Today, we will be talking about the controversial coconut oil.  For many of us who grew up or spent a significant amount of time in Africa, we know that coconut oil plays an important role in our foods and in our religion.   A long time ago, I blogged that my family is very involved in the church and one of the things I grew up with was coconut oil.  My great grandmother refused to take any medication when she felt out of sorts, she will use coconut oil.  She used it for her personal care and almost all her health needs and when she passed on - she still looked very fresh and sexy.  It turns out that the reason that coconut oil was used so much was because it was accesible (there are lots of coconut trees in my village) and it was not expensive - compared to olive oil which is used in many churches today.   Because of its accesibility to both the rich and the poor, the coconut oil has some social stigma attached to it.  People want what only few can afford.  A very sad mentality. 

Beyond the social stigma attached to coconut oil, there is also the health controversy.  The health community seem very divided on this oil with the alternative health community stating that communities in which coconut oil is used solely live very long and are very healthy.  But, in contrast, our FDA states that coconut oil is a saturated fat and should be avoided or its use should be limited. 

It seems to have been decided that a heart healthy diet should be one that does not exclude saturated fat, rather it should be a balance of saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats.  Transfat or hydrogenated fats are bad.  

Tropical Traditions sent me a bottle of their virgin coconut oil to write a review.  I will be writing this review in two parts a) overview of the product and food uses of this product.  b) personal care uses of this product.

Tropical Traditions was set up by a husband and wife team who relocated to the U.S.A from the Philipines and realized that what they took for granted in the Philipines was very rare to find over here.  It was just difficult to find organic products and non GMO products.  They decided to turn the tides on that and started Tropical traditions.  To read up on their story: click here  (source).

Quick Review

Smell: divine. fresh. coconut from a tree. It is just so real. 

Color - white.

Texture - soft and pliable.  It seems to be a solid mass but when you rub it in between your palms or put it in a pan it melts almost immediately.

Taste in food - definitely coconuty.  For those who grew up with coconut rice.  This is heavily recommended for that kind of food. It gave my rice a strong coconut flavor and made it oh so yummy. I also used it when I stirfried my vegetables. You can find more uses for coconut oil by clicking here (source)

Health conditions:  No, I didn't feel sick after cooking with this product. 

Now, because of the aforementioned  health controversy - I used about a tablespoon or half a tablespoon (stirfry) of  coconut oil when I cooked and I cook with this oil only once a week,other times, I cook with either Canola or Olive oil.  Each time, I have used coconut Oil, I've had no complaints.  I will give this product 100 percent.  Next week, I will blog on the fun parts of coconut oil for all the natural hair people or those that are interested in natural hair -  please check back then.

Giveaway and this will be shipped to you for free.

Win 1 quart of  Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America's source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil? You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the  advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

Win 1 quart of  Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

This is a good product, so if you do use coconut oil - give it a whirl.  Please subscribe to their newsletter by clicking here (source). 

Disclaimer:

Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to
review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under
any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return
for the free product.