Coconut Oil Facts and a Healthy Chocolate Recipe!

I swear by coconut oil for food, my face, nails, feet, body and my crazy curly hair! When I started using it, it was not because I had heard of how amazing it was, it was literally because I LOVE coconut. Literally - I think it is the best thing in the world. If it is coconut flavoured, I want it! YUM!

When it comes to the price, you cannot cut corners. I have bought what I thought was a total bargain - 500ml of coconut oil for 99p! WOW! That is so cheap.. It was horrible. Not raw, not virgin, not right at all!

The best tip when it comes to coconut oil is - if it smells like coconut yumminess, it is great - all coconut oil should smell great! If it smells like anything other than coconut yumminess, throw it in the bin/take it back to the shop you bought it from.

Personally, I will only get raw, virgin coconut oil. The brands I have chosen have mainly been because the company is a good one (and I like the label and the price)! The four (yes, four!) brands I use are: 

+Carrington Farms 



I love the massive tub! I have bought a few other Carrington Farms products when they appear in Costco and I love them! The only thing I would change is that Carrington Farms did their full range of products in the UK and did their coconut oil in a glass jar! Other than that, I literally cannot fault them!


Biona

Biona have such an amazingly wide range of products that I adore! My favourite is their Rye Bread - totally divine! 

Chi



My mum will only use Chi and I love it too. Chi also sell coconut water and milk - YUM! I adore them!

+Lucy Bee

LucyBee is fantastic to follow as she is a real person and just so lovely. Her recipes are amazing and she is just a genuinely nice person! On her website, you can get a free brochure (here) - I got one for me, one for my mum and one for a friend! It was just so incredibly informative, I keep it in my kitchen! I call it my coconut oil bible.

All of these brands are amazing - I have used all of them and I cannot fault them in any way. They are all ethical and just amazing companies and people. 

There are many other brands and I would try them - but we all have favourites :)

There is however one brand that I will not buy again. That is KTC. It smelled horrible from when I opened it, so I took it back and got a different tub. That tub also smelled horrible. It doesn't say that it is raw or virgin, but it did say "pure", making me assume it was okay. It may well be - but I prefer my other brands!

So, when it comes to coconut oil, many people I have spoken to are hesitant to try it. I get it - people don't like change - but this is so worth the change. I have had people leave my house with a little pot of my coconut oil to get them to try it!

I have had people ask how I cooked certain things to make them "so good"?! The answer is always coconut oil!

When looking into coconut oil closer, I realised that not only is the tastiest thing on the planet, but it is also one of the healthiest! Seriously guys - it is so good for you.

The Tokelauans main trade is coconut and coconut oil. Coconut products are over 60% of their calorie consumption. They rarely have any evidence of heart disease and are amongst the healthiest people in the world. On a whole, the Tokelauans have limited access to healthcare, having to travel to New Zealand for most of their treatment - but still, their average life expectancy is still 68-70 years old.

For loads more great information - go here.

~FACTS~

~Did you know coconut oil is naturally a SPF 4?! How cool is that?!~
~Coconut oil increases your energy expenditure, helping you burn fat!~
~The Lauric acid in coconut oil helps kill bacteria, viruses and fungi~
~It can kill your hunger due to how we metabolise its good fatty acids~
~The fatty acids convert to ketones, helping to reduce seizures~
~It improves blood cholesterol and lowers the risk of heart disease~
~The fatty acids boost brain activity and function in Altzheimers patients~

That is just a few of the amazing things it can do - and it tastes great!


Recipe!

Now for a recipe! Who likes chocolate? Of course you do, everyone does! Now have you ever tried raw chocolate? This clean eating and paleo suitable recipe will get your mouth watering!

The great thing about this recipe is that you can add whatever you like to it. I sometimes add pecans, strawberries and even sprinkles!

You will need:

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup of raw honey/maple syrup
1/2 raw cacao powder (coco powder will work too)
1/2 smooth nut butter (I use almond butter from Meridian Foods)
splash of vanilla
If you don't want them so dark, Add some coconut milk or almond milk :)
added extras can include: Raspberries/Strawberries and/or nuts! I used Raspberries for this lot.

Method:
Melt the coconut butter and mix all ingredients together. I use a spatula and mix like crazy - a Nutribullet would work too!

When mixed, pour into moulds - you can use a silicone mould like mine or cup cake cases.

Messy perfection!

Pop in the fridge for 2-3 hours or the freezer for 30 minutes.

Tah-Dah! Chocolate perfection!
They do melt at room temperature - so keep them stored in the fridge.
:)

Where did I get my info?

source-source-source-source

Disclosure: all opinions stated in this post are my own. I only post reviews about products that I am passionate about and think you should all know about! Thank you for reading :) Contains affiliate links