Coconut - Health in a Shell

The coconut tree and its amazing offspring, the coconut, should be considered one of the most complete and versatile plants available today.  There are so many different products derived from the palm tree, coconut and its tree sap. Over the years some of the products, especially coconut oil, have been given a bad rap by the media.  Today, I'd like to give you some of the insight concerning the coconut tree.

The Coconut palm tree, Cocos nucifera, from the family Arecaceae or palm family is the only accepted species in the Cocos family.  This palm is large and can grow to just under 100 ft.  According to its classification, the nut is actually a fruit and not considered a nut.  Just about every part of the tree can be utilized.  We can see this when reading the names various cultures have used in naming the tree.  Some of the names that have been used translate to, Tree of Life, Tree of a Thousand uses, or The Tree which provides all the necessities of life.  I tend to agree with these cultures as I've been using several of these coconut tree products over the past year and have had some excellent results. 

The list of coconut palm tree products goes on and on.  It is used in culinary products, health and beauty products, as a drink, the outer husk is used to make ropes, stuff mattresses and in horticulture for potting soil mixes.  The leaves are also used for a myriad of uses too!  From weaving baskets to making brooms and patching roofs to ceremonial mats, the palm leaves do it all too!  One of my favorite products that comes from the coconut tree actually comes from the tree sap of the coconut palm flower.  The sap is boiled down to create coconut palm sugar or nectar.  The method is similar to tapping a maple tree for maple syrup, however, they don't have to "tap" the tree itself only the trees blossom.  This makes the collection of coconut sugar a more eco friendly option as well.

When I started my new health regime, I had to find a replacement for table sugar so I went online and did hours and days of research.  I didn't want to go the same old route of using items like splenda, equal, or sweet n low because of all of the chemicals used to make those products.  I was looking for lower glycemic options that still tasted good but that were less processed and didn't spike my blood sugar like high fructose corn syrup or white table sugar did.  Eventually I came across information on coconut palm sugar.  First, I read that the GI (glycemic index) of Coconut Palm sugar is 35.  Considering that table sugar has a glycemic index of 100, I was pleased to find a much lower option.  FYI:  I have also read that more recent GI tests of Coconut Palm sugar have not been able to repeat the index number of 35.  Considering the positive experience I've had with this product, however, I do feel that it is a better option that plain table sugar, agave syrup or HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).  My next requirement for a new sweetener was that it had to taste good so I bought a bag and tried it out.  Coconut Palm sugar does taste good.  It has a mellow brown sugar type of flavor.  I love it in baked goods (gluten free of course) and on top of oatmeal (again gf) but it did take me a minute to get used to it in my morning cup of coffee.  Now I use coconut sugar and coconut cream in my coffee and I think its delicious!  I have completely dropped eating anything with cane sugar or condiments that contain HFCS or sugar.  I make my own ketchup with honey (that's another blog for another day).  You will be shocked at how the lbs drop off when you drop the sugar.  By the way, I don't recommend that you eat a cup of Coconut Sugar per day either and diabetics should be careful because this is still sugar.  Everything in moderation.



Baby Coconut Palm Tree


A few of the other coconut products that I use are; coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut cream, shredded coconut and, last but definitely not least, coconut flour.

I could take up days and days talking about the different coconut products that I use and you might think I'm a coco"nut"!  I know I only have your attention for so long so the other important find I'm going to tell you about is coconut flour.  I often say, "coconut flour changed my life".  You might say why are you so dramatic and I'd say because it really did change my life.  At the beginning of my weight loss journey, I had to have a substitute for my sweets and baked goods.  Going cold turkey was NOT an option.  I'm sorry to say this but I ate my way into that mess and I was going to eat my way out of it.  I decided to research gluten free recipes because I couldn't find or afford the gluten free options at my local health food market.  In doing my research, I found another great coconut product, coconut flour.  It sounded good to me because I love the flavor of coconut and I had already tasted coconut sugar.  I purchased a bag online because it still isn't an easy to find item, although the health food stores are starting to come around.  While I was waiting for the flour to arrive, I started looking up coconut flour recipes.  What I found in my research was exciting.  Coconut flour is not actually a "flour".  It is the coconut meat completely stripped of all moisture so it is a dry powder the consistency of flour.  It is 100% gluten free and has a higher amount of fiber than bran!  Because it is so dry it absorbs liquid very quickly so adhering to the recipe is important to get the right consistency.  Also because it doesn't have gluten you have to use eggs to bind the ingredients.  These muffins also have to meet my must taste good requirement, which they do!  I use coconut sugar in the recipe too!  Yummy!  So far I've made Lemon Poppy seed, Orange Poppy seed, Chocolate, Chocolate & Almond Butter, Coconut, Cinnamon Raisin, and Banana.  I will share the recipe for the standard coconut muffin here.   Eventually I will share them all in my cookbook/story.  Oh yeah and the great thing about this recipe is that because coconut flour is high in fiber the muffins fill you up faster without raising the blood sugar or leaving you hungry 30 minutes later like a regular baked muffin would.  I don't know about you but I always had a hard time eating a bran muffin even knowing that they were high in fiber, the taste just wasn't there.  Great taste will always be an important factor for me. 
I really wanted to tell you of the health benefits of medium chain triglycerides in coconut oil but we're out of time.  If you're surfing the net sometime, take a look at the benefits of coconut oil and other coconut products.  This big tree of 1,000 uses is truly amazing.

Till next time, Take Charge of Your Health.
Knowledge is Power!

Coconut Muffin Recipe

1/3 cup coconut flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
2 tablespoon coconut milk/cream
1/4 cup coconut oil or grapeseed oil
1/3 or 1/2 cup coconut sugar (depending on your sweet tooth)
1.5 teaspoon coconut extract (can sub with vanilla or a combination of both)
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Dry ingredient bowl:

combine sifted coconut flour, salt & baking soda

Wet ingredient bowl:

combine eggs, coconut milk, oil, sugar, extract

Blend dry ingredients into wet ingredients and mix
add shredded coconut once dry and wet ingredients are incorporated together

Line a cupcake tin with paper liners or grease tin

scoop mix into each tin about 1/4 cup each (I use an ice cream scoop to measure and scoop)
optional:  you can sprinkle some shredded coconut on top.  it will brown in the oven and is tasty
makes about 10 cupcakes

Bake at 375 degrees for approx 20 minutes

These muffins can be frozen in ziplock bags to extend the shelf life and thawed as needed

This will save you a ton of money as opposed to buying gluten free at the store.