Nikki Reed's Secret Weapon for Tasty Healthy Cooking and Glowing Skin

by Samantha Dupler
on 08/07/14 at 10:39 AM


Coconut fans rejoice: Vita Coco just released their very own cold-pressed raw coconut oil, and it's pretty much a cure-all in a jar.

Coconut oil is an awesome component of tons of dishes like Pumpkin Cornbread and Sautéed Ginger Shrimp, providing a healthier alternative to butter when sautéeing or baking. To celebrate the release of Vita Coco's oil, Twilight star Nikki Reed, a certifiable coconut fanatic, showed us how to whip up a couple of easy smoothies and stir-frys with the stuff, and spilled a ton of her beauty secrets, too!

An ingredient you can eat, slather on, and reap major health benefits from? Amazing. Now, if only cookie dough could do the same.


Epicurious: So what are your favorite ways to use coconut oil?

Nikki Reed: I literally use it for everything: I put it in my smoothies, I put it in my coffee, I cook with it, I sometimes just take a tablespoon of it if I haven't had it for a day or two. 


Epicurious: Coconut oil can be used as a beauty product too, are you a fan of using it that way?

Nikki Reed: I'll just take a spray bottle and spritz it onto my arms and legs, use it on my hair too, and just sort of put it on all over. It smells awesome and it doesn't make you look or feel greasy. I have it on my whole body right now!


Epicurious: Have you always been a coconut oil fanatic?

Nikki Reed: My Uncle Mark actually got me into it like 10 years ago, and told me it was the best way to sort of clean your system and kickstart your metabolism and make everything flow. So I just sort of put it in everything.




Epicurious: That demonstration was pretty awesome, are you a big cook at home too?

Nikki Reed: I love to cook. One of my dreams is to have a cookbook one day; that would be a lot of fun. Because I am a vegan and I eat a lot of raw foods, a goal of mine would be to have a cookbook that's convenient for young people and also simple enough for them to follow. Then they could see that you can eat healthy and it doesn't have to cost a fortune. It's actually more affordable to eat raw or vegan.


Epicurious: Any favorite easy dishes?

Nikki Reed: I put it in stir-frys. Although I do cook meat for people who come over, I am meatless and I find coconut tastes really yummy with vegetables. I like it with snap peas or green beans or even broccoli, it's a really easy way to make something feel a lot fancier than it is. I like to drizzle it on quinoa, instead of olive oil, and on top of kimchi, avocado and sprouts. 

02:35:54 PM on

I don't understand this whole coconut oil as healthy thing. Isn't coconut oil saturated fat?? Why would it ever be a healthier option than olive oil to cook in?

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