Swanky restaurant (read: menu I can’t afford to look at much less order from), all gussied up (read: hair, makeup and heels!) and in good company (read: my hot husband and some of our friends): the stage was perfectly set for a romantic (read: child-free) Valentine’s dinner. So when one of our friends leaned back in his chair and sighed contentedly I did not expect him to say, “You know what I think about every time I order a delicious drink? Charlotte and how she wrote that post about never drinking her calories!”
“That’s what I live for, to guilt my friends via my own neuroses!” And we all toasted to that.
You’ll be relieved to know that the talk quickly turned to enemas so the ambiance was saved.
Sarcastic as he may be, my friend has a point. I don’t like drinking much of anything other than herbal tea and water. Soda, for whatever reason, has never tasted good to me and being LDS I obviously steer clear of anything alcoholic. But this quirk (it’s not a bug, it’s a feature!) also extends to the wide wonderful world of sports drinks. I don’t like them. But lots of other people do and so when two separate readers e-mailed me about all the new-fangled sports drinks coming out I figured, hey, two makes a trend, right? So for installment three of this week’s Help a Reader Out series, we’re talking libations.
Coconut Water
Water’s great for us. We’re all clear (both in mind and in pee) on this point. But what has nature provided for those occasions where you do need a drink with some calories and carbs? Enter coconut water, so beloved for its medicinal properties that a whole song was written about it. I mean, that’s what “Coconut Woman” is all about right??
Writes Reader Julie, “coconut water! augh! its absolutely ubiquitous right now. i finally caved to the peer pressure, and find myself a (surprised) fan. i feel like its relatively filling (like, waaaaay more filling than special k protein shakes and slim fast, e.g.), relatively low cal, and it has some minerals (more potassium than a banana!). ive been using it as a breakfast replacement or a snack (and intend to use it in lieu of low-cal vitamin waters/gatorades after long/intense workouts (um, when i get back in the swing of things with those …. ahem …. :)). so …. am i being placeboed? is this just empty calories and cognitive dissonance has set in and ive justified it with the whole ‘mineral’ argument combined with the fact that i live in the middle of a big city and have little access to fresh produce so a food item that provides vitamin-ish benefits that mimic actual food (and fits conveniently in your purse without bruising!) appeals to me like you wouldnt believe?”
In short, no Julie, I don’t think you are being “placeboed” (best new word ever!!). While research has failed to support some of the more outrageous claims made about coconut water, there is a reason island cultures call it “the water of life.” Thanks to it’s high mineral content (especially potassium and iron) it can replenish better than plain water. It possesses a large amount of cytokinins which are proving very promising in early research. It has even been used as a saline solution in blood transfusions in people in an emergency. It’s also relatively low-cal and low in sugar. Although in my mind its biggest benefit is that plain coconut water is a whole, natural food.
There are some downsides however. Most of us don’t live in a place where we can shimmy up a coconut tree (which I’ve heard is waaay harder than it looks?) and crack open a cold one after a nice workout. Which would probably be warm being near the equator. ANYHOW. It’s expensive. And, forgive me, but I think the plain stuff tastes icky. It’s not horrible but I wouldn’t call it delicious. But if you buy the flavored varieties then you are losing the unprocessed nature of it and gaining artificial flavors and sugars.
Do you guys have any advice for Julie? Is coconut water overhyped? Have you tried it?
“
First thing that popped into my head was this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aA9OqUuA6a0&feature=related
I love coconut water! There are a zillion and one brands on the market now, so make sure that’s the ONLY ingredient in it! The flavor also varies quite a bit; I guess it depends on where the coconuts come from. (Zico is at the bottom of my list; yuck. Blue Monkey is my favorite. Of course it’s also the most expensive.)
And Zico was the one I tried! I didn’t know the flavor varied – thanks for the Blue Monkey tip!
Living in a place where I can shimmy up a tree and grab a coconut (if my muscles held out, which is doubtful) I’m fortunate enough to have tried the fresh stuff as well as the commercial drinks.
My verdict? The fresh stuff is nowhere near as pleasant tasting (and I’m not even talking about the flavoured varieties – I’m talking the Amy & Brian stuff which is supposed to be ‘pure’). That makes me more than a little suspicious of the market varieties. What do they put in there to make it taste like liquid toffee?
In summary, I’m going to stay away from it. If I indulged it’d be the fresh kind but really, who wants to spend 20 minutes hacking at a coconut with a machete just to get half a glass of sludgy water? Superfood, shmoouperfood.
“who wants to spend 20 minutes hacking at a coconut with a machete just to get half a glass of sludgy water? ” ROFL. Love it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PBPvSjPQ5g&feature=related
Immediately though of this. Except when I was in India, the guy had the coconut AGAINST HIS KNEE!
On the bright side, wouldn’t you feel bad*ss being able to do so?
Now I want a machete. I feel less girly using a nail.
We get fresh coconut from the ethnic store, and each coconut gives about twice the amount of liquid as a single serving of the boxed stuff that you find everywhere, for only 70 cents. I’m not sure if it’s a CA thing, though, or if it’s available all over the country. It’s also way tastier than the boxed stuff also. We have a hammer and nail that we use to puncture the coconut to release the water, so it takes around 2-3 minutes to get to, then use the scraper for the coconut flesh (great in desserts, chutneys, eating fresh…sooooooo creamy, sprinkled on food).
And now I’m officially jealous. I don’t think we have that out here:(
Along those same lines, I would be interested to know about other people’s experiences with kombucha. I’ve heard all good things about it from the yogis/hippies that roam my city (hello, Austin!) but was wondering if it was actually true. It’s basically just fermented tea and I love tea/it’s low in calories/tastes pretty good, but does it actually DO anything? Anyone have an first hand ie not from Wikipedia information about it?
Ooh good q! I’ve seen it touted for its health benefits because of the fermentation involved and they say fermented foods are great for bringing good bacteria back into your digestive system.
You really do have to check the label. Not only to make sure there’s no sugar, but also no preservatives or flavorants. Myself, I have an asian grocery nearby and love, LOVE this toasted coconut water I found. So much better flavour than just the plain water, with nothing added to it. I wish I knew how to write in Cantonese, I’d give you the brand name.
Toasted! Interesting – I’ll have to check our Asian market for it. Thanks for the tip!
I like the chocolate flavored coconut water. However, I only drink half a bottle after a long run (10 miles or more). I have a hard time eating anything right after a run, so the coconut water works well for me. It gets some calories in me right away and is gentle on my stomach.
Good point about it being gentle. Drinking straight milk after a long run is a recipe for puking for me.
I actually wrote a post about this a few months ago, but when I was growing up my parents would buy a coconut every now and then (probably once a year when they showed up in our small town grocery store). My Dad would poke holes in it to drain out the coconut water/juice/whatever and divide it up between my sister and I. I loved it! Then Dad would smash open the coconut so we could eat it, which I also loved. Basically I just love coconut.
Anyway, when I heard about coconut water appearing on the market as something you could buy in a bottle to drink, I started watching out for it. When I finally found it at a store (like a year or two after I first started reading about it) I bought it right away. The first one I tried was Zico and I thought it was very close to how I remember the coconut water tasting when I was a kid. I’ve tried two other brands since then – one is okay but not as good as the Zico and the other was awful.
I’m sure not everyone is going to love it, but the brand you try might make a difference.
I love coconut too! Always been a huge fan of the meat and milk but still getting used to the water… Thanks for the brand tip!
Coconut water is all right, but not anything magical. I stay away from coconut because unlike the old slogan, I never felt like a nut 🙂 Do not like the taste nor the high fat content. Did like finding them in Florida as a kid and using them as doorstops.
PS I need your opinion on baby-led weaning on my site 🙂
I’ll go check it out now!
Thank you.
Charlotte,
I’m with you — lots of brands taste icky and sour to me. Then I stumbled upon Taste Nirvana (I’m not being hyperbolic, that’s the brand name).:P The plain is delicious, and are the kinds with pulp or aloe. Sweet and clean and delicious: http://www.tastenirvana.com/category.php?cid=71 (but like all of them, expensive).
Yeah, I thought Taste Nirvana was really yummy, and the bottle is really cool, too; I kept it for a pencil holder!
Love the bottles! There’s something really appealing about drinking out of glass, isn’t there?
But I’ve started ordering 12-packs of cans (double the size of the bottles!) on Amazon to save dolla bills: http://www.amazon.com/Taste-Nirvana-Coconut-Water-16-2-Ounce/dp/B004OW342G/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1329337905&sr=8-2
Oooh thanks for the brand tip! (And glad that I’m not the only one who thought it tasted kinda nasty). Will go check it out on Amazon now!
I’ve tried it and my anecdotal evidence is that I did feel good and satisfied after drinking it. I don’t feel heavy like I would drinking a protein shake but it did feel more substantial than water (plus i probably needed some carbs after my run). I don’t drink it every often though.
I really don’t like coconut water from the few I’ve tried. I like the idea of it, but I’ll have a gatorade if anything…
I also don’t think that it tastes good but I always crave it like crazy! So there has to be something in it that my body wants, no?
Interesting! I would say so!
I am with you. Why spoil all that lovely calorie burn with calories? Great theory on a mid-week 5 miler in 50 degree temps, but caused me to all but shut down during a 12 miler when it was 85 and humid over the summer.
My nutritionist suggested a bottle of coconut water in my camelback mixed with water, and I noticed an improvement instantly over just water. And it’s only 60 calories. The taste? Eh. It tastes like running now to me. 🙂 I prefer it over gatorade or nuun.
Yeah, not a fan of nuun either. “It tastes like running now to me” – hahah, I love it!
Sable is right – a very enjoyable read!
I am a no go on coconut water. First, it does not taste like coconut water from the coconut so it makes me wonder what’s up there. Plus it is high in sodium.
Did you know you can easily make your own electrolyte drink? Citrus juice, a few dashes of salt, honey, water. Yep!
Interesting! I just had a friend e-mail me a recipe for his own energy drink. I’d never thought to make my own before!
I like coconut water… I feel like it does a good job of hydrating me, and is easy on my stomach, which is nice, since I definitely suffer from runner’s tummy. Also, it always tastes good when I’m working out hard and really need it, but I really don’t like the taste of it otherwise, so I’m not tempted to drink it when I’m not in the middle of a long run. (Good, since I could drink too much Gatorade….)
Good point about being easier on the tummy than some other drinks!
I have absolutely nothing useful to add to the conversation, as I don’t particularly like coconut water and haven’t noticed any difference when I drink it as opposed to regular ol’ H2O. On the other hand, I’m not exactly an endurance athlete, so what do I know?
But I hate feeling left out.
So there. 🙂
Hahah – and it wouldn’t be a convo without you so I’m glad you are here!!
I am seriously straining my imagination trying to picture an emergency situation where there is a medical person (who could theoretically do blood transfusions), the necessary equipment, the said person in need of a transfusion… and only a coconut?
Personally, since I’m taking spironolactone for hormonal acne, and that can raise potassium levels, no coconut water for me. Also, I don’t like the taste much. I’m sticking with plain water (with milk and tea for fun drinks – I hate soft drinks and coffee, and most juices I find too sweet).
Okay this: “I am seriously straining my imagination trying to picture an emergency situation where there is a medical person (who could theoretically do blood transfusions), the necessary equipment, the said person in need of a transfusion… and only a coconut?” is the funniest thing I have read all day! You make a very salient point, lol!
LOL Good point! But it was back in WWII when they were in the islands and ran out of medical supplies.
Try making your own! 1/2 C organic coconut flakes/shreds/whatever you call ’em. 1 C hot (not boiling but nearly) water. Put in food processor and pulse a couple of times. (Do not just run it, you’ll get nasty sludge…) Then strain it through a fine mesh strainer (some people use coffee filters, but not something you find in your typical LDS household…) into a glass jar. You can repeat the shreds/water/food processor up to 3 more times for a total of 4 C of coconut milk/water.
Either drink it straight (yummy after a good sweaty workout) or toss some in a blender with some frozen blueberries and some good vanilla if you have it. DELISH smoothie! You can do lots of interesting things with the leftover coconut shreds – I use them with some coconut oil as a face cleanser.
Forgot to mention it will keep in the fridge for about 5 days. (But it never lasts that long at my house…) If you use the strainer – you will also get a nice little layer of coconut oil on the top – freebie!
I do not consume coconut water regularly. However, I have noticed that when I’m feeling dehydrated it restores my equilibrium more than plain water. So it’s worth it to have some on hand at times.
I would NOT use it as meal replacement, though.
And I haven’t seen such quantities that I can talk about flavors. I’ve only had the plain stuff and did not find the taste overwhelming appealling. Another reason to save it for when I’m dry. (like after gardening for several hours…)
I am an addict. I don’t usually drink it straight, I usually add a little to my water for my workout to give me a few calories and electrolytes. It is great in smoothies, I saw a recipe in whole living magazine. Delicious. Mango, coconut water, lime, cayenne smoothie = vacation in a glass!
LOATHE the boxed/canned/jarred/glassed coconut water with a vengeance, but when I lived in southern California, I could buy a fresh young coconut (1.5-2 cups of water per) for $2.50 a pop – about the same price as a soda, cheaper than juice, WAY more delicious, and so fun to open with a cleaver! I got into a daily habit after a yoga practice and miss it now that I’m living in London.
honestly, chocolate coconut water is THE BEST recovery fluid after a super long/hard bike ride. so yes, believe it totally helps.
also, Raw coconut water, best ever