Coconut meat is the rich white lining that is contained within the shell of a coconut. Coconut meat can be juicy and tender, or slightly thick and crunchy, to tough and fibrous depending on how long the kernel has been stored. Though coconut only grows in tropical regions of the world, it is now widely available in the American consumer market. And this is a fortunate thing as eating food products derived from coconut like coconut oil and coconut meat on a regular basis has profound positive effects to your overall health.
Read further and discover more about the benefits of coconut meat and why theSuperhuman Food Pyramid recommends you include this source of dietary fats to help in your quest to Become Superhuman.
Coconut Meat Benefits:
Coconut and the products derived from it like coconut meat have been for years wrongly deemed as an unhealthy type of food because of its long known high saturated fat content. However, a growing body of recent studies have shown that the type of fats present in coconut meat are in fact medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs). When you eat coconut meat, the MCTs it contains are transported from the intestinal tract to the liver and immediately transformed into fuel. This then means there is very little MCTs left to circulate and deposit in fat tissues in the body.
The MCTs in coconut are converted into ketone bodies as well which show potential as a replacement energy substrate for the brain. It is noteworthy that the brain makes use of glucose as energy source. In individuals with degenerative neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s Disease, the brain’s capacity to utilize glucose is severely impaired, further contributing to the progress of the disease. Eating MCTs from coconut products like coconut meat may then help increase the body’s ketone levels, potentially offering a dietary therapy approach to alleviating the symptoms and possibly even preventing the onset of neurological diseases.
Eating coconut meat appears to protect against heart disease and stroke as well. As it turns out, coconut meat’s measurable vitamins A and E, and polyphenols and phytosterols, all work together to decrease the levels of LDL cholesterol, which are fats that stay in the blood and in skin tissues and high levels of which have been found a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. This protective properties of coconut meat is perhaps the reason the Kitavans of Papua New Guinea or the Tokelaus of New Zealand, whose staple food is coconut, have no incidence whatsoever of stroke and heart disease in their respective populations.
Coconut Meat’s Practical Uses:
Coconut meat is so versatile that it can be eaten raw, cooked, or as a preserve. You can top your usual salads with shredded or grated and then lightly toasted coconut meat. You can use a blender to make it into smoothies as well, mixed with organic full-fat yogurt and fruits like bananas and berries.
If you would like a tasteful side dish for your meals, you can fix a simple coconut chutney recipe. Mix fresh shredded coconut meat, ginger juice, fresh mint and coriander leaves, minced garlic, thinly sliced red pepper, lemon juice, and coconut milk in a bowl. You can top this with toasted coconut meat prior to serving if you want to add a subtle sweet and tangy taste.
In the next post, I’ll tell you the benefits of olive oil and why you should eat it to help in your quest to Become Superhuman.
In the meantime, if you care to jump ahead, here is a complete listing of the dietary sources of fats on the Superhuman Food Pyramid:
Eat:
- Coconut Oil
- Coconut Meat
- Olive Oil
- Macadamia Nut Oil
- Avocados
- Olives
- Organic Grass-Fed Butter
- Organic Yogurt (Full-Fat)
- Ghee
- Free Range Eggs (With Yolk)
- Grass-Fed Beef, Bison, or Buffalo or Lamb
- Sardines, Anchovies or Haddock in Water or Olive Oil
- Wild Salmon, Trout, Tilapia, Flounder
- Triglyceride-Based Fish Oil
- Pure Cod Liver Oil
Moderate:
- Raw Nuts (Except Peanuts)
- Raw Seeds
- Almond Butter
- Palm Oil
- Cold Press Flax Oil
- Bacon
- Mayonnaise
- Organic Peanut Butter
- Coconut Ice Cream
- Dark Chocolate
Avoid:
- Roasted Nuts
- Roasted Seeds
- Regular Peanut Butter
- Regular Butter
- Non-Organic Meats
- Margarine
- Any ‘Spreadable’ Condiments
- Farmed Fish
- Commercial Salad Dressings
- Safflower Oil
- Sunflower Oil
- Canola Oil
- Cottonseed Oil
- Commercial Flax Oil
- Soy Ice Cream
- Regular Ice Cream
- Milk Chocolate
If you have questions, comments or feedback about the benefits of coconut meat, theSuperhuman Food Pyramid, this website, or other aspects of Becoming Superhuman, then leave your thoughts below, as well as any tips you have on the benefits of coconut meat.
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