Haha - I know others who've done that, confusing naturally occurring sugars w/ added sugar. Wow - education - what a concept!

Not so fast.... lots of people would assume that "water" does not have sugar, added or natural. And if you are watching your sugar/carbs, you have to pay attention. Good for him!

I picked up a box of pasta.

I read the label.

It does not say that the box is now 30% air.

The same size box was one lb full some time ago.

dcarch

Hi FOAS!

Funny one. But now I know why everybody is drinking so much coconut water! Though a cup of unsweetened cranberry juice, which is bitter, has twice as much sugar, so I guess for fruit juice it's not so bad. Is that the water that's in the middle of a coconut? A coconut agua fresca (coconut in water)? Actual coconut juice? (Just curious--I don't do coconut.)

Sounds like a man trying to impress a woman with his "knowledge."

That was my impression, too, John.

Sushipup - Of course you're right that we (especially those of us trying to restrict our diets) need to be on the lookout for hidden, naturally occurring sugars, salts, etc. But what struck me as funny was the accusation that it was not pure due to the sugars. Sure, "water" is in the name, but I don't think it would have made much difference in this case if the product was "pure orange juice."

Hi plllog!!! I'm guessing it's the liquid from the middle and that "milk" would be extracted from the meat. But that's just a guess; like you I don't "do" coconut much.

dc- speaking of nuts...!

FOAS, according to Wiki you're right about water vs. milk. I checked there because I don't do coconuts as well and I wanted to find out.

As for the man's reaction implying the water was polluted so to speak with sugar - it's not surprising since sugar is being demonized, and is now widely perceived as "impure" by people who tend to demonize some foods and consider other foods a panacea. That man had just unearthed the devil lurking in the pure paradise of water.

Whether sugar is demonized or not, some people must control and even severely limit sugar and other carbs in their diets.

Well, if you consider that your typical tumbler of orange juice has the sugar content of around 6 oranges -- without any fiber to speak of to reduce the glycemic response -- and it's all naturally occuring sugars -- if you are diabetic, it makes a BIG difference.

Sugar doesn't care if it is "natural" or not. It's still sugar. Some level of it is necessary -- but dang we consume way more of it than is best for many of us.

Foodonastump, did you stick around to find out if there's a diabetic in the family? Or someone with metabolic syndrome?

You correct that coconut water is the water from the inside of the coconut. As with fruit juice it has naturally occurring sugar. It also has more potassium than a banana and lots of other health benefits for the non diabetic. Given his comment it sounds like the man was not well informed about what "sugar" means on the label. It sounds like he was thinking processed sugar was added and for that he needed to look at the ingredients. "pure coconut water" does indeed have sugars, they are just not added. By the way so does regular old cow's milk...quite a lot of it as a matter of fact. Even plain unsweetened yogurt has a ton of sugar which comes from the cows milk. FYI Coconut Milk is indeed created from the meat of the coconut and contains coconut fats (coconut oil) in addition to the sugar and some coconut milk is sweetened and has sugars added so you need to read those labels carefully. Whatever you do don't read the label of the coco lopez "coconut milk" bars all use for pina colada. It's packed with scary HFCS and tons of chemicals. Sadly I'll never drink another pina colada at a bar again. Labels are tricky and sugar is very tricky. Not all sugars are created equal and much depends on glycemic index and processing when it comes to how it acts in most of our bodies. For the diabetic however any sugar in any form is dangerous and thus the labels.

It was meant to be a lighthearted story. FAIL!!!

Naw, it's not a fail! It's an interesting discussion and I, a non-coconut person in general, learned things.

FOAS, it wasn't a fail. I think we all got a good laugh before it turned into a serious discussion. And I looked at the "coconut drink" on the display at TJs because of it, just to make sure it wasn't "pure". ;) Mostly to continue having a laugh.

My favorite labels are the ones that just say one word, like tomato paste that says Ingredients: tomatoes. Not "vine ripened plum, naturally dried" tomatoes. Just, "tomatoes". Unlike the ones that don't have an ingredients list because the package is called "tomatoes" so they figure you know that part. :)

Seriously, though, if pure coconut water is the water that's loose in the coconuts (which I've only seen on TV, but seems to be about a cup's worth on average, or maybe a pint), don't they have to go through an awful lot of coconuts to get enough? I know it's a by product of the ever enlarging coconut processing industry, but still...

Pillog, have you never opened a coconut and drunk the water?
And how much juice does an orange yield? or a mango? And what do you do with the orange after the juice is extracted?...Cattle feed, where a coconut yields copra.

No, Linda, never. I'm allergic to coconut. I don't know anything about coconuts other than what I've seen on TV That's why I ask questions. I'm allergic to mangoes too, and didn't even know they were good juicers.

I do know approximately how much juice a standard, heavy juicing orange yields: about 3 oz. Yes, the zest of a juicing orange isn't very good, and while there are craft things one can do with the pith, compost seems a better use, but I don't know what copra is either, and I wish you'd enlighten me.

Pillog - copra is the dried coconut meat used to make coconut oil. Coir is another use of the coconut - it is the fibrous part of the husk used for doormats, containers for hanging flower baskets, organic soil amendments, and such. Very little of a coconut is waste and they are prolific. Each coconut palm tree provides 50-75 fruit per year and live for 50 years.

When I lived in Puerto Rico our treat when out shopping was a coco frio - freshly picked coconuts with a hole cut in the center with a machete and served with straws. In the evenings we added local rum. Those coconuts are not the ones we see in the grocery store that are hard rocks - fresh ones are golden yellow about the size of a basketball and the outer skin is like the thickest pith you've ever seen - but still can be cut with a few whacks of a machete. The taste of fresh coconut is glorious. I am sorry for those allergic to them.

Nancy

FOAS, I went shopping yesterday and I just want you to know that, for the first time, I noticed 'coconut water' available in nearly every aisle and even the deli section! LOL!!!

Also the shell is burned to make charcoal to be used for fuel. In placed where coconuts grow there is little hard wood.
Learned a lot about coconuts when visiting the Seychelles about 20 years ago.

I miss grainlady. She would've had really great contributions to this thread.

I too was expecting a lot of valuable information, and then realized that I wouldn't be seeing it.

Oh no! What's happend to Grainlady?

??? Grainlady gone??? I sincerely hope not!

Some people were very nasty to Grainlady after she took exception to something that had been said, and she left. I miss her too.

I didn't know that coir was coconut fiber! Thanks, Nancy for all the information. I am horribly allergic to coir and won't go near one of those mats. I'll happily take my shoes off to go in your house but I'm not stepping on a coir mat, or anywhere near it!

I bought coir once, to use as bedding for my worm bins. Yes, it's coconut fiber, Plllog.

You have to wonder, if that poor man became stranded on a desert island, and a coconut fell on his head, would he still be a schmuck?

Sol ☺

Sorry to hear that about Grainlady, she definitely added a lot. I'm sure she could turn one coconut into dinner for a week, a gluten free cream pie, a half pint of oil, a bra, and a doormat.

It's been said that, during WW II in the Pacific, there were occasions where coconut water was used as blood plasma in extreme emergencies. It's sterile and has similar electrolytes.
And in the islands in the indian ocean, the palm fronds are woven to make "houses", and the ribs of the fronds dried to make brooms.

I'm still laughing over the image of Grainlady wearing a coconut bra while making pies! Pillog, sorry about your really severe coconut allergy! Just curious, are you allergic to all nuts? My sister-in-law is also allergic to coconut, nuts and shellfish and apparently many people who are allergic to nuts also have a coconut allergy. I cook with coconut oil mostly so I always have to remember when she's over. "Don't eat that cookie it could kill you!" Her husband is allergic to basil! I could bump off half the family with one good Thai dish!

BTW the coconut is not a nut - it is a seed.

No....actually it's a drupe...like a cherry or a mango.

plllog

"Some people were very nasty to Grainlady after she took exception to something that had been said, and she left. I miss her too.---"

The terrorists have won. :-(

I miss Brainlady.

nancyofnc

BTW the coconut is not a nut - it is a seed.

But a nut can be a seed. :-)

dcarch

But dcarch is a nut so I took liberties. :)

it's a nutty conversation with many seeds of wisdom

Thanks, Linda! I learned a new word: drupe.

Annestewartwrites, LOL! That image is priceless--and she'd be bopping around to heavy metal drum solos. :) I worry about the rise of use of coconut oils in baking. So many people are allergic to coconut! I don't have a deathly allergy--yet. My tongue gets furry, and sometimes my whole mouth, but I also spit out anything that tastes of coconut. To me, it tastes like something you should never put in your mouth. I take people's word on it that for normal people it tastes good. I'm not allergic to any nuts that I know of, but am to mango and papaya, though not as badly, and not to avocado, guava, passion fruit, etc. To swimmy fish if it's not still quivering and not allergic to shellfish.

foodona stump

But dcarch is a nut so I took liberties. :)

Can't come up with a clever comeback. I am stumped!

dcarch

dcarch, 'Brainlady' -- so right! it is a shame that there are terrorists everywhere.

Well, actually, I don't think anyone was terrible to Grainlady. She suggested that frozen mixed vegetables be separated into separate packages for variety, especially by the elderly. Some didn't think their arthritic elderly relatives with poor eyesight and short attention spans would be amenable to that activity. I mentioned that I'd lose patience before it was ever sorted. Grainlady's response was:

"And now I'm embarrassed to be here among such food snobs who give such trite and self-centered responses since they don't have to make these kind of food choices, and yet it offends them somehow..... Be thankful it's not you."

So there was name calling, but not the "terrorists" doing it. I was argumentative, mostly because it was stated that if someone were truly poor, they'd be happy to do it. I've been truly poor, to the point of going hungry, and being called a trite, self centered food snob because I'd just eat the vegetable mixture instead of sorting it into little individual piles offended me.

Annie

Thanks, Annie, that led me to the thread. I didn't think it warranted the reaction or leaving, and I'm left wondering if she was subconsciously looking for a push out.

I found her frugality interesting and thought provoking. Yes, I just checked the prices of mixed vegetables versus separate and there would be a few pennies an ounce savings with mixed. She does take her interest/hobby/obsession to the extreme, which makes her somewhat unrelatable for me and I suspect others. I know I've had to exercise restraint to not respond negatively to some of her posts. I'm sure some comments made it through my filter over the years, and I hope she never took offense.

Sometimes it's just time to leave. We've seen many leave over the years, and in many cases they just need a break and end up coming back. I hope that's the case with her.

Annie, I doubt the comment was directed to you at all.

I did like the idea of sorting, for one, I don't use mixed all that often except in certain things. It would also take up less room in the freezer, instead of having 3 separate full size bags.

Her storage always amazed me, that she could get all of her frozen food and organized! in the regular frig-freezer. Mine is full of crap that falls out every time I open the door.

On Grainlady: I always read her threads and clearly read the responses or questions. I must admit that I sometimes skipped some of her extensive hard worked detail, but I was aware and impressed by all of all of that work that usually didn't appear to simply be 'cut and paste'. I don't think that there was any evidence of nastyness in responses on the separation of mixed veggies thread. There certainly were several that questioned the logic. I didn't get involved, but might have pointed out that I could imagine a couple people I know separating out the lima beans to avoid eating them. Otherwise, I would have been with those who thought it would probably be a waste of time and don't understand what is wrong with mixed veggies anyway.

I never noticed anyone taking offense to grainlady's frugality. foas, you certainly hid any annoyance well. But don't you think you could add 'necessity' to 'her interest/hobby/obsession?' And yes, I suspect that you have found the right issue: I didn't think it warranted the reaction or leaving, and I'm left wondering if she was subconsciously looking for a push out.

Anyway, I miss her and her expertise very much.

AFAIK, nuts ARE seeds.

And this about that - one of my mantras:

Annie, it wasn't you. You related your own story which comes from a totally different place.

As I said above, it was the reaction of the people to her taking exception that was the sinker. Instead of saying that they didn't mean to offend her and explaining their differing viewpoints, they jumped on her. I thought it was nasty then, and I still do. Not "terrorist", but definitely mean girl.

I've offered this explanation because it was my words that started this renewal of an old, long beaten, dead horse. I didn't mean to rehash the previous thread, only to explain why Grainlady left. I miss her, and I think it's awful that people get driven away.

My mother and I were just talking today about how you can disagree with someone but still respect them. I think respect is one of the things sadly missing today in society and why arguments are often boiled down to right and wrong instead of different opinions. When it comes to any topic people should have different opinions, can you imagine what a boring world it would be without that? And we wouldn't grow or learn if we weren't sometimes challenged. I think the quote by Emerson is perfect! Imagine, all this from a funny post about coconut water!

Chas - Thanks for your post. Two things:

1) GL made comments on multiple occasions making it clear that her frugality was a lifestyle choice, not a necessity. I believe she enjoys the study and the challenge. For example, the cost difference between heating up water with a microwave, electric tea kettle, or cooktop might have amounted to a few cents spread out over time, but darn it she was going to figure out which was most efficient and go with it! (IIRC tea kettle won.)

2) You used the word "annoyance" and I see where you got that from my post, but I didn't mean it that way. I meant more like, I'd want to say something like "come on now", kind of like some did on the veggie thread. And while I'm at it, my use of the word "obsession" isn't intended to sound negative.