If I had to choose only one food to eat, I would go Coconut! By choosing coconut, it will give me not only one type of fruit to eat, it will give me more than 5 types of different food to enjoy. In additions, coconut is just not too sweet while always have that creamy aurora hint.
Coconut should really be considered as SUPERFOOD with lots of health benefits. Sadly, many people think coconut have too much fat and eating it will gain weight. However, the fact is the opposite. Here are some benefits of coconut that I want to share with all of you.
1. Let’s star with a bit scientific – they are all GOOD fat in coconut
Coconut has a large amount of saturated fat, which is rare in majority of the plant food. Saturated fat is quite critical to our health, as it promotes benefit to our brain, cardiovascular, bones, immune system, and nervous system. Yep, you read it, it promotes benefits for all of theses. However, people are still debating if saturated fat is absolutely good or bad. Here is another amazing catch on the saturated fat from coconut.
The saturated fat in coconut is medium chain fatty acid, instead of long chain fatty acid. What does this mean? It means, these MCFAs are broken down much faster than long chain fatty acid, so that they won’t cause high cholesterol as what long chain fatty acid is blamed for. Still not quite sure what I am talking about? Heard of MCT (Medium Chain Triglyceride)? Yes, that is it. The fatty acid in MCT is MCFA. And you probably already know MCT has need studied and proved in helping accelerating calorie burns, promoting fat oxidation, and reducing appetite. MCT is also proved to be a good source of energy while promoting a healthy metabolism balance, if losing weight is not your goal.
2. Fiber! Fiber! Fiber
The fiber in coconut meat as well as coconut water is just humongous. Each cup of coconut meat has 7.2g fibers, which counts to 20% recommended daily intake for adults. As we all know, fiber helps in maintaining a healthy digest system.
3. Rich in minerals: Potassium, Manganese, Copper, and Iron
Minerals are mostly being ignored when talking about benefit of different kinds of food. People just focus more on the macros (fat, protein, and carbs). However, minerals are really important to our health as well. Potassium and manganese are helping to maintain a health blood sugar level. Copper helps the absorption of iron, which will in turn help collagen generations as well as healthy nervous systems.
Ok, maybe above are a little bit too scientific. Here let me summarize the benefit from the amazing COCONUT in plain English.
- It makes your SLIM & FIT: coconut helps reducing harmful fat, control craving, increasing fat burning, and reducing bloating & constipation. In addition, it provides food source of energy with a healthier metabolism
- It makes you SMART: coconut boosts healthy brain functions, and is being used in helping with Alzheimer disease
- It makes you Prettier: Coconut helps improving digest system, which will promotes detoxing from all junks in you body. And coconut oil is a good natural product for hairs, skins, and teeth.
- It makes you HAPPIER: Coconut is just so delicious in all form and can be added to any food. That creamy hint with just right sweet taste. Hmmmmm so yummy and fulfilled
My favorite ways to enjoy the fabulous COCONUT:
- Fresh coconut. I have been try to have one fresh coconut on daily basis. That includes the fresh coconut water in a young coconut, as well as those fresh white meat inside. This is the very natural way to enjoy coconut, which means LESS processed food. Yes, it is 100% while food. No additional process nor additive added
- Pure coconut butter. Very good substitute of peanut butter, especially for those who have allergy to peanut. One thing to be careful, lots coconut butter have extra ingredients (e.g. coconut sugar). Don’t get trapped by the coconut in front of sugar, at end of the day it is still sugar. So buy the ones that ONLY has coconut as ingredient.
- Pure coconut water. This is a very tricky one to buy. 90% packed coconut water has somewhat form of sugar or sweeteners. And they is exactly why lots people complain coconut water has tooooo much sugar with a heavy sweet taste. Buy the ones only has “Coconut Water” as ingredients or just simply to fresh young coconut.
- Cold pressed coconut oil. Most of my cooking are done with a little or none oil. If I want to add some, I always go with coconut oil.
- Coconut cream. I, in general, don’t have sweet teethe. So I barely eat any sweet or dessert. But recently I found one dessert I can enjoy occasionally, is home-made Cocoa Mousse. Ingredients are really simple: pure Cocoa powder and no-sugar unsweetened coconut cream. Mix and freeze it. Tada so yummy.
- Coconut Hair Care products. I love dying my hairs, which as a bad result, my hair was sometimes a bit damaged and not has healthy looking. One thing I keep using to prevent it from getting worse is the coconut oil. I used twice a week to give my hair a home spa.
So now what’s next? Go ahead and start enjoy coconut your way – a healthy way. Hope you will fall in love with it as I did. ENJOY!
Cici
