Between Myth and Facts: How Coconut often been Misunderstood

Global demand of coconut food products including coconut water is increase in the last five years. Yet coconut as a plant and commodity is still less understood by its consumer. There is common misunderstanding on this tree of life especially by western community.

1.    Coconut water is different with coconut milk

Too often we see pictures of girl, man or boy hold green colored coconut with straw slip between their lips, drinking from the young coconut. Nevertheless the caption as equally misquoted, that they drink coconut milk instead of coconut water. In fact coconut water is not coconut milk. The water is coming out fresh from this round shape nut in clear color while coconut milk is whitish milk alike liquid comes out from pressing the endosperm, meat of coconut. So it is two totally different things. 

2.     Coconut milk is not coming out from coconut

Again as often these pictures lead wrong interpretation and perhaps that is why many think coconut water is coconut milk. There is no such milk alike liquid coming out from fresh brown colored mature  coconut. Coconut milk contain high 24% fat and 68% water while coconut water contains 95% water and only under 1% fat. Coconut milk has provide 230 calories than coconut water only 19 calories. Both then has different nutritional values then serving way.

3.     Coconut oil is a cholesterol free cooking oil

Contrary to what most of the information on coconut oil it is cholesterol free. It is true that coconut oil is saturated fat similar to those in meat or animal fat but the oil is a middle chain saturated fat which is easily digested or diluted within the body. Animal fat on the contrary has long chain saturated fat. Therefore coconut oil is not causing fat accumulation, arthrosclerosis, hypertension or heart disease.  

4.     No deforestation from coconut plantation

Coconut is grow best in the coastal area and it barely need fertilizer, interestingly salt is its natural fertilizer. Coconut can live and still productive until 100 years and most of the current trees were planted in 70s and 80s. This means that there is no deforestation involve in the production of coconut. Notion from environmental activists that coconut related to deforestation in Indonesia, again this is a misunderstanding against coconut. It is true that the country has a high deforestation rate due to oil palm development but the growing area coconut with those of oil palm are different. The accusation therefore a misaddressed.

    

5.    Coconut farmers live a very modest living

Coconut craze especially the water which is happen in the last 8 years quoted start from almost zero in 2006 to worth USD1 billion in 2015 increase the interest business on coconut. Big beverage companies like Coca Cola and Pepsi invest in this rapidly expanding market. Coconut water which was a waste from a desiccated or coconut oil industries is now collected to its last drop. Nevertheless less been known that the coconut farmers live in a modest life.