NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF RAW COCONUT

Coconut is used primarily for the copra, which is the white, meat like substance found adhering to the inner wall of the shell. It is dried to a 2.5 percent moisture content and then shredded, for anything from eating raw to use in cakes and cookies. The raw copra can also be grated and squeezed to obtain coconut milk. According to the University of Georgia website, coconuts are produced on approximately 26 million acres in 92 countries worldwide. Coconut is low in sodium but high in saturated fat. The values are based on a 1 cup serving of raw coconut meat.

Basic Nutrition
One cup of raw coconut contains 282.9 calories, 12 g of total carbohydrates and 7 g of dietary fiber. Fat accounts for 224 of these calories, while carbohydrates account for 49.7 and protein for the remaining 9.2 of the calories. Based on a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet, these measurements represent 4 percent of the recommended daily value, or DV, for carbohydrates and 29 percent DV for dietary fiber.

Fats
The total fat content is 26.8 g, which represents a large 41 percent of the recommended daily value. Of these 26.8 g of fat, 23.8 g, or 119 percent DV, are from saturated fat and the remainder is from healthy, unsaturated fats. Also, coconut contains 293 mg of heart-healthy omega-6 fatty acids.

Vitamins
Coconut contains little vitamin nutrients. The highest vitamin source is folate with 20.8 mcg, or 5 percent DV. Other vitamins in coconut include vitamin C with 2.6 mg, or 4 percent DV, and thiamin with 0.1 mg, or 4 percent DV. There is between 1 and 2 percent DV, each, of vitamin E, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6 and pantothenic acid.

Minerals
Raw coconut is a rich source of manganese with 1.2 mg, or 60 percent DV; copper with 0.3 mg, or 17 percent DV; and selenium with 8.1 mcg, or 12 percent DV. Coconut also provides 1.9 mg of iron, representing 11 percent of the daily recommended value.

Sodium
Raw coconut is low in sodium with only 16 mg of sodium, or less than 1 percent of the recommended daily value.

Source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/247398-nutritional-value-of-raw-coconut/