Sunday, January 25, 2009

Cuckoo for Coconuts


For the record, I don't care about her on-off affair with John Mayer, her fertility or how "uncool" she thinks Angelina is. But what I am here to dissect are Jennifer Aniston's amazing abs. Her diet has a lot to do with keeping her body weight down. But now I've been hearing that she's been also cooking a lot with metabolism-boosting coconut oil to keep her BMI so low.

Cherie Calbom, the author The Coconut Diet, has been rocking the hard sell of these hard shelled tropical nuts for years. And to be honest, I'm not exactly sure of the validity of the science behind the claim that coconut oil is good for your waist line. Though a saturated fat, the fatty acids in the oil are "medium" chain molecules so they don't have the same effect on our triglycerides and cholesterol as bad transfats. Okay, fine; they are safe for your heart.  But good for a diet? I can only make the leap that they're just like MUFAs (e.g. olive oil) and just digest slowly in your stomach so they keep you full for longer...

But while we're on coconuts, here's a product that's totally work a second look: Coconut WATER. It has a light, refreshing taste and is so chockful of potassium that it apparently hydrates more efficiently than Gatorade. For me, after a hard workout, I find it as satisfying as any sugary drink that replenishes electrolytes--but in far less calories. Now that's a product I can believe in.

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