A Nutrient Dense Food: Coconut
A coconut is a nutrient dense food and one of my favorite foods.
One thing I love about the coconut is the water and meat inside the nut. Depending on when the coconut is harvested and opened, the water and meat have different quantities and consistency.
The coconut water is my favorite drink. Besides loving the taste, the water provides electrolytes, sugars and carbohydrates easy to digest, and some vitamins. Coconut meat provides healthy fats (that the body can easily convert into energy), fiber (that supports digestion), and some minerals. I only consume coconut water and meat that comes straight from a coconut. I prefer to use freshly made coconut milk.
The stages
• A younger coconut has much sweeter water and some jelly-like meat. I usually scoop out the meat with a spoon. If the coconut is really young, there might be a lot of water but no meat. I can easily open the younger coconuts with a tool called a popper.
• A little more mature coconut still has sweet water, but the amount of meat has increased and the meat is more dense and solid. I like to take this meat out in large chunks with my fingers and a spoon. Because this meat is dense, eating it can fill me up. So when I have an abundance of this meat, I freeze it and use it in my smoothies.
• The mature coconut has little or no water and contains the hard, firm meat. This meat is taken out with something hard like a knife or machete. I have used this kind of meat to make coconut milk. One of my goals is to use this meat to make coconut oil. Daily I rub coconut oil on my face, and sometimes I use the oil to cook with.
• A sprouted coconut happens when it begins to germinate. Inside the nut, a spongy sweet ball forms with the texture of cotton candy. I have experienced a sprouted coconut only a couple of times.
Besides providing water, meats, milk, and oil, the coconut shell and husk can be used for environmentally friendly purposes (but that is another post).
Fresh coconuts have nourished me during my travels and living situations in Hawaii, Tanzania, and Thailand. No straw or manufactured can or cup was ever required. I take the open coconut with my two hands, put my bottom lip to the edge of the opening, tilt my head back holding tight to the coconut, and allow its water to flow into my mouth and down my throat. Water sometimes spills onto my neck or body, but I am never bothered. Whether standing in a crowded city or alone by the ocean, when I am drinking the coconut water, I am calm and satisfied.
I encourage the experience of consuming a coconut in its many forms.
You are welcome to the coconut.
Stacy 🌺
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I share my experiences and my perspective. Eating and healing look different for everyone. If you are struggling with food or your relationship with your body, please find support. You don’t have to do this alone.