Vegetable oils, including soybean oils, are highly refined to extend shelf life, to avoid spoiling and oxidization. Sounds great, right? Well, there is a down side. The down side is that when they are highly refined, they are hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated, which is damaging to cell tissue the thyroid. This unsaturated oil also blocks digestion of protein in the stomach and interferes with the ability of the thyroid to function properly. Coconut oil is unique in that not only is it a saturated fat, but it can help with weight loss by stimulating metabolism. It is able to quickly metabolize in your system.

You don’t have a lot of control over the types of oils used when you eat out, but you sure can control what you use at home! Make sure you buy the coconut oil that is unrefined and, believe it or not, it can have a shelf life of a few years when kept at room temperature. You probably will use up your supply before this becomes an issue, though. The oxidation just doesn’t happen and it will not go bad or rancid after only a few months as your refined unsaturated vegetable oils will do.

What is rancid oil? This is oil that has spoiled or gone bad. Personally, I can tell you that it has a different smell to it. It just smells funny, not fresh. I like to bake cookies and my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe calls for butter as well as some shortening. If I keep my shortening too long, it not only smells funny, it tastes funny and looks different. It loses its creaminess and is clearer than the fresh kind. I’ve also noticed that when it gets even older, it develops big “cracks” in it, although I don’t know why that happens. Don’t use it when it has this appearance. In fact, it is best to not use it at all!

Quick Tip: Coconut oil is great to use in cooking since you can fry with it at higher temperatures. You can use it in cookies or cakes as a solid. Last, you can use it in liquid form to add to your smoothie or muffin mixture.