"But coconuts?!" we hear you ask, "surely they are full of saturated fat?!" Whilst this is true of the actual flesh of the coconut, the coconut water, is naturally saturated fat (and all fat, come to think of it) free. Emily doesn't like the taste of coconut flesh, but she was willing to try the water in the spirit of our blog post. Interestingly, we found it doesn't taste at all like coconut. It doesn't really taste of anything specific, actually! It's like slightly salty, slightly sugary water. But not at all inspiring, and not something we would drink a whole bottle full of. Well, at least, not until we'd become acquired to the taste.
Our Grandpa, who grew up in Guyana, used to drink coconut water all the time. It's been a popular drink in the Tropics for a very long time. Grandpa often used to tell us when you bought coconut water from a street vendor, they would cut the top off the coconut right there in front of you to ensure the water was as fresh as possible. We both remember fondly one holiday when Grandpa cut down a coconut from the tree with his machete, then used it expertly to open it up and let us drink the water from inside, all done outside under the shade of a palm tree!
Coconut water is sold here as a natural sports drink, an alternative to the fizzy sugary concoctions on the market. It does work well as a sports drink - offering you the same amount of potassium as three bananas, lots of electrolytes, and natural sugars for energy.
Whilst coconut water does do you good, it's best to realize that unless you are a heavy athlete, you don't really need to worry about replacing lost electrolytes. Unless you are really sweaty, you're unlikely to have endangered yourself. You can just eat a banana before you work out, and then drink lots of water to keep you hydrated. Us average souls don't really need any kind of special sports drink.
However, if you do want something different to water - we'd say go for it! Coconut water will do you much better than any non-natural drink. Stick to things like non-concentrated fruit juice, smoothies, coconut water and water, and you'll be taking in lots of good things, rather than chemicals and empty calories.
Taste: Not too bad, slightly sugary, slightly salty. Not that inspiring. BUT... try some coconut water mixed with natural fruit juices! We loved icoco's coconut water in cherry vanilla. It had lots of cherry juice in (which, incidentally, is very good for gout and will take down any swellings you may have), but still retained the goodness from the coconut water.
Nutrition: High in easily available carbohydrates in the form of natural sugars, coconut water will give you energy. It will hydrate you, but also is a great source of electrolytes (notably potassium) which are lost when you sweat a lot. Many people don't get enough potassium in their diets because they don't eat enough fruit and veg, but if you eat a lot of fruit and veg anyway, this probably isn't a problem for you. Potassium is really important for regulating blood pressure, and can reduce hypertension by increasing the excretion of sodium from your body. It's primary function is to regulate the balance of water and minerals. Containing only 60 kcal per container, coconut water is a relatively low calorie, high nutrition drink.
Price: Here's the deal - it's not cheap. If you saw earlier, we said we saw it was on sale in the supermarket. If you're on a budget, we'd tell you to stick to water, eat your veg, and have a banana every now and then. That'll do the trick!
Overall: Coconut water is tasty and nutritious, but you can get the same nutrients from much cheaper foods. Don't necessarily listen to the hype! (Although, if you do get a chance to try the cherry vanilla version, do - it's yummy!)
Enjoy today!!
- rosinaviolets x
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