Coconut Nutritional Information
Health Benefits of Coconut
Evolution: The English name coconut, first mentioned in English print in 1555, comes from Spanish and Portuguese word coco, which means "monkey face." Spanish and Portuguese explorers found a resemblance to a monkey's face in the three round indented markings or "eyes" found at the base of the coconut. On the Nicobar Islands of the Indian Ocean, whole coconuts were used as currency for the purchase of goods until the early part of the twentieth century.
Coconuts are the fruit of the coconut palm, botanically known as cocos nucifera, with nucifera meaning "nut-bearing." The fruit-bearing palms are native to Malaysia, Polynesia and southern Asia, and are now also prolific in South America, India, the Pacific Islands, Hawaii and Florida. The light, fibrous husk allowed it to easily drift on the oceans to other areas to propagate. In Sanskrit, the coconut palm is known as kalpa vriksha, meaning "tree which gives all that is necessary for living," since nearly all parts of the tree can be used in some manner or another. The coconut itself has many food uses, including milk, meat, sugar and oil as well as functioning as its own dish and cup. The husk was also burned for fuel by natives, but today a seed fibre called coir is taken from the husk and used to make brushes, mats, fishnets, and rope. A very potent fermented toddy or drink is also made from the coconut palm's sap. Coconut oil, a saturated fat made from coconut meat, is used for safe sautéing and in candies and margarines, as well as in non-edible products such as soaps and cosmetics.
Although it takes up to a year for coconuts to mature, the trees bloom up to thirteen times a year, so fruit is constantly forming yielding a continuous harvest year-round. An average harvest from one tree runs about 60 coconuts, with some trees yielding three times that amount. The coconut's name is a bit of a misnomer, since it is botanically classified as a drupe and not a nut. It is the largest seed known.
Natural Isotonic Beverage: Coconut water has the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It's the fluid of life, so to speak." In fact, during the Pacific War of 1941-45, both sides in the conflict regularly used coconut water - siphoned directly from the nut - to give emergency plasma transfusions to wounded soldiers. Most coconut water is still consumed fresh in tropical coastal areas - once exposed to air, the liquid rapidly loses most of its organoleptic and nutritional characteristics, and begins to ferment.
As A Sports Drink: Coconut water contains more potassium (at about 294 mg) than most sports drinks (117 mg) and most energy drinks. Coconut water has less sodium (25mg) where sports drinks have around 41mg and energy drinks have about 200 mg! Coconut water has 5mg of Natural Sugars where sports and energy drinks range from 10-25mg of Altered Sugars. Coconut water is very high in Chloride at 118mg, compared to sports drinks at about 39mg.
Traditional Medicinal Qualities: In traditional medicine around the world coconut is used to treat a wide variety of health problems including the following: abscesses, asthma, baldness, bronchitis, bruises, burns, colds, constipation, cough, dropsy, dysentery, earache, fever, flu, gingivitis, gonorrhea, irregular or painful menstruation, jaundice, kidney stones, lice, malnutrition, nausea, rash, scabies, scurvy, skin infections, sore throat, swelling, syphilis, toothache, tuberculosis, tumors, typhoid, ulcers, upset stomach, weakness, and wounds.
Scientific Proven Qualities:
Nutrient Content
Raw Coconut Meat: Vit B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, C, E, K, Choline, Calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, fatty acids: Caproic Acid, Caprylic Acid, Capric Acid and Lauric Acid and Myristic Acidlauric acid, Palmitic acid, Stearic acid, Oleic acid.
Raw Coconut Water: basically the same nutrition as above except B6 and the fatty acids. 1 cup contains about 46 calories and 2 grams of protein. The sodium content is surprisingly high with 252 mg. and so is the fiber at 3 grams. The total fat is exceptionally low at 0.5 grams with 0.4 grams saturated.
Coconut water contains a full range of B vitamins with the exception of vitamin B6 and B12. There are 6.00 mcg of folic acid and 5.8 mg of vitamin C. Mineral content is 57.6 mg of calcium, 0.7 mg. of iron, 60 mg of magnesium, 600 mg of potassium, and 0.2 mg of zinc.
Raw Virgin Coconut Oil: Although labeled as a saturated fat it does not have the harmful components as other saturated fats and even unsaturated fats. Raw virgin coconut oil contains highly nutritious medium chained fatty acids which are prized for its’ health benefits. Medium chained fatty acids or MCFA’s are primarily found in coconuts and breast milk. MCFA’s aid the body in fat metabolism which actually helps the body lose excess fat. It helps the heart and does not add to the cholesterol component like many fats do. Another advantage of the unrefined coconut oil is its amazing shelf life. Stored for a year, unrefrigerated, the oil showed no signs of rancidity. It is best to store oil at room temperature. When refrigerated, the oil becomes completely solid.
Processing Oil and Dried Coconut: To maintain the highest quality and most abundant nutrients, only purchase virgin or extra-virgin cold pressed raw coconut oil. Other methods of coconut oil extraction and dried coconut processing may use bleaching and solvents to extract the oil and dry the coconut quickly. Most refined coconut oils are hydrogenated and may contain trans-fats. When these methods are used most if not all enzymes are denatured and lost.
Shredding
If you want pure white shreds of coconut, peel off the brown skin. Use a coarse hand grater or the grater blade of a food processor to shred the coconut into a bowl. If you want really fine shreds, use a zester or a special hand tool available in some Asian markets.
Toasting Coconut
Put freshly grated, dried grated, or shredded coconut into a dry skillet over medium heat. Standing by to stir frequently, heat and stir the coconut until it reaches an even, golden brown color. Remove from the skillet immediately to prevent burning the coconut.
For Optimum Nutrients: Toast coconut in a dehydrator until the preferred consistency. This saves all the valuable enzyme and nutrients from being lost in the cooking process.
Coconut Milk
To preserve the nutrients of the coconut the best way to make milk is to process the coconut in the blender with water to create a slurry. Squeeze the slurry through a milk bag to remove the large particles. The liquid that come through is a rich and nutritious milk.
A quick way of making milk with shredded coconut and or coconut butter. Take one cup of shredded coconut and 2 T of melted coconut butter blend with 2 cups of water and repeat the milk bag process as mentioned above.
Traditionally made coconut milk, it is not necessary to peel off the brown skin that clings to the coconut flesh. Put the meat of a freshly grated coconut into a bowl and pour 2 cups of boiling water over it to cover. Set it aside for 10 to 15 minutes, then strain off the coconut milk through a mesh strainer or damp muslin cloth into another bowl, pressing to remove all the liquid. Using your hands, squeeze through the fingers any remaining coconut milk from the grated pieces. You now have a thick, richly flavored coconut cream for making creamy coconut desserts.
A second pressing of the grated pulp with another 2 cups of boiling water will produce a thinner but tasty coconut milk excellent for soups. Southeast Asian cooks often do a third pressing used for soups and as a broth for cooking their meats.
Reuse the pulp/meal in crackers and sprinkle over granola, salads or other dishes.
For Optimum Nutrients: Combines the coconut cut into 1-inch pieces and equal amounts of hot, but not boiling, water in the blender. Blend at high speed, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides, until you have an almost smooth puree. Strain if desired.
Cooking with Coconut Milk: If you cook with coconut milk add it at the end of the cooking process in order to save as many of the valuable enzymes before they break down.
This article used the following resources below to condense to one article, please enjoy these other websites!
http://www.thevirgincoconutoil.com/articleitem.php?articleid=163
http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/
http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch58.html
Return to Home
Evolution: The English name coconut, first mentioned in English print in 1555, comes from Spanish and Portuguese word coco, which means "monkey face." Spanish and Portuguese explorers found a resemblance to a monkey's face in the three round indented markings or "eyes" found at the base of the coconut. On the Nicobar Islands of the Indian Ocean, whole coconuts were used as currency for the purchase of goods until the early part of the twentieth century.
Coconuts are the fruit of the coconut palm, botanically known as cocos nucifera, with nucifera meaning "nut-bearing." The fruit-bearing palms are native to Malaysia, Polynesia and southern Asia, and are now also prolific in South America, India, the Pacific Islands, Hawaii and Florida. The light, fibrous husk allowed it to easily drift on the oceans to other areas to propagate. In Sanskrit, the coconut palm is known as kalpa vriksha, meaning "tree which gives all that is necessary for living," since nearly all parts of the tree can be used in some manner or another. The coconut itself has many food uses, including milk, meat, sugar and oil as well as functioning as its own dish and cup. The husk was also burned for fuel by natives, but today a seed fibre called coir is taken from the husk and used to make brushes, mats, fishnets, and rope. A very potent fermented toddy or drink is also made from the coconut palm's sap. Coconut oil, a saturated fat made from coconut meat, is used for safe sautéing and in candies and margarines, as well as in non-edible products such as soaps and cosmetics.
Although it takes up to a year for coconuts to mature, the trees bloom up to thirteen times a year, so fruit is constantly forming yielding a continuous harvest year-round. An average harvest from one tree runs about 60 coconuts, with some trees yielding three times that amount. The coconut's name is a bit of a misnomer, since it is botanically classified as a drupe and not a nut. It is the largest seed known.
Natural Isotonic Beverage: Coconut water has the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It's the fluid of life, so to speak." In fact, during the Pacific War of 1941-45, both sides in the conflict regularly used coconut water - siphoned directly from the nut - to give emergency plasma transfusions to wounded soldiers. Most coconut water is still consumed fresh in tropical coastal areas - once exposed to air, the liquid rapidly loses most of its organoleptic and nutritional characteristics, and begins to ferment.
As A Sports Drink: Coconut water contains more potassium (at about 294 mg) than most sports drinks (117 mg) and most energy drinks. Coconut water has less sodium (25mg) where sports drinks have around 41mg and energy drinks have about 200 mg! Coconut water has 5mg of Natural Sugars where sports and energy drinks range from 10-25mg of Altered Sugars. Coconut water is very high in Chloride at 118mg, compared to sports drinks at about 39mg.
Traditional Medicinal Qualities: In traditional medicine around the world coconut is used to treat a wide variety of health problems including the following: abscesses, asthma, baldness, bronchitis, bruises, burns, colds, constipation, cough, dropsy, dysentery, earache, fever, flu, gingivitis, gonorrhea, irregular or painful menstruation, jaundice, kidney stones, lice, malnutrition, nausea, rash, scabies, scurvy, skin infections, sore throat, swelling, syphilis, toothache, tuberculosis, tumors, typhoid, ulcers, upset stomach, weakness, and wounds.
Scientific Proven Qualities:
- Kills viruses that cause influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, SARS, AIDS, and other illnesses.
- Kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, and other diseases.
- Kills fungi and yeasts that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash, and other infections.
- Expels or kills tapeworms, lice, giardia, and other parasites.
- Provides a nutritional source of quick energy.
- Boosts energy and endurance, enhancing physical and athletic performance.
- Improves digestion and absorption of other nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
- Improves insulin secretion and utilization of blood glucose.
- Relieves stress on pancreas and enzyme systems of the body.
- Reduces symptoms associated with pancreatitis.
- Helps relieve symptoms and reduce health risks associated with diabetes.
- Reduces problems associated with malabsorption syndrome and cystic fibrosis.
- Improves calcium and magnesium absorption and supports the development of strong bones and teeth.
- Helps protect against osteoporosis.
- Helps relieve symptoms associated with gallbladder disease.
- Relieves symptoms associated with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and stomach ulcers.
- Improves digestion and bowel function.
- Relieves pain and irritation caused by hemorrhoids.
- Reduces inflammation.
- Supports tissue healing and repair.
- Supports and aids immune system function.
- Helps protect the body from breast, colon, and other cancers.
- Is heart healthy; improves cholesterol ratio reducing risk of heart disease.
- Protects arteries from injury that causes atherosclerosis and thus protects against heart disease.
- Helps prevent periodontal disease and tooth decay.
- Functions as a protective antioxidant.
- Helps to protect the body from harmful free radicals that promote premature aging and degenerative disease.
- Does not deplete the body's antioxidant reserves like other oils do.
- Improves utilization of essential fatty acids and protects them from oxidation.
- Helps relieve symptoms associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.
- Relieves symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia
- Reduces epileptic seizures.
- Helps protect against kidney disease and bladder infections.
- Dissolves kidney stones.
- Helps prevent liver disease.
- Is lower in calories than all other fats.
- Supports thyroid function.
- Promotes loss of excess weight by increasing metabolic rate.
- Is utilized by the body to produce energy in preference to being stored as body fat like other dietary fats.
- Helps prevent obesity and overweight problems.
- Applied topically helps to form a chemical barrier on the skin to ward of infection.
- Reduces symptoms associated the psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis.
- Supports the natural chemical balance of the skin.
- Softens skin and helps relieve dryness and flaking.
- Prevents wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots.
- Promotes healthy looking hair and complexion.
- Provides protection form damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation form the sun.
- Helps control dandruff.
- Does not form harmful by-products when heated to normal cooking temperature like other vegetable oils do.
- Has no harmful or discomforting side effects.
- Is completely non-toxic to humans.
Nutrient Content
Raw Coconut Meat: Vit B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, C, E, K, Choline, Calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, fatty acids: Caproic Acid, Caprylic Acid, Capric Acid and Lauric Acid and Myristic Acidlauric acid, Palmitic acid, Stearic acid, Oleic acid.
Raw Coconut Water: basically the same nutrition as above except B6 and the fatty acids. 1 cup contains about 46 calories and 2 grams of protein. The sodium content is surprisingly high with 252 mg. and so is the fiber at 3 grams. The total fat is exceptionally low at 0.5 grams with 0.4 grams saturated.
Coconut water contains a full range of B vitamins with the exception of vitamin B6 and B12. There are 6.00 mcg of folic acid and 5.8 mg of vitamin C. Mineral content is 57.6 mg of calcium, 0.7 mg. of iron, 60 mg of magnesium, 600 mg of potassium, and 0.2 mg of zinc.
Raw Virgin Coconut Oil: Although labeled as a saturated fat it does not have the harmful components as other saturated fats and even unsaturated fats. Raw virgin coconut oil contains highly nutritious medium chained fatty acids which are prized for its’ health benefits. Medium chained fatty acids or MCFA’s are primarily found in coconuts and breast milk. MCFA’s aid the body in fat metabolism which actually helps the body lose excess fat. It helps the heart and does not add to the cholesterol component like many fats do. Another advantage of the unrefined coconut oil is its amazing shelf life. Stored for a year, unrefrigerated, the oil showed no signs of rancidity. It is best to store oil at room temperature. When refrigerated, the oil becomes completely solid.
Processing Oil and Dried Coconut: To maintain the highest quality and most abundant nutrients, only purchase virgin or extra-virgin cold pressed raw coconut oil. Other methods of coconut oil extraction and dried coconut processing may use bleaching and solvents to extract the oil and dry the coconut quickly. Most refined coconut oils are hydrogenated and may contain trans-fats. When these methods are used most if not all enzymes are denatured and lost.
Shredding
If you want pure white shreds of coconut, peel off the brown skin. Use a coarse hand grater or the grater blade of a food processor to shred the coconut into a bowl. If you want really fine shreds, use a zester or a special hand tool available in some Asian markets.
Toasting Coconut
Put freshly grated, dried grated, or shredded coconut into a dry skillet over medium heat. Standing by to stir frequently, heat and stir the coconut until it reaches an even, golden brown color. Remove from the skillet immediately to prevent burning the coconut.
For Optimum Nutrients: Toast coconut in a dehydrator until the preferred consistency. This saves all the valuable enzyme and nutrients from being lost in the cooking process.
Coconut Milk
To preserve the nutrients of the coconut the best way to make milk is to process the coconut in the blender with water to create a slurry. Squeeze the slurry through a milk bag to remove the large particles. The liquid that come through is a rich and nutritious milk.
A quick way of making milk with shredded coconut and or coconut butter. Take one cup of shredded coconut and 2 T of melted coconut butter blend with 2 cups of water and repeat the milk bag process as mentioned above.
Traditionally made coconut milk, it is not necessary to peel off the brown skin that clings to the coconut flesh. Put the meat of a freshly grated coconut into a bowl and pour 2 cups of boiling water over it to cover. Set it aside for 10 to 15 minutes, then strain off the coconut milk through a mesh strainer or damp muslin cloth into another bowl, pressing to remove all the liquid. Using your hands, squeeze through the fingers any remaining coconut milk from the grated pieces. You now have a thick, richly flavored coconut cream for making creamy coconut desserts.
A second pressing of the grated pulp with another 2 cups of boiling water will produce a thinner but tasty coconut milk excellent for soups. Southeast Asian cooks often do a third pressing used for soups and as a broth for cooking their meats.
Reuse the pulp/meal in crackers and sprinkle over granola, salads or other dishes.
For Optimum Nutrients: Combines the coconut cut into 1-inch pieces and equal amounts of hot, but not boiling, water in the blender. Blend at high speed, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides, until you have an almost smooth puree. Strain if desired.
Cooking with Coconut Milk: If you cook with coconut milk add it at the end of the cooking process in order to save as many of the valuable enzymes before they break down.
This article used the following resources below to condense to one article, please enjoy these other websites!
http://www.thevirgincoconutoil.com/articleitem.php?articleid=163
http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/
http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch58.html
Return to Home
copyright © 2011 Lou Ann Bennett
