How
is MeritVCO virgin coconut oil different from the
other virgin coconut oils?
Their virgin coconut oils experience no heat during
processing. The Centrifuged virgin coconut oil
is processed at 25 degrees C (about 78.8 degrees
F) as its highest temperature and the Traditional
Philippine coconut oil incubates at body temperature
(37 degrees C or 98.6 degrees F). Neither oil
is exposed to "low" or high temperatures
that would destroy enzymes or alter nutrients.
The free fatty acids content
and the moisture content are very low, yielding
a fresh tasting, delicious coconut oil of premium
quality. MeritVCO has evaluated
over 50 different Virgin Coconut Oils and carry
what they feel are the two best Virgin Coconut
Oils available.
How
is MeritVCO Virgin Coconut Oil different than regular
coconut oil found in many stores?
Virgin coconut oils are made from the first pressing
of fresh coconut without the addition of any chemicals.
Regular coconut oil, found in most health
food stores, are generally much less expensive.
They are produced on a large scale and made from
copra. Copra is sun or smoke dried coconut meat
that becomes slightly rancid as it drys. Flies
may land on sun dried copra as it lays on cement
in front of indian homes. In addition, it is common
for mold to begin growing on the meat as it dries.
I the meat is smoke-dried then rather than mold,
the meat becomes covered with soot from the fire.
It becomes shades of brown and black from the
smoke drying.
Oil
pressed from the Copra may also have solvent residues,
as some of the copra facilities use solvents.
The initial oil made from the copra is called
Crude Coconut oil and is labeled "not considered
fit for human consumption". Once the oil
is pressed from the dried flesh it must be refined
with lye, bleached with acid and alkaline clays,
and then deodorized at high heat under a vacuum.
This RBD process not only removes the bad taste
and smell from the original rancid oil, but it
also removes much of the nutrients and nutritional
components that were once a part of the oil. Since
this RBD oil is mass produced and there are many
families who dry copra and many manufacturers,
this oil is cheap to buy. It is a bland, odorless,
colorless oil that retains most of the medium
chain riglycerides of the original coconut, but
it is missing the flavors and micro-nutrients
that are intact in MeritVCO Virgin
Coconut Oils.
How
should I store my Virgin Coconut Oil? Does it need
to be refrigerated?
High quality virgin coconut oil has a low moisture
content, no break down products or contaminants,
and still retains the antioxidants found in the
original coconut. Because of this it is very stable
and does not require refrigeration. If
you refrigerate coconut oil it becomes hard "as
a rock" and will require warming soften the
oil for scooping and measuring. The most important
things to consider when storaging coconut oil
are direct sunlight and heat. Closets and cupboards
work well, and moderate or cool temperatures are
better. Dank, damp place such as a basement is
not recommended because over time, with repeated
exposure to mold spores and moisture there is
potential for mold.
A
pantry, or closet or shelf in your kitchen will
work fine. At room temperature it will easily
last a year in your pantry. The manufactures say
it has a 3 year shelf life.
What is the recommended daily dosage of Virgin coconut
oil to obtain health benefits from it?
Maximum 50ML or 3.5 TBSP. of virgin coconut
oil equivalent to 21 g lauric fatty acis or
Eating the meat of one half mature coconut or
Eating 66grams desiccated coconut or
What is the best time of the day to take Virgin
coconut oil?
# It depends on what benefit from the VCO that
you want to achieve.
# If you want to use it for controlling weight,
take 30 min before lunch and dinner
# If you are using it as treatment for constipation,
take it before bedtime.
# If you just want to boost your immune system,
take it anytime of the day in a single or divided
doses
How much Virgin coconut oil should a person ingest?
The research done with using coconut oil for
sickness and disease was done based on a "therapeutic
dosage" of 3 1/2 tablespoons per day. This
dosage is based on the amount of lauric acid
a nursing human infant receives on daily. It
is lauric acid in breast milk that is responsible
for much of a babies resistance to sickness.
Looking at an infants lauric acid intake, they
calculated what an adult would need in coconut
oil to get an equivalent dosage. 3 1/2
tablespoons is the dosage scientists
used for their research, and this is the dosage
most health professionals recommend be taken
by people who are using the coconut oil therapeutically.
However, I have known people to eat 6 to 15
tablespoons of coconut oil a day.
How
many calories and grams of fat are there in
a tablespoon of coconut oil?
One tablespoon of coconut oil contains approximately
112.5 calories and 13.05 grams of healthy fat.
As mentioned above, the fat in coconut oil is
mainly composed of medium chain saturated fatty
acids, which are efficiently converted to energy.
There are virtually no carbohydrates or protein
in coconut oil.
How do I use this coconut oil?
There is more and more evidence that the long chain
poly- unsaturated fats are contributing to much
of the health problems Americans currently face.
You may substitute this coconut oil for any of the
other oils you currently use.If you store this oil
on top of your hot water heater it will always be
a liquid for you. If you keep it where it is cooler,
it will always be a solid.
Some people use the solid coconut oil as a butter
substitute and the liquid oil as a cooking oil.
Some, who do not like the strong coconut taste,
mix the coconut oil with olive, natural palm oil
or butter for cooking. Sometimes they mix it with
a nut-butter (like peanut, almond, or cashew butter)
for a spread. This coconut oil greatly enhances
the flavor of baked goods, making them mouthwateringly
good.
Some
people who want to make sure they get their full
dosage each day add the coconut oil to their smoothies
or green food drinks. Others just eat it by the
tablespoon.
You
will also absorb a certain amount of this oil
through you skin if you use it as a moisturizer.
It is very, very good for your skin, creates a
friendly environment for good skin flora. It will
give you a certain amount of protection from sunburn,
help wrinkles to fade, and make your skin baby
soft. What does absorb into the deep layers of
your skin will be used by the body in the tissues
to eliminate pathogens and add energy to the cells.
Do I still need to worry about essential fatty acids?
There are no essential fatty acids in virgin coconut
oil. The health benefits of this oil are found
in the medium chain fatty acids. These fatty acids
are easily digested, attack the protective coating
on pathogenic organisms, and are used by the body
for energy. The coconut oil will help to speed
up metabolism, giving a boost to those with hypothyroidism,
cancer, and other diseases. It will help the body
to eliminate pathogens that are causing things
like fibromyalga, ulcerative bowel problems, Crohne's
disease, and AIDS. And it requires very little
from the liver or gall bladder for digestion,
does not need HDL or LDL to transport it, nor
does it require enzymes to get it across the cell
membrane. Essential fatty acids being added to
people's diets have been helpful sometimes because
of an overload in the Omega 6 unsaturated fats
in the poly unsaturated oils which they have in
their diets. The Omega 3's helped to balance things
out. But your body really needs very little of
the Omega 3 or Omega 6 essential fatty acids if
you use the coconut oil instead of the other oils.
When coconut oil is your primary oil you will
be able to obtain all the essential fatty acids
you need in the food you eat. Salmon once a week
will do it, grass fed beef. cage-free eggs. raw,
organic, grass fed, dairy, etc.
The
Omega 3 fatty acids are very
unstable and it has been shown that when they
are taken into the body in supplement form much
of these unstable fatty acids immediately oxidize.
Oxidized fats are dangerous. They similar to natural
chemotherapy! This does not happen when you are
getting the Omega 3 fatty acids from your foods,
only when it comes into your body in supplement
form.
So Omega 3 fatty acids in flax seed oil, which
has no antioxidants in it as you would find in
greens or salmon or fish oil, needs to have either
anti-oxidants, cottage cheese or yogurt or something
eaten with them to protect those highly unstable
fatty acid chains from oxidizing and causing damage
to the body.
Are
there any cautions to taking the Virgin Coconut
oil. Are there any side effects?
Depending
on how toxic a person is from a life time of poor
eating habits, from bacterial growth in the body,
from chemo, radiation or antibiotics, they could
see a tremendous purging of pathogenic organisms
or of toxins into their stomach. A diet of low
fat and high carbohydrates often times leads to
candida or bacterial overgrowth in the body.
The
most common side effect of this purging and die-off
is diarrhea. So while 3 1/2 tablespoons is considered
the therapeutic dosage, some may have to cut back
to a teaspoon or two at first and build up to
the larger amounts as their body gradually cleanses.
You can take these smaller dosages and just have
it more frequently.
It
is very rare that anyone is allergic to coconut
oil. Though this is possible. Most allergies are
to proteins, while the oil is almost totally fat,
with no protein content to speak of. People who
believe they must be allergic to the coconut oil,
if they lessen their dosage notice they can handle
it just fine, and those that try this usually
find that they can gradually increase their dosage
and they see tremendous results with their health.
In Asian countries where coconuts grow prolifically
they do not often see allergies to coconuts, but
rather the coconut and its oil has nourished many
people for many years. In fact, if anyone gets
sick, it is the coconut they look to for getting
them well.
