Coconut in various forms is being hailed a health hero
Coconut water, oil, sugar, flesh, milk and yoghurt – coconut is filling up our supermarket shelves in many guises – but what nutritional benefits can it bring to our diet? If the latest claims are to be believed it can cure everything from heart disease to Alzheimer’s.
Sally Norton, weight loss consultant at Spire The Glen Hospital Bristol, and founder of Vavista.com, looks at the facts.
Coconut water
The juice is now marketed as a highly hydrating fluid. It has less sugar than fruit juices and more minerals such as potassium, sodium, magnesium and calcium. These properties are great as a post-workout drink if you’ve only been doing moderate exercise, but there isn’t enough protein or carbohydrate if you’re undergoing vigorous exercise of over 1 hour.
Ultimately, coconut water contains calories – do you need these? If you’re drinking purely for hydration, water is always the better choice.
Coconut oil
This is becoming more and more popular and can be used for roasting and baking. It has a similar nutritional profile to butter in that it has a high saturated fat content which is currently being discovered to be less harmful to health than initially thought, particularly the type of saturated fats which are found in coconut oil.
Coconut sugar
This can be used instead of sugar in baking. It has a lower GI than standard granulated sugar, however a similar kcal content per gram. It may be a healthier alternative to traditional granulated sugar, however it is still an energy-dense food-type which should only be used on special occasions.
Coconut yoghurt
This is a fairly new dairy-free alternative, great for those who are lactose-intolerant and who fancy a change from the soya varieties! It is much higher in fat than both natural dairy yoghurt and soya yoghurts, but also much lower in carbohydrates.
Fresh coconut as a snack
Fresh coconut flesh is delicious, full of vitamins and minerals and goes really well in a smoothie. Enjoy as a snack but go easy on your portion sizes – a typical snack pack (100g) of fresh coconut pieces contains 271kcal compared to just 50kcal in a 100g fresh fruit pot.
Coconut milk (dairy substitute – usually mixed with rice milk)
There are two types of coconut milk widely available – one is about 8% coconut cream mixed with water, sugar and preservatives, the other is mixed with rice milk without the need for sugar and requires less preservatives. Both have a similar kcal content to soya milk (about 1/2 that of semi-skimmed milk) but a much lower protein content than both soya and semi-skimmed milk.
Tagged in Nutrition Diet Healthy eating