Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil Review and Giveaway

~~The giveaway is now CLOSED~~

I've been drinking coconut juice for years, but I've never tried coconut oil until very recently, when Tropical Traditions sent me a big jar of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil, along with an informative book called Virgin Coconut Oil: How It Has Changed People's Lives, and How It Can Change Yours! I've heard in passing that coconut oil has quite a few health benefits, but I'm a bit concerned about how to incorporate it into my regular recipes as my husband is not very fond of coconut flavor. Since the oil is labeled as 100% organic and cholesterol-free, I decided to give it a try.

Before I embarked on this new adventure in my kitchen, two questions were lingering in my mind: What exactly is Virgin Coconut Oil? What makes it Gold Label? (I really like the label design, BTW. The little crown makes me feel special!). Both the book and Tropical Traditions website have the answers. Unlike Refined Coconut Oil, Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) is produced from fresh coconut meat also known as non-corpa. No chemicals or high heating are used in further refining. The Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil meets the highest standard for VCO. The oil is extracted from fresh organic coconut meat without drying first. It's high in antioxidants and contains no trans fatty acid. What's unique about Tropical Traditions coconut oil is that it's NOT mass produced. Instead, it's made by small family farms in the Philippines using traditional methods. Both coconut trees and family producers are certified organic by the USDA!

I first tested the oil in homemade bread. My kitchen was filled with coconut scent when the baking was under way. I asked hubby (who wasn't present when I made the bread) to taste it first. He didn't realize that it was coconut oil that had added what he called "delightful special flavor" to the bread. He was quite surprised when I revealed the secret ingredient. I then used it as a cooking oil in place of my canola oil. I also tried it as a salad dressing. All my experiments turned out to be quite successful. My overall impression is that the Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is strong in scent (especially when being heated), but light in flavor. I'm so happy to have found this heart healthy oil for my family. You may get some great recipe ideas from Tropical Traditions recipe blog

I also learned from the book that VCO can be used beyond the kitchen. It's great for hair conditioning, anti-aging, and even sun protection. I haven't explored these alternative usages yet, but you might want to when you get your own jar.

The Giveaway

The nice people from Tropical Traditions have generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a one-quart (32 FL. oz.) jar of the Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil (as pictured above)-a $37.50 value!

Required Entry: Visit Tropical Traditions, browse their wide selection of products and leave a comment telling me what you'd like to try other than the Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. (Please leave a valid email address in your comment or make sure one is visible in your blogger profile).


Extra Entries (optional): please make sure you do the required entry first! Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry, i.e. 1 comment=1 entry.

• Follow my blog publicly (1 extra entry)
  
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• Follow Tropical Traditions AND Me on Twitter AND tweet the following message (1 extra entry per day) Yes! You may tweet once daily to increase your chances:

RT @luckytoddler @troptraditions Organic Virgin Coconut Oil giveaway. Win the healthiest oil on earth! http://tinyurl.com/pvufep #fbz

Please leave your Twitter id or the link to your tweet in your comment.

• Fave me on Technorati (2 extra entries) and leave your user name
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to Tropical Traditions and Me, and leave the link in your comment (1 extra entry for mentioning this giveaway on your blog; 3 extra entries for a separate blog post).
• Make a purchase from Tropical Traditions by the end of this giveaway (10 extra entries)

Giveaway ends at 11:59 Central Time on 6/12/09

Open to US Residents Only.
Winner will be chosen using random.org and will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.
Thanks for entering and good luck!