A medium sized coconut yields 1400 calories, with 13 grams of protein, 60 grams of carbs, and a whopping 133 grams of fats. You’ll also get 36 grams (144% RDV) of dietary fiber.
Coconut 101
In Sanskrit, coconuts are called“Kalpa Vriksha”, which translates roughly as: the tree that gives all that is necessary for living.[1] This is an appropriate description for this plant that can keep you going, no longer how far your race.
Nutritional Data
The coconut is one of the most nutritionally dense whole foods in existence. There is good reason to associate them with desert island survival – Gilligan and the professor had all they needed to last as long as they did. It is not just a cliche. In short, these burly stone fruit will keep you alive.
Source: USDA, Google
Health Benefits
Boost your metabolism. – A study reported in the Journal of Nutrition [2] found that coconut oil boosts your metabolism. In brief, study participants who consumed two tablespoons of coconut oil per day burned more kilojoules per day than a control group who did not.
Can kill germs and viruses. Almost half of the fatty acids found in coconut oil are composed of lauric acid. Lauric acid kills bacteria, viruses, and fungi, thus helping you to stave off infections before they take hold. An increased resistance to cold and flu is yet another reason to put this fruit in your rotation.
How to Eat a Raw Coconut
Get/drink the water inside - wash your screwdriver, awl, or spear. Look for a soft spot in one of the coconuts eyes. Pound your solid, sharp object of choice through one of those targets. You want that coconut water you hear sloshing around so be careful not to spill it. Pour into glass and enjoy.
Breaking open the coconut - We suggest you just put the coconut in a plastic back, take your hammer/hatchet, and smash it against the floor. Or, without a hammer, go outside and find a sharp ledge or corner and do some smack smack rotate, smack smack rotate. Take advantage of the weakness you just made by punching a hole into the shell.
Scraping the coconut meat – This is nothing that can’t be achieved with a spoon, wrist strength, dexterity, and persistence. Work the spoon behind the white flesh meat portion, and use the shell as your leverage to pry the coconut meat away from the shell in pieces. This is pretty time consuming. Heating the coconut at 400F for 20 minutes, and then letting it cool will help.
Other Cooking Methods
The white fleshy part of the coconut is known as the ‘meat’, and can be used either fresh or dried in cooking and baking.
In addition to the meat, you can use the coconut to obtain coconut water, milk (different than the water inside), flour, and oil. Coconut oil is a wickedly nutritious alternative to olive oil, much better than butter, and far superior to margarine.
Coconut flour is a healthy way put a coconut flavor into your baking, while allowing you to go gluten-free. Coconut flour contains 5 grams of fiber per 2 tablespoons, while at the same time only having 2 grams of total and saturated fat. Adding coconut flour to baked goods lowers the glycemic index, which is the measurement of the rate that a food increases blood sugar. Foods with a low GI value are less likely to cause sugar spikes and crashes.
Sources
[1] http://www.coconutrepublic.org/quotable_notables.php
[2]Fife B. (2004). The Coconut Oil Miracle. New York: Avery.
Papamandjaris A, MacDougall D, Jones P. Medium chain fatty acid metabolism and energy expenditure: obesity treatment implications. Life Sciences 1998;62: 1203-121.
[3] http://www.spartan.com/food-of-the-day/food-of-the-day/coconut/
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