Loading ...

A few months ago at a cycling event, a friend of mine told me about the wonders of coconut water.  Lots of potassium, hydrates you and has a ton of electrolytes in it.

Damn, I thought he’d found the magic juice no one knew about!

As stated in previous blog posts – I’m a hard sell for a lot of things, however, I’ll gulp something hook, line and sinker when it comes to nutrition.  I probably should stop doing that before someone says “live hamster! It’s all the rage today.  Just swallow one and you’ll bike 5x better than you did before!”

The next day after the cycling event I rushed went out to my local Publix to see if they carried the magical coconut water.  They did!  So I bought one at an exuberant price and gave it a swig.

It tasted like butter and water mixed together.

I also did not feel more hydrated or electrolyted.

But hey – my friend said it was good stuff so I thought I’d try it out on a training ride and see.  I diluted it with some water and did a fairly long training ride.  To my surprise, I liked the taste but did not feel any different (or could tell anything).  But I really liked the taste.

The Placeb-oh-yeah effect!

At the Skyway Epic I decided to give it a shot and fill my camelback full of Coconut water.  While there are many factors that come into play – the Skyway was one of my best races to date.  Could it have been the magical coconut water?  Or maybe it’s just that I’m fitter and was fresh for the ride.  Who knows, right?

Coconut water has come under some serious fire lately, and I’m honestly happy with it so the companies that are bottling this very expensive water from a coconut can keep on their toes.

NPR had three stories (1, 2, 3) about it, and there are various coconut water reports and “facts believed by many people” on the internet.  One NPR story had a guy talking about coconut water and he had to say this:

It’s not about the taste. For people who see soda as a sugary poison and fruit juices as loaded with calories, coconuts evoke glowing healthy people, according to Pirko.

“The only thing that really counts is image,” he says.

And now a word from Ariel, the little hipster mermaid

Oh dear god – don’t tell me I’ve been drinking a hipster drink!?  Come on, surely someone has something that will make me feel better about spending $4.99 on a magical hydrating liquid, right…RIGHT?  I do not associate myself with handlebar mustaches and skinny jeans! I’m an endurance mountain biker that likes to find some healthy choices that may aid me in long rides.  NOT A HIPSTER!

Let’s see what a recent HuffPo article has to say on Coconut water..they have smart commenters on there…yes?

i KNOW coconut water is doing good things when i drink it. I feel refreshed, and my thirst is quenched. I can feel the electrolyte life

As a seasonal Maui boy and traveling beach bum/wave chaser.. I have been drinking and recommending coconut water from young green coconuts since the 60′s.
Just to start a morning with a fresh green coconut -or two- is amazing.
And it makes the day so smooooth.
Another couple later in the day and you just feel strong and wonderful.
I often drive (or paddle) around with 20 or 30 fresh green coconuts in my car (or kayak).
Nothing like being able to share the bounty.

I give coconut water to my toddler and she loves it. I also use pure coconut oil on her skin

Feel refreshed? Smooth Kayakers bearing green nuts? POURING HOT OIL ON YOUR INFANT!?  The hell am I putting my mouth!?

(Please note that I picked out the worst comments on the HuffPo article, there were plenty of smart answers like “hey, I just drink water. Seems to work well.”  But this article was for the lol’s.  You never saw this)

Alright, let’s go back to NPR, maybe they have another article about it:

Potassium is important for heart health, she says, regulating blood pressure and other body systems. But coconut water is “not magical,” says Giancoli. People do not need to drink coconut water in order to be healthy, she says. “There’s plenty of potassium in food and if you eat a healthy diet, you’ll get all you need.” Potassium rich foods include bananas, potatoes, kidney beans, lentils, spinach and papaya.

Ah HA! Bananas are too sugary for me, potatoes will pack that weight right on, kidneys and lentils are not paleoriffic-diet for you and papaya taste like buttered ass.  So there you have it! COCONUT WATER FTW!

(Some of you, like my friend Macy Gravis may not be hip enough to know what FTW means.  It’s much like the popular “Lots of Love” thing children tell their parents when they say “Stop playing that vidjya game, and Go to bed!”

FTW simply means “Feeling Too Witty!” which I am…very witty and extremely knowledgeable about these super information highway terms like means and laughing pets.)

Maybe something in it after all

All articles I read eluded to that people don’t exercise hard enough to seriously need it.

From NPR:

“most of us just don’t work out long enough or hard enough to seriously need it. Most people exercise for an hour or so, she says. “They really don’t need an electrolyte replacement drink,” she says, “all they need to rehydrate is water.”

From HuffPo:

“Most people don’t exercise heavily enough to need a sports recovery drink. Water is just fine for most people,”

You see that big word that starts in both those quotes.  ”MOST” – I’m not in the MOST category.  I fit squarely in AWESOME, not MOST.  If you need a visual of the awesome, please check here:

This body NEEDS Coconut water!

My conclusion

In all honesty I do some pretty strenuous races and workouts.  Doing intervals, some cross-fit like stuff (without the weights) and 6-8 long endurance rides?  I’ll take any nutrition I can get!  I kept coconut water at bay for a while trying not to drink the proverbial “tree of life” kool-aid but I have to admit – I love it, and here’s why:

• On long rides, the taste of something that is not water sometimes is a nice treat
• It’s not sugary, so it’s like Powerade without the high fructose corn syrup
• I’m finding myself with more sustained energy than I’ve had previously*
• You find yourself accidentally singing Harry Belafonte songs

Warning

There are two warnings I’d like to point out.

1. Before you do jump on the coconut bandwagon do know that coconut water DOES NOT CONTAIN SODIUM and your body needs that jazz to continue functioning.  So make sure you’re getting your sodium from somewhere (I recently blogged about that, you can read more by clicking here)
2. If you are doing some of your own research and come across a site that’s praising the hell out of something – you should check and see who’s on the payroll.  Many businesses use the Internet and put up sites that look like they’re written by an individual blogger writing about his or her experiences. They’ll make up “facts” about stuff that’s slanted and biased.  I try to be as transparent as possible on my site giving my own experiences and thoughts. While I am sponsored by a few companies and review their products (Coconut water is not one of them), I am completely honest.Companies will do anything and everything to sell you crap with clever marketing words and images to make you have an emotional feel towards things.  Let me show you what I mean. I made up this ad for coconut water…

If you’re a guy, you can’t stop staring at the lady’s biscuits in those yoga pants. If you’re a girl – you’re already thinking COCONUT WATER – LOSE WEIGHT!

I made another ad now starring me.  Ladies – I am not responsible for your squeals and screams when you look at this next ad:

This is the much more honest ad.  It’s me on a bike AND I have coconut water in that bottle you see right below my massive leg muscles.

So please, please, please before jumping on a new product:  Look past the ads, the weird Internet sites that you’ve never heard of and the big companies, and try to find some independent research!

*Finding myself with more sustained energy – please do know I meticulously monitor all food I consume and am training like crazy, much more so than the average human being.  Coconut water is NOT the magic bullet but a nice aid in my training regime.  Please don’t spend money on this drink unless you just crave the taste of coconuts and water.  If you are an endurance athlete and are experimenting with a few things in your diet post workout or during, you may find this to be helpful as an aid.

Sources referenced

• Is The Coconut Water Craze All It’s Cracked Up To Be?
• Coconut Water Companies Sell Image, Not Taste 
• Coconut Water To The Rescue? Parsing The Medical Claims
• Coconut Water Craze: Are the Health Benefits Worth the High Cost?
• Coconut Water: Myth or Miracle?
• Health Benefits of Coconut Water