Know2eat

Coconut meat

Cocos nucifera

What coconut meat has been studied for

2 associations assessed — none with dependable human evidence behind them yet. Strongest first.

  • 2 Insufficient
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About coconut meat

The white endosperm lining a mature coconut shell, eaten fresh, dried as desiccated coconut, or pressed for milk and oil. The USDA reference entry is for raw mature meat; young coconut jelly is a quite different, much softer and more watery tissue.

Also known as Coconut flesh, Copra, Fresh coconut

Heart HealthWeight Management

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Insufficient

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Insufficient evidence

There is no dependable evidence that coconut improves blood lipids. Meta-analyses of controlled feeding trials find coconut fat raises LDL cholesterol compared with unsaturated plant oils, which is the opposite of the claim usually made for it.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Body composition

Weight Management
Insufficient evidence

There is not enough dependable evidence that coconut affects body weight or fat mass. The trials often cited used purified medium-chain triglyceride oil, which has a different fatty-acid composition from coconut, and even those effects were small.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Coconut meat

Ask about Coconut meat

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories354 kcal18%
Protein3.33 g7%
Total fat33.5 g43%
Carbohydrate15.2 g6%
Fibre9 g32%
Total sugars6.23 g—
Water47 g—
Fats
Saturated fat29.7 g148%
Monounsaturated fat1.43 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.366 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.366 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A0 µg0%
Vitamin C3.3 mg4%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.24 mg2%
Vitamin K0.2 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.066 mg6%
Riboflavin (B2)0.02 mg2%
Niacin (B3)0.54 mg3%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.3 mg6%
Vitamin B60.054 mg3%
Folate26 µg7%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline12.1 mg2%
Minerals
Calcium14 mg1%
Iron2.43 mg14%
Magnesium32 mg8%
Phosphorus113 mg9%
Potassium356 mg8%
Sodium20 mg1%
Zinc1.1 mg10%
Copper0.435 mg48%
Manganese1.5 mg65%
Selenium10.1 µg18%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene0 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash0.97 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Nuts, coconut meat, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170169).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • driedIncreases energy density

    Drying removes most of the water and concentrates everything else, so desiccated coconut supplies several times the energy of fresh meat by weight.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Worth knowing

    Very high in saturated fat

    Around four-fifths of coconut fat is saturated, a higher proportion than butter or lard. Controlled trials consistently show coconut fat raises LDL cholesterol relative to unsaturated oils, and the popular framing of coconut as a neutral or beneficial fat is not supported by that evidence.

  • Allergy

    Coconut allergy

    Coconut allergy is uncommon but real, and coconut is classified as a tree nut for US labelling purposes despite being botanically a drupe. Most people with tree nut allergy tolerate it, but that should not be assumed.

  • Worth knowing

    Desiccated and sweetened forms differ

    The panel here is for fresh raw meat. Sweetened desiccated coconut used in baking has added sugar and much less water, so it is a considerably more energy-dense product.