VO v's VCO.

[Guest guest]

Hi All

I am feeling a bit hard done by. I started out a couple of weeks ago by

buying a 500ml (500 g) or 17.6 ounce jar of CO which cost me 79 sek or

$13 US, and started taking 3 tblsp a day. Then I discovered that it says

on the jar that the oil is /*100% refined coconut oil, pressed from

dried coconut. No preservatives or additives*. /However, the shop sells

another product they label as VCO and it costs 179 sek or about $30 US

for the same size jar.

There is another product in the shops which is definitely refined but

which costs only about $3 US.

Well, I can not afford to spend $90 US a month on VCO and if the $13

100% refined CO is basically the same as the cheap $3 one then I need to

know if there are any benefits to be had from refined CO or indeed if

the refining process is actually damaging to my health as I am told

refined Margarine is.

I have 2 choices - I can continue to use CO in the $13 or $3 dollar

versions both which I believe have been refined, a process I don't

really understand, nor why it would be detrimental. Or, I can stop using CO.

I found this at: http://www.coconutdiet.com/what_is_virgin_coconut_oil.htm

/The standard end product made from copra is RBD coconut oil. RBD stands

for refined, bleached, and deodorized. High heat is used to deodorize

the oil, and the oil is typically filtered through (bleaching) clays to

remove impurities. Sodium hydroxide is generally used to remove free

fatty acids and prolong shelf life. This is the most common way to

mass-produce coconut oil. The older way of producing refined coconut oil

was through physical/mechanical refining. More modern methods also use

chemical solvents to extract all the oil from the copra for higher yields.

/So, I don't really understand what is unhealthy about this process.

Then it says:

/RBD oil is also sometimes hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated. This

happens mostly in tropical climates, since the natural melting point of

coconut oil is about 76 degrees F, and already naturally a solid in most

colder climates. Since coconut oil is mostly saturated, there is little

unsaturated oil left to hydrogenate. Hydrogenated oils contain trans

fatty acids.

/Since coconut only grows in tropical climates I would presume it is

also produced there too so I don't see the relevance.

This is a real dilemma for me. I have checked out prices in other parts

of Europe and there is not much to be gained when freight charges are

accounted for. Import from elsewhere is not viable due again to freight

and import taxes.

Any advice or enlightenment would be greatly appreciated.

Best wishes

KJ