Coconut for food Intolerances
One in 133 Americans has gluten intolerance, one in a 100 people in the UK has a food allergy and 8% of children have a food allergy. Food intolerance and food allergy is a serious issue so it is good to know about alternatives to such things as wheat and milk just in case you have to cook for people with gluten or lactose intolerance. One great solution is coconut.
Coconut flour is made by taking coconut meat and drying and defatting the meat. It is then ground into a fine powder. It is 100% organic and makes a great substitute for wheat. Coconut flour contains 14% coconut oil and 58% dietary fiber. The remaining 28% is protein, carbohydrate and water. Coconut flour has much more fiber than normal wheat flour. It is also low in carbohydrate compared to other types of flour. Moreover it has as much protein as wheat flour but none of it is gluten protein.
You can use coconut flour to entirely replace wheat flour when making short bread and muffins. For things such as bread only 30% of the wheat flour can be replaced by coconut flour.
The combination of low carbohydrate and high fiber makes coconut flour great for people trying to lose weight as it makes people quickly feel full. Another benefit of coconut flour is that it already tastes sweet so less sugar is needed for recipes with coconut flour.
The other coconut food item useful for people with food intolerances is coconut milk. It is free of lactose. It is also high in minerals such as calcium. It can be added to smoothies and shakes and in many recipes that require cow’s milk. Coconut milk has the health benefit of containing lauric acid that helps to protect the body from viral attack.
Coconut is a renewable resource that is much more eco friendly than either wheat or cows. Using coconut flour and coconut milk is not only good for people with food intolerances but also for the environment.