Unsweetened shredded coconut is the dried meat of the nut of the Cocos nucifera, or coconut palm. Naturally sweet and crunchy, coconut is eaten frequently throughout Pacific communities and is a common ingredient in muffins, trail mixes and ambrosia fruit salads elsewhere. High in fiber, minerals, and potentially beneficial medium-chain fatty acids, unsweetened shredded coconut contains many good health benefits.
Fiber
A single ounce of unsweetened shredded coconut -- about 2 tbsp. --has 4.6 g of dietary fiber, according to the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. This is about 15 percent of the recommended daily fiber intake, depending on age and gender, according to the Colorado State University Extension. Dietary fiber helps maintain regularity and avoid constipation and hemorrhoids. Dietary fiber can also help lower serum cholesterol levels. Because fiber-rich foods such as coconut are chewy, they help increase feelings of satiety and can help dieters consume fewer calories without feeling hungry. Eating a variety of fiber-rich foods is the healthiest way to achieve the recommended daily fiber intake.
Minerals
Unsweetened shredded coconut contains a wide range of minerals, including iron, potassium, manganese and selenium. Low potassium levels are linked with high blood pressure, and potassium-rich foods are the best source of this necessary mineral, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. One ounce of unsweetened shredded coconut contains nearly 10 percent of the daily recommended intake of iron, a mineral needed to ensure the blood carries healthy amounts of oxygen. Other minerals in coconut, such as copper, zinc and magnesium, fulfill vital health roles, including muscle and nerve function and bone development, according to the University of North Texas.
Medium-Chain Fatty Acids
Most of the calories in coconut come from saturated fat. However, fat found in coconuts may not have the same ill health effects associated with saturated fats from meat and whole-fat dairy products. Fats from uncooked plant foods, including coconut as well as avocados and nuts, contain antioxidants and help improve joint and nerve health, according to certified raw chef Jillian Love at the University of California Berkeley. The form of saturated fat found in coconut is medium-chain fatty acids, or fat molecules containing 6 to 10 carbon atoms. Consumption of medium-chain fatty acids may reduce body fat and, in moderate amounts as part of a healthy diet, may reduce serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels better than either mono- or polyunsaturated fats, according to a 2006 report by researchers from the Federal Research Centre of Nutrition and Food in Kiel, Germany.
Fructose
The sugars in unsweetened shredded coconut are primarily fructose, a natural fruit sugar that does not raise blood sugar levels as much or as fast as glucose or sucrose, according to the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. An ounce of unsweetened shredded coconut contains about 2 g of sugar and can add natural sweetness to food. Toasting shredded coconut enhances its sweet flavor and texture, so a small amount of toasted shredded coconut can go a long way to sweeten a bran muffin or zucchini bread recipe while adding fiber and nutrients not found in table sugar and not adding many calories.
References
- "International Dairy Journal"; Medium Chain Triglycerides; Berit Marten, et al.; June 2006
- University of California at Berkeley; Raw Food Chef Night at Crossroads; Jillian Love
- Colorado State University Extension; Dietary Fiber; J. Anderson, et al.; December 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Potassium
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference; Nuts, Coconut Meat, Dried, Not Sweetened; 2010
- University of Florida IFAS Extension; South Florida Tropicals: Coconut; Amy Simonne, et al.; 2009
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