Nutrition and Physical Regeneration

Anyone even remotely familiar with me or this blog knows that I am a big fan of all things coconut, especially the milk. I consider it one of those versatile super-foods that belongs in any foodies repertoire, real food or otherwise, both for nutritional and culinary purposes.

In the Pacific Islands the coconut is known as the "tree of life" because of its various medicinal and nutritional qualities and you do yourself a grave disservice by not including in your diet on a regular basis this powerful and tasty food in all its forms (water, milk, oil, and meat).

My favorite incarnation is the milk because of its versatility (though I must admit the coconut butter from Artisana is mighty tasty).

Coconut lentil soup, coconut tapioca pudding (tapioca is the cassava root -- I use honey for the sweetener and add it at the end), coconut sweet potato soup (this is just baked/boiled sweet potato with various spices blended with coconut milk and coconut flakes) and other delightful coconut enhanced dishes are a central part of the menu during those parts of the year where animal products are not a feature of my diet.

Then of course nothing beats a good coconut curry on a chilly winter's night when beef is what's for dinner.

According to the Coconut Research Center there are a plethora of ways (I counted 50) that coconut, in all its various forms, is being used in modern medicine. Here are a few:

• Kills viruses that cause influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, SARS, AIDS, and other illnesses.
• Kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, and other diseases.
• Kills fungi and yeasts that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash, and other infections.
• Expels or kills tapeworms, lice, giardia, and other parasites.
• Improves insulin secretion and utilization of blood glucose.
• Relieves stress on pancreas and enzyme systems of the body.
• Helps relieve symptoms and reduce health risks associated with diabetes.
• Improves calcium and magnesium absorption and supports the development of strong bones and teeth.
• Relieves pain and irritation caused by hemorrhoids.
• Reduces inflammation.
• Supports tissue healing and repair.
• Supports and aids immune system function.
• Helps protect the body from breast, colon, and other cancers.
• Protects arteries from injury that causes atherosclerosis and thus protects against heart disease.
• Helps prevent periodontal disease and tooth decay.
• Helps to protect the body from harmful free radicals that promote premature aging and degenerative disease.
• Improves utilization of essential fatty acids and protects them from oxidation.
• Reduces epileptic seizures.
• Helps protect against kidney disease and bladder infections.
• Dissolves kidney stones.
• Helps prevent liver disease.
• Supports thyroid function.
• Promotes loss of excess weight by increasing metabolic rate.
• Prevents wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots.

There is also the issue of adding water to the milk. As far as I know Thai Kitchens does not add water to their coconut product. There may be others but so far all the other various brands I have tried had additional water added to them.

When it comes to coconut water you generally can only buy it pasteurized although there is a private membership club called Nature's Juice Co-op does sell unpasteurized coconut water via mail order. They also sell fresh unpasteurized coconut cream.

So where does that leave us? Making our own coconut milk of course, which is very easy to do.

One thing that is helpful in making your own coconut milk is a hydraulic juice press so as to get as much nutrient wise from the coconut meat as possible. I realize most of my readers will not own a press nor do you need one to make a good quality milk as you will see in the second video featured below.

The video directly below demonstrates how to get coconut milk from the meat using a grinder/press and also demonstrates the best way to preserve the milk once you have extracted it.

Without a press and grinder you can employ the following method:

Using the flesh of a mature coconut, add the water from the coconut and hot water, then blend in a Vita-Mix, blender or food processor (the Vita-Mix by far is the best tool in my kitchen). Add just enough water to cover the coconut meat, which usually comes near the top of the (Vita-Mix) container. Squeeze the resultant mixture through cheese cloth. It is quite tasty (especially when warm) although very different from canned milk/cream.

To make cream you just let the milk sit overnight and the cream will separate out.

Unless I am going to drink or use the milk right away, I prefer the cream.

From start to finish it takes about 20 minutes.

The easiest way I have found to separate the meat from the shell is to place the coconut inside 3 or 4 paper grocery bags and then go outside and bang it against some concrete a few times. This will break it up into pieces the size of which makes it easy to remove the flesh. Of course you will have drained the coconut water beforehand. I use a cordless drill to open all three holes (including the one soft "eye" that is already in the coconut) and then drain the coconut water directly into my Vita-Mix container.

The next video demonstrates how to make coconut milk and I have included it to give you a good visual of the process even though it differs from mine at points. Also, despite what the lady says in the video, you will need to add some warm water to the coconut water when making the milk.