Don’t Sleep on Coconut Water

Sorry about the click bait title format. What if I told you there was a low calorie drink that was:

High in electrolytes that many people lack.
Lower in calories than your favorite sports drink.
Can lower both high blood pressure and cholesterol.
Can reduce stress and muscle tension
Decrease High Blood Sugar levels in those that have diabetes

You’d probably think I’d be ready to sell you some miracle supplement via infomercial for a the low price of $29.99. But wait… there’s more. Seriously though, coconut water has all these benefits and possibly more.

Coconut water is the liquid found inside of young green coconuts, that later turns into the flesh. Coconut water is high in both potassium (which most people fail to get enough of) and magnesium. Potassium helps with hydration inside the cells and it also helps with muscle contraction. Due to the fact that coconut water has the electrolyte profile similar to human blood, it is great (better than water) for replenishing fluids. With coconut water being high in calcium and magnesium (which is a mineral that the body uses to calm the nervous system down, and regulate blood sugar) it helps alleviate the effects of stress on the body (an amped up fight or flight response), and it can help reduce or prevent cramping, relaxing muscles such as the heart. This could mean lower blood pressure also. Coconut water only has 46 calories per 8 oz. of liquid.

I use Coconut water after my workouts with my protein drink. I take it even though I hate the taste of coconuts, because of the health and performance benefits, and the fact that I don’t retain as much water as I normally do. I drink my protein drink separately, and I immediately mix 14 oz. of Gatorade (because I can afford the carbs post workout) with 6-8 oz. of coconut water, and most of flavors of Gatorade cover up the taste of coconut water, because I buy it unflavored.

Coconut water should be refrigerated. If the product you buy doesn’t require refrigeration, it’s because it has been pasteurized to improve its shelf life. But, even though the pasteurization uses high temperatures to kill off bacteria, it also kills many of the natural vitamins and minerals in the product. So avoid both pasteurized and concentrate versions of coconut water in order to obtain all the nutrients that coconut water possesses.