Benefits of Coconut Water: Why Coconut Water is All the Rage
After a great night shotgunning beers and shouting for shots, you’re going to wake up needing a little help the next morning. Obviously you could reach for a bottle of water, because that’s healthy, right? Well yes, but it’s not necessarily the best thing you could choose. Coconut water is your new best friend! Light, cheap and good for you, this is one drink you’re going to be happy to see the morning after. There’s a long, long list of benefits of coconut water, but we’ve narrowed it down to the most important.
Why’s it feel so good?
As the name suggests, coconut water is still water, just with a few extra additives to get you back on your feet. That pounding headache you can feel? That’s dehydration, and your brain is literally shrivelling up inside your skull. Coconut water excels here because it’s got the added benefits of sodium, potassium and other electrolytes which will help your body absorb more of the moisture it needs.
Although it can feel tempting to throw back about 10 gallons of water as soon as you wake up, this can actually harm your body more as you will over-dilute your system without taking in any of the nutrients you need. Sipping coconut water at a steady rate will have the opposite effect, with the crucial vitamins cruising into your bloodstream at a much more measured pace.
What else can it do?
It’s not just hungover Bodegans who are interested in the restorative powers of coconut water, scientists are interested too. They’ve discovered a long list of health benefits that shouldn’t be ignored:
- It’s a good source of several nutrients, with one cup of coconut water containing carbohydrates, proteins, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese and potassium amongst others
- It may have antioxidant properties which could act against harmful ‘free radical’ molecules in the air
- It may help with diabetes, helping to lower blood sugar levels and helping test subjects to better regulate their own blood sugar
- It may help prevent kidney stones, as coconut water has been shown to prevent crystals forming in the kidneys or adhering to the walls of the organ
- It may support heart health, with an effective use in reducing cholesterol on a similar scale to pharmaceutical statins
- It may reduce blood pressure, with tests showing that coconut water improving systolic blood pressure while providing a useful dose of potassium alongside
- It’s beneficial after prolonged exercise, as it helps to improve the body’s absorption of liquid and nutrients (see also the comments about hangovers above!)
- It’s delicious and hydrating, meaning you’re likely to want to drink it as opposed to boring plain water. More liquid, more hydration, more minerals, more win!
It’s gone commercial!
If you ever need a sign that something has become mainstream popular, it’s watching as the big brands jump onto the bandwagon. And who’s the newest kid on the block when it comes to coconut water? Why it’s none other than Coca-Cola themselves! It’s launching Zico, a Thai coconut-based water drink which is aimed at the grab-and-go drinks market and is likely to be pretty popular, if previous product launches are anything to go by.
Coconut Water is the Ultimate Hangover Cure
Whether you’re drinking coconut water for its health properties or to recover from an epic session, the benefits are clear. Next time you wake up wishing you hadn’t drunk that fatal last bucket or two, give it a go and you’ll be back on your feet in no time.
