I read an article in the New York Post last month headlined “They’re Loco For Coco” and detailing this new celebrity obsession with coconut water, with names like Rihanna, Dianna Agron, Jessica Alba and Stacy Keibler reportedly singing its praises.
They’re all discovering what a lot of us in the Caribbean (except Rihanna apparently) have known practically all our lives – the stuff’s good for you! Quite apart from being a refreshing drink to help beat the hot Caribbean sun and the accompanying thirst, the juice does much more than just replenish hydration levels.
According to the article "… A-Rod, Madonna and Gisele, Manhattanites are increasingly reaching for the drink, made of water from a coconut, with variations in processing and additives ranging from vitamins to high-fructose corn syrup.”
“Once found mostly in natural-food stores such as Whole Foods, the coconut water drink is now so commonplace, just about any corner bodega stocks it. With sales hitting the $200 million mark, the US coconut-water market is skyrocketing; one popular brand, Zico, has increased its sales by 150 percent each year since 2006.”
Too bad they’re still finding ways to process and throw in additives to what is already the most healthy plant based food.
The Cocos Nucifera as it is scientifically known, is a nutritional powerhouse chock full of electrolytes and cytokinins which is a great anti-carcinogenic anti-ageing agent by the way. Cytokinins according to researchers helps to reduce normal cell degeneration and thus prevents age related degenerative diseases.
Coconut water is packed with vitamins, such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pyridoxine, and folates, minerals, like zinc, selenium, iodine, sulfur, manganese, potassium and magnesium. It’s low calorie, low sugar, low fat, and all of these properties help in regulating blood pressure, and aiding overall circulation. It also prevents plaque from forming and blood clotting. So drinking coconut water could save your life by preventing heart attack but more than that, its been found to be so close to human plasma, that it has helped save many lives after being used successfully as an IV in medical procedures in remote parts of the world.
Its low sodium and chloride content, and amino acids make it a more ideal drink for athletes, than most sports drinks for purposes of hydration. It reportedly contributes to overall exercise performance because of its high phosphorous, sodium and magnesium content all of which can be depleted during intense physical activity but which promote proper muscle function and bone health.
Coconut water contains 10 to 15 times the potassium content of most sports drinks and next to pure water is the best post workout fluid to consume, especially if your workouts are intense or last more than 6o minutes, in which case plain water is not enough to replenish the vital electrolytes like sodium and potassium that would have been lost.
Its naturally occurring enzymes make coconut water good for the digestive and metabolic systems. Apart from helping to regulate blood glucose and insulin levels, it is widely used to treat diarrhoea and constipation.
More research is being done to ascertain this, but coconut water is also believed to help in promoting healthy skin and good eye health as well as stave off osteoporosis. As more research is done, more benefits are bound to be discovered, but for now crack open a nut and enjoy it’s refreshing, regenerating goodness. Not only does it taste good, but its good for you!.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR; Kendal Burton is a Certified Personal Trainer, Yoga Instructor & Sports Nutrition Specialist. For more health and fitness tips “friend” us on Facebook, or join our free fitness community atwww.edgepersonalfitness.com. If you have any questions, or a topic you’d like us to address email us at mail@edgepersonalfitness.com
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