glass bowl of coconut oil with wooden spoon

There are several different types of Coconut Oil available but there are only two worth considering – RDB and virgin Coconut Oil. RDB stands for refined, deodorised and bleached and is made from dried coconut meat. Although this product does not have the antioxidants and phenols of the unrefined kind, it still has the magic ingredient lauric acid in it. This product is much cheaper than the virgin Coconut Oil and has no taste and smell, which is great if you are not a coconut fan but still want the benefits.  Some companies refine Coconut Oil without chemicals and use a natural clay bleach and steam to remove the smell and impurities.

Extra virgin or virgin Coconut Oil means exactly the same thing. This product is made from cold pressed fresh coconut meat and has valuable phytonutrients in it. It is snowy white with a delicate and natural ‘coconutty’ aroma. The taste is light and subtle but unmistakeably coconut. If it has a strong taste and smell, or seems ‘off’ it is probably not good quality. Both RDB and virgin Coconut Oils are available from organic sources and these would be the best buy.

Avoid these

Highly processed, hydrogenated coconut oil is not worth the bottle it comes in and ‘Liquid Coconut Oil’ is a very poor relative which is actually a fractionated by product without the all-important lauric acid in it. It stays liquid, even when refrigerated. Genuine, honest-to-goodness Coconut Oil is a fat and should be solid at temperatures below 24° C (75° F.)

Check out The Complete Book of Coconut Oil

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