These days it seems that all a product has to do is contain something from a coconut…and the immediate assumption is that it is healthy, no matter how much of it is consumed.
I'm not sure where this false idea comes from, given the statistics of diabetes prevalance in Pacific Island peoples:
--Native Hawaiians, in Hawaii, have higher diabetes mortality rates than any other ethnic group, and Hawaiians with diabetes are more likely to be eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables than any other ethnic group.
--Indonesia has the second highest prevalence of diabetes of all of the countries in the world.
Of course, modernization of all cultures has significantly affected these statistics. However, as you can see in these historical photos of King Kamehameha and Queen Liliuokalani, native Pacific Islanders weren't skinny minnies when they first met the missionaries, when white rice and SPAM were not even concepts in the islands.
By no means am I intending to insult my friends in Hawaii. I'm simply trying to illustrate the potential harm that can occur when nutrition misinformation is parroted, repeated, and distributed without checking facts.
Coconut products definitely have their place in healthy diets; however, only if used with knowledge and respect and without the concept that somehow coconut products have magical, supernatural, and/or anti-caloric properties. I put together a summary of the coconut products currently in vogue, as a reference for those of you with questions about whether or how you should be using them.
Shredded Coconut Meat
1 cup contains 466 calories, 33 grams fat, 44 grams carbohydrate
Inflammatory rating: Strongly inflammatory
Coconut Flour
1 cup contains 480 calories, 12 grams of fat, 80 grams of carbohydrate (32 net, 48 dietary fiber), 16 grams protein
This product is a byproduct of the coconut oil industry, so provided you've purchased your flour from an origin where the coconuts are sustainably produced (not making coconut sugar), it is sustainable. You can see however, it is not smart to assume that because coconut oil has been pressed out of coconut meat…that it does not contain fat or calories. It is gluten-free. Not listed in the Nutrition Data database so inflammatory index is unknown.
Coconut Sugar
1 cup contains 160 calories, 40 grams of carbohydrate, lower glycemic index than regular sugar.
According to Tropical Traditions, coconut sugar is obtained by collecting sap from the trees that produce coconuts, rendering them incapable of producing those coconuts. Because Americans have such a sweet tooth and the demand for the ultimate alternative sweetener seems to have no upper price point, coconut farmers are sacrificing their coconut crops to cash in on this craze while they can. Coconut sugar is NOT a sustainable product and if supported, may reduce the availability of coconut oil.
Coconut Milk, canned
1 cup contains 445 calories, 48 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbohydrate
Rated as strongly inflammatory
Coconut Milk, raw
1 cup contains 552 calories, 57 grams of fat, 13 grams of carbohydrate
Rated as strongy inflammatory
Coconut Water
1 cup contains 46 calories, 9 grams of carbohydrate (6 net, 3 fiber)
Rated as mildly inflammatory
Ahem…inflammatory? Aren't sports recovery drinks supposed to be ANTI-inflammatory?
Coconut Oil
1 cup contains 1879 calories, 218 grams of fat
Rated as strongly inflammatory
Lauric acid content is high in coconut oil, but there is absolutely no research to prove that it erases the calorie content. Use as your cooking oil in healthy proportions and you should benefit. Eat by the tablespoon and you could be causing more problems than you solve.
As long as we don't eat too much coconut sugar, this industry can be sustainable.
Coconut vinegar
1 cup contains 80 calories
Used wisely, coconut products are a great way to vary your diet, especially if you're gluten-free. However, in excess, as with any food, they lose their health benefit. It is not a magic, calorie-free food, by any stretch of the imagination.
If coconut is your food religion, it's likely these numbers won't matter. But I wanted to write about them nevertheless. In order for your choices regarding coconut products to be informed, you need more information than that which comes from people who also practice coconut-ism or want to profit from your lack of adequate information.
http://hawaii.gov/health/family-child-health/chronic-disease/diabetes/pdf/diabetesreport.pdf
http://www.who.int/diabetes/facts/en/diabcare0504.pdf
http://www.nutritiondata.com/