In Sri Lanka, wholesome King Coconut water is tourists’ favorite
Sri Lanka, Dec 31: Sri Lanka, the Southern Asia’s tropical island nation, is acclaimed as one of the top tourist destinations of the world. Visitors to this island are mesmerised by its beauty, history and culture.
Among the memorable experiences encountered here is the lingering taste of its exquisite natural drink – the King Coconut water. The King Coconut water is the favorite beverage of the Sri Lankans, which is becoming increasingly popular with the tourists.
The King Coconuts, locally called ‘Thambili’ are bright-orange coloured variety of coconuts which are indigenous to Sri Lanka. These are extensively found throughout the country especially on the beaches and roadside kiosks which are in plenty during the dry, hot summer months.
Sri Lanka is increasingly becoming a preferred getaway while food and drinks in Sri Lanka are also yet another attraction that draws tourists from outside the country. And the King Coconut is the prime favorite. Tourists make it a point to stop at King Coconut roadside vendors and relish the drink.
Kobatte Jeelani, a Bahrain resident who recently visited Sri Lanka, King Coconut was a real winner. He feasted on it whenever he sighted the king coconut stall. “We get this in India as well and called Kandhali. It is really sweet drink,” he said.
The beverage is becoming increasingly popular with tourists. (Supplied)
For locals, it is an everyday thirst quencher and the most preferred drink of the city folks. Says S.M. Syed Naazim, a businessman in Colombo, “King Coconut water, reminiscent of childhood summers, is wholesome, nutritious drink. It is Nature’s own fluid.”
The star hotels and resorts in Sri Lanka offer King Coconut drink upon arrival at their properties as welcome drink.
The King Coconut trees are abundantly grown freely throughout the coastal belt of Sri Lanka with little or no human intervention and also are a common sight in most Sri Lankans’ homes.
The King Coconuts are exclusively used as beverages while the common green coconuts have multiple uses. And although the young green coconut water is also consumed; the preferred choice of many Sri Lankans is the King Coconut water.
The King Coconut has several sub-varieties in Sri Lanka; the commonest being the ‘kaha or gonthambili’ and ‘ran thambili’. The King Coconut water is the favorite drink of the locals and its drinking has been a centuries-old tradition in Sri Lanka, being widely prized for its nutritive and curative properties and extensively used in Ayurvedic therapy since millennia.
Tourists make it a point to stop at King Coconut roadside vendors and relish the drink. (Supplied)
A nutritional drink
The main constituents of the King Coconut water are easily digestible sugars, minerals and vitamins. The minerals are the potassium and sodium, the ‘serum electrolytes’ of which potassium is found in much higher concentration than sodium.
The King coconut water also contains other key minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, manganese and phosphorus. It also contains vitamin C and some vitamins of the B-complex group such as thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, pyridoxine and folate.
Laden with such vital nutrients; the King Coconut water has multiple health benefits and the Sri Lankans treasure this thirst-quenching nature’s gift. Some of its benefits are outlined below:
It is an everyday thirst quencher and the most preferred drink of the city folks. (Supplied)
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As it is rich in serum electrolytes, it is used as a rehydrant fluid and energy booster especially after physical activities.
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The vitamins in the King Coconut water are required as coenzymes essential for cellular functions.
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Cytokinins in the King Coconut water are believed to reduce the risk of degenerative and age-related diseases and also helps to fight against cancer.
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The minerals in this water help to regulate the blood pressure levels and also promote general wellness of our being.
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As King Coconut water contains higher dietary soluble fibre and naturally occurring bioactive enzymes; it aids in digestion and improves constipation. It is useful in treating diarrhoea and cholera and other gastrointestinal diseases.
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King Coconut water acts as a diuretic and flushes our toxins and drugs from the body. It is also effective in the treatment of bladder infections as well as kidney and urethral stones.
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As it is isotonic with human blood, it had been used during World War II for emergency plasma transfusion; being a natural substitute for saline solution.
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Since the King Coconut water contains more sugar, it is tastier and sweeter when compared to water of other varieties of coconuts although it’s sugar content is much lesser than other aerated drinks and processed fruit juices.
Thus, the King Coconut water brimming with nutrition and vitality is considered to be a ‘pharmaceutical wonder’ or a ‘living pharmacy’ by Sri Lankans. And in recent years, Sri Lanka has been packing this ‘fluid of life’ into tetra packs and bottles and widely exporting to other countries wherein consumers have adopted the coconut water as ‘Mother Nature’s Sports Drink’.
The King Coconut has several sub-varieties in Sri Lanka. (Supplied)
The craze and virtues of coconut water appeals the health-conscious people who are increasingly preferring it over the fizzy drinks and packed juices; the King Coconut water is surely making waves further from its native Sri Lanka.
Courtesy: english.alarabiya.net
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
