Is Coconut Oil Whole30?

Coconut oil is a popular product used for frying foods and binding ingredients together in baking – but is coconut oil Whole30 compliant?

The Whole30 diet restricts many different food types (more on this later), so if you’re following this food regime you may be used to searching for which foods you’re allowed to have. Generally speaking, coconut oil is considered to be allowed on the Whole30 diet – hooray! However, this is provided that it doesn’t contain any of the restricted ingredients.

If you’re confused, don’t worry. I’m here to talk you through everything you need to know when it comes to coconut oil being Whole30, including how the Whole30 program works, what types of coconut oil are considered to be Whole30 compliant, some information on other coconut products, and also some tips on cooking with coconut oil.

Keep reading for all the info!

What is the Whole30 program

If you’re unsure of how the Whole30 program works, here’s a quick refresher.

The Whole30 program is an elimination diet that requires you to remove certain food types from your diet. This is carried out over a period of 30 days. Once the initial 30-day period is complete, you can then reintroduce these restricted foods back into your regime over 10 day periods, allowing enough time to see if these previously disallowed food items are having an impact on your weight.

The point of the Whole30 diet is to establish which food types may be causing you to gain weight. The Whole30 diet is also followed to see if any particular foods are causing your digestive system issues.

Once you know if any of these foods are causing you problems, you can either remove them from your diet completely or consume them in moderation.

We’ve put together a list of some foods that are generally restricted on the Whole30 program.

These are available below, however, we strongly recommend consulting with a dietician before embarking on this diet not only to ensure you’re restricting the right foods but also to check that this diet is right for you:

• Carrageenan/sulfites
• Alcohol
• Added sugars/sweeteners (includes ‘real’ and ‘artificial’)
• Desserts/baked goods with ‘allowed ingredients’
• Grains (including grain/gluten-free flours and quinoa)
• Dairy
• Legumes

For those curious, we’ve compared/contrasted Whole30 to paleo and keto…it’s hard to keep all these diets straight!

So, is coconut oil Whole30?

The good news is that yes, coconut oil is generally considered to be Whole30 approved.

This is because it doesn’t naturally include any of the restricted items listed above. It’s unlikely that brands of coconut oil you can purchase in shops would include any of these ingredients either, but we strongly recommend thoroughly reading any labels of coconut oil you purchase to ensure that they are fully Whole30 compliant.

To ensure your coconut oil is Whole30, you can make it at home! Here’s a recipe for how to make homemade coconut oil.

If you don’t have much time on your hands, here’s a list of the best coconut oil you can buy – just make sure to check any labels/ingredient lists to ensure they don’t include any restricted Whole30 ingredients.

Are other coconut products Whole30?

There are many other coconut products that are considered to be Whole30. Coconut is naturally Whole30 compliant, so providing that no additional ingredients that are on the restricted list above have been added in manufacturing processes, these foods would be considered as allowed on this diet.

Here’s a list of other coconut products that may be Whole30, as mentioned above, please check any labels before consumption to ensure that you’re not eating any disallowed foods:

• Coconut cream
• Fresh coconut
• Coconut milk
• Coconut flour
• Coconut flakes
• Shredded/desiccated coconut

Cooking and baking with coconut oil on Whole30 program

Coconut oil is very popular on the Whole30 program, as it doesn’t naturally contain any restricted ingredients.

You can use coconut oil to fry different ingredients, or also as a binding agent in cakes/desserts.

It’s important to note that coconut oil does have a slight coconut flavor, which may be added to your food if you’re using it in the cooking/baking process. Most oils don’t have a flavor so it’s worth bearing this in mind when using coconut oil.

Here are some of our favorite uses for coconut oil, including cooking, baking, and skincare!