coconuts, good food, bad food?

[Karlos02]

whats the dealio on these folks? high in sat fat arnt they? they just taste so yummy i could easily eat one a day.

[Ripped Barbarian]

VERY good food.

Pretty well any coconut is organic.
The fats they contain are high quality and i believe are high MCT.
I know they are good but i can't say i've researched them too much, i think NU knows a little more about them.

I'm eating some right now

[Karlos02]

lol crazy, me too! hence my post. im inclined to go easy on them just so not to go overboard with the sat fats, i know abit of sat fat wont do any harm, but i imagine it would be easy to go overboard, maybe into the 100gs of sat fat in a single coconut.

[Ripped Barbarian]

A coconut a day aint gonna do any harm, would be quite a good thing to do really!

[Karlos02]

saying that, after a few bites you do begin to struggle, iv ate half of it now and decided to wrap the rest up for 2mo. havnt had one in so long man! the milk is so rich and oily yummm.

[Ripped Barbarian]

You can get the juice from the "unripe" coconuts (how they are on the tree) from certain organic supermarkets (and online) and that is absolutley GORGEOUS, it's basically like a holiday in the tropics in a can.

It's great when a food tastes great and is great for your body too (cocoa is another!)

[Karlos02]

mmm have to have a look around for that! i could do with a holiday.

pure coco? would imagine that to taste very bitter, almost coffee-like?
iv got some lindt 85% cocoa chocolate which is nice, the texture is much more 'crumbly' than normal chocolate and way more bitter with a wierd aftyer taste as a bonus

[Tom]

coconuts = definately good food, mostly MCT fats which are generaly used by the body very fast, a great source of sat fat aswell

[NU_nutrition_TS]

Coconuts are a true superfood. Their recorded health benefits are nothing short of remarkable and one of the biggest nails in the coffin of the saturated fat lie! Here is just a taster:

Quote

The purpose of this site is to provide information on the health benefits of coconut products, particularly coconut oil. Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which is known for being anti-viral, antibacterial and anti-fungal. Coconut oil is also being used by thyroid sufferers to increase body metabolism, and to lose weight. Virgin coconut oil is also used for making natural soaps and other health products, as it is one of the healthiest things one can put on their skin.

At one time coconut oil received negative press in the US because of its high level of saturated fat. However, modern research has shown that not all saturated fats are alike and that the fatty acids in coconut oil, the medium chain triglycerides, do not raise serum cholesterol or contribute to heart disease, but are in fact very healthy. Also, some negative studies done on coconut oil in the past was done on hydrogenated coconut oil, which has been altered from its original form. Other studies have clearly shown that traditional Asian cultures that eat significant amounts of coconut in their diet do not suffer from modern diseases seen in western cultures that promote a low-fat diet.

Much research on the nutritional and medicinal benefits on coconut oil has surfaced in recent years. Much of that research has been done by Dr. Mary Enig. Dr. Enig has classified coconuts as a "functional food," which provides health benefits over and beyond the basic nutrients. She has specifically identified lauric acid as a key ingredient in coconut products:

"Approximately 50% of the fatty acids in coconut fat are lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid, which has the additional beneficial function of being formed into monolaurin in the human or animal body. Monolaurin is the anti-viral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal monoglyceride used by the human or animal to destroy lipid coated viruses such as HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus, influenza, various pathogenic bacteria including listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and protozoa such as giardia lamblia. Some studies have also shown some antimicrobial effects of the free lauric acid."

As a "functional food," coconut oil is now being recognized by the medical community as a powerful tool against immune diseases. Several studies have been done on its effectiveness, and much research is currently being done on the incredible nutritional value of pure coconut oil. Please go to coconutoil.com to read about these studies.

If you want to know the best way of cracking open a fresh coconut, go here:
http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/features/crackcoc.html

Oh, and incidentally, the fact that you found it difficult to eat a full coconut at one sitting is proof of why high fat diets don't necessarily make you fat...they are self limiting because of their high degree of satiety.

[Tartulho]

Fresh coconut milk is sweet. On tropical countries they have them on ice to cool down the coconut milk (and sell them to the tourists). Fresh coconut milk mixes well with wiskey, you can use it instead of soda water (IMO).