Healthy Living Magazine

7 Coconut Products You Have To Know

By Fitness Yodha

 7 Coconut Products You Have To Know

From a few fruits are obtained as many beneficial products for health as from coconut.

Coconut is a very versatile fruit, you can drink the water which it keeps inside or you can eat the fresh pulp and, through a series of simple processes, you can obtain oil, butter, milk, and flour. 6 foods in 1! In addition to the palm tree flowers, coconut sugar, and an interesting sauce are extracted. There are already 7!

7 Coconut Products You Have To Know

Let's see what it contains and why it is so healthy. About 100 g of raw coconut provides about 354 calories. These basically come from their fats (33 g), which are mostly saturated fats. How? Saturated and healthy fats? Everything indicates that it is so. Saturated fats have long been linked to high cholesterol and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. But this claim is being reviewed by science.

COCONUT FAT: SATURATED AND BENEFICIAL

If from fats in general it was passed to distinguish between saturated and mono or polyunsaturated, now saturated fats are also differentiated according to the fatty acids that predominate in their composition

The dominant fatty acids in foods of animal origin are long-chain (between 13 and 12 carbon atoms), whereas those of coconut are medium-chain fatty acids (between 8 and 12), such as lauric acid.

75% of the saturated fat in coconut is lauric acid, which not only does not raise the bad cholesterol, LDL but also lowers it and increases the good cholesterol, HDL, according to astudy published in The Philippine Journal of Cardiology. It does not contain, of course, cholesterol (like animal fats) or trans fats (like partially hydrogenated vegetables).

7 Coconut Products You Have To Know

Beyond the biochemical studies is historical evidence. The coconut has been part of the staple diet of the peoples of the Pacific Ocean who hardly knew about high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, or heart or brain attacks until they modified their traditional diet.

In the late 1980s, the Swedish scientist Staffan Lindeberg found on the island of Kitava, located in the archipelago of the Trobriand Islands, in Papua New Guinea, a population that lived and fed basically the way they had done for thousands of years. The data is spectacular: it found no people with dementia or cardiovascular disease. People died of old age or from fishing accidents or from falling from the top of a coconut tree ...

What diet produces this miracle? Western and industrial foods had not been introduced in Kitava and their diet was based exclusively on roots (sweet potato, sweet potato, taro, and tapioca), fruits (banana, papaya, pineapple, mango, guava, watermelon), vegetables, fish, and ... coconuts. But these benefits are not only in the coconut but also in all the products that are obtained from it.

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HEALTHY PRODUCTS DERIVED FROM COCONUT

Until recently, the best-known way to consume coconut was as a fruit, but from this fruit, many other products are obtained that are worth knowing for their health properties and that you can also take advantage of in the kitchen :

1. ISOTONIC COCONUT WATER

It is obtained from green coconuts, harvested after five or six months. A large specimen can hold up to half a liter. It is a light, balanced drink that provides sugars and fats in moderate doses, as well as minerals and vitamins. In tropical countries, it is considered a vital elixir and it is not exaggerated, since in an emergency it can be injected into the vein as an alternative to saline.

It is ideal to hydrate and even when exercising (you can add a little salt).

2. AN OIL WITH GREAT ANTIMICROBIAL POWER

Ripe coconut is made up of 35% coconut oil, the only one consisting of more than 50% medium-chain fatty acids, easily digestible. They are assimilated without the help of bile, are soluble in water, and penetrate without problems into the bloodstream and the liver, where they are mainly transformed into energy and, secondly, into fat stores, thus contributing less to obesity than other fats.

On the other hand, studies suggest that it has antimicrobial, antiviral, and antifungal action, both internally and externally. It can be used as a body oilin fungal or bacterial infections, as well as on the vaginal mucosa, for intimate care, or as a lubricant.

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In tropical countries like Thailand, it is used for cooking. It withstands high temperatures well due to its stability: its smoke point (which indicates the dangerous degradation of fatty acids) is at 177ºC.

The beneficial effects of the oil can only be attributed to that obtained by cold pressing freshly harvested coconuts (preferably organic), unrefined, bleached or deodorized, and packed in glass, ready to be used.

Another thing is copra oil, which is extracted from the dried pulp by boiling it or mixing it with solvents. This is used to make soaps or it is hydrogenated to use it as a food ingredient in pastries, pastries, ice cream, prepared dishes ...

3. THE FLOUR, LOTS OF FIBER AND ZERO GLUTEN

The people with intolerance or sensitivity to gluten have a valuable ally in coconut flour: used for all kinds of elaborations of pastries and bread from bread and rolls to cakes and cookies.

It is much less rich in carbohydrates (16%) than cereal flours (70%). Instead, it provides abundant fiber (40% of the weight, 12% for whole wheat flour) and doubles the protein (26% for 13%). Thanks to this composition, it is very nutritious and helps to regulate intestinal transit in a smooth way.

Coconut flour is obviously fattier than cereal flour, but if used in the right amounts it doesn't have to cause any excess.

Moderate consumption is favored by the fact that in a pastry recipe it can only substitute between 10 and 30% of the amount of flour indicated. If more were used, the dough would not be mixed. In addition, coconut flour absorbs a lot of moisture, so it requires more water.

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4. HEART-HEALTHY MILK

Coconut milk is obtained by mixing the pulp with water and squeezing the resulting mixture. As with oil, milk is an essential part of the diet in the tropics, where heart attacks and strokes are rare.

Coconut milk is quite fatty and thick in texture. Depending on its dilution, it contains between 15 and 22% fat. It is considerably less than whole cow's milk, which is between 30 and 35%, but if you want to lose weight it is not recommended to take more than 60 ml daily. It should always be consumed with ecological quality to avoid thickening additives and preservatives.

Coconut milk can be made at home. For this, you need one or two coconuts and a mixer. The coconut is broken and the water is collected in a glass. Then the pulp is cut into small pieces and poured into the blender with the water.

5. MANGANESE-RICH BUTTER

Butter is another star product of coconut. It is obtained from the fresh pulp, gently grinding it. The difference with coconut oil is that it preserves the fiber of the pulp. As with oil, below 24ºC it solidifies and at higher temperatures it becomes liquid. It offers all the benefits of coconut oil and is an excellent substitute for butter

It also contains micronutrients that are not easy to find in other foods in significant doses. It is, for example, rich in manganese, a mineral that helps metabolize both fats and proteins and is necessary to make the most of iron, thiamine and vitamin E. It also strengthens the immune and nervous systems and favors stability. of blood sugar.

It also contains copper, which is involved in the production of red blood cells, the immune system, and the sense of taste.

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6. SUGAR, A LOW-GLYCEMIC SWEETENER

The coconut sugaris obtained from the nectar of the coconut palm. If the flower bud is cut, it oozes coconut sap or nectar. This is collected in containers and either cooked or worked at low temperatures with a vacuum steam apparatus until the sugar crystals appear.

Coconut sugar has become popular with those who want to eat more naturally and healthily, especially because of its low glycemic index (35, compared to 65 for table sugar), which means that it is slowly transformed into blood glucose and it does not promote obesity or diabetes as much as beet or sugar cane sugar. It also provides more nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, iron, boron, zinc, sulfur, and copper.

Its appearance is similar to that of brown sugar and can be used in the same quantities and preparations. Its taste is caramel, very pleasant, without coconut notes. When buying it, it is advisable to choose ecological presentations that ensure that it is obtained from sustainable crops and production methods.

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7. COCONUT AMINO ACIDS

With the sap from which the sugar is obtained, another product can be made that is used as an alternative to soy sauces because it contains half the sodium and a higher concentration of protein.

It is called "coconut amino acids" and is produced by mixing the sap with seawater to let it ferment and evaporate in the sun. It is a traditional product.

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN BY - FITNESS YODHA


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