Have you ever wondered whether you would be able to survive on a tropical island?

The coconut plant is a real life saver! Everybody knows that a fresh coconut will provide coconut milk and a riper one coconut flesh. But did you know that even coconut plants contain some edible parts? I went to Palau and this is what some nice native Palauans taught me.

Tear out a young 3 foot coconut plant, cut it open and it will provide you with sugar, fat, oil and a natural fiber. The fluffy inner part is sweet as candy floss and will provide you with energy. The fatty and oily part can be eaten too or you can rub it into your skin when you are cold. It will work as an insulation and keep you warm. It also smoothens the skin and protects to some degree against the sun. The coconut fiber can be used as a protection against cold as well. Also, the soft white part of the stem and branches can be eaten.

It´s easiest to cut the cocnut with a machete of course but any kind of sharp tool or smashing it with rocks will do.