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To drink coconut water, or to not…..

I love coconut water! Coconut water has the same mineral make up as plasma and is loaded with electrolytes such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium.  I like to drink it during long endurance work outs or after a hard workout to replenish electrolytes.  Most of the sports drinks on the market are either loaded with sugar, artificial sweeteners or other chemicals.  I find coconut water  to be a nice, healthy, and natural hydration supplement.

That being said, there are still naturally occurring sugars in coconut water.  It is good to use an electrolyte replacement or as an occasional treat but plain old water is still best for daily consumption.

Also, not all coconut water is the same.  You have to read the labels.  A lot of them have added sugar or flavors.  Also, they can be manufactured differently.  It is best to get a raw unheated coconut water.  I encourage you to read the following post by Food Babe.  She breaks down each brand of coconut water and provides a very nice reference chart.  Click here to read her post.

The 2 types of coconut water I drink are Harmless Harvest and Amy and Brian all natural coconut juice.  The Harmless Harvest coconut water is truly the best.  They use the coconut water from young coconuts and leave it in its raw state, not heating it all.  The problem is that it is quite expensive.  I only buy it when it’s on sale.  The other brand I drink, Amy and Brain, is much more affordable.  They still use young coconuts and do not add any additives to their water but they do  flash pasteurize the water. Amy and Brian can be purchased at Amazon here for a very good price.

Both of these brands are also sold  at Whole Foods  and if you buy a case (12 bottles), they will give you a 10 % discount.

Thank for reading 🙂