In the last “tree of life” installment, we shared a few coconut basics with our blog, 13 things you should know about coconut. We want to go a little bit further in this article and talk about the versatility of coconut.

It can be used in every facet of living. Healthcare, wellness products, dietary supplements. The tree fronds can be used as building material and the husk can be used to make rope, planting materials, or fertilizer. Let alone the age-old coconut bikini or the unique musical instruments (or if you’re into Monty Python, the horses)—the list is endless.

We’ll be back to cover the unique ways to use parts of coconuts, but for now, we’ll tell you about the top seven coconut products on the market today. These are the seven products that have made it through thousands of years of use, weathered the storms of 15 minutes marketing fame (and defame), and came out the other side still as useful and irreplaceable as ever.

The Top 7 Products Made from Coconut

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is the sweetheart of all the coconut products out there. It’s used in everything from skincare and personal hygiene to recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It seemingly has an unlimited amount of health benefits and uses that is ever-growing.

Coconut oil is made from the meat of mature coconuts because as a coconut matures, the meat becomes harder, the water evaporates, and the fat content increases in the meat. There are a lot of ways that coconut oil is made, so here’s an article about how to choose the right coconut oil for your household.

Unadulterated coconut oil is roughly 95% saturated fat, which is a chemistry term that means that there is no double bond between carbon molecules because they are “saturated” with hydrogen bonds. It’s a very stable oil, solid at room temperature and no, it does not lead to heart disease.

Our coconut oil is USDA certified organic cold pressed, which means it’s made with very low heat and is pure, unadulterated coconut oil.

Infused Coconut Oil

One thing we love about coconut oil is how wonderfully it disseminates essential oils.

We use our handcrafted infused coconut oil for everything—deodorant, lip balm, hair conditioner, moisturizer, body oil, soothing salve, after shave, makeup remover, facial highlighter, massage oil - it even makes an awesome subtle perfume!

Coconut Aminos

If you haven’t tried coconut aminos, you just have to. Finish reading the article, get off the computer, and go to your local health food store.

It’s a sweet and salty sauce that was originally touted as a healthy alternative to soy sauce, but it has since taken on a life of its own. It is made from the nectar of the coconut blossom which is collected, fermented, and then blended with sea salt.

We like it on salads as part of the dressing (or sometimes as the dressing). It does make a pretty wonderful alternative to soy sauce—though a bit sweeter, and it makes an absolutely incredible marinade for any kind of stir fry.

Coconut Butter

Coconut butter is the ultimate craving-curber to a sweet tooth. Eat a spoonful of this delicious treat when you’re needing your sugar fix.

It’s made from the blended meat of the coconut and you can use it in place of a nut butter in just about any recipe.

Click here to learn more about coconut butter.

Like all of our products our coconut butter is as pure as it gets. It is sourced from Tropics Best, a multi-generational and certified organic farm located in South-Western Mexico.

Coconut Meat

Coconut meat is most commonly found shredded because it’s easiest to use that way—as cocout meat can get hard and in larger chunks can be more difficult to eat. Mature coconuts are predominately harvested for their meat, which is used to press out coconut oil, make coconut butter, and to make coconut milk.

Shredded coconut is also good to add in smoothies, atop desserts for an extra boost of beauty and nutrition, and makes a wonderful addition to salads.

Our shredded coconut is dehydrated to have less than 3% water content, which means the good fats, antioxidants, fiber, minerals, and vitamins are concentrated into each delicious piece.

Coconut Vinegar

Vinegar from coconut? Yes! And you can buy it almost every health food store around the states.

If you google it, you’ll get articles claiming it to be the new ACV (the benefits are similar to the probiotic apple cider vinegar. Big words, we know.) The vinegar is made from the fermented water or sap of the coconut tree and, like the same, is rich in minerals and contains all nine amino acids that are the building blocks of protein.

Activated Charcoal

This is a product that is found in literally every hospital, human or animal, across the world. It’s one of the safest and most effective ways to stop poison from building up in the liver because it has the (almost) magical power of adsorption.

There are lots of kinds of activated charcoal because charcoal can be made from many different types of material, and then there are several procedures that process the pure charcoal into activated charcoal. Our Super Fine Activated Charcoal is made from (what else?) organic coconut husk!

Part of the sustainability goal for ThePureWay is to leave no waste—we want to use every part of the coconut and activated charcoal is a way to take the discarded husk and turn it into a product that is safe, effective, and pure.

Coconut Sugar

Last but not least, we’re spotlighting the sweetest, richest part of the common coconut products. Coconut Sugar. This is another one you can get at almost any supermarket or health food store and it’s more comparable to an unrefined brown or raw sugar than a white sugar—and indeed is made in a similar way.

Coconut sugar is made from the flower of the coconut tree. The flower is cut, and it bleeds a very sweet sap or nectar. The sap is dehydrated and the remaining material is the sugar content inside of the sap. The coconut sugar contains the minerals like iron and magnesium along with some antioxidants and fatty acids, making it healthier than the refined sugar.

It is still a sugar though, so while it’s healthier than a table sugar, it shouldn’t be mistaken for a health food.

Coconut is incredible! Share your favorite products or recipes in the comments below!

references

https://www.livestrong.com/article/262961-what-are-the-benefits-of-coconut-vinegar/

http://www.eatingwell.com/article/289738/what-is-coconut-aminos/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coconut-sugar