Raw Lemon and Coconut Milkshake, Dairy-Free

Start by piercing one of the coconut's three eyes and collecting the water in a glass: this is what will form the liquid base of this shake. Then crack the shell by tapping all around its circumference with the back of a heavy knife or a machete, turning the coconut as you go; it eventually splits cleanly in two. Slide a sturdy spoon or a round-tipped knife between the flesh and the shell, and lever it out in small sections. On a young coconut, the pulp is tender and comes away almost with a spoon.

Just as it is, in chunks, it's already excellent. It can also be grated to sprinkle over a bowl of fruit, blended to make homemade coconut milk, or sliced into thin strips for a salad. In raw preparations, it makes a great stand-in for cream: its pulp blended with a little water gives a smooth texture with no additives. Once opened, keep it in the fridge and eat it within two to three days.

Fresh coconut provides fibre, potassium, magnesium and manganese, in an unprocessed food. It is, however, rich in saturated fat, which makes it filling: a few chunks are enough to take the edge off hunger. As with any fatty food, moderation still applies if you're watching your intake. Compared with industrial desiccated coconut, the fresh version has the advantage of not having gone through heavy drying or preservative additions.

Coconut water is a simple, lightly sweetened drink, naturally rich in potassium, with nothing contraindicated about it in itself during pregnancy. Choose one from a fresh coconut you open yourself, or a pasteurised one from a manufacturer, rather than water that's been open for several days. Like any drink, it's a complement to water, not a replacement for it. If you have a specific condition being monitored — blood pressure, kidneys or gestational diabetes — talk to the midwife or doctor following your pregnancy.