Coconut meat is the rich white lining that is contained within the shell of a coconut. Coconut meat can be juicy and tender, or slightly thick and crunchy, to tough and fibrous depending on how long the kernel has been stored.
Coconut and the products derived from it like coconut meat have been for years wrongly deemed as an unhealthy type of food because of its long known high saturated fat content. However, a growing body of recent studies have shown that the type of fats present in coconut meat are in fact medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs).
When you eat coconut meat, the MCTs it contains are transported from the intestinal tract to the liver and immediately transformed into fuel. This then means there is very little MCTs left to circulate and deposit in fat tissues in the body.
Eating coconut meat appears to protect against heart disease and stroke as well. As it turns out, coconut meat’s measurable vitamins A and E, and polyphenols and phytosterols, all work together to decrease the levels of LDL cholesterol, which are fats that stay in the blood and in skin tissues and high levels of which have been found a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.
Coconut meat is so versatile that it can be eaten raw, cooked, or as a preserve. You can top your usual salads with shredded or grated and then lightly toasted coconut meat.
You can use a blender to make it into smoothies as well, mixed with organic full-fat yogurt and fruits like bananas and berries.