I love all things about coconut. First of all it tastes amazing. It’s filled with minerals, great source of potassium, and
it’s a healthy fat!
Here are a few great coconut ‘products’
Coconut Oil:
great for cooking, frying, roasting, even pretty tasty in coffee. Coconut oil is a very stable fat and it
does not become toxic when heated.
It is high in saturated fat which offers many health benefits some
include:
Giving
out cells firmness and integrity
Vital for bone health. For example, at least 50% of our
dietary fats need to be saturated for calcium to be effectively incorporated
into the skeletal structure.
They
protect the live from the toxic effects of alcohol and certain drugs
The
enhance the immune system
They are needed for proper
utilization of essential fatty acids. Elongated Omega-3 fatty acids are better
retained in the tissues when the diet if rich in saturated fats.
The fat around the heart muscle is
highly saturated, the heart draws on this reserve of fat in times of stress.
They protect us against harmful
microorganisms in the digestive tract because of their important antimicrobial
properties.
Mark Sisson has a bunch of great articles on coconut… here
is a good one on Coconut Oil.
Coconut Water:
This may seem like a trendy drink.
But it is great for rehydrating after a good sweat. (Which for me happens on a regular
basis, I drip sweat when I workout…gross)
It’s a good source of potassium, it is not meant to be a replacement for
water. It does have sugar in it,
but as long as you check the ingredients it should only be coming from the
coconut. No added sugar. My favorite brand is Blue Monkey which I have mentioned before, and unfortunately
(or luckily, otherwise I may be drinking it everyday) I have only ever found it
at Whole Foods.
Shredded Unsweetened Coconut: This is a great source of healthy fat. I love adding it to a bowl of fruit to
give it a little crunch and flavor.
I have also used it mixed in with almond flour and spices as a great
“breading” for pork chops and fish.
So delish!
Coconut Crème Concentrate: I made some of this today, simply by buying shredded coconut
from the bulk section of Whole Foods and throwing it in the food
processor. AND….. Pressing
ON! Sooooo simple. It probably took about 10 minutes or so
of processing, stopping every minute or so to scrape the sides of the food
processor to be sure it was all getting mixed in. It eventually creates a thick paste substance. I stored it in a left over Coconut Oil
jar. It can be used for baking,
usually in paleo treats. Here is
a great recipe that uses the
crème… Chocolate Almond Butter Cups (balanced bites)
Coconut Flour: is
the fiber from the coconut meat after most of the oil has been extracted to
make the oil. It is high in
dietary fiber and protein and is also gluten-free! It can be used for baking, great in breads, muffins,
pancakes, and treats. Some recipes
may call for a mixture of almond meal and coconut flour. When baking with coconut flour
your recipes may require less sweetener because the flour contains some sugar
from the coconut meat. There is a great coconut flour pancake recipe here! Do they not look AMAZING?
Try some coconut!
No comments:
Post a Comment