Ingredient Spotlight: Coconut
The word coconut refers to the fruit of the coconut palm which is a large palm that can grow to up 30m tall. The coconut grows throughout the tropical world and it is an extraordinary plant in that nearly every part of it can be used for some purpose either for cooking or otherwise eg door mats etc.
From the nutritional point of view, this plant is also very versatile. The white fleshy part of the coconut seed can be used fresh or dried in cooking. The liquid inside the coconut is known as coconut water and can be drunk fresh from the coconut. This water contains natural sugar, fibre, proteins, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It is often used in sports drinks as it provides an isotonic electrolyte balance and so replaces valuable nutrients used up during exercise.
Coconut milk is made by grating the white fleshy part of the coconut and mixing it with warm water. It is also called coconut cream. You can buy it in individual sachets or tins. Just buy the ones that are only coconut with nothing added. You can then add an individual sachet to curry or to soups (especially good with squash or sweet potato) as makes the soup creamy without adding dairy.
Coconut oil does contain saturated fat but nearly half of the fatty acids in coconut is lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid and it is these fatty acids which have been shown not to raise cholesterol or increase the risk of heart disease. Indeed, lauric acid can be formed into the body into substances which are anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-parasitic.
Coconut oil has also been suggested to help with weight loss as it contains fewer calories than other oil and its fat content is easily converted into energy. I also think that coconut oil is wonderful on the skin; it has excellent anti-oxidant properties for delaying ageing and makes an excellent natural, chemical-free moisturiser.