Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

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As it should be, anyone in the paleo community who reproaches the all-mighty coconut is instantly branded a heretic and crucified. We love coconut fat for its multiple nutritional benefits and coconut seems to be the solution to things that a paleo cook may be missing, such as milk, cream and flour. Coconut flour is beloved by all who have ever had the urge to make super-awesome paleo cookies or other delectable paleo baked goods.

But what of its medicinal properties? Why should we all consider adding coconut flour to our regular diet? Besides the fatty acids which are prodigious in their ability to boost important molecules like, adiponectin, HDL, and testosterone, Stephan has blogged many times about the virtues of an active colon that generates butyric acid and hosts a large and diverse floral population http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2009/12/butyric-acid-ancient-controller-of.html There are many many benefits of good (non-grain!) fiber if one cares to search pubmed.

Just 50 grams of coconut flour, a paltry sum contains 27 whopping grams of fiber. This looks like the ultimate choice for anyone who wants to get into super colon fun land and reap all of the metabolic and general health benefits of very high fiber, without having to eliminate any fat or protein from the diet. To put that into perspective you would have to consume about 800g of broccoli to get what is in 50g of coconut flour. I love broccoli but I can't do it.

I have also been eating chicory root for the inulin and getting a great deal of vegetable fiber. My fasting glucose is down, that's all I'm saying. Some paleo men used to get over a hundred grams of fiber a day as mentioned by Robert Lustig in the Sugar: The Bitter Truth video. Not that we need that much but it is something to think about. Fiber is metabolic bling bling.

Coconut flour also have appreciable amounts of protein and minerals as well. It=Win.

edit: more literature literature

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10483900 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9384528 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18418037 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19366864

Stephan + loads.

I think the fiber issue is the one aspect of nutrition where the vast majority of the raw vegan crowd has paleo beat. Your average person getting into paleo will eat tons of steak, eggs and fat of all kinds with some veggies and fruit, but the fiber seems to be seriously lacking. It need not be like that though!

Does anybody have objections or additions?

edited Mar 10 2011 at 19:01

asked Mar 10 2011 at 18:32

Stabby
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This isn't really a question, is it, Stabby? – Matt Baldwin Mar 10 2011 at 18:45

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It includes a question of opinions. I am genuinely interested. – Stabby Mar 10 2011 at 18:47

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Just an n=1 counterpoint: I eat zero fiber and my fasting blood glucose was last measured at 71. – Ambimorph Mar 10 2011 at 19:00

Heh, well I suppose it has more to do with nutrient status, inflammation and adiponectin then, and we don't NEED fiber, but it clearly helps. And it likely has other benefits. – Stabby Mar 10 2011 at 19:03

Wow - does it really have that much fiber? I need a little fiber to keep my tummy happy, and don't like taking Metamucil. If it has that much fiber, I'll have to break out my can of coconut flour on a regular basis! Thanks for the tip. – Lee Mar 10 2011 at 19:08

show 7 more comments

Livio A · Answer 1 · 2011-03-10 18:40:44Z UTC

No objections whatsoever. I don't know what effects very high fibre has on the body, but i'm sure it's not bad. There's a good chance our distant ancestors consumed tons of fibre (any indigestable plant cellulose) in their diet. I have tried almond meal and flax meal, and i can say they are inferior, in taste and texture, to coconut flour. Coconut products are fantastic!

On a side note, i made coconut chocolate bars yesterday, using coconut oil, organic cocoa powder, 3 drops pure stevia, and coconut flakes. To put it simply, they were The best I've ever had and can't go back to buying chocolate from the store at $4.00 each.

gone2croatan · Answer 2 · 2011-03-10 18:47:47Z UTC

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Some folks aren't all that crazy about fiber. See: http://www.gutsense.org/

I'm not sold on this view, but I recommend reading over it before you start eating coconut flour by the spoonful. It sounds like it would be very hard on your gut (I know that coconut flour hits me like a brick).

answered Mar 10 2011 at 18:47

gone2croatan
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	It is grain fiber that seems to be the problem. I just ate 40g of fiber in a sitting and I feel fine. The problem appears to be leaky gut or infections, and people should probably fix that first. But if they can swing it there are more benefits than downsides. – Stabby Mar 10 2011 at 18:50
	Also Kwaśniewski seems to be down on lots and lots of fiber, in Optimal Diet, Ideal Diet. – dveej Mar 10 2011 at 21:24

Dragonfly · Answer 3 · 2011-12-27 03:10:57Z UTC

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Ugh. FODMAP-city. No thanks!

answered Dec 27 2011 at 3:10

Dragonfly
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	Yeah, my mother is more FODMAP sensitive than I am and really has trouble with coconut flour. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Dec 27 2011 at 3:38
	yeah it's not for everyone, that's for sure. And actually since then I've revised my view on fiber. A certain amount is good, but tons of it is ultimately detrimental, the only good side is it backs you up so much that glucose absorbs more slowly and diabetes is better controlled. But if you have good insulin sensitivity I can't see more than 15g being beneficial. I may be wrong, but butyrate production maxes out around there. – Stabby Dec 27 2011 at 7:04
	Coconut has been revised, or at least the milk and cream have - taste.com.au/kitchen/articles/… - who knows about coconut flour. – Jamie Jun 21 2012 at 7:01
	Then again, coconut has some fructan content, cant figure out how much....pity all this stuff is made up out of nothing. Tomatoes have fructans, and I do fine on them. Ive been eating coconut flesh and cream no problem. Soon as I eat sugar, or starch, i have a problem... – Jamie Jun 21 2012 at 7:16
	Ok, so where is it written that coconut is to be avoided on no FODMAP? I ask because I've been having quite a lot of coconut flakes and coconut flour. The pain I've been eating paleo / noFODMAP to avoid has not gone and was horrible the time I had coconut-flour cookies. But I've not seen anything about it being something to avoid! Help? – Anthriel Aug 5 at 2:40

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Matt Baldwin · Answer 4 · 2011-03-10 18:47:52Z UTC

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I like to use coconut flour in making "paleo" "pancakes."

Batter: egg and water (or milk or almond milk or coconut milk, etc.), coconut flour, and almond flour.

Better Batter: Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake Mix, Added Coconut Flour, Organic Shredded Coconut, Mashed Bananas, Egg, and some fluid.

Fry it in coconut oil!

You'll have some nice "action" in the bowels after these kinds of things.

answered Mar 10 2011 at 18:47

Matt Baldwin
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	Yes, it sounds like you'd get plenty of "action" after this. You get the "rumbles" for like an hour afterwards, lol. but at least it's good. I too make pancakes with the flour. – Livio A Mar 10 2011 at 18:53
	Thanks for the recipe. I will try the better better out some day. – Garett Mar 15 2011 at 15:27
	That rumble etc is exactly the reason I avoid coconut flour. Too much fiber, irritates the bowels. Veggies and potatoes give me any fiber I'd need. Id go so far s to say that if one consumes vegetation regularly they will have absolutely no need for "using" anything like coconut flour for its' fiber content. – ben61820 Jun 1 2011 at 2:37

Jack Kronk · Answer 5 · 2011-03-10 22:59:38Z UTC

"reap all of the metabolic and general health benefits of very high fiber"

Fiber is ok in moderate amounts. But most people would do better on zero fiber rather than lots of fiber, like Dr Monastyrsky. He wrote Fiber Menace. Too much fiber can be disastrous. Even the 'recommended daily amount' for men (35g) is too much.

Some people report that a bit of fiber helps with overall digestion and gut health, but overdo it, and look out. It will jack you up, ranging from constipation to bloating to diarrhea and everything in between, and these issues, if not addressed quickly, can cause a myriad of long term and even chronic health problems.

I like how Kent Rieske put it... "Fiber is a bad dude."

mallory · Answer 6 · 2011-06-01 01:05:50Z UTC

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umm....correct me if im wrong but isnt coconut flour defatted and processed? why would someone use this junk over dessicated coconut flakes

answered Jun 1 2011 at 1:05

mallory
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You could use non-refined coconut flour, it's brown. Dessicated coconut does have some fiber but not as much. Either is a good choice, I ended up deciding against massive amounts of coconut fiber, so dessicated is a viable option, then again so are a lot of things. – Stabby Jun 1 2011 at 4:02

You can also make your own non-defatted stuff by buying non-defatted flaked coconut and putting it in the food processer. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Dec 27 2011 at 3:39

That makes coconut butter... – Mallory Jan 6 2012 at 17:27

DH · Answer 7 · 2011-12-27 02:59:57Z UTC

i don't wanna be a spoiler here but coconut flour is not Paleo. flour is refined and it doesn't matter where its from its both processed with additives AND calorically dense but nutrient sparse compared to whole foods. also if you're trying to still eat pancakes on a Paleo diet, you're mentality is not correct. no biggie but i find ppl still craving coconut flour pancakes on a Paleo diet as not resolving their cravings.

daz · Answer 8 · 2011-03-10 22:23:42Z UTC

I have found that the fiber contents vary between brands. I've tried two brands;

brand A (per 100g): fiber 38g, fat 8.6g.

brand B (per 100g): fiber 10g, fat 15-20g.

I just add 5g or so to some coconut milk every now & again & drink.

brand A caused my stomach to rumble/churn. after a few uses, i threw it out. brand B did not have the same negative effects, but was also lower in fiber.

So the higher fat flour suited me better, maybe it was less processed than the lower fat flour?

Coconut flour as metabolic medicine

8 Answers