Tropical Traditions™ coconut oil is rich in lauric-acid (50-55% capric and caprylic acid.) These are super fatty acids with strong anti-microbial properties. We think it is one of the best tasting, most aromatic coconut oils available.

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has been used as a cooking oil for thousands of years, and is still a staple in the diets of many people living in tropical areas today. It was once popular here in the United States as well, until shortages of imported oils during WW II created the need to promote local oils like soybean and corn oil. Soon, polyunsaturated fats became the norm in this country; and with it came a rise in obesity, higher cholesterol levels, and degenerative diseases related to aging.

Coconut oil has been shown to reduce the symptoms of digestive disorders, support overall immune functions, and to help prevent bacterial, viral and fungal infections. People who consistently use coconut oil, report changes in their ability to go without eating for several hours without experiencing the effects of hypoglycemia.

A study conducted in Yucatan where coconut oil is a staple, showed that metabolic rates of people living there were 25% higher than in comparable test subjects living in the United States. Increased metabolic rate is a key to healthy weight management and could account for the leanness of people living in areas where coconut oil is consumed on a daily basis. The study further observed that local women displayed none of the symptoms commonly associated with menopause.

Good Fat vs Bad Fat

Research done in the 1950s concluded that all fat was bad. And still today many people equate fat with weight gain, clogged arteries, high blood pressure, etc. However, certain fats actually help to prevent those conditions and are essential to good health.

Early researchers failed to distinguish between saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. They assumed at the time, that all fats (including coconut oil) were unhealthy because they raised serum cholesterol levels. But, in revisiting those studies, researchers found that hydrogenated (refined) coconut oil had been used. All hydrogenated oils produce higher serum cholesterol levels, and contribute to greater oxidation and free radicals in the body. In fact, further research has shown that excess amounts of trans-fatty acids (found in hydrogenated vegetable oils) increase the risk of degenerative diseases and other age-related maladies.

Studies have shown that the amount of unsaturated oil in the diet strongly affects the rate at which wrinkled skin develops. Taken internally and used topically, coconut oil is effective at slowing down that process.

Coconut oil has tremendous antiviral properties. Lauric Acid makes up 50 to 55 percent of the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil. In the body lauric acid converts into monolaurin, a compound which is adept at fighting viral pathogens, and is also present in large quantities in breast milk, where it protects infants from viral, bacterial and parasitic infections.

Characteristics of Our Virgin Coconut Oil.
This Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut oil is a truly unrefined coconut oil. This coconut oil is made on Mt. Banahaw from organic coconuts. Coconuts are used fresh (within 24 hours of harvest) from small family farms on Mt. Banahaw in Quezon Province, the coconut capital of the Philippines. The volcanic soil of Mt. Banahaw makes these organic coconuts some of the most nutritionally rich coconuts in the world! Testing done in independent laboratories reveals a 50% - 53% content of lauric acid. The fresh coconut meat is shredded (wet milled), and then cold-pressed to make coconut milk. The milk is then fermented for 24-36 hours, and the oil is then separated and filtered from the curds. No chemical or high-heat treatment is used, and this oil contains no trans fatty acids. We do NOT mass produce this oil. It is made by families who are coconut farmers using old-fashioned traditional methods that have been used here for hundreds of years. Our coconut trees and family producers are certified organic according to strict USDA standards. This high-grade virgin coconut oil has a long shelf life due to coconut oil's natural anti-oxidant properties. It has the longest shelf life of any plant oil!

"The Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil I highly recommend." Dr. Joseph Mercola, from www.mercola.com

Characteristics of Our Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil.
Tropical Traditions Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil is a high quality refined coconut oil. This oil is processed the "old" way by what is called "physical refining." The modern way of processing coconut oil is by chemical extraction, using solvent extracts, which produces higher yields and is quicker and less expensive. Tropical Traditions Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil DOES NOT use solvent extracts. It is made the "old" way by expeller-pressed mechanical extraction. This oil is also NOT hydrogenated, and contains NO trans fatty acids. It is a very good quality food-grade coconut oil. Tropical Traditions Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil is made from coconuts that have NOT been treated with chemicals or fertilizers. It is 100% natural. Our Expeller-Pressed coconut oil is high in the medium chain fatty acids, such as Lauric acid. This is the "common" type oil that billions of people in Asia consume on a daily basis, where thyroid disease and obesity is rare as compared to the US. We have also seen recently that Asian countries with high refined coconut oil consumption, such as the Philippines, have not seen the kinds of outbreak in SARS that other Asian countries have where vegetable oils are the primary dietary oil. Expeller Pressed Coconut oil is less expensive than Virgin Coconut Oil, and because it goes through a steam deodorizing process the taste is very bland, unlike Virgin Coconut Oil which retains the odor and taste of fresh coconuts. Some people prefer a bland, tasteless oil. This coconut oil is solid below 76 degrees F. and liquid above that.