Coconut Water- Hype or Healthy?

Coconut water here, coconut water there, coconut water everywhere!

Have you noticed the surge of it over the recent few years?

I certainly have, and along with the growing rise in popularity comes a wide range of product quality.  Some of the more mainstream brands I’ve tried, though their ingredient panel appears benign, simply don’t taste very good.  And others, which I’ve tried while traveling to various places, have an incredible flavor but are so delicate and perishable (and expensive), it makes it hard to find them other than in a small shop in Hawaii, for example.

Is this all hype or is there something at the root of it?

Yesterday, there was a great article in the NY Times outlining this very topic. 

Global sales of coconut water now reach $400 million per year, possibly due to the idea that ‘it’s not seen as a manufactured concoction’, and it’s marketed as a great ‘natural’ alternative to sports drinks and as a great source of electrolytes and minerals.

One study is cited which showed that neither sports drinks nor coconut water were more hydrating than plain old water in hydrating young men after an hour long workout.

So is it worth spending the extra bucks versus drinking from the tap?

My position is the same as with most other foods: balance.  No need to drink it by the gallon on a daily basis, but certainly no need to avoid it either.

I would suggest choosing one that’s less ‘manufactured’, however; go for a raw variety, one example of which is my favorite, Harmless Harvest.

Raw, delicious and eco-friendly, it’s my number one choice.  Check them out, or see what’s available to you in your neck of the woods. If you’re lucky enough to live in a place such as Hawaii, you can do even better- drink straight from a coconut!

Here is the full article; check it out!