Coconut Water

Between social media, a recent conversation with a client, product advertisements, and magazine articles, coconut water seems to be all the rage these days. I suppose this isn't a recent development, but all those touch points coming together at once is what spurred this post. Better late than never?

Jessie and I have written about the health benefits of coconut before: both coconut milk and coconut oil --  we are big fans! But what about coconut water? A few things to consider...

• Electrolytes: coconut water is loaded with electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, magnesium, etc. These are essential for hydration, which is why many will drink coconut water during or after a hard workout to replenish lost fluids.
• Sugar Content: coconut water is also loaded with sugar (16g in 12oz depending on the brand), which is part of the reason we try to avoid it. 
• Sugar Delivery: not only is the quantity of sugar something to be alarmed by, the velocity of delivery is kind of scary -- drinking sugar is typically never a great idea. We've written about this before on smoothies/juicing here.
• Better than Gatorade? Natural sugars found in foods are always preferable over anything refined/processed. Assuming the coconut water brand you chose doesn't have added sugar or a ton of artificial preservatives, then it's probably better than Gatorade!

Bottom line: Context matters. If you're going to drink some coconut water on occasion after a long workout or when you were sweating a ton, fine. But to sip on it throughout the day because you think it's a health food, we'd advise against it.

What are your thoughts on coconut water? Share in the comments section below!