The Health Benefits of Eating Coconuts

For decades coconuts have gotten an unfair health rap based on their high fat content. The truth is, they’re good for the body — and easy on the taste buds. Here are quick-and-easy recipes to incorporate more coconuts into your diet.

Who can resist a coconut, with its creamy, tropical flavor? For too long, many Americans have done just that.

Thankfully, that misguided coconut era is over. The coconut is receiving long-overdue accolades as a highly nutritious food. In fact, research has shown that it’s the saturated fat in coconuts that not only helps our bodies absorb nutrients and fight viruses, but also reduce cholesterol levels. Traditional American uses of coconut are sugar-laden affairs — think baked goods like pies, cakes and macaroons — that mask its health-promoting properties. But now cooks everywhere are incorporating coconut into a wide range of flavorful recipes that support good health. (For more on why saturated fat is good for you, search for “A Big Fat Mistake.”) And many people are going even further, using coconut milk as a wholesale replacement for dairy.

When coconut is fresh, it has a sweet, rich aroma. Before it reaches the grocery store, the coconut’s smooth outer shell has usually been removed, revealing a rough husk with three indented “eyes” at one end. Inside is the seed; it consists of a layer of creamy, white meat surrounding a center filled with refreshing, mildly flavored coconut water.

Whatever form of coconut you choose — shredded coconut; or coconut milk, cream and oil — it is sure to add an exotic twist of flavor to an otherwise ordinary meal.

Quick and Easy

Intimidated by coconuts? Don’t be. Here are easy ways to integrate coconut meat, milk and water into everyday snacks and meals.

• Mix shaved or shredded coconut with nuts, seeds and berries in a bowl as a healthy alternative to breakfast cereal (just add your choice of yogurt or milk and a spoon). Thanks to the healthy fats and fiber, you’ll feel satisfied longer.
• Make coconut mango salsa by combining chopped mango, chopped red chili, coconut chunks, fresh mint and lime juice in a bowl. Use it to top grilled fish, chicken or tempeh. Or simply serve it with some whole-grain chips.
• When cooking rice, substitute half of the water with coconut milk. When rice is cooked, sprinkle in some sliced green onions, sesame seeds or toasted nuts, if desired. Coconut milk can also be used in place of milk in many recipes.
• Use coconut water in place of water in your favorite smoothie recipe. You’ll get a hint of tropical flavor and a boost of extra electrolytes. Coconut water also makes a nice beverage or midworkout refresher all on its own.

Nutrition Know-How

• Nearly 90 percent of the fats in coconut oil are saturated — and they are healthy! In the 1970s and ’80s, manufacturers of processed foods replaced coconut oil with partially hydrogenated oils. We now know that those oils contain very unhealthy trans fatty acids. The saturated fat found in coconut is, by contrast, very good for us — particularly when part of a diverse, mostly plant-based diet.
• Fifty-five to 65 percent of the saturated fats in coconut oil are medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which have been used as dietary supplements to improve nutrient absorption and sports performance.
• Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid. Preliminary studies have shown that lauric acid may help the body fight viruses.
• As the result of eating coconut oil, the human body steps up its production of ketone bodies — beneficial compounds produced when fatty acids are broken down for energy. Because these compounds are used to advantage by the brain, researchers are currently studying coconut oil as a possible treatment for people with diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, Lou Gehrig’s and multiple sclerosis, as well as type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
• Coconut meat is rich in phytosterols, cholesterol-like compounds found primarily in nuts and legumes. Phytosterols have been shown to naturally reduce cholesterol levels in the blood.
• Fresh coconut meat is an excellent source of fiber. A 1-cup serving provides about 29 percent of the daily recommended amount of dietary fiber. Note that nutrient levels drop slightly when coconut is dried.
• Both raw coconut water and freshly squeezed coconut milk are rich in a host of minerals, including potassium, manganese and magnesium.
• For classic movie-theater flavor (without the mystery ingredients), try kettle-popped popcorn in a few tablespoons of coconut oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan). Or top air-popped popcorn with equal parts melted coconut oil, olive oil and butter.
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