Tender Coconut

Only for a few months a year Delhi imports tender coconuts but during these months there are many street side vendors that do brisk business. I have great memories of times stopping our car on the curb and everyone tanking on cool and sweet coconut water mmm… and let me not forget to mention honorably the refreshing milky white tender flesh you get to eat as a bonus after draining the nut.

It should be only natural that since I find tender coconuts such a treat I would indulge myself often especially since I now live near the equator in a tropical country where we can get tender coconut all year round… but sadly that’s not what has been happening for the past 5 years I have been here.

It was just today when while trying to decide which drink should accompany my lunch that I realized tender coconut was an option (and only because it was advertised in large fonts on the menu) and then it suddenly occurred to me that it has been an option all along. An option that I’d prefer and have been overlooking out of sheer lack of awareness, observation and total tunnel vision.

I enjoyed my repast today so thoroughly due to the presence of my favorite drink that I’ve promised myself that I’m going to make up for the past five years. (To begin with I had two coconuts today rather than just one)

There is a lot of benefit to be derived from drinking the water of tender coconuts (I’m listing here a few that I find most important to note):

1. Regular intake of Tender coconut water lowers total cholesterol, VLDL + LDL– cholesterol and HDL cholesterol as well as Triglycerides and phospholipids
2. Tender coconut water also contains sugar, fiber, proteins, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals
3. Coconut water also provides an isotonic electrolyte balance and can be used as a refreshing drink and as an isotonic sports drinks.

I advocate eating the tender flesh inside too but here’s a small note on the flesh; although coconut meat contains less fat than other dry nuts such as almonds, it is noted for its high amount of saturated fat. (there’s about 33g of fat for every 100g of coconut flesh of which approx 90% is saturated) There has been some debate as to whether or not the saturated fat in coconuts is healthier than the saturated fat found in other foods.

However, coconut meat also contains less sugar and more protein than popular fruits such as bananas, apples and oranges, and it is relatively high in minerals such as iron, phosphorus and zinc.

Not surprisingly The name for the coconut palm in Sanskrit is kalpa vriksha, which translates as "the tree which provides all the necessities of life". In Malay, the coconut is known as pokok seribu guna, "the tree of a thousand uses". In the Philippines, the coconut is commonly given the title "Tree of Life"