Refined Coconut Oil: What is it?
There are different kinds of Coconut oil and they each have their different benefits and drawbacks. This article discusses refined coconut oil, it’s uses, advantages and drawbacks.
What is Refined Coconut Oil?
Refined coconut oil is oil created from the copra (dried meat) of coconuts. To extract the coconut oil from copra, heat has to be used. This coconut oil is not edible and needs to undergo more processing. The processing results in something called RBD (Refined, Bleached, and Deodorized) oil[1]. In a nutshell this process purifies and processes the oil into an edible form. This is refined coconut oil that you see on the shelves. It is odorless and doesn’t have much of a taste either. The processing also removes some of the useful nutrients. Additionally the processing results in added chemicals such as Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH).
What are the Uses of Refined Coconut Oil?
While refined coconut oil may have lost a small part of its nutrients, it still has many health benefits. Coconut oils contain healthy saturated fats that play a huge role in maintaining our body’s health[2]. Societies which eat a lot of coconuts or coconut products are very healthy and have low amounts of cardiovascular diseases. Coconut oil also contains significant amounts of lauric acid, which is antifungal and antimicrobial[3]. Because of this, coconut oil can significantly boost your immune system.
There are numerous other health benefits of coconut oil. For example, coconut oil contains MCTs (Medium Chain Triglycerides), which are a form of fatty acids. Many leading health scientists believe that MCTs can be used to slow down or even treat Alzheimer’s disease[4]. MCTs also turn into ketones in the body, which can help treat and prevent seizures[5].
Additionally, coconut oil has been shown to reduce belly fat and help people lose weight[6]. If you’re looking to have washboard abs this summer, you may want to look into supplementing with coconut oil!
In addition to the many health benefits, coconut oil also should play a major part in your skin and hair care routines. Coconut oil has been used in many countries for both skin and hair care for centuries. For example, a study recently showed that coconut oil can help prevent hair damage[7]. Coconut oil is a popular ingredient in many shampoos and conditioners, and is also used to combat dandruff. Coconut oil also is used by many people as an excellent moisturizer, and it contains many nutrients that are healthy for the skin (such as Vitamin E and K). Coconut oil is often used for treating both dry skin and dermatitis.
Coconut oil is extremely versatile; you can put a teaspoon in your smoothies, or even create your own toothpaste with it! There are literally dozens of uses for coconut oil, from use in your coffee to being excellent tanning oil.
The Drawbacks of Refined Coconut Oil
Refined coconut oil undergoes chemical processing, and because of that loses a small amount of its nutrients. In addition to that issue, the processing involves the usage of chemicals, of which small amounts remain. While these chemicals are most likely harmless, it’s still worth mentioning as a potential drawback. Virgin coconut oil is the all natural version of coconut oil, which we recommend for most uses.
What are Refined Coconut Oil’s Advantages?
One of the major benefits of refined coconut oil as compared to virgin coconut oil is its higher smoking point (450 deg F vs. 350 deg F). That means that refined coconut oil is much more suited for cooking at higher temperatures. Some people also prefer the odorless and tasteless properties of refined coconut oil. Refined coconut oil is also less expensive than virgin coconut oil and hence makes a great alternative if you’re on a budget. Refined coconut oil is an excellent choice for hair and skin care as it’s cheaper than virgin coconut oil, and the slight lack of nutrients really doesn’t matter as much for topical use.
To recap, buy refined coconut oil if you need a high temperature cooking oil, if you are on a low budget, or if you don’t like the smell and taste of virgin coconut oil. Otherwise, I would stick to virgin coconut oil. Regardless of whether you choose virgin or refined coconut oil, I would suggest that you try to purchase organic.
[1] http://veganheath.info/unrefined-refined-coconut-oil
[2] http://fourhourworkweek.com/2009/06/06/saturated-fat/
[3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC444260/
[5] http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1474442208700929
[6] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19437058
[7] http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2003/cc054n02/p00175-p00192.pdf?origin=publication_detail
