"Two basic items necessary to sustain life - sunshine and coconut water."
I'm from Trinidad and Tobago, a beautiful island in the West Indies and as such, coconuts and coconut water flow as in much abundance as waves.
Every street corner, every beach, every park especially around the Savannah is lined with coconut vendors. So acquiring coconut water is no task!
However for my friends abroad, you may not be this fortunate and settle for bottled coconut water instead. My advice? Try as best as possible to find out which label is least preserved, and what days are they stocked at your convenience store. This will allow you to possibly get it at its best!
Unfortunately - bottled water misses the greatest thing about having a freshly picked coconut, the jelly. Sorry folks, you gotta fly into the Caribbean for this jelly goodness.
Book your vacation now! Sun, Sea and Sand and of course, COCONUTS!
So without further ado, let me tell you why I'm going off on this.
What is Coconut Water?
Coconut water is the juice found in the center of a young, green coconut which helps nourish it! As the coconut matures, some of the juice remains in liquid form, while the rest ripens into the solid white flesh known as coconut jellyyy. It contains easily digested carbohydrates in the form of sugar and electrolytes and is not to be confused with high-fat coconut milk or oil.
Coconut water typically comes from young coconuts about 6–7 months of age, although it's also found in mature fruit.
But is coconut water really healthy? Or have we fallen for another expensive campaign?
Benefits:
Low in Calories: Contained 42 calories per serving (240g) which is a pretty low-calorie drink. Use this to replace any one of your regular, sugar-sweetened drinks which will assist you in reaching your weight loss goals.
Potassium: You need enough potassium in your body for your brain and nervous system to function properly. Coconut water can help provide some of that much needed potassium. One serving of coconut water will cover about 13% of your daily potassium needs.
Magnesium: If your body is running low on magnesium, it can lead to low energy levels or even lead to serious health conditions like asthma, diabetes and osteoporosis. A serving of coconut water take care of about 14% of your daily magnesium needs.
Antioxidant Properties: Coconut water contains antioxidants that protect cells from damaging free radicals.
Prevent Kidney Stones: Coconut water may potentially prevent kidney stones by reducing crystal and stone formation.
Hydration: Although it's not more hydrating than well - water - it's still a great source of nourishment.
Great for Smoothies: Yup! You can swap out regular water for coconut water so that there's no need for added sugars for taste!
But Is It Better Than Water Or Simply A Marketing Scheme?
1. Unfortunately, you shouldn't be swapping out your 2L of water a day consumption for coconut water. If you did, you'd be consuming 80g of sugar. It is therefore recommended that you limit your intake to 250ml per day.
2. As I mentioned earlier, of course it's much healthier to get your fix straight from a coconut. But if this isn't as easily accessible and you must settle for bottled coconut water, pay attention to the labels! Look out for added sugars, flavors and excessive preservatives. Of course there is some semblance of preservative to package and export, but compare your labels to give you the best bet.
3. Research says that coconut water doesn’t improve markers of hydration during exercise, any more than plain water does. In fact, it found the exercising participants who could voluntarily hydrate with coconut water drank less than their plain water-drinking counterparts because of the taste. Although coconut water is rich in potassium, it is low in carbohydrates and sodium- two potential issues for those who do endurance training or prolonged aerobic workouts. So don't go replacing your gym water for coconut water just yet!
Everything is always better in moderation. Just remember that!
And if you don’t like plain water, try drinking it cold and adding lemon, cucumber, mint and/or berries to spice it up. I will be doing a post on this as well! Subscribe to get the update!
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