Coconut Power!!!

DO YOU GO LOCO FOR COCO???

Check out this paper I wrote recently on the benefits of coconuts... they are super dooper superfood!

THE COCONUT (Cocos Nucifera)

DESCRIPTION:

Coconut, otherwise known as Cocos Nucifera is a part of the Arecaceae (palm) family. Cocos coming from the spanish word ‘monkey face’ and nucifera meaning ‘nut bearing’, the coconut was aptly named due to its rough, hairy exterior and the three indentations which resembles the head and face of a monkey. (Fife, 2009: 1) The term coconut is actually quite broad and can refer to each and every part. That is the coconut palm, the husk, the seed and the fruit, which is actually classed as a drupe and not a botanical nut. (Wikipedia, 2010)

HISTORY:

There have been many claims made as to the origins of the coconut. South Americans and Polynesians both have very early historical records of coconut use however most researchers will agree that it originated in South Asia, in particular the Indo-Malyasia region. (Chan and Elevitch, 2006: 2) One thing all will agree on however is that from the time of its discovery, the coconut has been used for its medicinal properties, as not only a culinary delight but staple of many island diets and for ornamental purposes; making it one of the most functional foods on earth.

NUTRIENT PROFILE:

When researching the nutritional profile of coconuts there are 4 main points of study:

Coconut meat, Raw per 100g

Energy kJ/kcal: 1481/354

Carbohydrates: 15.23g

Sugars: 6.23g

Fibre: 9.0g

Protein: 3.3g

Fat - total: 33.49g

Saturated: 29.7g

Monounsaturated: 1.43g

Polyunsaturated: 0.37g (Wikipedia, 2010)

Virgin Coconut Oil per 100g

Energy kJ/kcal: 3760/900

Carbohydrates: 0.0g

Sugars: 0.0g

Fibre 0.0g

Protein 0.0g

Fat - total 100.0g

Saturated: 92.1g

Unsaturated 6.2g

Polyunsaturated 2.1g

Sodium 0.0g (Hamilton and Bond, n.d: 21)

Coconut Cream, raw (liquid expressed form grated meat) per 100g

Energy kJ/kcal: 1381/330

Carbohydrates: 6.65g

Fibre: 2.2g

Protein: 3.63g

Fat - total: 34.68g

Saturated: 30.75

Monounsaturated: 1.5g

Polyunsaturated: 0.379

Sodium: 4mg (Fife, 2009:21)

Coconut Water per 100g

Energy kJ/kcal: 19/79

Carbohydrates: 3.71g

Sugars: 2.61g

Fibre: 1.1g

Protein: 0.72g

Fat - total: 0.20g

Saturated: 0.176g

Monounsaturated: 0.008g

Polyunsaturated: 0.002g (Fife, 2009:24)

Coconut flesh has high amounts of vitamins and minerals, almost 20% of your daily iron and phosphorus needs and about 10% of your zinc, potassium, magnesium and Vit B9 or Folate requirements to name a few. (Wikipedia, 2010) While coconut flesh and cream are typically seen as tropical delicacies used in curries, desserts and popular cocktails, it is their oil and water that have gone somewhat unnoticed by western societies however have outstanding medicinal properties. Coconut water in particular is an untapped source of goodness packed full of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Relatively unknown is its unmatched electrolyte quality which makes it the ‘Gatorade’ of the tropics. Per 100g, fresh Coconut water has 250mg of potassium which is 20 times that of the popular sports drink having only 30mg per 250ml; 105mg of sodium and merely 3.71g of carbohydrates. To put that into perspective, you can get the same amount of electrolyte replenishment from roughly 2 mouthfuls of coconut water as you would in an entire serve of your traditional sports replacement drink and even better, there is no colourings, preservatives or added sugars. It also contains good levels of Magnesium and Phosphorus. (Fife, 2006: 24 and Gatorade, 2010)

Coconut oil ‘is the only oil that promotes weight loss. It is the world’s only low calorie fat.’ (Hamilton and Bond, n.d: 5) Coconut oil’s lipid content is quite high when compared to oils such as extra virgin olive oil and flaxseed oil. However, coconut oil is very high in medium and short chain fatty acids like Lauric, Caprylic, Capric and Myristic acids. Lauric acid makes up 50% of Coconut oil and has been proven to have a ‘greater antiviral activity than any other fatty acid’. (Hamilton and Bond, n.d: 18) Not only that, but unlike any other oil produced, coconut oil does not change state when exposed to heat, processing techniques and hydrogenation. Therefore its basically what you see is what you get. Extra virgin olive oil for example, is great when used in salads or as a dip for bread on an antipasto platter. When heat is added to the equation however, it quickly changes oil form into a dangerous trans fatty acid byproduct. These fats are responsible for many of todays prevalent health issues like heart disease, high cholesterol and diabetes. (Kirschmann, 2002: 16)

TRADITIONAL USES:

Traditionally, islanders use coconut water as a main source of hydration. As many island communities do not necessarily have the safest or most hygienic drinking water or water storage practices, pure coconut water not only ensures hydration but the high nutritional value make the preferred water. As the properties of coconut water became more thoroughly researched, it has also been included as a base for some Isotonic sports drinks. (Wikipedia, 2010) Keep in mind that the older and more developed a coconut is the less water you will find inside. Baby or green coconuts are full of liquid and actually do not contain hardly any flesh. The flesh that they do have is very soft and gelatinous and is great for thickening up a smoothie and making desserts. (Chan and Elevitch, 2006: 17)

The sweet flesh of mature coconuts is most often dried and shredded for use in baking and the production of some of the worlds most sought after desserts. From cookies to slices, cakes to ice cream, shredded or desiccated coconut is used across the globe in bakeries and patisseries, not to mention a staple in any western kitchen pantry.

A curry wouldn’t be a curry without the delicious addition of coconut milk or cream and it is the base of many dishes from India, Thailand, Malaysia and Central/South America. Soups, stews, and baked treats also benefit from the thick coco nectar. And who hasn’t dreamt about lying on a white sandy beach, surrounded by Coco palms whilst indulging in a fruity cocktail from a hollowed out pineapple? Well Pina Coladas, the Coconut Dream and the sweet Midori Splice all get their creaminess from the milk of coconuts.

Coconut oil is the only oil on earth that does not change states when exposed to heat. It is used for cooking just as any other oil would be and is the oil of choice by raw foodists and vegans for its flavoursome aroma and health benefits.

The last part of Coconut to be used by traditional and modern society is the shell or husk. The shell can be carved to produce delicate jewelry pieces, made into household items such as bowls, plates and eating utensils. Small animals have been known to hollow out the shell and use it for shelter. And I’m sure we’ve all seen the Coconut Bra! The husk, when peeled fresh makes a wonderful body loofa or dishwashing sponge and Indian communities traditionally use the fibre of the husk to produce a thread that is used for making rugs, mattresses, ropes and brushes. (Wikipedia, 2010)

SPECIFIC BENEFITS AND USES:

Medicinally, coconuts are a superfood! In the Malay language, the coconut is known as ‘pokok seribu guna’ or ‘the tree of a thousand uses’, and as the purposes mentioned above are simply the ‘obvious’ traditional uses of the ‘Cocos Nucifera’ it is easy to understand why it has been long regarded as ‘The tree of Life’. (Wikipedia, 2010) Approximately 1/3 of the world’s population relies on the Coconut as either a dietary staple and /or an important economic contribution. Around the world, in both traditional and modern medicine, the many different parts of the coconut are used to treat a wide variety of health issues and diseases. From the oil to the milk to the water; coconuts have been proven to to assist in the treatment of and and some cases cure 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. It also does not deplete the antioxidant levels like other oils do and can kill the viruses that cause influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, SARS, and AIDS. (Fife, 2009: 1)

The following exert was taken from an article in ‘The Positive Health News Report’ in 1997 entitled “Back from the Jungle - An interview with Chris Dafoe” and discusses how HIV sufferers are basically ‘curing’ themselves of the disease with coconuts.

Chris Dafoe of Cloverdale, IN who, based on his lab numbers, thought the end was near in September, 1996. His HIV viral load was over 600,000, CD4 count was 10 and CD8 at 300. He prepaid is funeral and decided to take his last vacation in the jungles of South America with an Indian tribe in the Republic of Surinam. Around October 14, 1996, he began eating a daily dish of cooked coconut which was prepared by the local Indians. By December 27, 1996, a mere 2 and 1/2 months later, his viral load was at non-detectable levels and he had gained 32lbs and was feeling great. Since he continued the cooked coconut for breakfast everyday after he returned, both he and and I agreed that something in the coconut must have inactivated the AIDS virus (s) (HIV and HHV-6A) (1997:1)

This was the beginning of a large study done by article author Mark Konlee who went on to discover many other HIV patients who had taken the alternate route to recovery from heavy medications to simply adding coconut flesh and drinking pure coconut milk daily, and having amazing results.

Since some of the lauric acid in coconut oil is converted by the body into ‘Monolaurin’ and the published scientific research indicates that Monolaurin dissolves the lipid membranes viruses, pure coconut oil or coconut oil found in coconut milk might be an effective, non-toxic, longterm treatment for AIDS and CFIDS, inactivating not only HIV, but HHV-6A, EBV, CMV as well as other lipid envelope viruses. (Konlee, 1997: 1)

Yet another astonishing fact about his uber-functional food is again related to the water. The water which is sterile until opened mixes very easily with human blood and has one of the closest likenesses to human blood plasma. For these reasons, it was used throughout WWII in emergency blood transfusions for the wounded who had lost a lot of blood (Wikipedia, 2010)

CHOOSING AND USING:

As previously mentioned, the coconut can be used in many different ways. Coconut meat can be eaten raw, broken straight from the husk, cooked in vegetable dishes or softened by boiling and added to curries, stews, and breakfast meals like porridge. Fresh coconuts can go off quite quickly, especially once broken open and oxidation begins. It will become sticky and slimy and often start to develop mold spots and so is recommended to be refrigerated immediately and consume within a couple of days.

Alternatively, the meat is dried and shredded and most commonly used in baking and is also great in muesli and trail mixes. Like fresh coconut, dried coconut can also go off if not stored correctly. Shredded coconut should be used when it is still quite fresh. If stored in airtight containers or packaging as soon as it is shredded, it should stay almost moist. For this reason, store it in a cool area in an appropriate container.

Coconut cream and milk is extracted and generally canned and used in asian, indian, polanysan and south American cooking. Some of the most popular dishes include thai red, yellow or green curry and indian cuisine such as butter chicken. Milkshakes, smoothies, and cocktails are all made that little bit more delicious when coconut cream is added. Once a can has been opened, if you do not use all the contents, store in ann airtight container and refrigerate immediately to be used with a couple of days.

Coconut oil is just like any other oil and is sold in a bottles or jars. You can store it in either the pantry or fridge, however if refrigerate it will solidify. Remembering though that coconut oil does not changes states and solidification will not affect the make up of the oil, it can actually make for less messy cooking.

Obviously one the quickest and easiest coconut recipes is to chop off the top a baby coconut and drink the water fresh from the inside. You can find baby coconut is most supermarkets in the ‘exotic‘ fruit section and they look somewhat like a white pyramid as opposed to the traditional brown furry ball. If you don't have a kitchen machete handy ( and lets face it, who does!) you can turn the coconut on its side and slice off the flat bottom, which is quite soft, as close to the hard inner shell as possible. It will expose at least one of the 3 indents of a traditional coconut. This indent can be easily pierced with a knife and and the liquid pour out in a cup. Alternatively, pop a straw in the hole and enjoy!

One of my favourite coconut recipes however is one I made up for Thai inspired Carrot Soup:

4 large carrots

2 medium zucchinis

1 red capsicum

1 shallot

1 coriander bunch

200ml can of Organic Coconut Milk

2 tbs of Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

1 tbs of chopped fresh ginger

1 tbs of paprika

1 tbs of mixed dry herbs

1tsp minced garlic

1 tsp of cayenne pepper (optional - i like it spicy and often use a tbs)

1 vegetable stock cube

Pre wash and roughly chop all the vegetables and the shallot. Dissolve the stock cube in 1 cup of boiling water and set aside. In a medium sized soup pot heat the oil on a medium heat and add the shallots, ginger and garlic. Stir around until the shallots have softened. Add the chopped vegetables and lightly stir through. Add the paprika, dry herbs and cayenne pepper and stir until the spices cover the veggies. Add the pre-dissolved stock and the coconut milk and stir. Allow to simmer on a medium heat for 10 mins and then turn off heat and allow to rest for 30-45 mins. Add at least a tbs of the fresh coriander ( Coriander is quite a strong herb so add to your own liking. I love the stuff and generally use a handful) and stir through. Place all the contents into a blender and blend until pureed. Transfer to bowls and add some extra coriander for garnish.

Serves 2-3.

CAUTIONS AND CONCERNS:

The main concern from a medical or medical nutritionists point of view is the high lipid content. Being that over 90% of the fat in coconut is actually saturated it is considered by some as a dangerous oil that should be avoided. However, with all that has been outlined here as to the actual benefits of the medium chain fatty acids in coconuts, it could be argued that this is one case where the dietary lipid numbers be ignored and nutritional gain be celebrated. Coconut oil is being recognised more and more as ‘the healthy fat’ (Coco-Info, 2010)

REFERENCES:

1. Hamilton, I and Bond, C. n.d The Untold Truth About Virgin Coconut Oil, Tropical Traditions Australia (Independent publication www.tropical-traditions-australia.com)
2. Kirschmann, J. 2007 Nutrition Almanac 6th Ed, McGraw Hill (New York)

1. Rolfes, Pinna and Whitney 2009, Understanding Normal and Clinical Nutrition 8th Ed, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning (Belmont)
2. Konlee, M (1997) ‘Return from the Jungle’, Positive Health News Report, No# 14, Summer Issue p1. Retrieved 10 March 2010 from The Coconut Research Center database.
3. Chan, E and Elevitch, C (2006) ‘Cocos Nucifera (coconut)’ Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry, Version 2.1. Retrieved 08 March 2010 from www.agroforestry.net/tti/Cocos-coconut.pdf
4. Fife, B 2009 ‘The Tree of Life’, Coconut Research. p1 Retrieved 08 March 2010 from The Coconut Research Center database.
5. Fife, B 2009 ‘Nutritional Information’, Coconut Research. p21-26 Retrieved 08 March 2010 from The Coconut Research Center database.
6. 2003-2006 ‘Coconut Info’, Coconut Info - Mt. Banahaw Health Products Corp, Philippines p1 Retrieved 10 March 2010 from The Coconut-Info.com database.
7. Wikipedia (updated March 17 2010) Coconut - Cocos Nucifera Retrieved 08 March 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut
8. ‘Gatorade Nutritional Information.’ www.gatorade.com/frequently_asked_questions/default.aspx 2010 Retrieved March 10 2010