10 Reasons to go Nuts for Coconuts!

Coconut and coconut products have risen in popularity over the past few years and when you look into the numerous health and beauty benefits it’s clear why this is the case.

I’m sure you’re all familiar with products such as coconut oil and coconut water, which seem to have flooded the market and are used and endorsed by many fitness and nutrition experts on a daily basis. But there are some coconut products that have slipped under the radar, even though they are as equally beneficial to health, as versatile and as tasty as the more popular, well known products, and we’re keen to let you know more about them.

Before we divulge what these products are, let’s firstly take a look at why coconut is so good for us:

Top Ten Benefits of Coconut 

Energy Booster

Coconut oil has a very high level of medium chained fatty acids (MCFAs) and this is good! Our bodies love MCFAs because they are very easily absorbed, which makes the transfer of food to energy a much simpler process.

Picture if you will, the journey of coconut oil from mouth to liver:

1. Consumption of coconut oil, whether it be as a salad dressing, as a cooking agent, or as an ingredient.
2. The coconut oil travels from the stomach down into the intestinal tract.
3. Here the components of the coconut oil become separated; some mix into the bloodstream, but the MCFAs are absorbed and transferred to the liver.
4. When the MCFAs reach the liver they are converted into energy.
5. Boom! Super-charged human firing on all cylinders and ready for action.

So, although coconut oil is a form of fat, it is a good fat; one that can be used as an energy supplier rather than storing up as body fat. This is the reason why many athletes, particularly endurance athletes, use coconut oil as a source of fuel to aid their performance or to help restore energy after an intense training session.

Amino Acids

Amino acids are kind of like the building blocks of our body; imagine them as little pieces of Lego with super powers. They fit together, providing a key role in building up the framework of the body, but each one has a unique super power to help our bodies be the best they can.

For example, amino acids help:

• Store nutrientsaminoacidblocks
• Transport nutrients
• Heal wounds
• Repair tissue
• Aid metabolism
• Help with waste removal
• Structure cells
• Transmit brain messages

They are the Marvel superheroes of the human body and guess what…coconut is literally riddled with them!

High in Fibre

We should ideally be consuming about 18g of fibre a day. Now whilst this doesn’t sound a lot, there are many people who don’t get anywhere near this amount and as such suffer the consequences; constipation, discomfort and in extreme circumstances bowel cancer. Amazingly, coconut supplies a whopping 61% of fibre and even better, it is insoluble fibre, which means the body is unable to digest it. You might be thinking, hang a minute that doesn’t sound good, but actually non-digestible means zero calories, zero effect on blood sugar and well (apologies if you’re eating) it helps you poo! There are so many different ways you can incorporate coconut into your daily diet to help increase your fibre consumption. For example, why not try adding some toasted flakes of coconut to your cereal in the morning, or what about a healthy coconut snack bar like these ones from Cocofina (read our review of the Cocofina snack bars here).

Improves Digestion

We’ve already discovered that coconut is easily absorbed by the body and as such helps provide key nutrients in a simple and effective way, but coconut oil can also help improve gut health by destroying bad bacteria and candida, which causes inflammation and poor digestion. Cocofina Vinegars and AminoAs well as being a high fibre food, and containing high levels of MCFAs, coconut is also a big player in helping the body to absorb fat-soluble vitamins, calcium, and magnesium. Even better, if coconut is consumed at the same time as food containing omega-3 fatty acids, it can double the effectiveness of this absorption. How amazing is that?! Try making a tasty marinade from Coconut Vinegar, Coconut Oil, ginger, chilli, garlic and a dash of Coconut Amino. Rub it over some salmon fillets and leave to soak up the flavours in the fridge overnight. Pan fry the marinated salmon and use any left over marinade as a delicious sauce for some stir fried vegetables to serve as an accompaniment to the salmon. An amazing tasty and nutritious dinner that your tummy will thank you for!

Boosts the Immune System

Coconut oil has long been known for its antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties and is used by many people around the world as a natural treatment against yeast infections, acne, dry skin and dandruff to name but a few. Coconut oil consists of over 40% lauric acid, which is in fact the richest source naturally available, and it is the lauric acid in coconut oil that fights bacteria and helps create a hostile environment for any lurking viruses.

Helps Prevent Gum Disease and Tooth Decay

Have you heard of the term oil pulling? It’s not a painting technique, and it’s not the name of an event at a strong man competition, or even a new hair technique for adding gloss and shine to your locks (although coconut oil is fantastic for that too!). Cocofina Organic Coconut Oil SachetNo, oil pulling is in fact a traditional mouth cleaning method that has been used for centuries to help destroy bacteria and to reduce the risk of periodontal disease. Coconut oil is one of the most effective oils for oil pulling because of its high concentration of antibacterial MCFAs. To oil pull you need to swish a small quantity of oil in your mouth; the Cocofina 10ml Coconut Oil sachets are an ideal amount and are easy to squeeze into the mouth without making a mess. Just doing this three times a week for 20 minutes a day should be enough for you to start noticing a difference in your gum health.

Good for Weight loss

Whilst we’re not recommending you smother all your food in vast quantities of oil, there is proof that including coconut oil as part of a healthy diet and making a few sensible swaps, will help burn fat, decrease appetite and in turn aid weight loss. As we mentioned previously, coconut oil contains high levels of MCFAs and because these are metabolized quickly in the liver, the result is increased levels of energy. But one of the other benefits of foods rich in MFCAs is that they have higher rates of satiety, which in simple terms means you feel fuller sooner and for longer. In a study published in the Obesity Research Journal, scientists from Boston University Medical School discovered that MFCAs break down in the body at such a rate that it tricks the body into thinking it is fasting. The effect of this is that the body turns to its stored fat supplies to produce energy and then it’s bye bye fat, hello weight loss!

Balance Hormones

Studies have shown that the saturated fat in coconut oil, particularly lauric acid, can help balance hormones. This makes it a great choice for women entering the menopause.

Low GI

Coconut chipsIt’s those MCFAs again! These super fatty acids are at it again, as they help balance insulin levels by providing the body with a good alternative source of energy that it may otherwise have got from glucose. If your body can’t produce enough insulin, it allows more glucose to enter the bloodstream and this can lead to an increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes. Low GI foods help keep blood sugar levels low, which is why coconut vinegar (a GI of 35) is such a great product to introduce into your daily diet. For more ideas of how to use coconut vinegar read our blog post – ‘What to do with Coconut Vinegar!’.

Anti-Aging

And on to our final benefit of coconut, (although there’s a whole heap more that coconut can do for you that we simple can’t fit into this article!) and it’s a good one. Coconut contains a really high level of antioxidants and anything that contains these bad boys are great at fighting the aging process, which we LOVE! Whether you eat it, drink it or rub it on your skin, coconut can make you look and feel amazing. So, whilst your friends are out getting topped up with Botox, you just keep on using those coconut products – cheaper, natural, pain free and delicious.

At the start of this article we promised you a look at some of the exciting new coconut products that have emerged onto the market and rather sneakily we’ve already given you a bit of a look within the benefits chart above.

Worked it out?

Yes, the new products in question are the range of Coconut Vinegars and Coconut Amino from Cocofina.

I’ll be honest, it wasn’t until Cocofina sent us some of their new products to try, that I’d even heard of Coconut Vinegar. I certainly haven’t seen it on the shelves at my local supermarket and as for Coconut Amino…what even is that!