Coconut Meat: The King of Foods

Coconut meat or coconut kernel is used as a food to preserve life and as a medicine to reestablish health. As such, populations that thrive on a coconut diet aptly call it the “king of foods.”

I can’t think of another single food that offers more health benefits than the humble coconut.

To my knowledge, there are very few other foods, if any at all, that can sufficiently provide for both the nutritional and medicinal requirements of our bodies.

Coconut kernel or meat is a functional food, providing countless health benefits over and above its nutritional content.

It is a very good source of fiber. Coconut flour contains the highest percentage of dietary fiber compared to other flours. At 61% fiber, coconut flour contains more fiber than soy flour (14%), wheat flour (13%), cornmeal (11%), buckwheat flour (8%) and enriched white flour (3%) combined.

Immature Coconut

Green or young coconuts are a favorite delicacy here in the Philippines and many other countries.

Only partially developed, the meat has a gelatinous texture that is soft enough for you to easily scoop out with a spoon and eat.

Although immature meat has no oil and spoils much faster than mature meat does, it has a distinct flavor that tastes better if you ask me.

Mature Coconut

As the coconut ages, the kernel thickens and hardens.

The meat from a fully matured coconut has a slightly sweet, nutty flavor.

More importantly, it contains a high amount and is the actual source of the healthiest oil on the face of the earth, coconut oil.

In terms of weight, coconut kernel is made up of 34 percent oil. Below is a table showing its complete composition.

COMPOSITION OF COCONUT MEAT

(% by weight)

Fresh Dried

Water

47

3

Fat

34

64

Fiber

11

15

Protein

4

9

Starch and Sugar

4

9

Coconut Oil Palm Tree Coconut › Coconut Kernel