13 Paleo Uses For Coconut Aminos

Long before I went Paleo, I used Soy Sauce in almost all of my cooking, thinking that not only did it taste good – but that I was adding a super health food to my diet. Now, I've replaced Soy Sauce with Coconut Aminos in all of my cooking.

What’s So Wrong With Soy?

As I researched I formed the opinion that rather than being healthy, Soy is actually quite the opposite. As a legume, Soy contains Lectins, which turn your Leptin sensitivity haywire, confusing your hunger and energy signals. The high levels of Phytates in soy are also undesirable, since they bind to minerals, ensuring that they are unavailable for your body to absorb.

Soy has a high Goitrogen content. Goitrogen interfers with the Thyroid, so can lead to Hypothyroidism. My biggest concern with Soy however, is the plant estrogens it contains (isoflavones) – which have the effect of raising estrogen and decreasing testosterone. Think man boobs and all sorts of undesirable effects through unbalanced hormone levels.

Avoiding Soy…

Fortunately, it is easy to avoid Soy products. Firstly, I find that by using so many different ingredients in my cooking, it is so much tastier that I don’t need to add any extra flavour. Just by changing the herbs and spices I use, I can completely change the taste of a recipe anyway.

But – for those occasions when nothing else will do, I have found Coconut Aminos to be a great alternative to Soy.

What Is Coconut Aminos?

Coconut Aminos is essentially the sap of a coconut tree, or the juice from coconut blossoms. The tree is tapped to collect the aminos, which is then dried in the sun to evaporate, or can be fermented. The sap from the tapped tree will continue to produce sap for years to come.

The aminos is loaded with amino acids (apparently 14 times more than soy sauce) and packed with minerals and vitamins.

13 Things You Can Do With Coconut Aminos

• Marinate a steak in coconut aminos, garlic, coconut oil, salt and pepper for a few hours before cooking
• Make Paleo Sushi using nori wraps, cauliflower rice and fish, and serve with coconut aminos as a dipping sauce
• Use for making beef jerky
• Add to Paleo chilli for a deep flavour
• In fact, try it in any tomato based dishes to cut the acidity of the tomatoes, make the dish a darker colour and replace the need to add salt
• Marinate chicken in it before adding to a stir fry
• Use in fermented foods like Kimchi
• Perfect for Asian inspired dishes like Nasi Goreng
• Use in soups and stews instead of adding salt
• Add to the baking tray when roasting a chicken to brown the skin when basting the bird.
• Mix coconut aminos, balsamic vinegar, mustard, oive oil and a squeeze of lemon to make a delicious salad dressing
• Add to sweet potato chips with olive oil and coriander before baking in the oven.
• Slice and de-seed and avocado, pierce with a fork, then pour on balsamic vinegar and allow to soak in. Then fill the hole up with coconut aminos and eat with a spoon.

Where Can You Get Coconut Aminos?

If you’ve not tried it before, you can often find Coconut Aminos at your local health food shop. Alternatively, a few places online stock it. I get mine from  iherb (who offer $10 discount for first time customers), as I order most of my herbs, spices and supplements from there in bulk.

What do you use Coconut Aminos for? Share your suggestions below.