Coconut Oil

I first heard about the benefits of eating coconut oil over 10 years ago from Dr. Mercola. I have been using coconut oil on a daily basis since then. It provides wonderful benefits to our bodies because of its Lauric Acid. It has almost 50% Lauric Acid. It also contains anti-fungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties that boost the immune system. AND it boosts the metabolism and aids with weight loss. Lately, it has received attention due to its ability to reverse Alzheimer’s disease. You can read about the studies here, and you can read about more benefits of coconut oil here.

How do I use coconut oil?

I fry in it and put it in baking recipes. I make skinny chocolate with it.Have you tried Skinny Chocolate from Trim Healthy Mama? A serving of that gives you your daily dose of coconut oil in a very pleasant chocolate treat. 
I also have a small Tupperware container of coconut oil in my bathroom.  I use it morning and night as a facial cleanser and makeup remover.  All you do is warm some in the palm of your hand and then spread it over your face then wipe off with a hot face washer.  It’s heavenly and leaves your skin so soft and smooth.


Which one should I use?

There has been a lot of discussion about the different brands of coconut oil.  Which one tastes the best? And what does cold pressed, unrefined or virgin coconut oil mean?  Does it matter if it’s organically grown and harvested?  What about where the coconuts are grown? What’s the difference between the cheap coconut oil I see on in Woolworths or Coles and the high-quality oil I can buy online? 
 
My tip for buying coconut oil – read your labels carefully. They can tell you a lot about the coconut oil you are buying.

Let’s talk about refined vs unrefined:

An unrefined coconut oil is typically labeled ‘virgin’ or ‘extra-virgin’. There appears to be no consistent difference between virgin and extra-virgin coconut oils across all brands. They all appear to make up the definition on their own terms. In general, virgin and extra-virgin coconut oils are made from the first pressing of fresh, raw coconut without the addition of any chemicals.
This can be deceiving, as depending on how the oil is extracted, the flavour can be very intense or very mild. The more heat the oil was exposed to during processing, the stronger the coconut flavour in the finished product.  A truly raw, unrefined, virgin coconut oil will have a very mild coconut flavour and scent. When cooking with it, no-one should exclaim in horror at that awful smell!


Let’s talk about extraction methods:

There are different methods of extracting oil from the coconuts; cold-pressed, expeller-pressed or centrifuged and all can be used for both refined and unrefined varieties. For the most part, expeller-pressed and cold-pressed oils are heated to high temperatures and this can make for an oil that has a strong coconut taste, even a burnt or smokey coconut taste. The more heat that is used, the more of this smokey flavour is produced. If you want a mild coconut oil, a centrifuged oil is less likely to be exposed to much heat in the extraction process, so it will taste more mild and delicate.

Which brand should I buy?

There are lots of brands out there that are great to choose from. It really is up to you to decide what is important to you. When I first began to use coconut oil over ten years ago, there were not many good options. The one I found and loved was from Dr. Mercola in America. I would have 8 litres shipped out once a year when he offered free shipping. I had continued to buy my coconut oil from him until recently when I discovered  Elaeis Extra Virgin Coconut Oil from a Trim Healthy Mama in Australia.

Elaeis coconut oil is produced for an Australian family business based in Queensland Australia. A fellow homeschooling family with lots of children like me. I love to support this homegrown business.
 
I found that is of equal quality to the oil I have been using for the last ten years and actually might even taste just a bit better.

Elaeis Organic Virgin Coconut Oil is made to order, keeping this oil amazingly fresh. Only fresh, hand- harvested coconuts, grown in certified organic coconut plantations are used. Under hygienic conditions and with constant quality control the fresh coconut flesh is first cold pressed, then filtered. Followed by a sophisticated, centrifugal process, the oil is extracted from the freshly pressed milk and finally bottled into glass jars. The entire cold pressing process is done gently and carefully, without any chemical additives. This minimal and gentle method of processing ensures that all the natural goodness and composition of vitamins, minerals, and medium chain fatty acids are retained, as well as all the delicious, fresh, pure coconut essence and flavour.

The best part of buying my oil from Elaeis Organics aside from the reasons listed above is that Elaeis Organics is committed to supporting Aid Projects. A percentage of the proceeds from the purchase of this product will be donated to Bloom Asia Aid Projects in South East Asia.

As a mother of 4 daughters, I am so pleased to support an aid project providing opportunities to vulnerable young women in South East Asia. We have much to be thankful for in Australia and when I have an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life who is not as fortunate, then I will jump at it. 
My family benefits and another woman and her family benefits.

To learn more about Bloom Asia visit www.bloomasia.org