Include the Goodness of Coconut For Skin Care and Diet

Coconut is an all-rounder not just for your diet, but also for your skin. The ingredient can enhance the sweetness of your desserts and also make for a good moisturiser, toner and make-up remover, suggest experts.

Purba Kalita, co-founder at salebhai.com, and Sonia Mathur, Head and Trainer at Divine Organics, have listed ways on how to incorporate coconut in different ways:

Edible uses of coconut:

* Coconut can enhance the sweetness of your desserts. Add grated coconut or coconut milk in your favourite sweet treat. You can also substitute all-purpose flour with coconut flour while baking a cake or make your pie tastier with a filling of tender coconut chunks.

Also, roll your chocolate cookies in desiccated coconut before baking to relish the goodness of the fruit.

* Make some refreshing drinks with a variety of fruits such as watermelon, orange or sweet lime and add coconut water in it to delight your guests. Serve your guests' sol kadhi made of kokum fruit and coconut milk after meals to aid digestion.

* If you are looking to give a twist to your daily fruit smoothie, try a tropical-flavoured one made of low-fat coconut milk or coconut water. You can also add tender coconut chunks along with your choice of fruit(s) and blend them together to enjoy something cool and healthy.

* If you have a craving for the tropical taste of coconut, infuse coconut milk or add grated coconut in your curries. You can also substitute olive oil with coconut oil to make your salad dressing and temper your chutneys, curd-based curries, poriyals, and dals with the precious coconut oil.

Coconut for skin care:

* Coconut can be used as a natural moisturiser. Coconut will hydrate your skin and keep it nourished all day long. Applying virgin coconut oil directly or mixing a few drops of it to your daily moisturiser will make your skin ready to go out.

* Coconut not just smoothens your skin but also works as a natural toner. The fats present in coconut minimises the pores that attract all the dirt and bacteria and prevent the skin from getting damaged.

* The toning property of coconut helps in preventing acne by minimising the pores of the skin.

* Make-up remover: Take a dab of coconut oil and rub it gently to your face. It will remove all the makeup and excess oil leaving your skin supple and smooth.