In countries rich with coconut trees, coconuts are an active player in the economy and diet.
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Add cap"Coconut" by EJavanainen - Own work.
Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coconut.png#mediaviewer/File:Coconut.pngtion
In regions where coconuts do not grow, such as the majority of the United States, coconuts do not contribute to the local economy and are not a dietary staple. How could they be? Prior to globalization of our agricultural commodities, people ate and used products native to the region. I am probably not the only Midwestern, 1970s influenced person who fondly associates coconut with Almond Joy candy bars, going out for Thai and Indian style food, piña coladas, Mary Ann, Ginger, Mr. and Mrs. Powell, the Professor, the Skipper and Gilligan. |
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Licensed under Fair use of copyrighted material in the context of Gilligan's Island (season 3) via
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GilligansIslandseason3.jpg#mediaviewer/File:GilligansIslandseason3.jpg
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Until fairly recently, coconuts and coconut products were pretty rare in the United States. Even though many of us did not consume coconuts and coconut products, there is no evidence that the collective "we" suffered nutrient deficiencies or public health problems as a result of not consuming enough (or any) coconut.
We have a global market now, coconuts seem to have found a new agent and publicist, and coconuts have hit the open road and gone out on a big world tour.
Is it a fruit, nut or seed?
Botanically, coconut is a type of fruit called a drupe. Drupes are fruit with a hard, fibrous outer layer, a fleshy interior, and a single seed.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), however, categorize and refer to coconut as a nut and seed. If you ever use a nutrient database like SuperTracker (or any of the other ones) you will find coconut listed or defined in the nuts and seeds category. This can cause some confusion, particularly for people with nut allergies. If you have a nut allergy and are concerned about coconut, talk to your doctor! Here is a link to the American College of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology (Tree Nut Allergy) website regarding nut allergies and coconut.
What kind of coconut products are on the market these days?
There are several types of coconut products on the market today including:
- coconut milk
- coconut oil
- coconut water
- coconut butter
- coconut flour and flakes
- coconut pills (encapsulated coconut oil)
There are several types of coconut products on the market today including:
- coconut milk
- coconut oil
- coconut water
- coconut butter
- coconut flour and flakes
- coconut pills (encapsulated coconut oil)
A little bit of general info about fat
Calories
We store excess energy as fat. Humans do this as well as other animals and plants. Fat is an efficient way to store energy for extended periods of time. With that in mind, it makes sense that of our energy yielding nutrients (carbohydrate, protein, fat), fat is the one that provides the biggest bang for the buck. We get an average of 9 kcal/g of fat. Coconut, because of the types of fat that are in it, provides around 8.3 kcal/g. For comparison, protein and carbohydrate both provide an average of 4 kcal/g.
Calculating calories of fat:
1. Let's say I eat 1 piece of pre-sliced cheese. This piece of cheese contains 104 kcals per serving. Each serving provides 9 grams of fat. According to the package, a serving of this cheese is defined as 1 pre-sliced piece of cheese.
- 81 kcal from fat contribute to the total 104 kcals in 1 slice of cheese (9 g of fat * 9 kcal / g = 81 kcal)
- 81 kcal/104 kcal * 100 = 77.88 = 78%.
- Fat makes up about 78% of the total calories in that piece of cheese.
- This cheese is considered a high fat food.
2. If I ate more than 1 piece of cheese (let's say 2 1/2 pieces), then I would need to factor that into my calculation. For example:
- 2.5 pieces of cheese: 9 g of fat * 2.5 slices of cheese = 22.5 grams of fat
- 22.5 g of fat * 9 kcal/g = 202.5 kcal from fat
- 104 kcals total per piece* 2.5 pieces = 260 kcal
- 202.5 kcal / 260 kcal * 100 = 77.88 = 78%
As an aside...You can use the Daily Value (DV%) column on the Nutrition Facts panel to help determine if a product is high or low in fat.
- A general rule of thumb is that if something provides > 20% it is considered "high" and if it provides < 5% it is low in a given nutrient.
- Whether or not "high" or "low" is desirable depends on the nutrient of interest and your personal health goals. You might be looking for something high in fiber but might not be looking for something high in fat, particularly saturated fat.
Composition
Saturated fats
Within the carbon chain of a saturated fatty acid, each carbon atom contains a total of four single bonds. A fatty acid is said to be saturated if it is bonded to all the hydrogen atoms it can. This means that each carbon in a saturated fatty acid chain will be bound to two hydrogen atoms as well as two other carbon atoms. Saturated fatty acids have a mostly linear shape and this impacts how saturated fats function in food as well as in the body.
Some general characteristics of saturated fatty acids
- Remain solid or mostly solid at room temperature
- Sources of saturated fat include fats from animal sources, palm oil, and coconut oil
- Diets high in saturated fats are associated with increased risk of high cholesterol (LDL, the "bad" cholesterol) and increased risk of heart disease.
- Foods rich in saturated fat are usually rich in cholesterol
- We only get cholesterol from animal sources (plants do not contain cholesterol).
- Coconut is unique because it is high in saturated fat but does not contain any cholesterol.
- For more information about saturated fat:
Unsaturated fats
Unsaturated fats are made up of fatty acids with at least one double bond between a pair of carbon atoms in the carbon chain. Unsaturated fats do not have all the hydrogen atoms bound to it that it could possibly have because of the presence of one or more double bonds. Double bonds between carbon atoms introduces a sort of kink in the fatty acid chain so it becomes less linear in shape. This changes the way the fatty acid functions in food and in the body.
There are two types of unsaturated fats:
- Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA): fatty acids containing one double bond between a pair of carbons in the fatty acid chain
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA): fatty acids containing two or more double bonds between carbons in the fatty acid chain
- For more information about unsaturated fats
Some facts and characteristics about unsaturated fatty acids:
- Tend to remain liquid at room temperature
- Diets that are rich in unsaturated fats (particularly omega-3 fatty acids) and low in saturated fats are associated with positive health effects and may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Length of fatty acid chains
We also talk about and categorize fat based on the length of the carbon chain of the fatty acid. Most of the fat in our diet, as well as the fat (fatty acids) we make in our body, are long chain fatty acids. This means that the fatty acid chains contain 12 or more carbons (typically 12-18 carbons in length).
In nature, there are also some medium chain fatty acids, also referred to as called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). Medium chain fatty acids are between 8-10 carbons in length. MCTs are digested and absorbed from the intestines into the body through a different route than long chain fatty acids. As a result, MCTs reach cells more quickly and may be available for use by cells faster then long chain fatty acids. Coconuts are a dietary source of medium chain triglycerides.
The type of saturated fat most prevalent in coconut is called lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acids (MCTs).
In nature, there are also some medium chain fatty acids, also referred to as called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). Medium chain fatty acids are between 8-10 carbons in length. MCTs are digested and absorbed from the intestines into the body through a different route than long chain fatty acids. As a result, MCTs reach cells more quickly and may be available for use by cells faster then long chain fatty acids. Coconuts are a dietary source of medium chain triglycerides.
Some general information about MCTs:
- They have 8-10 carbons and are shorter than long chain fatty acids
- MCTs are smaller than long chain fatty acids and therefore do not have to undergo the same process of digestion, absorption, and transport that long chain fatty acids go through
- This means MCTs enter the blood and are delivered to the cells relatively intact and quicker than long chain fatty acids
- As a result of this, MCTs potentially provide an accessible and relatively quicker source of energy to cells compared to long chain fatty acids.
The type of saturated fat most prevalent in coconut is called lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acids (MCTs).
- The dietary recommendation is to limit overall fat intake, particularly intake of saturated fat.
- This recommendation applies to coconut oil and other sources of coconut-derived fat just like any other saturated fat.
- When choosing coconut oil as a fat source, it is recommended that you select "virgin" coconut oil over partially hydrogenated coconut oil (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics - Coconut Oil).
Comments about dietary fat
All fats contain a mixture of different kinds and types of fatty acids. The classification of a fat as saturated or unsaturated is determined by the type of fatty acid that is present in the highest concentration. Whole milk, 2% milk, and coconut milk are all rich in saturated fat. All three milk products contribute some degree of unsaturated fats (MUFA and PUFAs). As you can see in the table, the contribution of unsaturated fat is less than that of saturated fat and that is why each of these milk products are considered sources of saturated fat. Both cow's milk products contribute a small amount of cholesterol whereas coconut does not. The most notable difference when comparing the total contribution of fat in these three milk products is with regard to calories. Coconut milk has, by far, the highest caloric content per 1 cup of milk. What I have shown here is just a picture of the overall fat content. If you would like to look at carbohydrate, protein, and other nutrients go the nutrient database link listed here and search for each one (milk, 2%, milk, whole, and coconut milk). Nutrient Database / USDA.
A side note about dietary fat and young children:
Children less than 2 years of age require more fat in their diet to support the development of the central nervous system. Fat rich milk like whole, 1%, and 2% milk is appropriate and in fact recommended for this age group. For more information:
What do coconuts bring to the table?
Coconut adds flavor, variety, and medium chain fatty acids when it is incorporated into the diet. A lot can be said for the value of flavor and adding variety to your diet if you are looking for ways to spruce it up. Scientific evidence DOES NOT SUPPORT the use of coconut oil or any of its other products such as milk, water, flakes or flour to:
- lose weight
- improve cholesterol
- reduce the risk of heart disease
- treat or prevent Alzheimer's disease
- improve / support immune function
- better hair and skin
- electrolyte replacement
- prevent kidney stones
- prevent cancer
Kimberly Young, MS, RDN, LD wrote a nice article summarizing coconut oil, milk, and water: The Coconut Craze.
What research is going on right now?
My recent literature search of PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov revealed that there is some ongoing to investigate whether or not coconut oil and other coconut derived products (usually coconut flour or flakes) helps with the following conditions:
Right now though, there is no evidence to support the specific use of coconut and its products to treat disease. There is not any evidence to mechanistically explain how coconut can treat or prevent any disease. The field of coconut research with regard to health is relatively new. At this time, we have theories, hypotheses, studies published with conflicting results, and ongoing research.
When it comes to coconut, there is a lot of speculation, product development, marketing, and consumer spending, but there is not a lot of science. At least not yet.
What research is going on right now?
My recent literature search of PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov revealed that there is some ongoing to investigate whether or not coconut oil and other coconut derived products (usually coconut flour or flakes) helps with the following conditions:
- Alzheimer's disease
- Obesity (sometimes the flakes and flour are used here)
- Cholesterol
- Cardiovascular disease
- Inflammation
- Skin disorders (psoriasis)
Right now though, there is no evidence to support the specific use of coconut and its products to treat disease. There is not any evidence to mechanistically explain how coconut can treat or prevent any disease. The field of coconut research with regard to health is relatively new. At this time, we have theories, hypotheses, studies published with conflicting results, and ongoing research.
When it comes to coconut, there is a lot of speculation, product development, marketing, and consumer spending, but there is not a lot of science. At least not yet.
Final Comments
I am reminded of an episode of Portlandia (season 4, episode 3) called "Celery." You can watch Celery at the IFC website until 11/1/2014. Steve Buscemi plays a down and out celery salesman squeezed out of the market by the razzle-dazzle marketing techniques used by the beet and kale sales guys. His desperation drives him to pair up with the crazy bacon broker to try and salvage his career. In the world of Portlandia, everyone has gone mad for beets. It's a theme for episode 3. Who ate beets in the U.S. back in the 1980s other than my Russian grandfather in his bowls of borscht? Now we have beet salads on menus and it is considered all fancy-schmancy. It's the marketing that gets me. The beet broker marketed his commodity and everybody bought it. Look at bacon! It's not just the world of Portlandia. People are selling bacon bowls and people are buying them.
Now, when I think about coconut out on its big world tour, I think about celery. I think about Steve Buscemi. I think about Portlandia. But mostly, I think about mixed drinks.
Coconut Song (Put the Lime in the Coconut), YouTube:
