The Coconut Miracle!

I've been away for a while but wanted to come back with an article about my favorite fruit - the miraculous, delicious coconut! Coconut, or Cocos nucifera, is considered the “tree of life" in South Pacific and Asian cultures.... and not without reason! Several islanders have utilized the coconuts’ anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral properties to maintain health and to control weight. Medical science has recently begun catching up with this fact that has been known to these populations have known for centuries. Its qualities seem almost magical because of the simplicity of the coconut, and the many easy ways to consume it.

Coconut Increases Metabolism

One of the main reasons coconut helps with metabolism is because of the type of fatty acid it is made from. Coconut oil is primarily made up of medium chain fatty acids also known as medium chain triglycerides (MCT) Animal products such as meat, dairy, and eggs are made up of Long chain fatty acids which overall have damaging effects on the human body. MCT’s prevent inflammation, heart disease, and lower the risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries usually from cholesterol)

Coconut for Weight Loss

Research from McGill University in Canada has shown promise for controlling weight in the long term because of the way MCT’s are processed by the body.

Adding coconut to your diet for a period of time will eventually have your body reacting to the healthy fatty acids. People tend to not stick with the diet long enough for it to be effective; it does take time for the body to get the benefits of the fatty acids of coconut.

Coconut is metabolized as carbohydrates, the bodies preferred energy source, as opposed to a fat so the energy is used right away as opposed to lying stagnate in the body. This is another reason why coconut is healthy for the metabolism, the body processes it faster, which means metabolism is increased.
Coconut in your Diet

Coconut is also delicious and can be used as both a dessert or as part of an entrée; it is versatile and is produced as an oil, juice, milk, yogurt and water besides as a whole fruit. Many Caribbean style recipes use coconut mixed with vegetables or with shrimp. Thai recipes also use coconut milk in their sauces. This gives people the option to drink coconut throughout the day as a water or even as a milk even if they do not care for the texture of the fruit.

Four tablespoons of coconut is recommended to be ingested daily to receive the full benefits of all this magical fruit has to offer.

(Jul 31, 2010 Christina Dagnelli)

Sources:
- Papamandjaris AA, White MD, Raeini-Sarjaz M, Jones PJ. Endogenous fat
- Oxidation during medium chain versus long chain triglyceride feeding in healthy women. Int related   metabolism disorders 2000 Sept. 24th (9):1158-66
- US. National Library of Medicine :Medium Vs Fatty Chain Triglycerides for 27 days increases fat oxidation – accessed July 28, 2010