September 2 has been designated as Coconut Day by the Asian and Pacific Coconut Community (APCC) headquartered at Jakarta, Indonesia. All major coconut-growing countries including India are members of the APCC. The celebration is aimed at creating awareness about the importance of this wonderful fruit and its potential in alleviating poverty, encouraging investments and promoting the development of the coconut industry.
India is one of the major coconut producing country across the world while Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh are the major coconut producing states in India. Interestingly, the popularity of coconut doesn't end with coconut water only, coconut oil to coconut flour and coconut milk also come with many health benefits.
Let’s know about the amazing health benefits and the uniqueness of this wonderful fruit.
It comes with High Nutrition-
The coconut contains protein, several important minerals, and small amounts of B vitamins. However, they’re not a significant source of most other vitamins. Unlike many other fruits that are high in carbs, coconuts provide mostly fat.
The minerals in coconut are involved in many functions in your body. Coconuts are especially high in manganese, which is essential for bone health and the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and cholesterol.
They’re also rich in copper and iron, which helps the body to form red blood cells, as well as selenium, an important antioxidant that protects your cells.
Good for Heart Health-
According to a study, it has found that people who live on Polynesian islands and frequently eat coconut meat have lower rates of heart disease than those who follow a normal diet.
It confirms that coconut oil has a neutral effect on cholesterol levels.
Consuming virgin coconut oil, which is extracted from dried coconut meat, is proved to reduce belly fat if people use it in a proper way. This is especially beneficial because excess belly fat increases your risk of heart disease and diabetes.
In another study, where one woman consumed 1 ounce (30 ml) of refined coconut oil daily for 12 weeks experienced a reduction of 0.5 inches (1.4 cm) from their waist measurement, on average.
It promotes blood sugar control
Coconut is low in carbs and high in fiber and fat, so it can help to stabilize your blood sugar.
The high fiber content of coconut meat also helps in slow digestion and improves insulin resistance which can help regulate blood sugar levels as well.
Powerpack of antioxidants
Coconut meat contains phenolic compounds, which are antioxidants that may help protect cells from oxidative damage. This is-
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gallic acid
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caffeic acid
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salicylic acid
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p-coumaric acid
The Lab tests on coconut meat have shown that it has antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity.
