What Are The Benefits Of Coconut Water?

Published November 9, 2013 by Mary McShane

There has been a lot of hype about coconut water in the news, online and in print with claims for weight loss and hangover cures. Many people have replaced soda pop and sports drinks with coconut water, but is it better? Just how "healthy" is coconut water?

I visited over 15 merchant websites who sell coconut water, reading customer reviews and testimonials and comparing prices to volume. Then I set out to talk (and listen) to people in various online forums to see what their opinions were.

Why did I go to so much trouble?

Because my significant other, the man I spend my life with, is addicted to fizzy sports drinks and can't stand to drink water - bottled, tap or filtered. I wanted to know just how good this stuff is for you and what benefits people are getting from drinking it so I could present it to him as a viable alternative to the fizzy, high fructose corn syrup drinks he loves and drinks every day.

Before I could ask anyone questions, I had to get educated on just what coconut water was and why people are raving about it being so healthy for you.

Simply put, coconut water is the liquid inside the coconut when you crack it open. Coconut water is taken from young green coconuts, not the brown hairy ones you are used to seeing. It is so potassium rich, that many nutritionists say it has more potassium than bananas. It is very hydrating and naturally rich in electrolytes. In tropical climates, it is only made from fresh coconuts, (not the pre-packaged commercial drinks) and people drink it daily.

In its fresh raw form, it is not pasteurized so it retains its detoxifying enzymes and has no added sugars. It is considered low in calories and in densely populated cities, coconut water is a preferred pre-workout and post-workout thirst quencher. Some people even claim it is a great hangover cure, although I wouldn't know about that!

It has even been promoted as a miracle cure on a couple of websites because it was used in an emergency during wartime as intravenous solution when there was no saline available. I don't think this was meant to be a true substitution in today's world, but who knows? I guess it is good information to store away for future use.

Coconut water is not the same as coconut milk. Coconut milk is made from grinding up the meat of the coconut and squeezing out the liquid. It is high in fats and calories. One cup of coconut milk (240 grams) is about 550 calories, mostly fat calories.

Coconut water has a sweet nutty kind of taste and is harvested when green coconuts are between five and nine months of age. Coconut water is high in potassium and magnesium, has NO fat and has about 50 calories per one cup of coconut water (240 grams) from sugar.

Besides the sugar and calories, it sounds like Gatorade provides similar benefits with replenishing electrolytes and potassium.. If this stuff is so good, why isn't everyone drinking it?

I picked three of the best selling coconut water products for review and demonstration purposes. Take a look at these products which show the comparison of prices per 12 packs of nearly the same ounces in volume. Comparison shopping is a must when you are faced with same or similar product, but checking ingredients against each other is as if not more important.

Vita Coco promotes that their coconut water as 100% pure with natural fruit purees which I am assuming is added to their three flavors of mango, peach and pineapple and their blends. They claim they do not use concentrate. Their website uses the tag line that their coconut water is "just like sticking a straw in a coconut." They tout about their unique packaging system - basically they provide a straw on the container and line the container so the product stays fresh. What they line it with, I don't know. I found nothing in their literature or in the product description to explain how their "unique processing and packaging system captures and retains the exotic flavor." On several websites, consumers complained about the price inflation of $13 per 12 pack during the summer months and quite a few said they were changed their brand. Many consumers complained that the product smelled of rotten fish, tasted even worse and returned the product for refund. Overall satisfaction from over 1500 reviews: 45%. Product is made in Brazil.

ZICO Natural Pure Premium Coconut Water claims to be hand harvested from Thai coconuts and is packaged in a "tetra carton." Before you ask me, the answer is No, I have no idea what a tetra carton is but many consumers said the coconut water in tetra cartons tasted far better than the bottled formula. Like Vita Coco, they do not explain the tetra packaging on their website, nor did any consumers I spoke to know exactly what tetra meant. ZICO has a number of flavored coconut waters but they claim their formula is not from concentrate, yet they add flavors to their formula. The flavored coconut water formulas are a little higher in calories. ZICO advertises their concern with the environment, carbon footprint and tries to appeal to consumers who workout that if they drink their water with 5 added electrolytes, it will prevent cramping and they will have a quicker hydration recovery. Of all the companies I investigated, this is one of five companies to utilize the key words "gluten free" and "kosher certified." Overall satisfaction from over 1200 reviews: 82% Product is made in Thailand.

C2O Pure Coconut Water prides themselves on providing a product that is "100% all natural with no artificial ingredients, colors or preservatives." This product is packaged in cans and says it is unsweetened. The consumers, on average, like this type of packaging better than the others. Only 4% of the consumers had complaints that the product was too sweet and also speculated that it might be possible that the company added sugar to its "unsweetened" formula. Upon reading the company's claim to their product being different from the rest, they may be correct in this instance. Where consumers of other coconut waters complained of a fishy smell and/or taste, C2O explains that their coconut water is made "from young green coconuts from an especially fragrant and tasty variety that are unique to the inland soils of Thailand. These coconuts are a fresh water variety that yield a more delightful taste than the salty flavor that accompanies more commonly used coastal coconuts." That may be wherein lies the problem with other companies - they are possibly using "coastal" coconuts instead of a "fresh water" variety. C2O professes that each batch is taste tested before packaging and goes so far as to say that other companies add extra sweeteners to mask the salty taste of their product. This company also uses the key words "gluten free" and "preservative free" on their label, which draws the eye of the average consumer. Overall satisfaction from over 1000 reviews: 97%. Product is made in Thailand.

1. Rehydration
2. Has at least five electrolytes your body needs: potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium and phospherous
3. High levels of potassium which may prevent heart attacks
4. Can lower blood pressure
5. When used under a doctor's care, can reduce size of kidney stones
6. Helps balance glucose and insulin levels
7. Anti-aging properties
8. Can prevent abnormal blood-clotting
9. Diarrhea and constipation remedy
10. Helps prevent osteoporosis

These are only a sampling of the many health benefits of coconut water.

After reading all the reviews and talking to people in various forums, C2O seems to win out over the other two brands I reviewed for packaging, taste, value and customer satisfaction.

For myself, I prefer everything fresh as opposed to bottled or canned whenever possible. As far as my conclusion regarding weaning my guy, Rob, off his fizzy sports drinks, I think he might actually go for the coconut water. For him, it might be a great substitute especially since they have several flavors.

Thank you for visiting my hub. Your comments are appreciated.

© Mary McShane