Nutritional Values of Coconut Milk - 6 Health Benefits of Coconut Milk

By Yves Juliaan

Very recently, a West Indian friend of mine introduced me to cooking in coconut milk. I liked the flavor and just decided to gather more information on the same. The information gathered is actually surprising and encouraging. After reading so much on the health benefits of coconut milk I believe it is there to stay in my family's and my own diet.

Here The 6 Nutritional Values of Coconut Milk

1. It is good for the health of your skin and hair. It is widely used as a base in many cosmetic applications and products like hair oil and skin moisturizers. It is an excellent hydrant.
2. It is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help the body to hold against ageing, sagging of the skin, poor vision and low bone density.
3. Presence of lauric acid in coconut milk renders anti fungal, anti bacterial and anti viral properties to it. The effect is that it is excellent when it comes to fighting infections.
4. It is good for the heart too. The lauric acid present in it, helps to unclog the arteries.
5. In spite of the fact that coconut milk contains saturated fats, it helps in weight loss too. The fat consists of short chain and medium chain fatty acids as a result the body converts it into energy and does not store the same as fat.
6. In addition to all of the above, it also aids in digestion and is also used as a laxative.

Coconut milk is a common ingredient in cuisines of the tropical region. Thai, Caribbean, South Indian and Sri Lankan cuisines are heavily dependent on it as a regular ingredient. It is rich in essential vitamins and minerals. It is a rich source of vitamins A and E, potassium and calcium. It is a lactose free substitute for milk and can be used in baked products and it can easily be incorporated in rice dishes, curries, condiments, soups and seasonings.

Yves Juliaan has been writing articles for several years. Check his latest website on indoor plant stands which gives people help and advice to find the best deals on any type of metal plant stand.

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Coconut Water Nutrition

Coconut water nutrition facts, health benefits, and history are good to know because it's becoming a very popular sports drink and healthy lifestyle beverage.

Coconut water has been receiving a lot of positive press in 2010, because it's wonderful health benefits. It's mostly recognized for its ability to rehydrate the human body and is highly touted as an ALL NATURAL, isotonic sports drink.

An isotonic beverage is one that replaces fluids and electrolytes that are lost during physical exercise or extended, strenuous activity. 100% pure coconut water is all natural and has a long, and interesting history.

Here's a couple of historical notes that showcase its health benefits.

1. It's been used by hunters, gatherers, laborers, fisherman, farmers and warriors for thousands of years across Southeast Asia, the South Pacific Islands and South America, to help them stay hydrated in their labor intense lives.
2. During World War II, coconut water was injected into the veins of soldiers when medics were out of blood plasma because it has the same electrolyte balance as our blood. It truly is, "the fluid of life."

The reason coconut water is such a great sports drink is because of its high concentration of electrolytes, most notably, sodium and potassium, while magnesium, phosphorous and calcium are also included.

Sodium helps the body stay hydrated because your body will retain more fluids. Not only will your body lose fluid through sweating during your activities, but your body is also going to produce urine, and burn additional liquid through your respiratory functions.

Potassium helps your heart function and helps regulate your blood pressure, keeping it at lower levels during peak performance. This helps your body temperature stay lower, which in turn, will help you retain more fluids. As a result, it will help you stay more hydrated, staving off headaches and cramping.

One 8.5 ounce serving has more potassium than two and a half bananas and has 15 times more potassium than other leading sports drinks on the market. In theory, you could say that coconut water re-hydrates you 15 times better than any other sports drink on the market.

In addition to helping your body stay hydrated during physical activity, coconut water has other health benefits that are sometimes overlooked. Aside from being best hangover cure ever, it also has antiviral properties that help your body fight disease and sickness, and give you, a stronger immune system. Claims have also been made that coconut water helps combat cancer.

Increased circulation is another health benefit that helps clean your blood and detoxify your system. With cleaner blood and a cleaner system, you'll also be rewarded with more clear, vibrant skin. Furthermore, it can also help boost your metabolism, helping shed, and keep off those unwanted pounds.

The nutritional facts about coconut water are also very impressive because it's a very healthy beverage, especially, if you're trying to watch your weight and steer towards the "all natural," diet and lifestyle.

For an 8.5 ounce serving of 100% all natural coconut water, the nutritional facts are as follows:

• 45 calories
• Total fat = 0 g, saturated fat = 0 g, trans fat = 0 g
• Cholesterol = 0 g
• Sodium = 30 mg
• Potassium = 515 mg
• Total Carbs = 11 g
• Sugars = 11g natural sugar
• Vitamin C = 175% based on 2,000 calorie diet
• Magnesium = 8% based on 2,000 calorie diet
• Calcium = 4% based on 2,000 calorie diet
• Phosophorous = 4% based on 2,000 calorie diet

In addition to rehydrating your body better, coconut water is a healthier alternative to other sports drinks, because it's lower in calories, strengthens your immune system, detoxifies your body, and is 100% natural.

Want to know Where To buy Coconut water? Click here now!

Thank you for checking out my article about the history, nutrition facts and health benefits of coconut water!!! If you found this information useful, please check out my coconut water breakfast shake, shaved ice, and hangover recipes at the links down below.

http://www.benefitsofcoconutwater.info
http://www.vitacocococonutwater.info

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Time to Discover Coconut Milk

This delicious ingredient is often mis-understood and under utilized. Come on a culinary journey and discover Coconut Milk.

I was taught as a young child that the clear liquid inside the coconut is the milk. However, I and many others were told wrong. This clear liquid is in fact coconut juice or coconut water.

Coconut milk, is actually the liquid extracted from the grated flesh of a mature coconut.

Unlike other nuts coconuts are actually fairly delicate and do not have a long shelf life. This is especially so after the outer husk is removed. Because the outer husks are thick and difficult for consumers to remove, they are generally discarded before you see the coconut in the store.

When purchasing a coconut in the store, choose one that is heavy. You don’t want one that is cracked or punctured. Give it a shake to be sure you are getting one that is still full of coconut juice. Also check that the eyes are not moldy.

Inside the shell, the thick flesh should be a pure white color. If the flesh is a yellowish color it is probably too far gone.

If you squeeze freshly grated coconut through a piece of muslin, you will discover the real coconut milk.

Today, you don’t need to squeeze your own, as good quality coconut milk is now available in the cans and cartons. You can also get coconut cream, which is thicker than the milk.

Your can of coconut milk, once opened must be refrigerated. It will generally keep for a couple of days. But if it is left at room temperature it will quickly sour and spoil. Alternatively it can be frozen for future use.

At extreme high temperature it may curdle, so avoid boiling it rapidly. Make sure you stir it to a simmering point.

Coconut is very high in fat, however you can now buy reduced fat varieties. Coconut oil contains monolaurins which have been found to be very powerful antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal agents.

Coconut milk is a staple ingredient of South-East Asian cooking. In most western countries coconut milk is used in curries for flavor, in hot sauces to regulate the heat and in desserts for added richness. You will also find coconut milk can be used as a substitute in many dishes – sauces; stocks; emulsions such as mayonnaise; hollandaise sauces.

Coconut milk is also fantastic in biscuits and cakes, ice-creams and confectionery.

Next time you have a recipe that calls for coconut milk, click here to discover one of the most delicious brands that you can use with confidence.

Happy Cooking
Lisa “The Crock Cook”

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Coconut Oil Benefits Explained

2010 is a good year to be talking about coconut oil benefits as prices continue to climb. The Philippines, which is the world's largest exporter of coconut oil says prices have already shot up and more price rises are inevitable. By August 2010 the price in the world market had gone up by 44 percent when compared to first quarter prices. Ouch!

I think the best advice is to get in early and get your products before the prices jump even further.

In case you are fence sitting, remember that coconut oil benefits include:

• It is healthy and good for you
• It can improve heart health
• It is low in calories
• It converts fat into energy
• It speeds up metabolism
• It smells great
• It tastes great
• It is organic - minimal processing
• It can make you look younger
• It can make your skin smooth and soft
• It moisturises your skin
• It can last for years
• It is great for your hair as well as skin as it strengthens your hair giving it shine and body
• It is fantastic as a massage oil
• It can give you more energy

To get the maximum out of these benefits, you need to be using the organic virgin version. Even if it is a little more expensive, you will reap the extra rewards from using that product.

The jury is back in with its verdict well and truly. You should replace any oils in your kitchen with coconut oil as it's much better for you and lasts a lot longer than those other inferior oils. Then, take a look at all the other uses for it - hair, heart, skin etc. The list goes on and on and explains why more and more people worldwide are picking up on coconut oil benefits and doing something about it.

To see one of the most popular brands of organic extra virgin coconut oil then click here.

Graham Kelly has more information about coconut oil benefits at his website including videos and other articles you may be interested in. Coconut Oil Benefits

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Candida Herbal Remedy Via Coconut Oil

It is my belief that one of the major causes of candida infections is the use, or overuse, of antibiotics. Antibiotics will destroy the beneficial flora in your gut. What is so frustrating is that this can be avoided if doctors would tell their patients that they need to replace the intestinal flora that is destroyed by the antibiotics they prescribe.

There are, of course, other causes of candida overgrowth and some of them are: poor diet (eating too much sugar), poor immune system, birth control pills, steroids or any other immuno-suppressive drugs. Different forms of candida can manifest as: athlete's foot, jock itch, vaginal yeast infection, oral thrush, ringworm, digestive disorders, chronic fatigue, anxiety disorders, weight gain, etc. A large number of the health problems in America today are caused by the fungus Candida albicans.

Now to the topic of healing candida with coconut oil. Coconut oil is one of the best remedies I have found. It has a medium-chain fatty acid known as caprylic acid. Caprylic acid has been used for some time as a natural remedy for curing candida. In fact it was one of the remedies I've used myself. I didn't, however, know that it came from coconut oil until the last couple of years. Since then I have kept coconut oil in my diet.

Caprylic acid is not the only active ingredient in coconut oil, there are three active ingredients. They are, caprylic acid, capric acid, and lauric acid. These are medium-chain saturated fatty acids. You can find studies about these fatty acids and how each one of them is able to kill Candida albicans by researching them online. There are some studies that also show how coconut oil is more effective than prescription drugs.

What I love about coconut oil is you can use it both internally and externally. It is used topically for healing fungal skin infections and internally to kill candida in the gut as well as systemically. It can also be swished around in the mouth to cure oral thrush.

In areas of the world where people eat a traditional coconut-based diet there is almost never any yeast infections of any kind. Having coconut oil in your diet will help you keep candida and other fungal infections away.

In using coconut oil topically simply apply it directly on your skin. It absorbs real well and fast. You can add vitamin E to make it more effective. Internally you can take a tablespoon full of coconut oil and just eat it plain. I do this everyday. It really tastes pretty good. You can also use coconut oil to cook and to put in your smoothies. Just look through this blog to find out all the different ways you can use it and to find out more about how it can improve your health. Be sure and buy organic extra virgin coconut oil to get the best quality available.

Human Breast Milk Made More Beneficial With The Consumption of Coconut Oil

The unique composition of human breast milk fat includes the fatty acids, lauric acid and capric acid, which have potent antimicrobial properties. These fatty acids offer the nursing infant protection from viruses such as herpes and HIV, protozoa such as giardia lamblia, and bacteria such as chlamydia and heliocobater.

A study published in 1998 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has shown that lactating mothers who eat coconut oil and other coconut products, have significantly increased levels of lauric acid and capric acid in their breast milk. Thus, the milk supply has increased amounts of the protective antimicrobials , which will give even greater protection to the nursing infant.

Pregnant females store fat to assure successful lactation. Any lauric acid and capric acid in the diet becomes part of the adipose stores. The milk fat of a lactating mother is made up of these stores as well as her current diet. If her diet doesn't contain lauric acid, then generally her milk fat will contain around 3% lauric acid and round 1% capric acid.

When a lactating woman adds foods rich in lauric acid to her diet, the amount of lauric acid available in her breast milk increases substantially to levels three times the original level and nearly double the amount of capric acid. In countries where coconut oil is a diet staple, levels of lauric acid in the mother's milk can be as high as 21% and capric acid can be as high as 6% giving her infant even more protection against viruses, bacteria, and protozoa.

Coconut oil can be used instead of butter in cooking and baking. You can stir it into oatmeal or even use it as a spread. Also, this oil's antimicrobial properties are beneficial for the skin. Pregnant women in many cultures the world over rub cocnut oil on their expanding bellies to keep skin soft and prevent itching.

REFERENCES

Fife, Bruce. The Healing Miracles of Coconut Oil

Francois CA, Connor SL, Wander RC, Connor WE. Acute effects of dietary fatty acids on the fatty acids of human milk. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1998;67:301-308.

Bach, A.C., et. al. 1989. Clinical and experimental effects of medium chain triglyceride based fat emulsions-a review. Clin. Nutr. 8:223

The Latest Coconut Oil Research

By: Mary G. Enig, PhD

One of the very useful oils in the food supply comes from the coconut. Coconut oil has suffered from unjust criticism for more than 30 years in the United States because some of the governmental and food oil organizations, as well as consumer activist organizations such as Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), have claimed that coconut oil as a "saturated fat" is shown to be atherogenic. This is not true.

There is a variety of supportive research published in 2003, 2004, and 2005, which shows the importance of coconut oil. Also, information on coconut oil is currently coming into the research literature from numerous countries, including India, Norway, Iran and the United States.

The following are some of the most recent studies showing the benefits of coconut oil. These studies contradict claims that coconut oil contributes to heart disease and also support earlier research showing an antimicrobial role for the fatty acids in this traditional fat.

BENEFICIAL FOR HEART DISEASE

Recent research contradicts claims that coconut oil causes atherosclerosis and heart disease. In a study published in Clinical Biochemistry, 2004,1 researchers looked at coconut oil as a component of diet in laboratory animals (Sprague-Dawley rats). In this study, virgin coconut oil, which was obtained by wet process, had a beneficial effect in lowering total cholesterol, triglycerides, phospholipids and low density lipoproteins (LDL). The effects were uniformly beneficial. In serum and tissues, very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol levels were lowered and HDL-cholesterol was increased. The polyphenol fraction of virgin coconut oil was also found to prevent in vitro LDL-oxidation. We know that oxidized cholesterol can initiate the process of atherosclerosis—the fatty acids in coconut oil prevent this oxidation. The results in this study were interpreted as due to the biologically active polyphenol components present in the oil.

LOWERS LP(A)

Another study dealing with lipoproteins and cholesterol was carried out in women. Researchers found that coconut oil-based diets lowered post-prandial tissue plasminogen activator and lipoprotein (a).2 Lp(a) is a blood marker that is a much more accurate indication of proneness to heart attack than cholesterol levels. Researchers had believed that levels of Lp(a) were unaffected by various forms of dietary fat intake. However, in this study, Lp(a) was lowered when the subjects consumed a high-saturated fat diet and somewhat lowered when they consumed a slightly lowered-saturated fat diet. The saturated fat used in both of these diets was coconut oil. The control diet was based on a monounsaturated oil.

POISON ANTIDOTE

One of the more interesting uses of coconut oil found in the human toxicology literature involves the beneficial use of coconut oil as a successful treatment for acute aluminium phosphide poisoning. This poison is used to control pests in grain storage facilities where it functions as a poisonous gas, namely phosphine gas, which is a mitochondrial poison. There is no known antidote for aluminium phosphide. The patient described in this case study survived following rapid treatment which included taking baking soda and coconut oil, as well as supportive care, and it was concluded that coconut oil had a significant use as an added part of the treatment protocol in this type of poisoning.3

ANTI-MICROBIAL

A few researchers have known for some time that a derivative of coconut oil, lauric acid and monolaurin, are safe antimicrobial agents that can either kill completely or stop the growth of some of the most dangerous viruses and bacteria. Many bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics but herbal oils such as the oils of oregano and the major fatty acid from coconut oil, lauric acid, which the body turns into the monoglyceride, monolaurin, are showing great promise as anti-bacterial and anti-viral agents. Monolaurin, in particular, is being shown to be useful in the prevention and treatment of severe bacterial infections, especially those that are difficult to treat or are antibiotic resistant. Difficult bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus as well as other bacteria have been studied here in the United States in research groups such as Dr. H.G. Preuss’s group at Georgetown University. They found that monolaurin combined with herbal essential oils inhibited pathogenic bacteria both in the petri dish (in vitro) and also in mice (in vivo).4

REFERENCES

1. Beneficial effects of virgin coconut oil on lipid parameters and in vitro LDL oxidation. K.G.Nevin and T. Rajamohan, Clinical Biochemistry 37,2004;830-835).
2. A Diet Rich in Coconut Oil Reduces Diurnal Postprandial Variations in Circulating Plasminogen Activator Antigen and Fasting Lipoprotein (a) Compared with a Diet Rich in Unsaturated Fat in Women. H. Muller, A.S. Lindman, A. Blomfeldt, I. Seljeflot and J.I. Pedersen. Journal of Nutrition. 133:3422-3427, 2003.
3. Successful treatment of acute aluminium phosphide poisoning: possible benefit of coconut oil. S. Shahin, R. Mojgan, P. Abdolkarim, R. Mmohammad-Hosein, A. Mohammad. Human & Experimental Toxicology, 24:215-218, 2005).
4. Minimum inhibitory concentrations of herbal essential oils and monolaurin for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Preuss HG, Echard B, Enig M, Brook I, Elliott TB. Molecular Cell Biochemistry, 2005:272:29-34).