Coconut water from a fresh young green coconut is one of nature’s most refreshing drinks and is soooo good for you!! So good in fact that it has been known to be used in plasma transfusions because it has the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood! It’s a “fluid of life” so to speak!
The health benefits are many – here’s some just to name a few:
- It is packed with simple sugar, electrolytes, and minerals to replenish hydration levels in the body after exercising
- Contains naturally occurring enzymes that help in digestion and metabolism
- Despite very light consistency, its water has much better composition of minerals like calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, and zinc than some fruits like oranges
- Its water is also a very good source of B-complex vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pyridoxine, and folates. These vitamins are essential in the sense that the body requires them from external sources to replenish
- Helps control diabetes
- Balances your PH and reduces risk of cancer
- Boosts poor circulation …. and the list goes on…
Feel free to google the health benefits to see all the nutrient contents of this beauty of nature. Coconut Water Australia has some good articles. While they promote the coconut water in cans and other packaging, nothing beats a’la natural from the nut.
After raving about this for some time, we’ve been asked by many friends and family on how to open one of these suckers. Well we’ve compiled a visual of the process, below, to hopefully aid you in this process. Make sure you choose a green coconut (available from Woolworths and some health stores) and not the brown one as they are quite different. They would almost always have been de-skinned down to the white husk and wrapped in plastic as below.
Choose a meat cleaver or knife with a sharp edge towards the base so that you can create a cut in the coconut shell after you’ve removed a good portion of the husk (always keep fingers well below your cutting line for safety – see 3). Once you’ve established a good hole in the shell, use your knife to leverage and pry the top open. You can then use a soft spatula to also remove the flesh, which is also super yummy!
The flesh can be blended into smoothies, used to create coconut milk or shredded thinly over your breakfast cereal – all great options! The flesh should also be thin and slimy and the water clearish and sweet to signify that it is still young, which is prime for eating. The older the coconut gets, the thicker the flesh and more yellow/pink the water becomes, which is not as pleasant to eat or drink.
Once opened the water should be used soon otherwise it will turn sour in taste and off flavoured. Instead, store in the fridge if not used immediately. One of my favourite things to do with the water is mix in the ‘jelly-form’ of chia seeds to create a power-packed super nutrient-dense and hydrating drink (more on chia seeds later)!
Try one today!!!
If you’ve got any questions about how to open coconuts, feel free to comment below and we’ll get back to you when we can. Cheers!
– Diana
by Diana
I always think this drink looks like you are drinking frog eggs.
Hey Maya. I checked out the nutritional value of frog’s eggs and I think coconut water with chia rocks it 😀 Tastes much better too!
Cam loves green coconuts! I think it reminds him of when he was young & carefree in PNG!