Coconut

An incredibly versatile fruit that we often (at least in my part of the world) buy or use only a part of. Let’s look at the health benefits of coconuts.

Ready to join a coconut cult?

The coconut is a highly nutritious fruit, and has even been the (almost) sole food of some pretty devoted people in history, like German August Engelhardt’s fellow sun worshippers, who believed that coconut was the perfect fruit and pretty much all you needed to eat. Now that may be pretty far from the truth, however, adding coconut to your diet can certainly have great benefits. And its versatility makes it amazing for lunches, dinners, desserts and baking, and it’s fantastic as an ingredient when you want to make something vegan or avoid dairy milk or cream. Let’s look at some of the health benefits of the coconut:

• Many fruits are high in carbs, but not coconut - it mostly provides fat. Yay! We love fat. If you haven’t, check out my post on why fat is not the enemy.

• They also contain protein - with both fat and protein, you can understand why people have turned to it so much for nutrition.

• It also contains minerals and some Vitamin B. One mineral found in coconut is manganese, which helps your body’s bone health and metabolism.

• High in fat and low in carbs means it can be helpful in lowering your blood sugar levels.

• The thing to keep in mind with coconut is that if you are trying to lower your calorie intake, you might want to have it in moderation due to its high fat content!

I love using coconut in my cooking in all sorts of different ways which you may already know. Desiccated to dip my Super Energy Nut Balls in, coconut cream for creamy soups, or both when I make my Nuttermilk Chicken. I also love using coconut oil in my cooking occasionally, especially for stir fries and similar.

Do you love coconut? What coconut product do you use most? Post on Instagram and tag me @TheFromScratchBody and use the hashtag #TheFromScratchBody so I don’t miss it!