Fresh Coconut - how bad is the saturated fat?

[Amethyst]

I should have put "Fresh" Coconut in the title. I am not referring to packaged or sweetened coconut.

We are now the owners of a dozen or so mature coconut palms that are busy dropping a bumper crop.

Unfortunately, I have read that coconut meat is full of saturated fat. So now I am concerned. My total cholesterol and LDL are a bit elevated, but all my other numbers (HDL, TG, BP, various "ratios," weight, waist measurement, visceral fat %age) are normal to good.

Due to the saturated fat - do I need to limit my coconut intake to "occasional" or can I eat as much as I want (3-4 ounces daily)? Weight gain is not a concern.

Just seeking opinions. Thanks!

 

[sengsational]

I will guarantee that if you open them manually, you will be healthier due to the additional exercise. You're likely to loose weight too, but the kind of weight loss (accidentally cutting off a finger or two) is not recommend.


Seriously, though, the meat is high in fiber and you're very unlikely to over eat it. Compare that to people who put coconut oil in their food and cook with it...the whole food eater as you're suggesting would get a tiny fraction of the saturated fat as compared to the fat eater. Go for it with gusto! Especially if it displaces some factory food.

 

[audreyh1]

The debates on saturated fat and health rage on - though personally I’m inclined to conclude that saturated fat is not a demon, particularly as some populations like the French that eat high saturated fat are healthier heart-wise than other European countries that have low fat/low saturated fat diets. And southeast Asians eat diets highly dependent on coconuts without obvious problems.

Personally I think western diets high in starchy carbohydrates and sugar and especially junk/poor quality food are much more dangerous to health than saturated fat. I also don’t think low-fat diets are healthier than moderate or high fat diets based on whole foods including natural sources of fats.

This discussion goes over some pros and cons of coconut meat, although it seems to ultimately be concerned about the saturated fat. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coconut-meat And from the same site listing benefits of coconut oil. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil

Dr. Willett of Harvard discusses some pros and cons though he personally chooses to use it sparingly. He points out that it is good at raising HDL. He obviously doesn’t call it “poison” although a colleague at Harvard did so loudly in the press. https://www.health.harvard.edu/stayi...hy/coconut-oil

There are lots of indications that saturated fat is good for you, but the debate rages on. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/study-questions-fat-and-heart-disease-link/

Some of this debate is simply a focus on saturated fat raising LDL, but if it also raises HDL it seems like at worst a wash, and at best ultimately protective. In addition, the LDL increase tends to be of the fluffy type of LDL that is harmless. Of course this nuance then gets you into the LDL versus health debate.

Coconut meat should freeze very well if vacuum packed.

 

[Amethyst]

You aren't kidding, if you use the Tom Hanks "Castaway" dehusking method! But there is a coconut dehusking tool that works pretty well, and from there it's a matter of piercing the "eyes" to get the tasty water, and then cracking the shell with a hammer to get the meat.

I will guarantee that if you open them manually, you will be healthier due to the additional exercise. You're likely to loose weight too, but the kind of weight loss (accidentally cutting off a finger or two) is not recommend.

There is another method on Youtube, but it is a bit niche for us:

 

[Amethyst]

Thanks! I read those articles, and came to about the same conclusions. Have been following the forum discussions on LDL. Next time my blood test comes around, if my LDL is still high, I'll ask our internist about big vs. small particles. He did not raise any alarms about this year's tests, but then I'm still under age 65.

The debates on saturated fat and health rage on - though personally I’m inclined to conclude that saturated fat is not a demon, particularly as some populations like the French that eat high saturated fat are healthier heart-wise than some that have low fat/low saturated fat diets. And southeast Asians eat diets highly dependent on coconuts without obvious problems.

Personally I think western diets high in starchy carbohydrates and sugar and especially junk/poor quality food are much more dangerous to health than saturated fat. I also don’t think low-fat diets are healthier than moderate or high fat diets based on whole foods including natural sources of fats.

This discussion goes over some pros and cons of coconut meat, although it seems to ultimately be concerned about the saturated fat. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/coconut-meat And from the same site listing benefits of coconut oil. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil

Dr. Willett of Harvard discusses some pros and cons though he personally chooses to use it sparingly. He points out that it is good at raising HDL. He obviously doesn’t call it “poison” although a colleague at Harvard did so loudly in the press. https://www.health.harvard.edu/stayi...hy/coconut-oil

There are lots of indications that saturated fat is good for you, but the debate rages on. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/study-questions-fat-and-heart-disease-link/

Some of this debate is simply a focus on saturated fat raising LDL, but if it also raises HDL it seems like at worst a wash, and at best ultimately protective. In addition, the LDL increase tends to be of the fluffy type of LDL that is harmless. Of course this nuance then gets you into the LDL versus health debate.

Coconut meat should freeze very well if vacuum packed.

 

[audreyh1]

You aren't kidding, if you use the Tom Hanks "Castaway" dehusking method! But there is a coconut dehusking tool that works pretty well, and from there it's a matter of piercing the "eyes" to get the tasty water, and then cracking the shell with a hammer to get the meat.

There is another method on Youtube, but

I have husked a coconut using the sharp stick or metal stuck in the ground method. Pretty straightforward.

Then you pretty much need a machete to crack the nut in half. Some would hold the coconut in their palm. Not me!

Never seen someone using their teeth!

 

[GrayHare]

"I couldn't take much more of those coconuts. Coconut milk is a natural laxative. That's something Gilligan never told us."

 

[RAE]

As Audrey said, you will get different opinions on saturated fat. Based on the reading I've done on coconut oil, saturated fat, and health, I would not worry one bit about eating as much fresh coconut as you like. I have used coconut oil daily for a long time now, and I think it is probably one of the healthiest fats you can consume (along with olive oil, butter, and the fat from grass-fed beef). My triglyceride and HDL blood test results are great. The fats I will not consume are the highly processed industrial seed oils (veg. oil, corn oil, soybean oil, etc..........the jug oils).

Here is something from Dr. Mark Hyman of the Cleveland Clinic, on coconut oil:

"Interestingly, countries with the highest intakes of coconut oil have the lowest rates of heart disease.

While research shows coconut oil contains higher amounts of saturated fat and does increase total cholesterol, those amounts do not increase your heart attack or stroke risk.

In fact, one study among lean, heart disease- and stroke-free Pacific Islanders who consumed up to 63 percent of their calories from coconut fat found total cholesterol rose but so did their “good” HDL.

Other studies found lipid profiles improve on high-fat diets containing coconut oil. Researchers concluded it wasn’t saturated fat from coconuts that negatively impacted cholesterol profile. Instead, the coconut oil’s overall effect raised HDL while lowering triglycerides and small LDL cholesterol particles, which is definitely a good thing.

Coconut oil provides other benefits such as lowering insulin levels, protecting against heart disease. The predominant fatty acid in coconut oil is lauric acid, which provides antimicrobial, antibacterial and antiviral benefits.

There is a huge difference between quality saturated fat in coconut oil or MCT oils, as compared with what you get in a fast food cheeseburger. Lumping them all together becomes like putting cauliflower and a cupcake under the carbohydrate category.

Don’t be afraid of saturated fat, but get it from healthy sources like coconuts and grass-fed beef, which automatically edges out unhealthy sources.

And total cholesterol is not an accurate predictor of heart disease or stroke. Inflammation is the culprit for most diseases, and coconut oil is highly anti-inflammatory."

 

[Amethyst]

We have not noticed any ill effects! We are going through one good-sized coconut every 4-5 days, although the trees are dropping them faster than that. I chill and drink the milk from that one nut - about 12 ounces. Too bad our trees are too tall to get the green nuts, which have the meat you can eat with a spoon.

Now, if the Polynesian were to be opening a dozen nuts a day for us, and we each consumed a half gallon of juice daily, then I can imagine something unusual happening Fortunately, our diet is more varied than that!

"I couldn't take much more of those coconuts. Coconut milk is a natural laxative. That's something Gilligan never told us."

 

[EastWest Gal]

Coconut oil is high in medium chain triglycerides (60% of the fat in coconut oil is MCT). MCTs are rapidly absorbed and are either metabolized directly for energy or converted to ketone bodies, which can cross the blood brain barrier and be used for energy by the brain. They are not transported by the lipoproteins and do not contribute to high LDL-cholesterol or LDL particles, as they are not transported this way. Google medium chain triglycerides and you'll find study after study that supports MCT oil and coconut oil as a nutritional source.

For many years, MCT oil (which mostly does not have the longest chain fatty acid, lauric acid) has been one of the nutritional supplements to boost the caloric intake of premature infants in the NICU. It does not seem to have a downside.

Not all saturated fats are the same.

Check out this article>

https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/132/3/329/4687297

 

[Telly]

Just anecdotal, but I knew someone back in the early 1970s that was told by her doctor to add a lime. But she was such a silly woman...

 

[NW-Bound]

We have not noticed any ill effects! We are going through one good-sized coconut every 4-5 days, although the trees are dropping them faster than that. I chill and drink the milk from that one nut - about 12 ounces. Too bad our trees are too tall to get the green nuts, which have the meat you can eat with a spoon...

Learning to climb the coconut tree is the next logical step.

 

[audreyh1]

Coconut oil is high in medium chain triglycerides (60% of the fat in coconut oil is MCT). MCTs are rapidly absorbed and are either metabolized directly for energy or converted to ketone bodies, which can cross the blood brain barrier and be used for energy by the brain. They are not transported by the lipoproteins and do not contribute to high LDL-cholesterol or LDL particles, as they are not transported this way. Google medium chain triglycerides and you'll find study after study that supports MCT oil and coconut oil as a nutritional source.

For many years, MCT oil (which mostly does not have the longest chain fatty acid, lauric acid) has been one of the nutritional supplements to boost the caloric intake of premature infants in the NICU. It does not seem to have a downside.

Not all saturated fats are the same.

Check out this article>

https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/132/3/329/4687297

I had also read it does not require bile to digest fat from coconut oil, so it might be a good choice if the gall bladder is sluggish.

Fortunately for me my gall bladder is behaving very well. I was a little worried about my new high fat diet, as I’ve occasionally had trouble with higher fat meals in the past causing sudden gastric distress, but this hasn’t happened at all. Maybe I ramped up gradually enough. Who knows. I had been checked via ultrasound before and gallbladder clear.

 

[Amethyst]

Not after your bones have started thinning. I used to be fearless on ladders; now I don't climb higher than about four feet on a ladder.

Learning to climb the coconut tree is the next logical step.

 

[candrew]

The only additional thought I can contribute to this thread is that DW & I both love coconut! Coconut milk, coconut water, coconut meat - it's all good! We eat coconut raw, cook with it, bake with it and really enjoy it grated and then lightly toasted in the oven.

Heck, there were even some guys in Fiji that were concocting bio-fuel from coconuts.

 

[donheff]

Just anecdotal, but I knew someone back in the early 1970s that was told by her doctor to add a lime. But she was such a silly woman...

Did it relieve her belly ache?

 

[Amethyst]

Haven't tried grating and toasting it yet. It's too good raw.

Tgrated and then lightly toasted in the oven.

Heck, there were even some guys in Fiji that were concocting bio-fuel from coconuts.

 

[audreyh1]

Agree - fresh coconut tastes best raw.

 

[W2R]

My parents' beachfront home in Kailua, Hawaii, had about a dozen coconut trees, so I grew up with lots of coconuts. Here are a three thoughts about coconut trees and coconuts:

1) You don't have to eat all the coconuts. Nobody does. Too many are produced from these trees for any sane person to consume. Just use what you need or want, for whatever you would be cooking anyway. Discard the rest. That may seem like a waste until you realize how many coconuts these trees produce and how one coconut tree can become dozens before you know it.

2) The main danger from coconuts in Hawaii is not the saturated fat - - it's that they are pretty hefty and fall from high up in the trees to the ground. If a falling coconut hits someone in the head, they can be badly injured and you are facing hospital bills and huge legal liability problems. This is a serious issue and could cost millions. Therefore, we (and all of our neighbors) had to hire workmen to shimmy up every coconut tree periodically and remove the coconuts before they ripen, fall, and crack someone's head open.

3) You'll get tired of coconut and at some point, it won't be worth the effort to husk and open very many of them.

That said, our family ate a lot of coconut and somehow that didn't see to be a problem for any of us.

 

[audreyh1]

We had lots of coconut palms around when growing up, and no one removed coconuts in spite of the danger.

So I was surprised on my last Hawaii visit to see that coconuts were routinely removed from trees. Took a bit of getting used to not seeing coconuts

 

[Amethyst]

Yes, we have already been warned by neighbors to have our trees neutered (have their nuts cut off). They can become flying missiles in the event of hurricanes. In fact, the recommendation is to have the flowers pruned before the fruit even forms. It's very expensive to hire someone to climb that high, and I think we will limit pruning to the trees that drop on or near streetside.

Still, the previous owners were there for 15 years and clearly never had the trees trimmed at all. When we moved in, we had to clean up years and years of palm tree debris (palm fronds do not decay), including simply hundreds of old dried-up coconuts.

 

[W2R]

We had lots of coconut palms around when growing up, and no one removed coconuts in spite of the danger.

So I was surprised on my last Hawaii visit to see that coconuts were routinely removed from trees. Took a bit of getting used to not seeing coconuts

It's just insane not to do this, in the modern era when huge liability settlements can target the property owner (at least, in Hawaii).

My parents used to hire a muscular, buff Tongan guy to shimmy up the trees. What a great job! He loved it. He could barely speak English but he spent his days in the sunshine at the top of coconut trees, with soft sea breezes to cool him off, and made a very nice income considering that he had no special skills. I loved watching him work, because he barely wore more than a thong when doing this, I was a teenager, his muscles were rippling and glistening in the sunshine, and my hormones were raging.....

 

[audreyh1]

It's just insane not to do this, in the modern era when huge liability settlements can target the property owner (at least, in Hawaii).

My parents used to hire a muscular, buff Tongan guy to shimmy up the trees. What a great job! He loved it. He could barely speak English but he spent his days in the sunshine at the top of coconut trees, with soft sea breezes to cool him off, and made a very nice income considering that he had no special skills. I loved watching him work, because he barely wore more than a thong when doing this, I was a teenager, his muscles were rippling and glistening in the sunshine, and my hormones were raging.....

Yeah, well that was back in the 60s, and people were used to living around coconuts and using them for food. I never remember reports of anyone getting hurt by being hit by a falling coconut, although certainly could see how that would be a hazard.

Oh yeah - those young Polynesian men are a sight to behold!

 

[Amethyst]

I'd put the chances of him knowing he had a teen girl audience at 100.1%.

The guys who climb the trees around here are fully clothed. I don't know what they themselves are paid, but their landscape companies charge a bundle; not surprising, given the risk, plus general lack of DIY climbing ability among their customers.

I loved watching him work, because he barely wore more than a thong when doing this, I was a teenager, his muscles were rippling and glistening in the sunshine, and my hormones were raging.....

 

[Bamaman]

Don't worry, be happy!

Most people wouldn't eat enough coconut to where it affects your health. It's used sparingly in cooking.