.coconutresearchcenter.org, entitled Coconut Oil & Heart Disease By Bruce Fife, N.D. I read this important information, quoted directly from the website:

Coconut is highly nutritious and rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It is classified as a “functional food” because it provides many health benefits beyond its nutritional content. Coconut oil is of special interest because it possesses healing properties far beyond that of any other dietary oil and is extensively used in traditional medicine among Asian and Pacific populations. Pacific Islanders consider coconut oil to be the cure for all illness. The coconut palm is so highly valued by them as both a source of food and medicine that it is called “The Tree of Life.” Only recently has modern medical science unlocked the secrets to coconut’s amazing healing powers.

Please go to the website for the complete article. It’s worth reading, if only to erase the myth that coconut oil is a “bad fat.”

All the articles I have read indicate that people who traditionally consume large quantities of coconut oil as part of their ordinary diet have a very low incidence of heart disease and have normal blood cholesterol levels. Numerous population studies and research show that people who consume large quantities of  (pure, not hydrogenated) coconut oil have remarkably good cardiovascular health.

My nutritionist friend, Barb Schiltz, who I profiled last fall when she helped write a book, The Ultimate Metabolism Diet by Scott Ridgen, MD. worked for Metagenics in the Seattle area. She wrote a wonderful position paper on coconut oil that I recommend you at least scan for more information on this “healthy fat”. The link is www.metagenics.com. Click on position papers and when the list appears, click on coconut oil.

Stay tuned….because women and heart disease is a “hot topic,” and coconut oil seems to be a good choice for keeping our hearts healthy.

P.S. I also use coconut oil on my skin as well as in my kitchen. ellensue

Heart Smart Granola

Utensils: large mixing bowl, small mixing bowl, 2 cookie sheets, large spoon
Prep. Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: about 15 minutes

Ingredients

4 cups organic, old-fashioned rolled oats
1/3 cup oil (I used coconut & macadamia oil) + one tbl. for cookie sheets
1/3 cup organic apple or white grape juice
1-2 packets pure stevia (1 gram packets)
1/2-3/4 cup raw nuts & seeds (almond slivers, walnut pieces, sunflower seeds, etc.)
2 – 3 Tbl. unsweetened dried coconut
cinnamon to taste
raisins (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil 2 cookie sheets. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine oil and apple juice. Stir in the oats and mix well to moisten the oats. (I use juice with oil to reduce the total calories from fat. You could use all oil.)
3. Spread the oats on 2 cookie sheets so that all the oats will get toasted. Place in the oven.
4. While the oats are  baking, mix together the stevia, the nuts, the coconut, and raisins, if using. (I don’t like raisins in my cereal, so I don’t use them.)
5. Check the oats and stir them around to coat both sides. Depending on the thickness of your oats, theey should toast

 

P.S. I used to have a category called P.I.C.-Product Information Corner. I have decided to embed products with the recipes when appropriate. Here is a photo of 3 of the ingredients in the recipe above:

I used Whole Foods non-instant oatmeal, an organic olive oil & mac nut oil from trees grown without pesticides