Baby coconuts

These are baby coconuts! Coconuts are one of my favourite foods here in Panama. Fresh, raw coconut is an excellent immediate source of energy and actually improves your digestion. It is great for your heart, is high in dietary fiber, has no trans-fats, is gluten-free,  non-toxic, hypoallergenic, and also contains antibacterial, antiviral, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic healing properties.  Overall, it is a pretty amazing food! I typically put raw, shredded coconut in my fresh fruit smoothies in the morning and love the taste and texture it adds.

In addition to consuming a lot of raw coconut, we also use a lot of coconut oil. We use it on our skin as well as in our food. I use it wherever I would typically use any other oil – in salads, stir-fry, fish-fry, etc.  According to Organic Facts, coconut oil can also be used for stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, HIV and cancer, dental care, and bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc. We now by coconut oil by the gallon here!