Coconut:

This tropical fruit is famous for various medicinal and culinary consumptions. The white fleshy part of the fruit is called coconut meat. A medium coconut weighs about 400 grams. Every 100 grams of coconut meat contains about 33 grams of fat, 15 grams of carbohydrate, and 3 grams of protein. Coconut is rich in fiber, providing 9 grams per 100 grams of coconut meat.

Fat contents of coconut are 30 grams of saturated fat, 1.5 grams of monounsaturated, and 0.5 grams of polyunsaturated fat. It also contains a small of amount of Omega-6, 360 mg per 100 grams of coconut meat.

Average calories: 355 per 100 grams of coconut meat.

Vitamins found in higher amounts: vitamins C, B2, B9 and B6.

Minerals found in higher amounts: manganese, copper, selenium, phosphorus, iron and potassium.

Phytonutrients found in higher amounts and their health benefits: every 100 grams of coconut meat provides about 47 mg of phytosterols. The most commonly occurring phytosterols in the human diet (beta-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol) are claimed to reduce the risk of heart diseases.

Coconut oil consists of mainly medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). It is believed in sports nutrition that MCTs may improve athletic performance by providing a sustained source of energy for the muscles and sparing glycogen sources. However, athletes report various results. The notion that coconut oil may promote muscularity, improve endurance, and lower body fat is one of the hottest topics to debate and research in sports nutrition. For more information about MCT, see “MCT” under the section of “Sports – Performance Enhancers“.

Coconut oil does not change into trans-fats. Being used in cooking as well, coconut oil is used in alternative medicine in the following conditions:

1. Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Heart Diseases
3. Poor Digestion
4. Weight management.
5. Kidney stones.
6. Stress.
7. Weak immune system.
8. High Blood Pressure.
9. Dental problems.
10. Slow body metabolism.
11. Low Bone Density.
12. HIV.
13. Cancers.
14. Pancreatitis.
15. Early aging.