The Scoop: Coconut Water

What is coconut water? It is the water that pools in whole green coconuts. In general plain coconut water is not very sweet (even though it has sugar) and naturally has sodium and potassium, which are electrolytes which help maintain fluid balance.

The type that I prefer to drink occasionally is Peach Mango Coconut Water which is flavored with fruit puree (check the photo in my recent Facebook post). It has 60 calories, 30 mg sodium, 500 mg potassium, and 15 grams of sugar in 8.5 ounces. What I like about fruit puree flavored coconut water is: it is flavored with fruit puree and it is nutrient rich!

Coconut water can be a stand-in for a sports drink but keep in mind a sports drink is only needed when a work out is going to be one hour of continuous (and vigorous) activity or longer. For light workouts or short workouts a sports drink is not needed and plain water will do.

The bottom line: coconut water is a great alternative to higher calorie beverages and look for vartities that are sweetened with fruit puree and do not have added sugar. But as with anything, some is good, more is not better!