"Images of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi often portray her carrying a coconut. The symbolism has meant something to East Indians for thousands of years. And increasingly it resonates for Westerners. Move over pomegranate and acai berry. Coconuts are the new in food touted by naturalfoods enthusiasts and chased by entrepreneurs looking for a big payday. Its a good time to own a coconut farm thats for sure said Daniel Fabricant vice president for government and scientific affairs at the Natural Products Association a trade association in Washington. Fabricant said companies that belong to his organization representing naturalfoods retailers and manufacturers are increasingly offering coconutbased products. Youve got fiber fats and oils waterbased compounds and youve got the milk he said. Its a holistic approach. The fruits appeal rests in part on this versatility. A single coconut produces water nectar flesh milk and even textile fiber. That translates into a broad slate of products. And in contrast to another natural substance that gets transformed into a wide variety of products  petroleum  coconuts are viewed as healthy. But are they It depends. Get  headlines picked just for YOU each morning. Sign up for Your Morning Five newsletter Get more newsletters and alerts. httpsextras.denverpost.comnewslettersreturnUrlhttps Coconut water comes from young green coconuts and contains a winning combination of electrolytes sodium and potassium. It is very healthy. Its an effective drink for rehydration that doesnt bring in the added sugars and the additives said Dani Little dietitian for the Whole Foods Market on Pearl Street in Boulder. A lot of rehydrating beverages have additives whereas the coconut water  its super clean. Coconut oil and milk though are receiving mixed reviews. The facts on fats Coconut fat is saturated like the fat in lard and butter. The healthiest fats those found in olive and canola oils contain more monounsaturated fats which do not raise LDL cholesterol and might even help lower it. Doctors and dietitians have warned people away from cholesterolboosting saturated fats for years. Coconut fats are not an exception. Ive had clients who have added coconut oil to shakes and things like that and their cholesterol has gone up significantly said Jessica Crandall a Denver dietitian who is president of the Colorado Dietetic Association. Saturated fat clogs your arteries and is not good for heart health. I was meeting with a cardiologist recently and he said he doesnt advise coconut oil for any clients. The fat issue is complicated by the types of fatty acids found in coconut versus other saturated fats. While most other saturated fats contain long chain fatty acids most coconut fats are mediumchain.  This is advantageous for coconuts because the mediumchain fatty acids are broken down more rapidly by enzymes said Little. In general she said fats high in mediumchain fatty acids are more healthy than those laden with longchain acids. In addition coconut fats are high in lauric acid which many believe acts as an antimicrobial helping prevent viruses fungi and parasites. Even so Little a coconut enthusiast doesnt recommend loading up on coconut fats. Instead of buying oils or supplements just use the whole coconut. What we tend to do with our food supply is take the positive and squeeze it into a pill or jar and think that will take care of everything she said. If you focus on coconut oil you lose out on the fiber and you are focusing on a concentrated source of calories. Its the whole coconut that needs to be talked about. The coconut gold rush Entrepreneurs are talking about the whole coconut these days. Some  those toiling to make money with coconut water  are worried about the coconut supply. Coconut water is much different from Red Bull or Vitamin Water said John Craven the founder of Bevnet.com httpBevnet.com a trade publication for the beverage industry. If they want to make more they just build more factories. Craven describes the race to turn coconut water into a big market like iced tea or energy drinks as something akin to a gold rush. Right now coconut water is all the rage he said. With the natural movement being in the forefront right now the timing is right. In the past couple of years a couple of brands have figured out the right angle  electrolytes and hydration. Craven estimated the coconutwater market at about  million annually right now but companies are doubling their sales year after year. By next year he said one company alone  Vita Coco  could do  million or more in sales. He predicted within a few years it will be a billiondollar market. Mammoth beverage companies like CocaCola Dr Pepper Snapple Group and PepsiCo have investments in coconut water. Grocers shelves add new coconutwater products regularly. Demand has increased exponentially primarily in mainstream groceries like Walmart and Costco said Arthur Gallego a spokesman for the New Yorkbased Vita Coco. Its trickling down to the mass market. The company is growing so quickly he said it had to hunt for coconuts from outside of Brazil where it previously harvested most of its fruit. Now it also gets coconuts from Asia. The volume is going through the roof said Laura Sauls a spokeswoman for Hermosa Beach Calif.based Zico. We are seeing new competitors by the week. Its not just the pure water that is exciting marketers. Its increasingly being used as an additive too. Coconut water is very healthy and thats our aim said Kevin Conrad a sales executive with GoFast a Denver energy drink that now includes a version containing coconutwater concentrate.  Its healthy  and simple too. Thats one of the attractions said Tom Rich who is in charge of grocery operations for Whole Foods Rocky Mountain region. Its something you dont have to figure out he said. People know what it is and where it grows. Its simple all the way around. Douglas Brown  or djbrowndenverpost.com mailtodjbrowndenverpost.com    Coconut by the numbers  One tablespoon of coconut oil contains  calories and  grams of fat . grams of which is saturated. A tablespoon of butter by comparison contains  calories and . grams of fat . of those grams are saturated. Coconut milk doesnt pack quite the wallop of oil but consume it in moderation a quartercup has  calories and . grams of fat with . grams of the fat saturated.  One cup of coconut water contains  calories a halfgram of fat   milligrams of sodium and . grams of carbohydrates."