Thursday, February 24, 2011

A - Z of Amazing Fruits.... C is for Coconuts

So anyone who has read my website knows that I go completely loco for cocos! Coconuts are my all time favourite food in the world because not only are they amazingly good for you, but they can be used in so many different ways. I truly believe they are one of the most versatile foods on the planet.

If you scroll through my archive you will find a paper I wrote on Coconuts for uni which has a lot more in depth information about them. In this blog I’ll outline some of their best features, ways to use them and most importantly, how to open one - as this will make or break your friendship with the almighty coconut!

Baby coconut water has one of the highest electrolyte levels of any fruit. Drinking the water  from just one baby coconut (often called thai or drinking coconuts) is literally the equivalent of drinking 3 or 4 gatorades; without the sugary carbohydrate hit and artificial colours and flavourings. In fact, this luscious liquid is the closest thing to human blood plasma in nature and in WWII they actually used to intravenously inject the water into war victims who needed blood. Straight from shell to body! Can you imagine how good your body would feel having one of these post work out? Let me tell you... amazing!

One thing I will say is fresh is always best. I'm sure you've seen a mass of tetra packs that claim to be 100% coconut water. Some have a little added juice or pulp.... forget it. Nothing beats the real thing on flavour or nutritional value. 

But lets not stop at the water. The flesh of a baby coconut is also full of minerals, nutrients and protein. As it has not yet matured, it hasn’t had time to develop a lot of fat so adding it to smoothies, muffins, desserts and soups will not affect your daily fat intake. Coconut flesh can also be dehydrated and used in more creative vegan recipes.

Coconut oil, like avocados, is not the scary fat we are constantly lead to believe it is. I urge you to please read my full paper to discover the benefits of coconut oil.

How to open one of these bad boys....



Most people think that you need to forcibly hack through the peaked top of the coconut. WRONG....  Flip it over and cut from the base.


Cut as close to the inside shell of the nut that your can. (you will feel it as you won't be able to cut any closer)















So once you have the base off you should be able to see a little soft spot, or circle that you can just press through to get the liquid.





Use a spoon to poke through the hole and scoop away the flesh that is blocking the hole.









And now simply stick in a straw and drink it's natural goodess. Mmmmmm

 (or take a sip then add some Malibu and pineapple juice but you didn't hear that from me!)







Or, tip it into a glass and enjoy. xx 

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