One of the most crucial parts of any kind of intensive workout is hydration.  But sometimes water just isn’t enough, and most sports drinks are full of sugar, food colorings, and other yucky additives.  Are there any healthy alternatives you ask?  Why yes, in fact, let me introduce you to the wonders of…

COCONUT WATER

Coconut water?  When I tell people about my new favorite hydration drink, I get a lot of reactions.  I get; “really?”, or “yuck!”, or maybe “I’ll have to try that”.  My two riding friends have even made faces at the very mention of it.  Some people like the flavor, some people don’t.  But I’d like to tell you more about it and why I love it.

Coconut water is chock full of potassium, to begin with.  According to the Vita Coco website, which is a brand that I frequently purchase at my favorite grocery store, an 8.5 fl oz. container of coconut water contains 1030mg of potassium1!  By comparison, a banana has roughly 300mg.2 According to a fact sheet I found through the Colorado State University Extension, potassium helps regulate the balance of water in the body.  “Low potassium can cause muscle cramping and cardiovascular irregularities”.2 That sounds a little scary!  But anyone who has been on a day-long ride in the heat will tell you how energizing it is to eat bananas along with other healthy snack choices like nuts, pretzels, (protein and sodium) and other fruits.  Coconut water is also full of electrolytes, but it has a low sodium content.  So if you’re losing a lot of body water via perspiration, it’s important that you’re also replacing that lost sodium3.

There are all kinds of claims on the internet about the wonders of coconut water.  Apparently a lot of celebrities are all drinking it now too; it’s become a trend.  It supposedly cures Diabetes, some cancers, the list goes on.  Personally, I’ve yet to run across any product – natural or man-made -  that’s a miracle cure.  Here’s what I do know:  Coconut water is natural.  In my quest to clean up my diet and eat/drink simpler, more

whole foods, coconut water beats manufactured sports drinks by a mile.  There are no additives of any kind.  Several brands offer flavor varieties, which consists of coconut water plus fruit puree like mango, peach, or tangerine, for example.  Our bodies know exactly what how to process ingredients like that! To further prove my point, read these ingredients lists:

Vita Coco Coconut water ingredients: Coconut water, Ascorbic Acid (vitamin C)1

Gatorade ingredients: Filtered water, Brominated Vegetable Oil, Sucralose, High Fructose Corn Syrup (gasp!!), Citric Acid, Natural Flavors, Salt, Sodium Citrate, Monopotassium Phosphate, Glycerol Ester of Wood Rosin (huh??), and artificial colors.4

Tell me now, which would you rather put in your body?

If you want to find coconut water at your grocery store, you’ll most likely run into it in the juice aisle.  Look for it on the top shelf.

Cheers!

1   Vita Coco, 2010.  Nutritional Facts. Retrieved Feb. 18, 2011 from: http://vitacoco.com/wp-content/themes/VitaCocoH5/nutrition-info/pure-nutrition.pdf

2   J. Anderson, L. Young, M.S.,  E. Long, 12/92. Revised 8/08.  Potassium and Health.  Colorado State University Extension.  Retrieved Feb. 18, 2011 from: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09355.html

3   J. Helm, 6/14/10. Health Watch: Going Coconuts. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved Feb 18, 2011 from:http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-07-14/entertainment/sc-food-0709-health-coconut-20100709_1_coconut-oil-coconut-water-sports-drinks

4   S. Buckines, 12/09/09. List of Ingredients in Gatorade. Livestrong.com. Retrieved Feb. 18, 2011, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/43161-list-ingredients-gatorade/

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