Alive Foods RAW Cold-pressed Organic Coconut Oil

Raw Extra Virgin Organic Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is perfect for cooking, smoothies, desserts, body care, or consuming as is.

Coconut oil is rich in medium-chain fatty acids, particularly the important fatty acids lauric acid and caprylic acid, with a lauric acid content of approximately 50 percent. Cold-pressed coconut oil is a saturated fat and a healthy one at that. Unlike other saturated fats (which have long-chain fatty acids), coconut oil consists of medium-chain fatty acids. These are considered to be a very important form of fat.

Coconut oil is a stable oil and works best in cooking as it can withstand heating up to 400 degrees, meaning it doesn't create trans fats when heated. You can use coconut oil in stews, sauces, for frying, in baking, in your health drink, on sandwiches, or eat it directly with a spoon. A simple and wonderfully delicious way to consume it is to add it to rice, quinoa, or porridge.

How is good coconut oil made?

Well, the best oil comes from young coconuts, the green coconuts. They are opened and the coconut water is saved. The flesh is scraped out and cold-pressed so that the coconut milk flows out. The coconut milk is mixed with the coconut water and left to rest at room temperature where it undergoes natural fermentation. This separates the protein, fat, and water from each other. The protein floats to the surface, the water sinks to the bottom, and the oil collects in the middle. The protein is then scooped off from the surface, and the oil is carefully collected and then heated so the water evaporates. Cold-pressed oil must not be heated above 42 degrees - hence RAW.

How is less quality coconut oil made?

Bleaching, refining, and hydrogenation of the oil deteriorates both taste and healthy properties.

Lower quality oil comes from older coconuts, the brown ones, called copra. To extract oil from this flesh, it must be heated well above 42 degrees. Typically, the flesh is heated and mixed in a hydrogenation reactor with sodium hydroxide, phosphoric acid, bleaching earth, activated carbon, and various types of solvents. This process creates trans fats. Coconut oil is then usually subjected to deodorization (removing the taste and smell of coconut), where it is heated to 230 degrees. Those who use this method say: Both phosphoric acid, bleaching earth, and activated carbon are approved processing aids (by the EU), and there are no residues left in the refined end product. As consumers, we must make our own judgment on this...

Many spreadable fats, including margarines, are not healthy at all and undergo a similar process. In a hydrogenation process, liquid oils are transformed into cheap spreadable, stable fats. They are usually manufactured with chemicals, so it's better to choose organic butter!

If you are vegan: use coconut oil on your bread instead. These trans fats are present in many foods and increase the level of blood fat Lp(a), which is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.

So how should I choose a coconut oil?

Simple; always choose an organic, raw, cold-pressed, unbleached, unrefined, non-deodorized coconut oil. Yes, it costs a bit more, but it's worth it! There are cheaper coconut oils from copra (older coconuts) that have been deodorized at around 100 degrees but not hydrogenated in reactors with acid, carbon, solvents, etc. - it cannot be called RAW but can be organic. However, it's not the same quality and doesn't have the same health benefits as a raw, cold-pressed oil.

Interesting:

Each coconut tree flowers up to 13 times per year, and can be harvested year-round. Each tree produces an average of 60 coconuts per year and 10,000 during its lifetime.

What a tree! It gives us: coconut oil, coconut water, coconut milk, coconut palm sugar, coconut flour, coconut nectar, coconut vinegar, coconut chips, and coconut flakes...

Nutritional value per 100g: Energy: 3700 kJ / 883 kcal Fat: 98.5 g Saturated fat: 83.5 g Carbohydrates: 1.4 g of which sugars: 0.1 g Protein: 0 g Salt: 0 g

Storage: The oil can be stored at room temperature - no need for refrigeration. NOTE! It becomes liquid at 24°C, this does not affect the quality of the oil.

Dosage: Recommended intake 5-10 grams per day.

Contents: RAW, organic, cold-pressed, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. INCI: Cocos nucifera oil.

Country of Origin: Philippines.

Manufacturer: AliveFoods, Sweden.