Coconut - The Queen of My Jungle!

It's hard to think about the Caribbean and not think of coconuts.

I can't imagine what my life would be like without her! So whenever I go back home to Belize or travel to different parts of Central America, it's my 'go-to' beverage for hydration and my source for nutrients.

Getting ready to drink the juice from my coconut in Guanacaste, Costa Rica :)

Born to the palm tree family, coconuts are a fruit of the coconut palm (cocos nucifera) and grows wildly across the Caribbean, and in many countries across the globe where its hot and tropical year-round.

It wasn't until I moved to the U.S. that I realized the real value of this nutritious fruit that was once an available bounty to me whenever I wanted it. For example - over the years, the global market production for coconuts have grown to a billion-dollar market, with coconut sales forecasting to grown from 11.6 billion in 2020 in the U.S. to 23.29 billion by 2027. Crazy, right!?

(source: thecoconutcompany.co)

Jungle living with my coconuts. My happy place :)

Home in Belize hydrating on this coconut, with a mango and golden plums in the other, lol

There's nothing more thirst-quenching and delicious than drinking fresh coconut water freshly picked and prepared directly from the tree.

The coconut water sold in cartons or bottles in the stores today simply cannot compare, and just ain't it ya'll!

When coconuts are processed, packaged, traveled for miles and sits on shelves for weeks, it loses almost all of its nutrients and just doesn't taste or smell like the real coconut anymore. Fresh is just better.

Here's a pic and few videos of my recent trip home to Belize enjoying coconut from my family's tree in the yard. Sooo good! :)

The Impressive Benefits of Coconuts

First, let me just say that the coconut fruit can be included in many different kinds of foods. Besides being a beverage, the white meaty part inside the coconut can be eaten raw or prepared into a milk, cream or oil texture.

Some of my favorite Caribbean foods to eat made with with coconuts are coconut rice, coconut tart, coco bread, and hudut (- an ancestral West African dish made with fish & pounded plantain in a coconut milk soup mixture).

Coconuts are rich in iron, copper, manganese, selenium, and high in healthy fats and fiber.

Not only does my beautiful queen improve lives with its nutrients, coconuts continue to have many other versatile uses, including improving skin health. I also just learned that coconuts are being processed into charcoal in many parts of West Africa. Makes total sense since we also use the husks as a form of fire wood to keep the fire burning on our outdoor oven.

When I was younger, about 6 years of age, I remember my older sister's leg being burned badly in the kitchen from hot oil spilling on it. In combination of the healing process of using aloe vera, she used coconut cream and oil on her leg every day to continue the healing process and rebuilt the elasticity and beauty of her skin. Today, you have to look very closely at her leg to even notice the scar of the burn. It's an unforgettable memory of how the coconut helped to change my sister's life.

With summer now in full swing, when you find yourself in thirst for something other than water, find some fresh coconuts and experience for yourself what an amazing gift this plant is to our planet and to us. All hail to the queen of my jungle - la coconut!

Our beautiful Garifuna village in Hopkins Belize, 2022. So many coconut trees everywhere!