Te Puah, Majita's father breaking open morning coconuts. As you can see, his traditional tribal Polynesian tatoos are quite amazing. They were put on the traditional way, hammered in wtih a piece of bone and a stone. Ouch!
The greatest food gift of this whole trip to Bora Bora that I’ve been virtually surviving off of is the fresh young coconut. Young coconuts are comprised of amazing, electrolyte and mineral-filled water and soft meat that you can scoop out easily with a spoon. The soft spoon meat has a remarkable ability to restore oxidative tissue damage and within the fiber and protein is one of the most healing and skin beautifying fat substances on the planet
During the day, I share them with my local friends on the various islands that comprise Bora Bora. They use long sticks with hooks attached to pull them down from the trees, as young coconuts have to come straight from the trees. Or sometimes the men climb up the trees with their arms and legs and get them themselves (killer abs!). At night I ask the super sweet locals around my hotel to get me a few and help me open them. I have a blender with me, and have been making coconut (water and meat)/spirulina smoothies pretty much every night for dinner. Amazing!!!
I’ve noticed that many of the local men are extremely muscular with perfectly shaped muscles and flat bellies. Many of the local women that live on the smaller islands also have bodies that are perfectly balanced and gorgeous skin. Of the families I’m close with and have been hanging out with a lot, the men told me they drink on average 5 young coconuts a day. The women usually have 2 or 3. I myself am having about 3 a day.
I am more convinced than ever that coconuts are a magical food. In India coconuts are considered a very holy food and are used in religious ceremonies. In a yogic sense, the layers of the coconut are meant to represent the layers of our self: the green, thick outer coating is the outer, physical ego, the hard, hairy brown shell is the mental ego, and the inner, pure white meat and water that has been filtered for 9 months represents the real self. It takes a long time and a lot of struggle and work to get to the real self, so the 9 months of creating the purest water on earth is representative of all the karmic reincarnations that one has to pass through. During my yoga training with Dharma Mittra, Shiva Prasad, who is the food guru, told me that coconuts are one of the most enlightening and spiritually purifying of all foods. I asked Te Puah, Majita’s father pictured here, if he thinks/prays to God a lot. His answer was, “All day, every day.”
Young coconuts, while not pulled down directly from the tree, can be found in the US. In New York I eat about 5 a week, as I get a whole box of them in Chinatown. I really recommend incorporating them into your diet by seeking them out at your local health market- to increase your strength and beauty. You can eat them plain or use them as a base for smoothies. You will feel and look great!!
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