Adding Coconut Oil to My Diet

For the past few months, I have been seeing a nutritional counselor every two weeks - in an attempt to manage my diet in the hopes that my blood sugar levels will go down. The last time I saw my doctor, he indicated that he would prescribe Metformin - if my blood sugar levels continued to rise as they have been over the past year.

I should probably be glad that I've managed to control my type 2 diabetes through diet and exercise for close to 12 years now. But I really don't want to go on medication of any kind, so I have begun eating a low-carb diet in the hopes that it will make a difference.

On my last visit to the counselor, I mentioned that I've felt hungrier now that fall is here. I'm more active walking and working outdoors. And hunger makes me crave carbs!

Try eating a teaspoonful of coconut oil every day, she suggested. Natural fat of any kind - olive oil, butter, coconut oil  - will keep you full longer. But some people find coconut oil (which is solid at room temperature) makes a big difference.

So I purchased a container and have been trying to add it to my diet.

But how?!

The first day I simply ate a spoonful... I like the taste of coconut, so this was fine. It had the taste and texture of coconut fondant (in a chocolate).

(The hint of green in the picture is the reflection of a green place-mat. The coconut oil is pure white.)

The next day I tried adding a teaspoonful to my morning coffee (an idea I read online). This was a little more cumbersome, as it melted, the oil rising to the top, so I had to stir the coffee before each sip.

I'm tempted to try making the coconut oil into unsweetened "chocolates" - by melting it, adding cocoa powder, then letting it harden again at room temperature.

The counselor suggested frying vegetables in it. I may try that soon, too.