Coconuts & Fats

[rawcakie]

Is it okay to eat a coconut every day? I've been craving coconuts, and lately I've been cracking open a young coconut every day and eating the meat inside. I usually toss the water simply because I can't stand the taste, but sometimes I use the water in smoothies or custards.

I know some people focus on high fat or low fat raw diets, but I haven't really been worrying about it. Should I look into it?
I eat very minimal nuts (I have a very high intolerance to them, especially to cashews and almonds - even when raw and soaked). I eat flax and chia seeds every day, but very rarely eat other seeds. I eat a lot of fresh fruit and greens (in green smoothies and in salads).
At the moment I still eat salmon, milk and cheese (all in small amounts) but I'd like to phase this out with raw and/or vegan friendly foods instead (preferably not soy as I also have a high intolerance to it too).

Other than coconuts, I also eat the occasional avocado - maybe 1 or 2 per week? I'm struggling to think where else I'd consume fats/oils from as I don't use oil anymore (I can't stand it on salad, and have stopped using any oil since I stopped cooking).

Is my way of eating considered high fat, or am I not consuming enough fats?

I am 55-60lbs overweight and considered obese. I know a lot of people on here don't seem to like advocating raw eating for weight loss, but I'm doing this for my health, and my weight is a big part of my health. I want to do this right, I don't want to end up with more health problems simply because I'm not eating the right food.

[speltrong]

I think most people on here have no problem advocating eating raw for weight loss. I am someone who does that. :-) As for your coconut question, I guess the best option is to try it and see. Monitor how your body feels, and also keep an eye on the scale. I stopped eating coconuts when I saw how fatty they were, yikes! I also had gall bladder issues from eating too much fat on a raw food diet, even though I was consistently losing weight doing so. Now I am focusing on keeping things nice & low fat and I feel much much better.

But I think the real answer is to try it and see how you feel. Your body has ways of telling you if it's unhappy with something.

[speltrong]

also, i'd say get rid of the salmon, milk and cheese FIRST before you worry about the coconuts!

[RawnieColeman]

Some thing's to consider before ditching your fat:

Your brain, liver and kidneys all need fat, and more preciously, cholesterol to function properly. The intestines cannot absorb vitamins without fat and cholesterol. The precursor to all your vital hormones are ... fat and cholesterol.

Saturated fats (excluding trans) are pretty much the best kind that you can eat IMO. Think about the last time you squeezed a corn kernel or soybean and oil came out, these poly-unsaturated oil's are extracted and probably still contain traces of hexane and other chemicals.

I would stick either raw coconut and peanut as they are very healthy, totally raw and chemical free.

[MysticTree]

your body needs fats. losing weight isn't about eliminating fats. It's about burning more energy than you take on board.

I have lost 55lbs in the last 4.5 months and I eat 1 or 2 avocados a day and oil based dressings.

It isn't that people don't want to advocate the raw diet for weight-loss. We know it is effective for that. What concerns many of us is that people see it as a quick fix weight loss plan and not as a life-style change. It will fail more often than not if it is looked on for weight loss alone because those who fail to keep weight off when following other weight-loss diets will have the same problem maintaining the weight-loss as they have with any other diet.

As to chucking the coconut water . . . can't you find someone who does like it? It's so delicious! Or freeze it to use in smoothies when you can't get the coconuts????

[maggiesdaddy]

I also don't like coconut water. I do use it in smoothies though because it is full of electrolytes and good things for you! I also use a little of it in my raw ice cream sandwiches.

I agree with MT. I haven't been raw for long, but I don't advocate it for weight loss ... I DO advocate it for a healthy life and weight loss is just a side effect!

[speltrong]

Well, I totally advocate for weight loss. I think once people start eating this way (if they're eating a truly raw diet with no animal products), the weight will start coming off, and then they'll see how great they feel. Then it makes switching back to a crap diet a lot less appealing. As long as one leads to the other, I don't think it matters which one comes first. :-) Even for those who lose a bunch of weight and then go back to their cruddy diet, I still think it's a fine idea because that little nugget will be weighing in the back of their minds and at some point they might decide to make the raw transition for good. :-)

[maggiesdaddy]

Well, I totally advocate for weight loss. I think once people start eating this way (if they're eating a truly raw diet with no animal products), the weight will start coming off, and then they'll see how great they feel. Then it makes switching back to a crap diet a lot less appealing. As long as one leads to the other, I don't think it matters which one comes first. :-) Even for those who lose a bunch of weight and then go back to their cruddy diet, I still think it's a fine idea because that little nugget will be weighing in the back of their minds and at some point they might decide to make the raw transition for good. :-)

Good point! I was thinking that if they did it only for weight loss then they might gain all the weight back when they started eating SAD (or whatever) when they lost the weight. You have a good point with how they should notice how great they feel!