Facts About Coconut

• A coconut is the fruit of a coconut palm tree.
• The scientific name for coconut is Cocos nucifera.
• Each coconut consists of several layers : a smooth outer, a dark brown hairy husk with 3 ‘eyes’ at 1 end, a thin brown skin covering the white fresh.
• Coconut does not contain cholesterol. Cholesterol is only found in animals. It does contain phytosterols and saturated fats.
• A study reported at the Joint 8th Annual Convention of the Philippine Society of Hypertension and the Philippine Lipid Society, revealed that coconut flakes culled from coconut flour could reduce cholesterol levels.
  Source : “Coconut flakes reduce cholesterol, study shows” Philippine Coconut Authority

• Caprylic acid is a medium-chain 8-carbon saturated fatty acid (also referred to as medium-chain triglyceride or MCT) derived from coconut oil, palm oil and butter fat. It is produced in the body in small quantities. Caprylic acid has antifungal properties that has been used to ward off yeast, especially the candida strains. A 3 to 4 month course of caprylic acid is typically recommended. The usual recommended dosage is 1000 to 2000 mg to be taken 3 times a day with meals. It is also recommended to begin with the lowest dose (500 mg once or twice a day) and then gradually increase the dose by adding 1 capsule every 2 to 3 days until the full recommended dose is achieved. Caprylic acid is easily digested which means it is quickly absorbed through the intestines and delivered into the bloodstream.
• Coconut oil contains large amounts of another MCT known as lauric acid which is a 12-carbon saturated fatty acid. It is present in breast milk which babies convert to a substance called monolaurin that protects them from viral or bacterial or protozoal infections.
• The dried white flesh of the coconut, called copra has a high oil content from which coconut oil is extracted by pressing.
• The fresh of unripe coconuts is jelly-like and can be scooped up to be eaten. Upon ripening, the flesh becomes white and firm.
• A young coconut that has no sound of liquid may probably have flesh that is too dry to be eaten.

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