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FOOD
making carbs count
Nutrition
100g of raw coconut contains:
280 calories
3g protein
12g carbs
27g fat
7g fibre
Plus copper, phosphorous,
potassium, iron and manganese.
ingredient. However, coconut cream
is not to be confused with creamed
coconut which is a very concentrated
coconut extract.
Creamed coconut
Creamed coconut is sold in solid
blocks, a bit like butter, and can be
melted into foods in smaller amounts
than milk or cream. It can also be
made into coconut cream or milk
by mixing it with the appropriate
amount of water.
Fat or fiction?
Coconut products are often touted as
healthy alternatives to animal fats or
other oils, but this is deceptive and
ignores the saturated fat content.
Just one tablespoon of coconut
oil has 12g of fat, 10 of which are
saturated compared to butter which
has 11.5g of fat per tbsp, with 7g
of saturated fat. If you have been
advised to cut down on saturated fat,
coconut is not your go-to cooking
oil and you might want to replace it
with an unsaturated fat (such as olive
oil) to reduce heart disease risk. Use
the lower-fat varieties of the milk or
use sparingly and enjoy the coconut
water - especially the fizzy version
- more freely. If you can crack it, the
coconut offers with its many forms
and functions offers something for
everyone, even if you are avoiding
carbs, calories or gluten.
You should coco…
Fascinating facts about coconuts
• When Portuguese explorers came
across coconuts for the first time,
they named their discovery after a
monkey as they thought the three
rings at the top of the nut (the
eyes), resembled a monkey face.
• Talking of monkeys, pig tailed
macaques are used to scale the
tall palm trees and pick coconuts
in Malaysia. The primates are
specially trained in climbing and
gathering techniques in formal
macaque training schools.
*Botanically speaking, a coconut is a fibrous one-seeded drupe, also known as a dry drupe. However, when using
loose definitions, the coconut can be all three: a fruit, a nut, and a seed.
• Coconuts are extensively used in
Hindu religious rites. As an offering
to the gods a coconut may be
smashed on the ground as part
of an inauguration of a building
project, facility or ship to give
thanks and avoid bad karma.
• Coconuts were readily available
in medieval England. They arrived
along the Spice Route and were
known as 'Indian nuts' and
recommended for a number of
health conditions. The shells were
kept and worked into expensive
drinking cups.