Hi, my name is Michael DiSalvo of Coconut Country Living, and I’m here to finally answer the question, What type of coconut oil is best?
OIL BOWL
First of all, make no mistake about, coconut oil has some AMAZING benefits to transform you health, beauty, and even your cooking.
SIDE OF JAR
It has been the BLACK EYE of the anti-fat movement, as it has transformed millions of people’s lives with the wonders of a ketogenic diet.
HAPPY PEOPLE
But not making a distinction between the best and worst coconut oil out there is like trying to compare luke-warm powdered skim milk (yuck!) to the wholesome dairy fresh milk from the famous brown heifers of the Swiss Alps (yum!).
PICTURE BROWN COW
Pure Virgin v Refined
The first, and possibly the most important distinction that is made, is between virgin and refined coconut oil.
Refined
There are two main kinds of coconut oil: refined and unrefined (aka virgin or pure coconut oil). Refined oils are cheaper and possess no coconut flavor or aroma. They are produced from copra, which is dried coconut that has sat around for some time, not from fresh coconuts. This oil typically undergoes various levels of processing, including being deodorized and bleached, since contaminants are frequently found in its raw material. Since this processing can be done in massive quantities, the product is pretty cheap, though it can have transfats too.
Note: Fractionated coconut oil is actually a highly refined oil that contains mostly MCTs but takes away the other components like valuable lauric acid.
Now, Virgin (aka Unrefined) Coconut Oil should not allow any involvement of heat or sunlight in processing. The best coconut oil is cold-extracted directly from fresh dried coconut meat or as a byproduct of coconut milk.
Virgin coconut oil can be depended on to have higher polyphenols, vitamins,antioxidants, and minerals that contribute to the taste, fragrance, moisturization properties, and health of coconut oil, and has its medium chain fatty acids (including lauric and capric acid) and good cholesterol.
COCONUT
Cold pressed v Expeller Pressed
Cold pressed means that the coconut oil was pressed using a mechanical method, but when normal processing is done, no high temperatures are used during the pressing. Cold pressing is most often done with virgin organic coconut oil and produces what is considered to be a high quality coconut oil. For this reason, cold pressed coconut oil can be used both topically and internally and for cooking and baking. It’s more expensive but healthier.
Expeller pressed coconut oil is placed into a barrel where it is crushed by a rotating metal rod to break it down, causing heat. This prepares the meat for oil extraction. Then, the extractor works with a chemical solvent called hexane to separate the coconut from the oil. Further refining is often necessary to clean the extract, in which some nutrients may be lost.
EQUIPMENT
Centrifuge v Wet Mill
Though these processes are not direct opposites of each other, they grant insight into what kind of products consumers get in the end.
When coconut oil manufacturers use a centrifuge, coconut meat is emptied into a machine that chops it into tiny pieces. First, the milk is extracted from the meat; then the remaining coconut is placed in a high speed centrifuge that rapidly spins the contents (and generates a high amount of heat due to friction). Through this spinning process, the oil is separated from the meat. Centrifuged coconut oil retains a strong coconut taste and smell and requires no further refining.
When coconut oil is “wet milled”, the oil is extracted from fresh coconut meat without drying the coconut meat first. “Coconut milk” is expressed first by pressing it out of the wet coconut meat. The oil is then further separated from the water. There are many methods which can be used to separate the oil from the water include boiling, fermentation, refrigeration, enzymes, and mechanical centrifuge.
Wet milled, like fractionated coconut oil can be very expensive, being 50-80% more than healthy cold-pressed oil. However, there is research that shows that although wet milled oil is heated more than cold pressed oil is, more antioxidants are activated in the process, possibly creating a more healthy product.
ORGANIC
Organic v Conventional
While some people may think “all coconuts are ‘organic’”, nothing could be further than the truth.
One of the most notable cases of conventional coconuts gone wrong has been from the Phillipines, where officials, anxious to get rid of the coconut scale insect, turned to neurotoxic neocotinoids for the answer.
Since the injections of this neurotoxin are systemic in nature, they fill the whole plant and become part of the fruit.
Specifically, since the poison is meant to neurologically attack vertebrates and invertebrates, children have been at particular risk prenatally for neurological impairment when coming into contact with neocotinoids. In fact, in a study in which only rats were treated with the neonics (neonicotinoids), children manifested clear signs of autism spectrum disorder postnatally.
Bottom line, choose organic if you don’t know where your coconut really comes from.
Plastic v Glass Jar
JARS
One last distinction not normally made when comparing coconut oils is whether the oil is packed in plastic or glass jars. While plastic is lighter and does not normally crack, leading to a cheaper product, reputable coconut oil manufacturers refuse to put their precious oil in plastic jars if it will not be sold within six months.
This is because experience, common sense, and science shows us that plastic does leach over time into liquid, even if the plastic is deemed “food safe”. The danger here comes from chemical additives, even when the plastic is PET and HDPE. Health advocates from Dr Mercola to scientists at the University of Texas have confirmed that hormone-disrupting chemicals leach from almost all plastics, even if they are BPA-free.
Glass, on the other hand, not only retains a superior taste and can be stored for much longer, but also is also recyclable and biofriendly.
This becomes not only important as levels of plastic contaminants continue to rise in our drinking water, but also as our seas are increasingly being filled with plastic, with the North Pacific garbage patch now being TWICE the size of Texas.
TEXAS
In short, glass is much better for your health and the planet until a good biodegradable bioplastic alternative is formulated.
Processing
Conclusion
There are a lot of options when it comes to coconut oil. And the cheaper options are generally the worst for you.
Try to get a hold of some coconut oil that is tested and true for your specific needs and really find out where they oil comes from.
And if you are interested in the best coconut oil for you, please visit check out our 5-Star organic virgin cold-pressed coconut oil now available on Amazon, where you will see verified reviews like this.
From Fred
Your product has really helped my diet, energy and is even helping to heal a mild case of psoriasis! Thank you!
Debbie
I have used your coconut oil now for two months and have enjoyed everything from cooking with it, using it in my coffee, on my body after a shower, and to moisturize my face and hair. I also use it along with baking soda to brush my teeth. It is wonderful and I will continue using coconut oil for the rest of my life.
Thank you for creating a wonderfully yummy product.
From Lauree
Wow this is really great coconut oil. It’s so creamy! The ones at the store seem watered down compared to this.
Kathy
Where can I get more of your coconut oil? I have fibromyalgia and after four days of taking it my pain level went down from an 8 or 9 to a 3 or 4!
If you are able to order today, you will also received a free copy of the e-book that has helped some of our most happiest customers with their most auspicious goals:
Coconut Oil Secrets of Health and Beauty
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And of course, you’re purchase is covered by our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee.
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We are here to help you in your journey through Coconut Country, so just contact our customer service team and we will help you get to where you need to go.
So just click the link above or go directly to Amazon.com where you find Coconut Country Living’s Virgin Coconut Oil and other products now on special.
And please thumbs up this video and add it to your youtube healthfood playlist. We appreciate any shares, and are happy to answer any comments or questions below about coconut oil and its important role in the good food movement. Talk to you soon and see you in Coconut Country!
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J
he world has found itself with plastic pollution.
The sad fact is that the vast majority of even recyclable plastic ends up not in recycling plants or even in piles of trash, but in the sea.
There is slowly degrades, leaving poisons as it does, or even choking birds or other wildlife to death as these creatures mistake it for something edible.
Of course the greatest monument to the mess caused by plastic packaging is the North Pacific Garbage Patch.
This behemoth monstrosity is more than 2x the size of Texas now, taking up an immense are in the Pacific Ocean.
I’m not saying that the coconut oil is made with poison, but I’ve become convinced that with time amounts of the BPA, BPS, antimony, and other plastic agents that make up the plastic jars leach out in time. It was a point that was driven home as I spoke to several coconut oil suppliers: go with glass jars if you want you want your coconut oil to stay pure.
BEYOND ORGANIC
NON-GMO 3rd Party
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3 testimonials
“why is extra virgin coconut oil better” 1 1.04 mil
“why is unrefined coconut oil better” 403k
“why is unrefined coconut oil the best 3.64 mil
“what type of coconut oil is really the best” 57.8 million
“What type of coconut oil is best”
“What type of coconut oil is the best”
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Which
centrifuge
cold pressed
The Winner? Unrefined Coconut Oil
Expeller-Pressed Coconut Oil vs. Cold-Pressed Coconut Oil v Centrifuged v Wet Milled
Expeller-Pressed Coconut Oil involves squeezing the coconut oil
out of the coconut meat in a screw-like machine. The pressure
and friction in the expeller can lead to temperatures of around
99°C. At this temperature there are some, albeit minimal, nutrients lost.
Cold-Pressed Coconut Oil involves pressing the coconut milk out of the coconut meat at low temperatures, usually below 60°C. By utilizing this method the greatest amount of nutrients are preserved.
pure coconut oil
Virgin versus Refined. There are two main kinds of coconut oil: refined and unrefined. Refined oils are cheaper and possess no coconut flavor or aroma. They are produced from dried copra, not fresh coconuts, and the oil typically undergoes various levels of processing, including being deodorized and bleached.
Hydrogenated
Refined v Virgin
Plastic v Glass Jar Jar
Organic v Conventional
Cold Pressed v Wet Milled
The higher temperatures at which expeller–pressed oil is processed impart a toasted, nutty flavor. The more heat used to extract the oil, the more toasted the oil tastes. Because cold–pressed coconut oil is processed at or below 120 degrees, it has a more neutral, mild coconut flavor similar to eating raw coconut meat.
pure coconut oil
virgin v extra virgin
cold pressed
expeller pressed
mechanically pressed
Mechanically extracted
hydrogenated coconut oil
liquied coconut oil. refined MCT Oil
fractionated coconu — highly refined
byproduct lauric acide indusstry
coc oil. RBD
1. Virgin coconut oil derived from pressing the oil out of dried coconut. In this method, the fresh coconut meat is dried first, and then later the oil is pressed out of the coconut. This method allows for easier mass production of virgin coconut oil. Since the dried coconut (desiccated coconut) industry is well established in coconut producing countries, many of these industries have added virgin coconut oil to their product line.
This is the most common type of “virgin” or “extra virgin” coconut oil that you will find online and in stores today. It is mass-produced, but it is a higher quality oil than RBD coconut oil, as it starts with fresh coconut and not copra.
2. Virgin coconut oil derived through a “wet-milling” process. With this method, the oil is extracted from fresh coconut meat without drying the coconut meat first. “Coconut milk” is expressed first by pressing it out of the wet coconut meat. The oil is then further separated from the water. Methods which can be used to separate the oil from the water include boiling, fermentation, refrigeration, enzymes, and mechanical centrifuge.
We are very fortunate today that the coconut oil producing countries have done quite a bit of research on virgin coconut oils over the past several years. They have begun to wake up to the fact that Western advice on dietary oils, which has led to the demonization of their traditional fats and oils like coconut oil, has been primarily political in nature, rather than scientific.
Fresh pressed virgin coconut oil
Cold Pressed
COPRA
start with Fresh Coconut
Hydrogenated Transfats
expeller
mechanically extracted…cold pressed.
