Cooking

• Coconut oil is used in cooking to coat ingredients when they are being baked, grilled or sauteed. Coconut oil has a distinct coconut flavor, so substituting different oils may not be able to retain that, but you can successfully cook with olive, sunflower and canola oil instead of coconut oil.

Baking

• Coconut oil is used in baking cookies and cakes, but it can also be substituted with other baking oils. You can use melted butter, vegetable oil or canola oil to make baked goods moist and to ensure that the ingredients stick together during the baking process.

Health

• The fats in coconut oil are generally considered "good fats" and can help with weight maintenance and cholesterol control. Food alternatives that contain these same health benefits include nuts, fish and avocados.

Beauty

• Coconut oil is used to provide natural nutrients for the hair and skin. Its moisturizing qualities can be found in such alternatives as cocoa butter and grape seed oil; olive oil can be consumed to provide a similarly nutritious oil for the beauty of skin and hair once it has been eaten and metabolized by the body.