Coconut Water

Image by soumit via Flickr

Coconut water is all the rage recently. Not to be confused with coconut milk or cream of coconut (which comes from the "meat" of a mature coconut), coconut water is simply the clear liquid in young coconut when it is cracked open. My current favorite is Vita Coco's Coconut Water with Peach and Mango, which can be found at Whole Foods, and increasingly in supermarkets. 


Coconut water is a natural source of electrolytes, like sodium, potassium, and magnesium. It's nature's Gatorade, without all the added sugar, artificial flavoring and food coloring, a natural way to rehydrate your system. Coconut water has 74% less sodium and 16x the amount of potassium that Gatorade has.  Potassium helps maintain normal blood pressure, decreases the chances of recurrent kidney stones and may reduce bone loss. 

Try using coconut water as a refreshing addition to smoothies, before or after a workout. One of my personal favorites is:

Mango Pineapple Smoothie

1 fresh mango, cut up
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
1 banana
1/2 cup coconut water
squeeze of lime juice
1/2 cup ice cubes (you don't need any if the fruit is frozen)
Blend everything until smooth.

More on Coconut Water:
Coconut Water -- The New Sports Drink