Why we use, and love, coconut in our products.
“Did you know that 50 percent of media headlines about medical studies are dead wrong? And that many of these headlines don’t accurately match the conclusions of the studies they cover? That’s from a review published in the New England Journal of Medicine” (1)
Trying to learn and understand fact from fiction when we rely on information found on the internet and broadcasted by media and associations can be tricky. For more information around this, I would recommend reading Dr Mark Hyman’s article as noted in the reference below.
I have touched on the above as we frequently get questioned around fat and calorie content of coconut and coconut oil due to articles you can find about this. However, Coconut is truly a super food and is so rich in nutrients that including it as part of your balanced daily diet can be extremely beneficial for your health. Below are a few reasons why:
1. Aids fat Loss.
Seems contradictory, however eating fat from good clean sources helps to boost fat metabolism and encourage satiety (feeling of fullness). Coconut is a wonderful source of medium-chain fatty acids which get burned for energy unlike long-chain fatty acids.
2. Boosts Immunity and wards against viruses
Coconut contains something called Lauric acid. Lauric acid is actually found in breast milk and been shown in studies to strengthen an infants immunity. Breast milk is actually up to 50% saturated fat, of which 20% is lauric acid (2). Lauric acid has also been shown to be antibacterial! (3). Another reason that this type of fat is actually good for you.
3. Rich in Fibre and minerals
Coconut is rich in fibre, which is essential for maintaining regular bowel movements as well as helping regulate blood sugar levels. Coconut also contains the minerals copper, manganese, iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium.
4. Aids in Prevention of Heart Disease and High Blood Pressure
Coconut oil is high in natural saturated fats. Saturated fats not only increase the healthy cholesterol (known as HDL cholesterol) in your body, but also help convert the LDL “bad” cholesterol into good cholesterols. It has been shown in studies that high levels of HDL promotes heart health and lowers the risk of heart disease. Key to understand here is consumption of coconut and coconut oil alongside a diet mainly free from refined sugars and flours and high in vegetables and fibres demonstrates these benefits (4).
So how do we use coconut in NOURISH products?
We use Organic Coconut that has been shredded at the source of where they are grown. We source through co-operatives working alongside the farmers in the country to ensure they are looked after and paid well. Why organic coconut? Sulphites are frequently added to coconut products as a preservative. Organic Coconut (and specifically the one we use) does not contain sulphites or any preservatives.
Did you know? We taste test every batch of raw ingredients to ensure that the quality remains premium.
(1) Dr Mark Hyman - https://drhyman.com/blog/2017/06/26/coconut-oil/
(2) https://draxe.com/nutrition/coconut-butter/
(3) https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1138/lauric-acid
(4) https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/is-coconut-oil-unhealthy-american-heart-association-study