Refreshing Tender Coconut

Tender coconut water considered as the purest liquid after water has a rising popularity as a health drink all over the world. Coconut water is actually the juice found in the inner cavity of a young tender coconut. This juice is sterile and composed of different chemicals like vitamins, minerals, sugars, electrolytes, enzymes, amino acids, cytokinins, and phyto hormones.

A coconut tree takes one whole year to mature from a flower to a fruit. During this time the coconut itself goes through various stages. In the first stage, the coconut is immature, green and the juice inside is healthy and refreshing. These drinks can be reaped from a coconut tree when they reach the age of 5-7 months. Once the coconut begins to ripen, the quantity of liquid inside the endosperm reduces and a soft meat layer - the consistency of a soft boiled egg - begins to form. This meat has its own nutritional value. The fruit if left on the tree to ripen further matures and the meat lining hardens and thickens and the water becomes tasteless. This is a fully developed coconut.

Young coconut meat is rich in medium chain fatty acids. These can be scraped off the coconut with a spoon, added to your drink or used to cook a dessert.

Health Benefits of Tender Coconut:

• Sterile tender coconut water is used for medicinal purposes often to treat upset stomachs or dehydration.
• It is known to improve digestion and kill intestinal worms.
• Cytokinins are plant hormones that regulate growth, development and aging of a plant. Cytokinins also have known to exert anti-aging effect on human cells and tissue. Cytokinins also have shown to reduce the risk of degenerative and age-related diseases.
• Because of its high electrolyte content, coconut water is known to have a positive effect on the nervous system preventing cramps and spasm in muscle.
• It’s also known to reduce the risk of hypertension and strokes and helps resolve kidney problems.
• Some expecting mums find that drinking coconut water helps relieve morning sickness, constipation and acidity that are common problems during pregnancy. 

For a toddler or a pregnant woman, or for an athlete during his workout, tender coconut water is that one refreshing drink that helps all.

Fresh tender coconut is readily available in the market of tropical countries year around. In others, its usually imported either in fresh form or as bottled or canned juices. Nowadays, sachets of dehydrated coconut water powder are available which can be reconstituted easily with water. But the nutritional value of these packed and bottled juices may not match the standards of fresh tender coconut. Also always keep an eye out for added sugars.

Enjoy your beverage fresh and cool.

Post by Zohra Sada