Healthy eating with Tropical Traditions! Review and Giveaway

I didn't expect it, but I suddenly find myself addicted to living a healthy lifestyle.  I find myself seeking out healthier options in everything I do.  Healthier eating is a very high priority for me right now.  I'm doing research and trying to discern what ingredients will create the healthiest diet for myself and my family.

The Scoop 

 As I began searching for healthy foods, I suddenly found myself in the middle of a world filled with oils.  There are so many options out there!  Olive oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, safflower oil, coconut oil...the choices are seemingly endless!  My quest lead me to several websites that spoke about the amazing virtues of coconut oil, and I was determined to give it a try!

Tropical Traditions, to the rescue!  

Tropical Traditions is a company founded by a husband and wife team, Brian and Marianita.  She grew up in the Philippines, and as a couple with 3 children they returned to the Philippines.  After reading about the benefits of pure coconut oil, they made it a mission to create the purest coconut oil they could and began selling it.  Tropical Traditions employs farmers who work the land and extract the oils by hand.  

Brian and Marianita eventually had to leave the Philippines, but were disappointed in the quality of the foods they could buy in the grocery store versus what they were used to buying from farmers in markets.  They found that they were able to make products that would support their healthy lifestyle!  Thus, an entire line of Tropical Traditions products was born!

Tropical Traditions generously sent me a 32 ounce jar of their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil to review.

 The Good

The smell.  Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil smells like...well...coconut!  It's true.  It smells SO good, every time I open the jar I want to dip my finger in and have a big slurp of it.  I'm not so sure that would be a good idea, though!

The taste.  It tastes like...you guessed it...coconut!  I know this sounds silly.  Of course it smells and tastes like coconut, right?  But I didn't expect it to be so coconut-y!  I didn't expect it to taste like I was taking a bite of coconut.  It's great!


Cooking.  I've been cooking nearly everything I make with coconut oil rather than my traditional olive oil.  My food cooks great in coconut oil!  Everything comes out looking and smelling beautiful!  You can cook nearly anything with coconut oil!  In fact, Tropical Traditions will even give you recipes!

The Bad

Solidification.  Tropical Traditions coconut oil solidifies below 76 degrees.  This isn't a huge deal, but it is kind of annoying to have to soften the oil every time I want to use it.  I simply put the jar of oil in a pan of hot water, but it is still an extra step in my cooking.

Flavor change.  I find that coconut oil does slightly change the flavors of my foods.  In most recipes this isn't a problem at all, but in some recipes, the change is pretty obvious.  It's a learning curve, figuring out what recipes to change and which to leave the same.

The Outcome

Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is delicious!  I love the purity of it, and I really like that it's a "healthy" oil choice for my family!  I have read that there are many health benefits to using coconut oil, either orally or topically, and although I am unable to speak of any of these benefits with any sort of real knowledge, I can say that I am planning to stick with Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil for a long time!  It's a great product and you'll love the benefits for your family!

(Anything that can make my food look this good is worth it!)

The Giveaway

Tropical Traditions has agreed to send one of my readers a 32 ounce jar of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!  Entry into this contest is simple with Rafflecopter!  (Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is currently on sale buy one get one free from Tropical Traditions!)

 Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.