Essential oils (EO’s) are natural aromatic compounds and products from the seeds, stems, roots, flowers, bark and other parts of the plants. They have been used in many cultures and throughout history for medicinal and therapeutic purposes, including cleansing, detoxifying, as dietary supplements and even as natural remedies to various health issues.
Many people are starting to use essential oils in their everyday life as natural replacements for household products. I think that, as a society, we are becoming more aware of the chemicals that we are using in our lives and how these synthetic compounds may be impacting on our overall health and well-being.
Using essential oils in the kitchen and in recipes can be a great way to incorporate natural products into your daily life and reach the health and wellness goals you have set for you and your family. This article will explore safety considerations when ingesting EO’s and provide simple tips on getting started using essential oils in your own kitchen.
Ingesting Essential Oils
Many essential oils can be used in the kitchen and are safe to be used in your favorite cooking or baking dishes. Each essential oil has different health and wellness benefits such as supporting digestive or urinary health, promoting the cardiovascular system and can even help to promote wellness throughout the year during seasonal changes.
It is important to always use high quality, pure, and therapeutic-grade essential oils such as doTERRA Essential Oils. Also, make sure to check the processing and production of the essential oil you are using to ensure there are no harmful additives in the product you are using. Take the time to do some research or check the label for more information.
Safety Considerations
As with any ingredient that you intend to ingest or use in your kitchen, it can be important to consider the safety precautions, appropriate dosage, and methods of use prior to using essential oils in your cooking. In addition, using essential oils internally is perhaps the most potent method of using these natural compounds, so a little goes a long way!
Some of the safety precautions when cooking with essential oils including:
- Use only high quality, pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils
- Check label for information to ensure EO is safe to be used internally
- Children and pregnant women should use caution when ingesting certain oils
- Keep EO bottle out of reach of children and pets or use a safety locking cap
Anyone with pre-existing health conditions, pregnant or prone to allergens may want to consult their doctor before using essential oils internally.
Cooking with Essential Oil Tips
Now that you have some information about essential oils and have considered the safety precautions when using them in the kitchen, here are a few practical ways of getting started with essential oils in your kitchen.
You can use essential oils in nearly any recipe for cooking or baking to replace fresh or dried herbs and spices. Essential oils are much more potent than dried or fresh herbs and spices, so start with a very small amount. For more potent oils, it may be better to administer them with toothpicks rather than drops.
Lemon essential oil is an incredibly versatile EO and can be used ‘neat’ which means there is no dilution required. You can simply add 1-2 drops to your water for a fresh taste and detoxification health benefits.
Peppermint essential oil is another very popular and adaptable EO that can be used in home remedies to get rid of headaches or by adding a drop or two in your favorite hot chocolate drink like the one pictured which was created by Amy from Learn Blog Photography.
TIP: Adding essential oils to a carrier oil before combining with other ingredients helps to preserve the flavor and health benefits of the essential oils in your recipes.
Getting Started in the Kitchen with Essential Oils
Hopefully, your curiosity about using essential oils in your kitchen has been piqued by now! Check out all the resources at www.cookingwithessentialoils.ca has to offer to help you on your journey of adding essential oils to your pantry. Here you will find easy to execute cooking, baking recipes and drink recipe that showcase the wellness benefits that can be harnessed through essential oils.
Also check out the free, online training available to learn more about cooking with essential oils. The course is dedicated to sharing information about ingestible essential oils and the training is go-at-your-own-pace so you can literally be learning in your pajamas with a fresh mug of coffee in front of you.
Need more help getting started using essential oils in the kitchen or in other areas of your life? Speak with an Essential Oils Wellness Advocate for more information. Email your questions to heather@heatherleguilloux.ca & give your wellness routine a boost today!
Heather is the creator and editor of Cooking With Essential Oils, a website and blog dedicated to educating home cooks about the benefits of using essential oils in the kitchen and where you can find free printable recipes and a spotlight on an essential oil each month.
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These are some great tips. I love using essential oils around the house. I’ve heard that you can ingest them but I never knew how to tell which ones you can and can’t use.
The best way is to check with the company you purchase from. There is usually a guide on their website on which are good to diffuse, ingest, and use topically.
Though I’m not much of a cook, I love the concept of using essential oils instead of sugar-based additives to flavor different recipes. What a great idea- beneficial in so many ways!
I’ve tried it with just a few recipes so far and it adds so much more flavor as well!
I have yet to use essential oils for cooking!! I definitely need to try it though 🙂
The essential oils add such a pop of flavor that you just can’t always get with an extract.
I use peppermint oil, but haven’t in the kitchen. These are all really good tips!
I’ve used it a few times, and it adds so much flavor. It doesn’t take much, though, just a couple drops is usually good!
I also use essentials oils in my hair. I have been using natural products for hair care for 4 years, integrating essential oils was the best thing I have done for my hair.
I haven’t tried oils in my hair yet, but I would love to at some point.
Some great tips my gf uses essential oils all the time!
We love essential oils here too!
I really love to use essential oils for our home. I used peppermint and lavender scent. Essential oils can used all the time and some many ways.
It’s amazing how endless the uses are! Lavender and peppermint are our two favorites as well.