Coconut Family

Crazy Coco! 

 To anyone who like to visit the Olam HaTeva, the natural health store in Kesem, there's a treasure of coconut-related products. I once decided to buy them all (almost at once) and see what I could do with them. True, I could have found out first a recipe and then buy the product but where's the fun in that? So now we're dealing with a few ingredients I need to find a recipe for: coconut oil, coconut water, coconut milk, coconut flour...

Let's start with some fun, friendly treats for the children (and Sugar-Free too!)

Coconut Popsicle 

This recipe will surely please them and add some much-needed vitamins in their day, without them knowing! Nu, which vitamins?

In coconut water - not to be confused with coconut milk, we'll get to that later - you have the following health benefits:

- 15% of daily requirement (DR) of potassium in one cup. 

- other electrolytes include calcium and magnesium, helps maintain proper fluid balance. 

- a lot of water (obviously) so it's very dehydrating in the summer - and no fat!

- great source of vitamin C (24mg per cup) - that's 32% of DR for women.

L'havdil, in a research with rats, the blood sugar level is much better with coconut water. In a different study with rats, the chances to get kidney stones is even more reduced with coconut water than with water (something about the crystals not sticking to the kidneys).

So here we have the popsicle recipe:

For one cup of coconut water, add one teaspoon of probiotics and three tablespoon of sugar-free apple concentrate. 

On this picture, you have both the coconut milk (left side) and the coconut water (right side). They cost about 10-15 shekels. 

Coconut Ice Cream

This recipe calls for coconut milk (instead of the coconut water we discussed earlier) and has only two other ingredients: Almond Butter and Maple Syrup. Now maple syrup, it's true, does count as sugar (albeit unrefined). But I still want to try it, I've been wanting to buy Maple Syrup since we made Aliyah from Canada, the Maple-Syrup-Country (that was about 10 years ago!).

We'll need a high-speed blender with ice-blending capacities. 

1) All your ingredients should be put in the blender. Blend until smooth. 

2)  The mixture is put in the freezer and during the first hour, you stir it every 10-15 minutes. I'm potty-training my daughter right now and the technique used calls for putting her on the "potty" every 10 minutes - now I could just synchronized both. 

3) After the first hour, let it stand for 3 hours (in the freezer, still). 

4) Remove from freezer and let it rest outside for 15 minutes. 

Quantities:

For the coconut milk: 13.5 ounce can

Almond Butter: 3/4 cup

Maple Syrup: 1/4 cup

In theory, the ice cream mixture can stay in the freezer for 2 months. That is true maybe in a child-less home, r"l.

What's in it for real?

Here's what you'll find in terms of nutritional value in coconut milk:

For one tablespoon (noticed how before we talked in "cups" now in spoons?):

- 3.2 g of fats (2.8 about is saturated fats, which doesn't necessarily mean it's not healthy, this is a topic for a different article)

- a bit of manganese, copper and iron but it's not a super food, like spiruline let's say.

It does have some good press for improving the "good" cholesterol levels (you know how we have "good" and "bad' cholesterols? Another article topic maybe for the future) and also may protect from cell damage because of antioxydants. It seems the latter in coconut milk also helps with cognitive function. 

Coconut Oil

We talked about coconut water and coconut milk. Now let's discuss the oil. 

Tropical countries consider it the healthiest oil on earth and the coconut palm  is for them "The Tree of Life". Really? Why? 

Modern science has discovered that coconut oil can actually protect against heart disease, diabetes, cancers, liver and kidney diseases. 

Coconut oil kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, pneumonia and gonorrhea. It kills the fungi and yeast that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash and other infections. It expels or kills tapeworms, lice, giardia and other parasites. 

Some of the coconut's other properties include:

Antioxidant: functions as a protective anti-oxidant. Helps to protect the body from harmful free radicals that promote premature aging and degenerative disease. Does not deplete the body's antioxidant reserves like other oils do. 

Anti-aging: prevents wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots. Provides protection from damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun. 

Anti-bacterial: kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, pneumonia, and other diseases. 

Anti-fungal: kills fungi and yeasts that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash and other infections. 

Blood, sugar: Improves insulin secretion and utilization of blood glucose. Relieves stress on pancreas and enzyme systems of the body. 

Cancer : helps protect the body from breast, colon and other cancers. 

Dehydration: Coconut water and milk are excellent drinks to keep one hydrated. Full of natural electrolytes and minerals. Helps prevent heatstroke and weakness from overwork in the hot weather or from excessive exercise  workouts. 

Diabetes: Helps relieve symptoms and reduce health risks associated with diabetes. 

Digestion: Improves digestion and bowel function. Improves absorption of other nutrients including vitamins, minerals and amino acids.  Improves utilization of essential fatty acids and protects them from oxidation. 

Energy: helps relieve symptoms associated with chronic fatigue syndrome. Provides a nutritional source of quick energy. Boosts energy and endurance, enhancing physical and athletic performance. 

Gallbladder: Helps relieve symptoms associated with gallbladder disease. 

Gastrointestinal: Relieves symptoms associated with heartburn, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and stomach ulcers. 

Hair care: Promotes healthy looking hair and complexion. When applied to your hair, coconut oil is a natural hair conditioner and tonic. Helps control dandruff. Use it regularly and you'll be able to see the benefits over time. 

Heart: Coconut oil is heart healthy: improves cholesterol ratio reducing risks of heart disease. Protects arteries from injury that causes atherosclerosis and thus protects against heart disease. 

Hemorrhoids: Relieves pain and irritation caused by hemorrhoids. 

Inflammation: Reduces inflammation. It also relieves symptoms associated with chronic inflammation like pancreatitis, cystic fibrosis, prostate enlargement, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, stomach ulcers, psoriasis, arthritis, and dermatitis. 

Immunity: Supports and aids the immune system function. Supports tissue healing and repair. 

Kidneys: Helps protect against kidney disease and bladder infections. Dissolves kidney stones. 

Malabsorption: Reduces problems associated with malabsorption syndrome. Improves digestion and absorption of other nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Improves calcium and magnesium absorption and supports the development of strong bones and teeth. 

Pancreas: Reduces symptoms associated with pancreatitis. Relieves stress on pancreas and enzyme systems of the body. 

Parasites: Expels or kills tapeworms, lice, giardia, and other parasites. 

Prostate: Relieves symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (prostate enlargement). 

Skin: when used as a topical cream, coconut oil actually soothes and heals the irritated or affected areas on your skin. Applied topically helps to form a chemical barrier on the skin to ward off infection. Psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis. Soften skin and helps relieve dryness and flaking. It's also an effective healing salve against blisters and sunburns. 

Skin, moisturizer: Coconut oil does more than what a simple skin cream can do. While other creams temporarily moisturize the surface of dry skin, it penetrates into the layers under your skin to prevent free radical formation, remove dead layers and encourage growth of new, healthier tissue. 

Tooth decay: Helps prevent periodontal disease, tooth decay and gingivitis.

Weight loss: Coconut oil has actually been shown to help optimize body weight, which can dramatically reduce your risk of developing diabetes. Helps prevent obesity and overweight problems. It is lower in calories than all other fats. It is utilized by the body to produce energy in preference to being stored as body fat like other dietary fats. 

Cooking oil: Does not form harmful by-products when heated to normal cooking temperature like other vegetable oils. Coconut oil is very heat-stable which makes it suited to methods of cooking at high temperature like frying. 

Source: Dr. Robin Murphy

There's no end to the benefits of coconut, it really is a beautiful gift from Hashem!

About what some people say that it's bad because it has so much cholesterol, well, it's not true. Here's the truth about cholesterol.

The Truth About Cholesterol

Some people have the idea that if high cholesterol is bad, the lower the cholesterol, the better. That is not true. Without cholesterol, the body cannot function. Cholesterol is so important to human health that the body makes app. 1000mg of it per day. Scientific studies have documented that dietary cholesterol has little effect on blood cholesterol levels. The body regulates the amount of cholesterol so that when more is consumed, the body makes less, and when less is consumed, the body makes more. 

Why would Hashem make the body make something to be so dangerous? 

Cholesterol is vital to the cells of all mammals. It is a major precursor of reproductive and natural steroid hormones, vitamin D, and digestive bile acids It forms the bricks of the cell membranes and the covering of nerves, and is an important component of the brain. It is important in serotonin receptor function in the brain. Cholesterol maintains the health of the intestinal wall, preventing leaky membranes. 

Cholesterol does not attach itself to healthy vessels. When there's injury to vessels, the body sends out more cholesterol as a repair substance or bandage for the injury. The causes of the vessel injury are the main source of the problem and they include: genetics, aging, high blood pressure, high blood glucose, inflammation, infestions, viruses, stress hormones, deep-fried foods, hydrogenated oils, oxidized fats, lack of antioxidants, excess free radicals, lack of B vitamins, elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) and elevated homocysteine. 

The limit on cholesterol intake at 300 mg per day is based on the faulty premise that consuming cholesterol is harmful to health. Studies show that at four times the "limit", there is little impact on blood cholesterol. 

Low Cholesterol Levels and Autism

In fact ,recent studies have found that a subset of children with autism spectrum disorders have a cholesterol level that is too low. Dietary supplementation in individuals with autistic symptoms can result in a decrease in autistic behaviors, irritability, hyperactivity, agression, self-injury, temper outbursts, and improvements in physical growth, language, sleep, and social interactions. 

You can increase cholesterol through diet or supplements. Dietary intervention includes increasing the intake of egg yolks. I actually wrote a post on special diet ideas for ASD patients. 

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