Coconuts are an amazing lil' fruit... I mean nut!
The soul seed bearing entity of the Coconut Palm tree, coconuts offer a plethora of nutrition not commonly known to Americans. Spanish settlers dicscoverd the funky furry nut on the ground and named it "coco" for monkey face. But despite it ugly appearance and a bad rap for being high in saturated fat, coconuts are a highly functional food (it provides many health benefits beyond its nutritional content). And in many Pacific Islander societies, the oil of coconut can cure almost all diseases. Along with the entire palm itself having many uses, the coconut palm tree as a whole, is considered the "Tree of Life".
I could go on forever on all the benefits of coconuts. But I will focus on two important aspects for the sake of this blog: coconut oil and virgin coconut water.
First of, virgin coconut water is an amazing electrolyte drink and is low in sugars, carbs and is 99% fat free! (1) Coconut water contains Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium & Iron. More than double the potassium of bananas ! Calcium is necessary for bones but particularly in muscle contractions which makes it electrolytic. Instead of Gatorade, consider the switch because coconut water does not contain high fructose corn syrup that Gatorade has, and it's 100% all natural... not one bit of processing involved. Although studies show that Coconut water is not significantly better than plain water or the typical Gatorade-like sports drinks, "fresh young coconut water, a natural refreshing beverage, could be used for whole body rehydration after exercise."(2)
As for coconut oil....
"The difference is in the fat molecule. All fats and oils are composed of molecules called fatty acids. There are two methods of classifying fatty acids. The first you are probably familiar with, is based on saturation. You have saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats. Another system of classification is based on molecular size or length of the carbon chain within each fatty acid. Fatty acids consist of long chains of carbon atoms with hydrogen atoms attached. In this system you have short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), and long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). Coconut oil is composed predominately of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFA), also known as medium-chain triglycerides (MCT).
The vast majority of fats and oils in our diets, whether they are saturated or unsaturated or come from animals or plants, are composed of long-chain fatty acids (LCFA). Some 98 to 100% of all the fatty acids you consume are LCFA.
The size of the fatty acid is extremely important. Why? Because our bodies respond to and metabolize each fatty acid differently depending on its size. So the physiological effects of MCFA in coconut oil are distinctly different from those of LCFA more commonly found in our foods. The saturated fatty acids in coconut oil are predominately medium-chain fatty acids. Both the saturated and unsaturated fat found in meat, milk, eggs, and plants (including most all vegetable oils) are composed of LCFA.
MCFA are very different from LCFA. They do not have a negative effect on cholesterol and help to protect against heart disease. MCFA help to lower the risk of both atherosclerosis and heart disease. It is primarily due to the MCFA in coconut oil that makes it so special and so beneficial.
There are only a very few good dietary sources of MCFA. By far the best sources are from coconut and palm kernel oils." (1)
If you could understand all that... what it boils down to is that coconut oil is the best fat on earth and you should replace all your oils in your cupboards with it!
And before I forget..... the kind of coconut water you want is from an immature, not ripenened, young coconut. One where the meat hasn't formed yet. Coconut water is what the meat is formed from. So when you go to the grocery store, unless it says "young coconut" don't buy it unless you want the nut for its meat.
References
(1) http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/
(2) Journal of physiological Anthropology & Applied Human Science. 2002 Mar;21(2):93-104.
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