Benefits of coconut and its nutritional value

Benefits of coconut and its nutritional value

Coconut is one of the healthy, useful and delicious fruits, and it is possible to use pulp, milk or even coconut oil, but what do you know about pulp specifically?

Coconut is part of fruits and even grains, and its fruits are in the form of a solid ball, when you open it, it reaches the flesh, which is the white part of it, or what is known as the pulp.

Coconut has been used since ancient times, and it is now grown in many countries around the world, and it is classified as one of those superfoods.

Here are the most important benefits of coconut, its nutritional value and other information.

Health benefits of coconut

The coconut fruit contains many important nutrients for health, which means that eating it provides you with the following health benefits:

1. A source of vitamins and minerals

Coconut contains dietary fiber, vitamin B6, iron, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese and selenium.

These nutrients are beneficial to human health in general

2. Protect the heart

Coconut contains Lauric acid, which works to boost good cholesterol levels.

So eating coconut improves cholesterol levels and helps reduce belly fat, which in turn reflects positively on heart health and efficiency.

Overall, it was concluded that coconut oil had a neutral effect on cholesterol levels, but research was still needed.

3. Improve digestion

Since coconut contains dietary fiber, this means that it has a role in enhancing and improving the digestion process and reducing the digestive problems that you may suffer from.

4. Strengthening the immune system

Since the coconut fruit contains various nutrients, such as: manganese and antioxidants, this means that eating it helps in strengthening the immune system.

This contributes to helping your body fight various infections more efficiently, and reduce inflammation.

Coconut is also antiviral, antifungal, bacteria and parasites, which helps in treating some diseases, such as: sore throat, bronchitis, urinary tract infection and tapeworms.

5. Improve oral health

Eating coconut can help eliminate some of the unwanted bacteria in the mouth and protect the gums and teeth from infection or decay, due to its antimicrobial properties.

6. Weight loss

Eating coconut pulp regularly may help in losing weight, as the medium-chain fatty acids present in it in large proportions help burn fat.

7. Other benefits of coconut

As for the other benefits associated with eating coconut, they include:

Strengthening and enhancing brain functions.

Improve male fertility.

Regulating blood sugar levels.

Reducing the risk of various cancers, the most important of which are colon and breast cancer.

Protection from joint pain.

The benefits of coconut go beyond that, to include coconut oil, coconut milk and water as well.

Coconut nutritional values

As mentioned, coconut can be used in many different ways. As for the pulp, people usually eat it because of its nutritional value.

As 100 grams of fresh coconut contains the following:

Calories 354 calories

Protein 3.33 grams

Fat 33.5 gr

Carbohydrates 15.2 gr

Dietary fiber 9 gr

Calcium 14 milligrams

Iron 2.43 milligrams

Magnesium 32 milligrams

Phosphorus 113 milligrams

Potassium 356 milligrams

Sodium 20 milligrams

Selenium 10.1 milligrams

Vitamin C 3.3 mg

Zinc 1.1 milligrams

Damage and warnings of coconut

Although coconut provides valuable nutrients, the food contains large amounts of saturated fat, so it is best to eat it in moderation.

Some people may also have an allergy to coconut, although it is rare.

Benefits of coconut for the skin

The benefits of coconut are not only limited to the health of the body, but there are many of its aesthetic benefits as well. The benefits of coconut oil for the skin include the following:

Coconut oil extracted from the flesh is used to promote healthy skin and reduce inflammation.

Coconut oil may help treat acne, by eliminating bacteria that can cause skin irritation.

Coconut oil is a natural skin moisturizer and helps treat eczema.

Coconut oil contributes to the treatment of wounds by increasing the production of collagen, which is necessary for wound healing. [3]

Benefits of coconut for hair

There are several benefits of coconut oil for hair, which include the following:

It is used to moisturize the scalp and hair and treat dry hair. because it contains loric acid that moisturizes hair, and absorbs quickly by follicles.

It acts as a layer of protection on the skin from harmful external factors such as: bacteria and skin irritants.

It may be used to reduce the symptoms of psoriasis in the scalp, and treat itching. [4]

For more: The benefits of coconut oil to treat 7 of the most important hair problems

Coconut damage

There are many benefits of coconut, but you should pay attention to the potential disadvantages when overeating it, which are:

The possibility of weight gain: because it contains a high percentage of fat, and therefore it must be ensured that it is compatible with the followed diet.

Allergy: Some people are allergic to coconut, so you must check before eating or using it on the skin.