Coconut is all the rage these days isn’t it? Coconut water, coconut milk, coconut ice cream… I love all things coconut, always have. However when I was pregnant this past summer, I craved coconut like crazy. Seriously I ate it every single day for a couple of months!

Other than the shredded stuff in a variety of delish dishes, my other favorite way to eat coconut is coconut oil. I know what you are thinking; doesn’t that have a lot of yucky fat? Or isn’t that really bad for your cholesterol?

Actually no!

The truth is that coconut oil is a saturated fat but it is actually a good fat, yay! Want to know more? There is a great recent article on Huffington Post about the health benefits of this tropical oil.

Personally, I use coconut oil in place of vegetable oil in baked goods. I love it when I make popcorn on the stove. But I also use it so many other non-foodie ways. It is a great moisturizer. I put it on my kids after a bath. Also works awesome for diaper rash. I put a little on my finger tips and use it to calm my frizzy, curly hair in the summer. I apply a little to my lips during the dead of winter to help their perpetual chapped state. It works really great for skin irritations like rashes or burns. I use it to treat my wood cutting boards. I have also read it is great to use to season your cast iron pans. Will try this soon!

Do you use coconut oil? What do you love about it? What are the ways you love to use it?