Coconut, The Tree of Life

By Amy Levendusky
The coconut tree, with its long trunk and crown of waving fronds, is a symbol of the Pacific. It has value as a food for humans and livestock. Coconut also provides wood for building, material for weaving, leaves for shelter, oil for cooking, and roots for medicine. The oil can also be used as fuel for your car, saving money and the environment at the same time. When dried into copra, it is an important source of income.

There are many varieties of coconut trees, for example 'talls', 'dwarfs' or hybrids between them. Tall varieties flower about 8 years after planting and often live 70 years or more. Dwarf varieties flower about three to four years after planting and they are easy to harvest as they are low-bearing. Other differences include skin color and the amount of milk and meat. Coconut trees bear nuts all year round. It takes about a year after the tree flowers for the nut to mature.

Coconut products differ in their nutrient content. Coconut oil is almost 100% fat with no carbohydrate and no cholesterol. All fats and oils consumed by humans are mixtures of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids with different chain lengths. These groupings are important because they pose different health risks. For example, there is strong evidence of a link between a high intake of saturated fat (found in meat, milk, cheese and eggs) and heart disease. Coconut also contains high levels of saturated fats.

However, coconut oil is very different from other fats because it mainly contains
medium-chain fatty acids or medium-chain triglycerides (MCT's) which are also found in human breastmilk. These may have health-giving properties; for example, protection against heart disease. Studies have shown that a high intake of coconut is NOT linked with a risk of heart disease within a traditional lifestyle that includes enough physical activity, a diet with plenty of fish, root crops, starchy fruits and vegetables, low salt intake and minimal use of tobacco and alcohol.

Coconut toddy is an excellent source of vitamin C, which is important for fighting infection and helps the body absorb some forms of iron. Toddy is produced by binding and cutting a newly formed coconut bud. Paper-thin shavings are sliced off twice a day so that the dripping sap continues to flow. The sap is then collected. The fluid may be drunk fresh, cold or heated. When you boil this sap down, it becomes a thick syrup like molasses.

The drinking coconut contains a refreshing, nutrient-rich liquid. The juice can be given to children and adults with diarrhea to replace lost fluids and minerals. Soft drinks or soda, on the other hand, may be harmful to your health because they often contain a large amount of refined sugar. So, instead of reaching for a sugary imported soda to drink or a sugary imported snack food to eat, reach for a coconut!

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) Pacific Food Leaflet # 4 on Coconut is acknowledged for providing the information used in this article.