Five Reasons to love Coconut Water (and one reason to be skeptical)

Coconut water is absolutely everywhere these days.  What used to be a rare find at a health food store is now just another staple at the big groceries, and with good reason:  people have started to notice the benefits of drinking coconut water.

Five reasons you should love coconut water.

1.  Natural hydration.   Instead of turning to Gatorade or tap water after a good workout or even a hot day, coconut water can help you hydrate efficiently, naturally.  Moreover, dehydration is a big fear for those of us big or small who have battled the stomach flu.  When your stomach settles, sipping coconut water can effectively help you stay hydrated.

2.  Coconut water is naturally fat free and low calorie.  An excellent alternative to soda, coconut water can be a great pick-me-up without the empty calories and artificial sweeteners and dyes.

3.  Coconut water is rich in Potassium.  Potassium helps balance fluid and mineral levels, and aids in muscle contraction (which is pretty important, considering that your heart is a muscle).  Packing the equivalent of two bananas worth of Potassium, coconut water is a good source of Potassium, particularly for those among us who don’t get the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables in our diets.

4.  Coconut water blends well with other flavors.  I often find myself getting stuck in a rut with a certain food or drink – I’ll find

Some popular brands of coconut water

something I love and keep drinking it day after day until eventually I cannot stand the taste of it anymore.  Because coconut water has a naturally “tropical” flavor, it blends well with other tropical fruit flavors, like mango and pineapple.  Variety is a good thing.

5. Coconut water is uniquely thirst quenching.  Yes, I realize that sounds like an advertisement, but I find it to be very true.  As a runner, I find that sometimes plain water doesn’t seem to be sufficient to rehydrate after a long run.  While Gatorate or Rocktane are my go-to, if I have coconut water available I find it to be just as satisfying, and far more natural.

And one reason to be skeptical

The benefits of coconut water are constantly being overstated.  One website claims that coconut water is identical to human blood plasma, such that drinking it provides the same benefits of a blood transfusion.  (And it goes on to claim that “many” lives in third world countries have been saved thanks to a coconut I.V.).  Other websites have touted its ability to fight diabetes, reverse age spots, wrinkles, and fight cholera.   (And as Nutrition Diva points out, deaths from cholera are pretty rare among those who can afford a drink that costs $2 – $3 per serving).  Without any citations to studies supporting those conclusions, one can safely assume that they are overstatements, at best.

The bottom line seems to be that coconut water does have some benefits, and if you like the unusual flavor and don’t mind the $2 – $3 per serving price tag, enjoy it!  There are definitely some great reasons to drink coconut water.  But if the flavor or the high prices causes you to choke a little, you aren’t missing a miracle cure by passing on the coconut water.