Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil Review and Giveaway!

I have been singing the praises of coconut milk and coconut water on my blog for many months, but just recently I had the privilege of trying Tropical Traditions Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil. Talk about a multi-purpose product! While you can cook with it, bake with it, add it to smoothies or even take a spoonful straight, you can also use it as a versatile skincare product. It works well as a moisturizer and massage oil. I was pleasantly surprised when I went to a new massage therapist who used Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil in her practice. I had forewarned her about my chemical sensitivities and aversion to strong scents and coconut oil was her solution. As a moisturizer it absorbs nicely into the skin and it does not leave a greasy residue. It smells like fresh coconut and is the PERFECT beauty product for people who are chemically sensitive like me. I like to use it as a post leg-shaving moisturizer.

I have also added it to my smoothies and stir fries but still need to try baking with it. The following video includes a recipe for gluten-free creamy pumpkin cheesecake bars (perfect for fall!) made with coconut flour and coconut oil! Given my current pumpkin/fall obsession, I can't wait to try making this!

I am giving away one 32 oz jar of Gold Label Standard Virgin Coconut Oil as pictured below courtesy of Tropical Traditions!

To enter the giveaway, there are two steps:

First, leave me a comment below and tell me how you'd like to use the coconut oil. I will be drawing one lucky winner from a cornucopia on Monday, November 26.

Second, subscribe to Tropical Traditions Newsletter here: 

Sign Me Up!

Win 1 quart of Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America’s source for coconut oil. Their Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil is hand crafted in small batches by family producers, and it is the highest quality coconut oil they offer. You can read more about how virgin coconut oil is different from other coconut oils on their website: What is Virgin Coconut Oil?

You can also watch the video they produced about Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil:

Tropical Traditions also carries other varieties of affordable high quality coconut oil. Visit their website to check on current sales, to learn about the many uses of coconut oil, and to read about all the advantages of buying coconut oil online. Since the FDA does not want us to discuss the health benefits of coconut oil on a page where it is being sold or given away, here is the best website to read about the health benefits of coconut oil.

Disclaimer: 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. 

The Best Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert Ever!

And the winner goes to: Trader Joe's Soy Creamy in Cherry Chocolate Chip! This stuff is delectable and dangerously addictive. I have managed to gain back at least half of my post-appendectomy weight loss thanks to bowls and bowls of this lovely desert. If I didn't know it was soy, I honestly couldn't tell the difference. The texture and consistency is nearly identical and I actually prefer it to ice cream! I highly recommend this stuff to anyone who is lactose-intolerant, vegan, or anyone with taste buds for that matter!

Things To Be Thankful For

As I sit here achy and slightly feverish with a sore throat, nostrils I can't breathe out of, and eyes that feel like sandpaper, I figured why not reflect on a few of the positives in my life. Sure I am a little late for Thanksgiving (precisely when I contracted this superbug from my germ-carrying little cousins), but better late than never, right? Practicing an attitude of gratitude is supposed to have health benefits. Here is my top ten list of things I am thankful for this season. It's a mixed bag my friends. And spoiler-alert: I'm about to get pretty darn self-disclosive here.

1) My mom. Without her I would certainly cease to exist. She has loved me and taken care of me for 26 years, as a single parent for the last 20. I know raising me hasn't been easy on her financially or emotionally yet she still did a darn good job as a parent. Growing up she made sure I had every opportunity at my disposal. This has been a particularly tough year for me not just physically having to adapt to the new EDS diagnosis, but also emotionally from uncovering my foreign father's shady past. I corresponded with he and my grandmother earlier this year and the more I learn about them the more thankful I am that my mom and her side of the family raised me here in the great US of A. I have always been slightly curious about my father but now I know the truth. As far as I'm concerned he is a heartless, pathetic excuse for a human being. I am so glad my mom protected me from him all these years. I have come to the conclusion that it is healthier to never let him interrupt my life again, never speak to him again. But on the bright side, at least I can stop wondering about him and start appreciating the great family I do have in my life, my mom especially.

2) Answers. By answers I am primarily talking about my EDS diagnosis. Sure, it is crappy news. Very crappy news. I may be plagued with chronic pain for the rest of my life and may never be able to have biological children, but at least I won't be left in the dark to wonder why. Things are less scary when we have labels to put on them. I like to feel that I have some semblance of order and control over my health, so having a name to put on my constellation of symptoms should at least help inform my doctors and help me to not inadvertently hyperextend my joints anymore.

3) Friends. This goes for my in-person friends who have stuck around (even though I am not much fun anymore!) as well as my online family. I have met so many wonderful young women online whose stories and symptoms are all too similar to my own. It is so refreshing and comforting to have a 'family' who completely understands and empathizes with the things I am going through. Conversely, I love being able to lend an ear, some advice or just plain friendship to such amazing individuals. One thing I know to be true: POTS and EDS patients are good people. Some of the best in the world in my humble opinion. I am not sure where exactly I would be without the friendship and support of my online family. They have come to my rescue many times! I swear, they are all smarter than my doctors too.

4) Food. This may seem a bit silly to some of you, but I am thankful that I am able to eat (most) of the foods I love with minimal complications. After being on a liquid/mushy diet so much because of TMJ, being able to chew real food brings me great pleasure. Especially red velvet cupcakes, homemade fajitas, pizza without red sauce and double fudge cookie dough blizzards to name a few of my favorites. I also like a few healthy foods too but tend not to get as enthused about eating them.

5) Television. My window to the outside world beyond my bedroom. Television has been a constant in my life ever since I was a small child. I have fond memories of watching 'The Nanny,' 'The Cosby Show' and 'Full House' with my great grandmother nearly every night for as long as I can remember. Out sitcom ritual was always comforting to me, and even now I find myself revisiting those memories regularly. Just me, Big Grandma and my mom watching TGIF together. That is my idea of perfect family time. It should come as no surprise to any of my relatives that I chose to make a career out of TV, even if it was short-lived. Even now, television is often what bonds my friends and family together. Except now sitcoms are replaced with the crazy reality TV show of the day for our daily fodder. Pop culture in the background creates the soundtrack to my life.

6) Work. I feel very fortunate to have finally found a stable, flexible, part-time, work-from-home position that utilizes many of my previous skills from the TV and PR worlds. It doesn't quite pay the bills but I feel valued and productive again all while telecommuting. Most importantly, this job has afforded me the opportunity to feel a part of something again. The fact that I am contributing my skills to a non-profit I believe in makes it even better.

7) Relatives. Certain ones in particular. My grandparents have always been very involved in my life and genuinely interested in how I am doing and what I'm doing. It is nice to know I have kind grandparents like them who I can count on for anything. My cousin Michael has also been very helpful during this time. He is one of the only relatives I can think of who asks how I am doing and recalls the specific details of POTS/my life in general. I remember the day when he was born and can hardly believe he will be done with high school soon. I am proud to call him my cousin.

8) Music. Although I am longing to get back in the front row at concerts again, it is nice to still have music in my life via Pandora.com or my old-school ipod nano. Sometimes it is nice to tune out the world around me and escape into a song. You can take the girl out of ballet but you can't take the ballet out of the girl. I sometimes like to mentally choreograph a song in my head. I find that envisioning choreography to music makes exercise like recumbent biking much less tedious.

9) Technology. I'll admit, I definitely have a love/hate relationship with technology, but it has made my life easier overall. Without social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter, it would be much harder to stay connected to everyone in my life. That said, I am also thankful for my cellphone with cheap, unlimited minutes!

10) Home. With the high cost of living right now, I am very fortunate and thankful to have a roof over my head, once again thanks to my wonderful mother. Having a hand in decorating our home also makes me very happy. I often wonder if interior design is a career I should have/could still go into someday. It distracts me from my immediate health concerns and reminds me how important cultivating a sense of place really is. Especially for those of us who spend a disproportionate amount of time at home. Being comfortable and surrounded by beautiful colors and objects I love has become more of a priority for me in recent years.

Something else you can do in the safety and comfort of your own home is the gratitude dance. I highly recommend it. If you're able, start doing the gratitude dance at home each morning just for kicks. If you're seated or laying down, just do the arms or legs, whichever is most comfortable. Do it in public if you dare. It really gets the endorphins flowing!