Coconut Facts

There are more than 1,300 kinds of coconut, and they can be separated into two main genetic origins: the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. There are also over a thousand uses for coconut and its tree.

Coconut water is a workable short-term substitute for human blood plasma and was positively tested as emergency intravenous fluid as far back as the 1950s. Coconut water is also low in calories, carbohydrates, and sugars, and almost completely fat-free. In addition, it is high in ascorbic acid, B vitamins, and proteins. The soft meat inside the coconut helps to restore oxidative tissue damage and contains a source of healthy fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals.

Gas mask manufacturers in the US developed the use of steam-activated coconut char, obtained by burning coconut husks as an important component in gas mask production. They found that masks using coconut carbon were superior at filtering noxious substances. Coconut carbon is still an important ingredient in cleaning up radiation and was heavily used in the cleanup project at the Fukushima nuclear plant.

Coconut lumber is a good building material, a fossil fuel alternative, and coconut trees can produce oil in workable quantities.

In the Philippines, sap from an unopened coconut flower is distilled into a potent drink called lambanog. It is 80 to 90 proof, but is organic and chemical-free. Lambanog is traditionally homemade, but some commercial distilleries have introduced several flavors into the market, such as mango, bubblegum, and blueberry.

Coconut armor consisted of a cap, body armor, back plate, leggings, and a close-fitting jacket. A high collar in the back protected the warrior from stones thrown from his own side.

Coconut butter is the flesh of the coconut which has been ground into butter. It is creamier than the oil, and makes a great dairy-free spread.

Coconut oil is an edible oil extracted from the meat of mature coconuts. Use coconut oil to remove heavy makeup. Rub into your skin, leave it on for a few minutes, and wipe it all off with a warm cloth. Treat dry, flaky cuticles by rubbing coconut oil into your nail beds. Use your fingers to massage some oil into the area and it will moisturize your hands.

Use coconut oil to lubricate a squeaky hinge

Coconut meat can be eaten raw, cooked, or as a preserve. You can top salads with shredded or grated, lightly toasted coconut meat. You can use a blender to make it into smoothies. Coconut meat is high in fiber, polyphenols, and phytosterols, and can decrease the levels of LDL cholesterol.

Debunking the Eight Glasses of Water Myth

Drinking eight glasses of water a day is believed by about three fourths of adults with no reliable clinical evidence to support it.

One study on this myth was conducted in 2002 by Heinz Valtin, a Dartmouth Medical School physician and kidney specialist, who researched the subject. He believed that the statement supporting the eight glasses belief is taken from the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council. It grossly misrepresented  the facts by removing facts from the original context. The sentence that followed it stated, “most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods,” which was left out and led to the false interpretation that the requirement needed to be fulfilled by drinking water alone.

After 45 years of studying the biological system that keeps the water in our bodies in balance, Valtin concluded that drinking such large amounts of water is not needed at all. He pointed out a number of published experiments that attest to the capability of the human body for maintaining proper water balance from sources other than directly drinking water which may include drinks such as tea, coffee, and soft drinks, as well as prepared foods.

Most foods have some water content. For example, apples: 85%, bean sprouts: 92%, boiled chicken: 71%, raw cucumbers: 96%, lettuce: 96%, potatoes: 85%, roast turkey: 62%, etc.

The bottom line is that the body lets us know when we need more water by making us feel thirsty. People who have specific health concerns, such as kidney stones or urinary tract infections require drinking large amounts of water. Other reasons for drinking water, such as before meals to curb an appetite is its own benefit.

Further scientific evidence also debunks the myth that by the time you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated. A number of scientific studies have confirmed there is no support for this. Thirst hits long before we are near risk for dehydration and most folks thirst mechanism kicks in when the osmolality of the blood plasma is less than 2%, and dehydration begins at osmolalities of 5% and higher. I'll drink to that.

Salt Myth Debunked

There continues a myth that originated in the 1940s when a professor used salt-reduction to treat people with high blood pressure. Science has since found out that there is no reason for a person with normal blood pressure to restrict salt intake.

Decades of scientific research have failed to prove any benefits of a low-salt diet, and in fact tend to show the opposite. Studies have also failed to prove salt's connection to heart disease.

Salt is essential for life. Natural salt is important to many biological processes, including:
Being a major component of your blood plasma, lymphatic fluid, extracellular fluid, and even amniotic fluid;  Carrying nutrients into and out of your cells;  Increasing the glial cells in your brain, which are responsible for creative thinking and long-term planning; and  helping your brain communicate with your muscles, so that you can move on demand via sodium-potassium ion exchange.

A Scottish Heart Health Study, was launched in 1984 by epidemiologist Hugh Tunstall-Pedoe and colleagues at the Ninewells Hospital and Medical School in Dundee, Scotland. The researchers used questionnaires, physical exams, and 24-hour urine samples to establish the risk factors for cardiovascular disease in 7300 Scottish men. This was an order of magnitude larger than any intrapopulation study ever done with 24-hour urine samples. The BMJ published the results in 1988: Potassium, which is in fruits and vegetables, seemed to have a beneficial effect on blood pressure. Sodium had no effect.

A review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. University of Copenhagen researchers analyzed 114 randomized trials of sodium reduction, concluding that the benefit for hypertensives was significantly smaller than could be achieved by anti-hypertensive drugs, and that a "measurable" benefit in individuals with normal blood pressure of even a single millimeter of mercury could only be achieved with an "extreme" reduction in salt intake.

Recent studies, including those cited by Harvard University at St. George’s Medical School in London, have shown that potassium rich foods are an essential defense in helping to relieve high blood pressure. Potassium is an essential mineral that enables the body to maintain a healthy fluid and electrolyte balance, while also promoting optimal nerve and muscle functions.

If a person has high blood pressure he or she may become salt-sensitive. Hypertension is actually promoted more by excess fructose than excess salt. This can be relieved by reducing salt intake or increasing potassium intake, because it is the balance of the two that is important. Eating more potassium is probably more important than reducing salt.

Potassium is found in orange colored fruits and vegetables, including pumpkins, carrots, and apricots. Tomatoes and bananas are another source of high potassium. It is also found in artichokes, avocados, broccoli, dark chocolate, spinach, potatoes, yogurt, fish, and and a variety of beans.