Coconuts grow on large palm trees known scientifically as Cocos nucifera. Despite the name, the coconut is botanically considered a fruit rather than a nut. Meanwhile Coconut water is the juice found in the center of a young, green coconut. It helps nourish the fruit.
As the coconut matures, some of the juice remains in liquid form while the
rest ripens into the solid white flesh known as coconut meat. Moreover Coconut
water forms naturally in the fruit and contains 94% water and very little fat. Hence
it should not be confused with coconut milk, which is made by adding water to
grated coconut meat. Coconut milk contains about 50% water and is very high
in coconut fat.
Coconuts take 10–12 months to fully mature. Coconut water typically comes
from young coconuts about 6–7 months of age, though it's also found in mature
fruit. An average green coconut provides about 0.5–1 cups of coconut water. Recently
research has shown that coconut water can lower blood sugar levels and improve
other health markers in diabetic animals. Furthermore in one study, diabetic
rats treated with coconut water maintained better blood sugar levels than the
control group and the same study also found that the rats given coconut water
had lower levels of hemoglobin A1c, indicating good long-term blood sugar
control.
