Coconut

The coconut well known for its great versatility, having many culinary, commercial, and industrial uses.  Virtually every part of the coconut palm – from the leaves to the fruits to the lumber – can be used and has value.  The historical usefulness of coconut can often be seen in its naming: Its Sanskrit name means "the tree which provides all the necessities of life"; its Malay name means "the tree of a thousand uses"; in the Philippines it is called "the tree of life".

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.

On the other side of the debate, some believe that the benefits of coconut are being overplayed, claiming that it is simply one of the newest "natural" alternatives supposed to cure everything from headaches to hangnails.

Source

Coconut can be used in many forms, including coconut oil, coconut water, shredded coconut, coconut milk, coconut butter, coconut flour – or simply raw coconut (the soft flesh of a young coconut that can be spooned out, or the hard meat of a mature coconut.)

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 must be un-preserved.  Equivalents are:

• 2-3 tablespoons of the unprocessed coconut oil daily
• ¹⁄₃ can of the coconut milk twice a day (5 ounces twice a day)
• ¹⁄₂ coconut steeped, mashed and eaten daily

When choosing a brand of canned coconut milk, select the one with the highest fat content for the price.

Coconut oil that has been kept at room temperature for a year has been tested, and showed no evidence of rancidity.

Why it is Recommended

Coconut oil lowers cholesterol if it is high and raises it if it is too low.  Coconut oil is unique in its ability to prevent weight-gain or cure obesity, by stimulating the metabolism.  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.

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.

Coconut has been shown to have some benefit for hypothyroidism, particularly the virgin coconut oil.  Both the anti-viral and hypothyroid benefits may be due to coconut's general immune system support.

In animal studies, feeding unprocessed coconut and coconut oils prevented tumor development, both malignant or benign.

Counter-Indicators and Warnings

Some individuals cannot handle the medium chain fatty acids contained in coconut oil due to gallbladder/liver fat handling problems.  Many who have "nut" allergies may also experience reactions to coconut meat, milk and oil.