Interesting Facts about Coconut
- Coconut oil that has been kept at room temperature for a year has been tested, and showed no evidence of rancidity.
- In animal studies, feeding unprocessed coconut and coconut oils prevented tumor development, both malignant or benign.
- It lowers cholesterol if it is high and raises it if it is too low.
- Coconut oil is anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal in the originating plant, in our gut and in our blood. Reducing seed oil consumption and using coconut milk or coconut oil as the dietary staple is reversing viral loads in HIV, eliminating all types of herpes virus and reducing or preventing other viral diseases including the yearly ‘flus’ and measles. The antiviral effect seems to be against lipid-enveloped viruses and is due to the presence of lauric acid in coconut oil.
- It has been reported that coconut oil helps prevent weight-gain by stimulating the metabolism, but further evidence needs to be presented to support this claim. It is quickly metabolized, and functions in some ways as an antioxidant.
- Every study using natural, unprocessed coconut oil found a normalizing of cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure. This is also true of extra virgin olive oil, peanut oil and avocado oil.
- Within a week, abnormal cortisol levels show improvement indicating adrenal restoration using vitamin B1, B complex and coconut milk. Patients seem more awake, their mood, energy and memory improves, and sleep becomes more normal.
All current research data declaring the harmfulness of coconut oil has been compiled from studies using hydrogenated oils. The conclusions drawn in these studies cannot factually be applied to the use of unprocessed tropical oils. All hydrogenated fats and oils, including margarine, shortening and all other hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils found in cookies, candies, baked goods, boxed to bake items, canned foods and most restaurant foods contribute to degenerative diseases including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, stroke, depression, hypoglycemia, thyroid disorders and cancer.
Coconut milk is not the juice from the inside of a young coconut. That thin liquid is called coconut water. Coconut milk is made by steeping the coconut and scraping out the meat, adding just enough water to simmer and mashing the end product into a thick, milky substance called coconut milk.
The coconut oil or coconut milk should be un-preserved. Equivalents are:
- 3.5 tablespoons of the unprocessed coconut oil daily
- 1/3 can of the coconut milk twice a day (5 ounces twice a day)
- 7 ounces coconut steeped, mashed and eaten daily
Based on her calculations on the amount of lauric acid found in human mother’s milk, Dr. Enig suggests a rich lauric acid diet would contain about 24 grams of lauric acid daily for the average adult. This amount could be found in about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil or 10 ounces of “Pure Coconut Milk.” About 7 ounces of raw coconut daily would contain 24 grams of lauric acid.
When choosing a brand of canned coconut milk, select the one with the highest fat content for the price. Coconut Milk is made in Sri Lanka and imported into the United States. It can be found in health food stores and in local grocery stores in the International Foods section or in specialty grocery stores that sell products imported from Thailand, the Philippines or East India.
Coconut flour
Coconut flour lacks the “glue” most flours have called gluten. A standard American recipe can have up to 25% of the flour made with coconut flour. However, if you would like to make something very high in fiber with an incredibly low glycemic index you will want to use 100% coconut flour. To do this we recommend you purchase the book “Cooking With Coconut Flour” by Dr. Bruce Fife. The entire book contains delicious recipes that use solely coconut fiber for the flour. These recipes use eggs for the binder or “glue” and they are very low in sugar or sweeteners. These recipes are great for diabetics, people with gluten allergies, and people with Candida and “leaky gut” issues. Coconut fiber/flour is an excellent product to use to promote healthy intestinal tract.