Coconut water, is it a fad or truly marvellous?

Coconut water is the drink on everyone talking about, but is it a fad or truly marvellous for our health?

It seems like every week there is another super health product craze, if it’s not blueberries and pine nuts, then it was acai berries, now the current nutritional craze is all about coconuts, whether it be cooking with coconut oil, blending coconut milk into smoothies or drinking coconut water. Coconut water is currently the most hyped drink in the world, and anyone who is anyone are being seen to rehydrate with the stuff. But is it all it’s cracked up to be health-wise? It would appear so, yes.

Nature’s isotonic drink

Firstly, don’t confuse coconut water with coconut milk. Coconut water is the liquid inside a young, green coconut, while the milk appears when the coconut matures. Research has shown that the benefits of this natural drink are endless: it has been used for rehydration and as a health and beauty aide in tropical regions for centuries; it’s low in fat and calories (around 25 calories per 125ml); it has no cholesterol and has a natural balance of sodium, potassium and calcium.
Benefits of drinking the stuff therefore include immediate rehydration, increased energy, regulation of body temperature and better cell osmosis which equals better general bodily functioning.

Naturally sterile

The coconut palm, shell, husk and meat serve as a natural filter as water passes through the coconut tree, so by the time it reaches the hollow of the coconut, the water is clearer than the purest spring water, and 100 per cent sterile – the key is keeping it this way.

A substitute for plasma

During World War II soldiers fighting in the Pacific were without blood plasma for transfusions. Now because coconut water has a perfect ph and electrolyte balance the same as human blood, when sterile, it was an ideal substitute. Therefore it saved thousands of lives.

So far so amazing, but with so many now on the market how do we know which one to go for?

Read the label

Always read the label and check that your coconut water isn’t from concentrate and contains no added sugars. A few on the market have been flavoured with other juices (such as pineapple or berries), which could mask a less than clean taste, and will also add unwanted sugars.

Go cocoNUTS – the purest forms of this natural super juice are here to stay. One word of warning however – if you are a fan of syrup loaded highly calorific isotonic drinks , your taste buds may be a little disappointed. Coconut water (unsurprisingly since it is wholly derived from the environment) might be a little bland. My advice is to make the switch anyway – your taste buds will adjust – there seems to be no other drink in the world that’s better for us, other than water of course. What the hell took us so long?

Get your CHI COCONUT WATER in club today!!