Coconut Oil – Breaking Down the Basics

Coconut oil has many wonderful uses – you can use it for cooking, baking, and even your self-care routine! We currently carry Tropical Green Organics. Let’s turn up the heat and learn a little bit more about this wonderful oil!

This coconut oil is virgin, cold-pressed, Non-GMO Project Verified, USDA Certified Organic, and contains no trans fats (1)!  Virgin means that the coconut oil is “less processed than the refined version” which “preserves its sweet, coconut-y tropical flavor” (2). Cold-pressed simply means that the oil was extracted directly from the coconut meat using a means of pressure rather than heat (3). As far as non-GMO and organic – just remember that Organic is always non-GMO (but non-GMO is not always organic)! Organic means that no pesticides were used in the production of the coconuts, and they are free of Genetically Modified Organisms! This coconut oil is also non-hydrogenated – that means that it has no added trans fats which are considered to be an unhealthy type of fat – not to be confused with the healthy fats contained in coconut oil (6). On it’s website, Golden Barrel explains that “most of the 90% saturated fat in coconut oil is medium-chain fatty acids which are found to be easily digested and quickly converted into energy. Almost 50% of the fatty acid content of coconut oil is lauric acid which is a great enhancer for the body’s immune system” (7).

If you’re looking for some ways to use coconut oil now that you’ve got this newfound knowledge, check out our other post, Coconut Oil in the Kitchen. Be sure to stop by the Old Dutch Cupboard for your jar of this wonderfully versatile oil!