I was almost jumping for joy when I found young coconuts at Coles supermarket just down the road from where I live.
While I was living in North America I learned how coconuts are a superfood and how beneficial drinking the water out of a young coconut is (and how amazing coconut kefir can be, but more about that later). So of course I was very worried that this superfood would not be available to me when I got home to Australia. But there they were, sitting proudly in the fruit and veggie section of my local supermarket, Thai young coconuts!
One coconut costs just over AU$3 which is expensive in comparison to how much a carton costs in the US, but I’m just happy they’re here because they’re a very important element in the Body Ecology Diet. I’m even considering driving to Coles tomorrow and buying the entire lot they have in stock because they last for a couple of months in the fridge …although I don’t think they’d all fit!
What’s all this fuss about young coconuts??
If you can get your hands on these coconuts, I highly recommend it for your health and wellbeing. I recently read a story about a woman who healed her stomach cancer in Mexico from eating young coconut flesh and drinking its water. She didn’t even know she was healing her cancer by consuming the coconuts, that was just all her delicate stomach could handle while she was on an extended holiday there. But when she returned to the US and got a checkup, the doctors were shocked to discover her to be cancer free. She went straight back to Mexico and bought a coconut farm!
Now I think in her case the cure was also due to her frame of mind on her holidays in Mexico. But I have no doubt that the coconuts have a lot to do with it.
Here is a list of benefits you can get from adding young coconuts to your diet -
- Young coconuts are very high in B vitamins (which a lot of us seem to be lacking in)
- The water is also very high in minerals, particularly calcium, magnesium and potassium
- High in fibre
- The highest form of electrolytes in nature, and even higher than sports drinks! Electrolytes are ionized salts in our cells, that transport energy throughout the body. This makes it an awesome drink for athletes or even just after we’ve done exercise or had a workout
- The water of young coconuts is completely sterile and so close to the structure of human blood that it can be transfused directly. In fact, they were regularly used during WW II for wounded soldiers when blood plasma was low.
- The water only contains a fifth of the sugar found in fruit juices so it’s a great alternative to OJ.
- It is effective in relieving dehydration, fatigue, constipation, and other digestive disturbances, kidney and bladder disorders, and vision problems such as glaucoma and cataract.
- Research shows that coconut water can improve blood circulation, lower elevated blood pressure, and reduce risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Honestly, there are so many other health benefits. Even on the weekend I found a book at an organic farmers market in Brisbane that was all about the healing power of young coconuts, an entire book!
But hold on, what does it taste like?
This is down to personal opinion. While I don’t LOVE the taste, I don’t dislike it either and the more I drink it the more I seem to enjoy it. It has a very sweet and slightly coconut-nutty flavor to it. The consistency is slightly thicker than water.
Put it this way – if it wasn’t so incredibly healthy for you I probably wouldn’t buy them, but because they’re so good for you I’d be happy to drink the water out of one of these coconuts every day.
But make sure you also scoop out and eat the flesh, because I hear the flesh of a young coconut is ten times better for you than the water. And you can blend the water and flesh together to make a complete young coconut drink.
How to open a young coconut
They can be a little tricky to crack into so I was a little nervous the first time I opened one. But they’re nowhere near as difficult to open as a mature coconut.
I found this video on YouTube which made it quite easy to open -
Where to buy young coconuts
I bought my young coconut from Coles supermarket in Australia, but they’re not there all the time so you have to be lucky with the timing. Coles was supplied by a company from Sydney called Sunny Park Produce, so if you’re in Sydney, lucky you can visit the markets to get your supply. Asian supermarkets often stock them too, regardless of what country you live in, so check there to see if you can buy a whole case at a discount rate.
And of course many health stores (especially in North America) now stock them all the time. I’m yet to see them in the health stores in Brisbane because I think organic young coconuts are impossible to buy here. But I’ll keep asking and keep looking.
Also make sure you don’t confuse young coconuts with mature ones. Young coconuts are either green (like in the photo) or white (like in the video) on the outside. The one I bought had the outer green shell removed so it was white.
I got an excited phone call from a friend the other night who was convinced he’d found young coconuts for me at an Asian supermarket in Brisbane. When he told me that the shell was brown I knew it wasn’t a young coconut, but HE was so sure it was so he bought two. When I visited the next day to check the coconuts out, they were definitely not young coconuts. And when we opened them up and tasted the water inside and ate the flesh, it tasted completely different to a young coconut. Mature coconuts are actually quite sour.
So if you find somewhere that stocks young coconuts in your local area, lucky you! And if you’ve never tried one before, go for it. A coconut a day will give you amazing health benefits :)
Fran
34 responses ↓
I’m so excited to try these! Are young ones a lot better than old ones?
I make kefir everyday, but I’ve never tried coconut kefir though I’ve heard of it…
Oh the young coconuts are definitely better than the old ones ..WAY better. Coconut kefir is worth making too, it’s one of the most healing foods on the planet. If you need a recipe it will come up if you google it.
Might just have to check out Borough market this weekend to see if they have some mmmm !
Did you say they’re fairly easy to get in North America Fran? I will definatly be on the look out.
Ps. That raw food clip- about how to open coconuts is from a movie, have you seen the movie?
Thanks for the post Fran! I had no idea coconuts were so amazing! Why do you recommend young coconuts and not mature ones as well? Is it only cause of the sour taste? Or are mature coconuts not as healthy as young ones?
that sounds amazing! Unfortunatly where I live they are not available (yet). This might sound silly to ask, but is canned coconut milk nearly as good? I realize it is not actually ‘fresh,’ but is it a good temporary alternative?
Is there a difference in the ones you get from normal grocery store and a health or organic store?
I’m glad you documented this! All I drink is filtered water, and coconut water. Instead of buying young coconuts, I use Zico, which is a brand of 100% natural coconut water. At first I hated the taste of coconut water but now I LOVE it. It’s my healthy addiction. If you’ve never tried it, you definitely should!
Found some young coconut milk at a health store this afternoon was quite tasty so i’ll try drinking this daily mmmm
Hi Fran! I’m from Brunei but now I’m living in the UK for my studies. I recently found your You Tube channel and then your blog. Your articles and advices are much appreciated.
Anyhow, just thought this might interest anybody. Young coconut drink is ‘air(=water) kelapa(=coconut) muda(=young)’ in Malay language, or if you want the whole thing it is ‘buah(=fruit) kelapa’. It’s delicious and nutritious. Usually the drinks are prepared from young coconuts, not the mature ones. The young coconuts have less calories than the mature ones. For example, the flesh of the mature coconuts 180 cal per 100 gram compare to that of the young ones 68 cal per 100 gram. The water of the young coconuts is about 17 cal. The water is anti-toxin and usually drink when someone has a fever, and it also relieves other diseases. In our culture, it is said to cool down the body temperature so I guess it has something to do with the electrolytes that you mentioned. Calories aside, it has more beneficial nutrients so don’t waste time, just go for it! :) Cheers!
Rachael- yeah they’re really easy to find in North America, try wholefoods, health food stores and asian supermarkets. And ask around. ..I didn’t realize it was from a movie!! What movie?
Renee- Young coconuts are the healthy ones, mature coconuts are not as nutritious.
Illeyad- No, coconut milk is not the same. It’s water that comes out of a young coconut. You could try looking for packaged coconut water, but it has to be 100% (sometimes they add a sweetener).
Tom- It’s rare to find an organic young coconut, so as long as it’s young, there’s no difference.
OMG! I LOVE LOVE LOVE! fresh young coconuts. Everytime we get the chinese night markets I go there just for the coconuts! Some chinese resto’s also serve it (seasonally) and I always order it when it’s in.. It’s a little over price but it’s my lovee =D
No wonder,i have been hate coconut sience i was child,i really don’t like the taste so much,my sisters and my mom love either of the coconut,no wonder they seem having a healthy skin,i guess i have to have young coconut in my diet,i hope it just doesn’t taste how i taste the mature one.well it’s good thing i have no problem on finding one since i’m in asia area.
thanks for posting this fran :)
I’m going skating tonight, it’s 2 hours of fast rollerblading with a group and it’s tough work! So I just filled up a water bottle with blended young coconut water + flesh. I’ll look weird drinking it but it’s the best sports drink ever so it’s going to be awesome :D
It’s so strange reading that something as common as young coconuts in India(we call them ‘tender coconuts’) are now considered a superfood in the West as well! You’ll find them piled up at every street corner in summer – the best way to beat the heat….if only there was a street vendor in Sydney I wouldn’t drink anything else ever! And Fran, by the way, the taste of a really fresh, young coconut’s juice is nothing like the ones we get at Coles – nowhere as good. You’ll have to visit Asia(or at least a cocnut farm) and try one straight from the tree:)
oh that’s awesome, I want to go to India (but for yoga too :P) ..I’d LOVE to go try one straight from the tree, one day I’ll do that. I had some a little fresher in Singapore but definitely not off the tree.
I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVEEEEEEEEEE young coconuts!
After I do some sweating ( in sweat lodges or even when I sweat while taking a long bath ) my body intuitively goes for a coconut to the fridge;-)
I recorded a video of me opening coconut – it is pretty old video, but I am posting it here to give you another idea.
At the beginning it is hard to spot this miracle soft place, so you might go around with bigger knife before you hit.
Today I open it even differently. Shave a bit and than just hit from the top making a square. One of the corners pops up instantly ;-)
Ok : don’t laugh – this video is old;-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrT30W2j2hg
Cheers!
But Fran if you live on an island shouldnt it be easy to find? In the caribbean there are coconut vendors all over the place so it wont be hard. I have coconut trees in my yard so can I pluck the young ones off and use them.
I live in the US, no young coconuts here, erg!
Kyle, you mean, they don’t grow by your house ? ;-)
Of course you can buy them in US.
What is nice is that they used to come in package of 9. What a surprise to see 12 in a box now!
;-)
These sound awesome! I’ll have to tell my mom about these and try some, for sure! =)
[...] Why Has It Taken Me This Long To Discover Young Coconuts? There are many coconut health benefits. I found a book at an organic farmers market in Brisbane that was all about the healing power of young coconuts, an entire book! [...]
Fran – i tried the coconut water just nonw and almost vomited after a few sips!!! Not sure why because the taste isnt strong…maybe because its thick?
I have been feeling sick and bloated for a week or so now and trying anything to fix it.
I covered it with gladwrap and put it in the fridge, hopefully it stores ok like that!
Some people here are confused between coconut WATER and coconut MILK! You drink coconut water and you cook with coconut milk (unless it is mixed with beverage such as pina colada..yumm).
DO NOT DRINK COCONUT WATER OR ANY KINDA OF PRODUCE FROM COCONUTS WHEN YOU ARE ABOUT TO HAVE/DURING MENSTRUATION.
Not sure about the details but you can google it.
If you don’t like the strong taste of coconut water straight from a young coconut, I suggest ZICO or another brand found in health stores (or you can look online — http://www.zico.com). It has a much more mild taste but is still 100% coconut water.
u should probably come here in the philippines.. coconut is abundant.. and how in the heavens they are selling it for 3 audollars ea.. its like free in here..
I’ve heard from many now that young coconuts are soaked in formaldehyde to prevent mould growth before being shipped overseas (as reported by Donna Gates and others). We should get a movement going where we ask our suppliers to please not soak the coconuts in formaldehyde. What does everyone think about this?
well last day in the afternoon i was drink the water of young coconut and the taste is good than to old coconut the young coconut is in only growing up in the back of the house of my partner so cute and lovely! well philippines really lots of coconut tree you can see them on a side of the street…
ohh FUNSUKI i was thinking if is it ok if i drink the water of coconut while im having my menstruation and now i am searching about it…
hahaha you know what “ANG?” i think the water of the old coconut is making you vomited just because the taste isnt good but when i taste the water of young coconut its really different because the water of young coconut is good than to the water of old coconut too strong!…
I am fortunate in that I live part of the year in Thailand, and occasionally also stay in Fiji, countries where fresh drinking coconuts and old coconuts are readily available. I drank two young nuts only yesterday!
The brown-shelled mature coconuts are excellent for making coconut milk. The husked nuts are easily opened by holding the nut in one hand and hitting its “equator” with the back of a cane knife or similar instrument while turning the nut bit by bit, until the nut cracks and brakes into halves. Catch the milk in a bowl if you plan to drink it!
The halves are then scraped free of flesh with a coconut scraper into a bowl (but I guess the flesh could also be removed with say a flathead screwdriver and then put through a food processor).
The grated coconut is then covered with clean (unfluoridated, unchlorinated) water and left to soak for about 15 minutes, then kneaded with one’s hands/fingers for 5 minutes or so.
The pulp and liquid is then tipped into a muslin cloth or kitchen towel (put a bowl under the operation to catch any liquid), then enclose the ball of gratings with the towel and squeeze the milk that has exuded from the gratings into the bowl.
The milk can be used as a cow or soy milk substitute (but unlike soymilk it doesn’t have any plant toxins and is GE free). In Asia, Fiji and other places, many dishes are prepared with coconut milk. If less water is used, it is coconut cream.
In Fiji there is a saying ‘Good like a coconut’ because any part of the coconut palm serves a variety of useful purposes.
Ang – if you nearly vomited after drinking a few sips it may be because the nut has started to ferment or if it tasted really bad, because the nut has started to rot. Don’t eat or drink from a nut that is turning brown inside or that smells bad.
Also check this out:
http://coconutoil.com/alzheimers-association-warns-against-coconut-oil-member-replies-coconut-oil-gave-us-our-father-back/
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