Uses of Coconuts

Coconuts are a natural product with an incredible number of uses. There are some naturally occurring things that have a multitude of uses, and coconuts are definitely one of the best examples. Just how many uses of coconuts are there?

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Facts About Coconuts

• Coconuts grow in tropical climates, like Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Pacific region. They also grow in Hawaii and southern Florida.
• Their scientific name is Cocos Nucifera.
• Cocos is a genus of palm tree family Arecaceae where coconut is its only species. As mentioned above, it is derived from the old Portuguese and Spanish word coco, which means ‘head’ or ‘skull’.
• There are 2 main types of coconut tree, tall and dwarf.
• Coconut palm trees start bearing fruit after around 6 to 10 years and continue producing fruit until around 80 years old. They produce between 50 and 200 coconuts a year and will live until around 90 years old.
• 62 million tonnes of coconuts were produced in 2018.
• Copra is the processed, dried kernel of coconut utilised in the extraction of coconut oil.
• A coconut can be described as a seed or a fruit, but not really as a nut.
• Technically coconuts are drupes (or stone fruits). “a drupe is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a single shell (the pit, stone, or pyrene) of hardened endocarp with a seed (kernel) inside.” – wikipedia

Health Benefits

Coconut meat, the edible white flesh that lines the inside of a coconut, is a source of protein, fibre, iron, manganese, copper and magnesium.

There has been some research into the health benefits of eating coconut meat. It’s thought that coconut meat has the potential to:

Improve endurance. Coconut meat contains MCFAs (Medium Chain Fatty Acids). MCFAs are a type of saturated fat that’s easier for humans to digest than animal fats. These fats have been demonstrated to boost the endurance of trained athletes.

Provide better oral health. The MCFAs in coconut meat contain antimicrobial properties. It can help to kill some bacteria found in your mouth and protect your gums and teeth from cavities and infections.

Help with weight loss. The MCFAs found in coconut meat are associated with fat burning.

All The Uses of Coconuts

The coconut meat, the liquid inside, the hard outer shell, the husk (the fibre surrounding the coconut), the leaves, the roots, the flowers and the trunk can all be used in some way. So pretty much every single part of the coconut tree can be used in some way. It’s pretty much a zero waste product!

1. Coconut Water

The juice of a coconut, the water, can be drunk directly from the coconut (most common is areas where they’re grown) or in slightly colder countries you can buy bottled and canned coconut water.

“Coconut water is the clear liquid found inside green, immature coconuts. Young coconuts are favoured for their water as it is tastier, plentiful in volume and easier to access by chopping the top off the softer shell. More mature coconuts have a harder husk and less water inside because it gradually solidifies to form the flesh.

Different varieties of coconut yield slightly different-tasting water depending on where they are grown.” BBC Good Food

The white flesh of a coconut can be used in lots of different ways. The meat can be eaten fresh from the coconut but the meat can also be used to make oil, milk, cream and desiccated coconut.

2. Coconut oil

“Most commercially made coconut oil comes from copra, which is the dried coconut meat. The initial extraction of oil from the coconut meat yields what we call, ‘virgin coconut oil.’” – Coconut OIls

Cooking – Coconut oil is great for cooking. It can be bought as a hard oil (you just need to melt it for cooking), and it’s used to produce spreads as well.

Oil Pulling – Quite a few people use coconut oil to promote oral health. “Oil pulling is an ancient practice that involves swishing oil in your mouth to remove bacteria and promote oral hygiene”.

Moisturiser – Coconut oil can be used as a moisturiser, but people with oily or acne prone skin should probably avoid it as it can clog your pores. I’d probably advise against using it on the face, but I don’t see why it couldn’t be used on your body. It’s also found as an ingredient in moisturisers.

There are different types of coconut oil available and some are better than others. You’ll see unrefined and refined coconut oil, cold-pressed, hydrogenated, virgin… but what does this all mean?

Cold-Pressed Oil – “Cold pressed oil refers to a method of oil extraction where the oilseeds are crushed and pressed (without using heat) to extract oil. The entire process involves pressure and no heat and that is what makes this oil healthier than any other form”

Refined Oil – “it is all about filtration of oil through various chemicals and heat that makes the final output very light and shiny in texture. The mechanical process makes the oilseeds lose the majority of nutrients that the human body needs on a daily basis. They are rich in fat and devoid of nutrition completely!”

Benefits of Pure Cold Pressed Coconut Oil

Virgin Coconut Oil

Virgin Coconut Oil is the best coconut oil for your health as it’s the least processed one, leaving the antioxidants intact. It also has the most obvious coconut flavour. Due to the lack of processing virgin coconut oil won’t last as long as other types of oil.

Raw Coconut Oil

I’ll be honest, before researching for this article I assumed raw and virgin coconut oil were the same thing just using different marketing jargon. This isn’t entirely true. In the simplest of terms “Virgin coconut oil, depending on its method of extraction, can be exposed to heat. Raw coconut oil is never exposed to heat. So not all virgin coconut oil is raw, but all raw coconut oil is virgin!” – Raw Oil vs Virgin Oil

Unrefined Coconut Oil

“Unrefined coconut oil has a natural taste and flavor. It is unrefined, unfiltered and without any additives. Sometimes, it is also called “pure coconut oil” to mark its difference from the refined, bleached, deodorized coconut oil, commonly called “refined coconut oil”. Virgin coconut oil, organic coconut oil, and the organic virgin coconut oil can be unrefined as well.” – Organic Facts

Hydrogenated Coconut Oil

When coconut oil is hydrogenated it has undergone a chemical process and has had hydrogen atoms added to it. This increases the shelf life of the oil. Anything that undergoes a chemical process is less eco-friendly.

Organic Coconut Oil

Organic coconut oil refers to the growing process when no pesticides or nasty chemicals have been used to increase production. Some refined oil is organic.

RBD Coconut Oil

RBD stands for Refined, Bleached and Deodorised. This is the most processed oil but also the most commonly available. It’s also the least environmentally friendly option of all the oils.

“The expelled oil is repeatedly filtrated and bleached using chalky clays to remove impurities. Then it’s heated to a high temperature. This process further removes impurities as well as deodorizes the coconut oil. After this procedure, sodium hydroxide (NaOH2) is added to the oil. Filtration is repeated to eliminate the mono-fats or free fats. Sometimes, the oil is hydrogenated to guarantee that no unsaturated fats are left in the oil. Hydrogenation of the coconut oil introduces ‘trans fats,’ which is beneficial to the heart. The overall process also extends the shelf life of coconut oil and prevents it from becoming rancid.” – RefinedRBD

I’ll be honest, there are so many versions of coconut oil that I’m still a little bit confused by all the differences.

3. Coconut Milk & Coconut Cream

“Coconut milk is made by grating fresh coconut flesh and then working that with water, traditionally by hand. With little or no water added, rich coconut cream is obtained, while more water and greater working results in a thinner milk.” – BBC Good Food

Both coconut milk and coconut cream can be used in cooking to replace dairy milk or cream. They’re particularly good in curries to give a nice creamy texture. Many people also drink coconut milk as their plant milk of choice. You can use coconut cream to make a dairy free whipped cream.

4. Desiccated Coconut

To make desiccated coconut, the coconut meat is grated or flaked and then dried to remove as much water as possible. Possibly one of the most well known uses of desiccated coconut is as a filling in a certain chocolate bar. It’s also commonly used in baking. Desiccated coconut can also be ground down to make a powder.

5. Coconut Shell

The hard shell of the coconut can be used in a variety of ways. It’s quite often discarded or burnt as a waste by-product but more companies are finding that coconut shells make absolutely beautiful bowls and more. I own 3 coconut bowls, 1 is a soy candle and the other 2 are decorative, as well as useful, bowls that I eat out of. You can read my review of the coconut bowls here.

6. Coir or Coconut Husk

Coir is the fibrous material found between the hard, internal shell and the outer coat of a coconut. This coconut fibre can be used for ropes, flooring, doormats, brushes and as padding in mattresses or upholstery. Coir is also great for gardening. Some potting mixes contain coir and it’s also “an excellent medium for gardening in that it holds moisture while allowing air to pass through. This enables plants to stay hydrated without developing rot or fungus. It is also resistant to garden pests such as moths. Once it has dried out, coir absorbs water better than peat moss during water reapplication, and it maintains more moisture.” – What is Coir?

These days, especially in eco-friendly shops, you’ll come across coconut dish scrubbers quite a lot. These are also made from the coconut husk, or coir.

7. Coconut Leaves / Fronds

In some poorer parts of the world, and in places where coconut trees are commonly found, the leaves, or fronds, can be used to make shelters. The leaves can be thatched and as they look so beautiful they have been used as decoration for weddings as well. The leaves can also be used to sweep floors or to make baskets.

8. The Roots

The roots of a coconut are fibrous. These fibres can be used as a toothbrush! More commonly though the roots can be chopped up and boiled and then create a dye. They are a traditional remedy for dysentery and other digestive problems. Sometimes they’re used as a mouthwash as well.

9. Flowers

Even the flowers of the coconut tree have their uses. The sap can be used to make alcohol or vinegar by boiling it. Coconut flower nectar is also a great replacement for refined sugar as it’s a much healthier option.

• Buy Organic Coconut Palm Sugar

10. Trunk

Finally the trunk of a coconut tree is also useful. The most obvious use being as firewood, although the shells and husk are also commonly used for fires as well. Burning the coconut husk is thought to help keep mosquitos away.

Once a coconut palm tree has stopped producing coconuts the trunks can be used as lumber. They are inexpensive and should last a long time.

How Eco-Friendly Are Coconuts?

The water footprint of coconuts

It takes 2687 litres of water to produce 1kg of coconuts (on average).

Water Footprint – “The water footprint measures the amount of water used to produce each of the goods and services we use.” – Waterfootprint.org

Green, Blue and Grey Water – “Green refers to rainwater, blue is the surface and groundwater used for irrigation, and grey is the freshwater used to disperse fertilizer and pesticides” – National Peanut Board

Carbon Footprint of Coconuts

It takes 2.1kg of CO2e to produce 1kg of coconuts.

CO2e – “A carbon dioxide equivalent or CO2 equivalent, abbreviated as CO2-eq is a metric measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases on the basis of their global-warming potential (GWP), by converting amounts of other gases to the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide with the same global warming potential.” – eurostat

Overall the carbon and water footprint of coconuts is fairly low to moderate.

Are Coconuts Ethical?

There are very few ethical problems with coconuts. They are fairly sustainable, and have little impact on the environment. But like any farm work, workers might be exploited with long hours and little pay. The worst thing about harvesting coconuts is that in Thailand monkeys are trained to pick the coconuts. They are not treated well at all and UK supermarkets have almost all stopped selling any coconuts where monkeys have been used. Read more about monkeys and coconuts.

Whenever you want to buy an ethical product, try to buy fair trade or organic to reduce any potential issues for workers, animals or the environment.

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Additional Sources
Health Benefits of Coconuts
Coconut Water Footprint
What is Copra
Scientific Name of Coconuts
Cold Pressed & Refined Oil
Types of Coconut Oil