Coconut milk and its health benefits
Coconut (Cocos nucifera) belongs to the palm family (Arecaceae). Grown in abundance in Nigeria, Malaysia, Polynesia and southern Asia, Spanish explorers named the plant cocos - meaning 'grinning face', because of the three little eyes on the base. Source: spoonuniversity.com Classed as a fruit and frequently confused for being a nut, the coconut is actually a one-seeded drupe. In Sanskrit, the coconut palm is known as kalpa vriksha which means 'tree which gives all that is necessary for living' because nearly all its parts are useful - the water, milk, flesh, sugar and oil. Even the husks and leaves are used as materials in furnishings and decoration. Palm trees produce coconuts up to 13 times a year and although it takes a year for the coconuts to mature, a fully blossomed tree can produce between 60 and 180 coconuts in a single harvest. Coconuts are highly nutritious and rich in fibre, vitamins C, E, B1, B3, B5 and B6 and minerals including iron,...