As one of the most natural water, coconut water is packed with a bunch of benefits for your body. Not only this is low in calorie and is free of cholesterol and fat, coconut water is also said to be higher in potassium than bananas. It is awesome how bananas are known to be the best source of potassium, but in fact coconut water contains higher amount of potassium compared to four bananas. So if you are lacking of potassium, why don’t you try to drink coconut water to get away your thirst while giving more potassium to your body? Also, don’t you know that coconut water is more than just rich in potassium, but is also helpful for your health and beauty? Get to know the benefits and try to drink it more often!
1-5 99% People Experience Benefits of Coconut Water
Before knowing its benefits, you might need to know some interesting facts about coconut water that has been labeled as Mother Nature’s sports drink due to its excellent nutrition. It becomes very popular among athletes and even celebrities. However, is it really helpful as what most people think?
- Fresh, Fewer in Calories and Sodium
One of the reasons why this water is great for athletes is because the level of calories it contains. It is clear and refreshing and the carbohydrate contained is easier to digest because it comes in the forms of electrolytes and sugar. Unlike coconut milk, this is fat free, which is much better for those who are afraid of their weights. Being lower in calories and sugar than most sports drink, this is surely a better option for athletes. Make sure to choose plain coconut water since it usually doesn’t has additional sweetener. Although this is low in calories, you shouldn’t drink this too much since the calories can be accumulated as you drink more. Rather than packed coconut water from the stores that is usually containing additional sugar, fresh coconut water from the real fruit is a better option.
- Super Hydrating
Doing exercises can make you feel tired and thirsty, but coconut water can help to hydrate your body. Drinking coconut water can make you do your workout longer. You can keep going to do more exercises without feeling cramped since your body is nicely hydrated with the water even if the air is so hot and humid.
- Fluids Replacement
When sports drink is mostly used to replace any lost fluids after doing exercises, coconut water can do better than that. Its ability in replenishing the fluids in your body is more excellent than sports drink, but many athletes don’t really like the taste so that is why the keep sticking with sports drink. When you are hydrated, drink plenty of coconut water will help. It is better to do this only when you are hydrated. You can drink it at night before you are in a match in the next day or use it as a recovery after getting your match by mixing it with protein powder if necessary.
- Post-Exercise Recovery
After doing some exercises and feeling hydrated, coconut water can keep the fluids in your body. It is easier for you to drink plenty of it without feeling full or upset in the stomach when you are feeling hydrated. However, if you are doing prolonged activity, it is better to not drink coconut water as it is low in sodium and carbohydrates. Athletes with prolonged activity don’t need to get so much potassium as what coconut water offers, so just water can be better.
- Quick Energy
Doing exercise for hours will surely make your energy low and that is why you are feeling tired. Drinking coconut water can help you get the energy back as its carbohydrates are easy to absorb. They can work properly in replacing the electrolytes making you feeling better. Eat bananas, raisins or peanut butter bagel before exercising and drink coconut water afterward can be a great routine to do.
6 – 18 Health Benefits of Coconut Water
The more interesting is that coconut water doesn’t only contain low calories and sodium, but it is also packed vitamin C, antioxidants, minerals, amino acids and many others. By drinking coconut water your immune system can be boosted and your bodies can get these great benefits of coconut water.
- Rehydrating
As has been said before, coconut water is amazing in rehydrating your body. It doesn’t have to be about doing exercises, but whenever you are feeling thirsty and feeling hydrated, just drink coconut water and feel the difference. moreover, the electrolytes contained in this natural water is even great in addressing hydration caused by vomiting or diarrhea. Those who are experiencing of fluids lost because of certain diseases can use this water to lift the energy in their bodies. Drinking coconut water will not make your stomach feel uneasy as it is also used for soothing some stomach problems.
- Protecting Heart
Heart diseases mostly caused by the high level of back cholesterol and the low level of good cholesterol. Cholesterol is indeed required by your body, but only the good one. if the bad cholesterol is higher, heart disease can happen. Drinking coconut water can keep the bad cholesterol low and the good cholesterol increasing. Coconut water can cut down the amount of plaque on the arteries making your blood flows properly preventing strokes and heart diseases.
- Lowering Blood Pressure
Since it is rich in potassium, coconut water is excellent in preventing high blood pressure. Potassium is known to be helpful in controlling blood pressure, keeping it normal. However, you need to go with the natural coconut water, not the processed ones because they contain sodium and this is not good for your blood. So if you are experiencing high blood pressure or hypertension, you can drink fresh coconut water as one of the treatments to keep it low and normal.
- Reducing Weight
Coconut water is light and clear. It looks like water with a little bit different color and completely different taste. Also, this is low in calories, which means dieters can take this water in their daily menus. Drinking coconut water doesn’t lead to any stomach problems. It can even boost your immune and helping your digestion system to work better with the bioactive enzymes contained in the water. Again, potassium is great in reducing your weight since it can balance the amount of sodium in your blood. High in sodium can add more weight to your body and coconut water can flush the sodium out. Drink it properly about three to four times in a week in 8-ounce as the maximum amount per intake. Never drink too much coconut water because the calories can be buildup in your body. This is just a good way to flush out the toxin and sodium from your body, so drink it properly.
- Balancing pH Levels
The feeling of weakness and fatigue might be caused by the acidic pH levels in your body. Eating too much processed foods and getting too much stress can be some factors leading to this condition. In this case, your body can be hard to absorb the required minerals and vitamins and that is why your energy is decreasing as well. Acidic pH also contributes some dangerous illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis and many others. Drinking coconut water can neutralize the acidic pH by restoring the healthy one. this is an easy method to get back your energy and metabolism.
- Treating Headaches
When your headache is caused by dehydration, coconut drink is a natural reliever since it provides electrolytes and magnesium. Especially for migraines, magnesium is required because one of the causes of migraines is lacking of magnesium. By drinking coconut water you can supply your body with magnesium for relieving migraines and preventing it from happening.
- Natural Diuretic
Drinking coconut water can flush your body from toxins, which means your urine production can be better. As a result, certain disease related with urinary problems such as kidney stones can be prevented as your body is properly flushed out. Potassium and antibacterial properties can prevent infections and other causes of diuretic problems. You can add sea salt to your coconut water, just a pinch of it, to make it more effective for diuretic. Drink it twice a day, but make sure that you are free of any dysfunctional kidney problems. Coconut water is not good for those with kidney problems or those with high potassium in their body, so check your condition first.
- regulating Blood Sugar
people with diabetes can drink coconut water as one of the treatments. Amino acids in this natural water can improve the sensitivity of insulin in your body while controlling the blood sugar level. Also, since most people with diabetes is experiencing obesity, coconut water can be helpful in reducing their weights too. This cant be the medicine, but it can be included as a natural treatment for reducing some diabetes symptoms.
- Facilitating Digestion
Not only packed with magnesium potassium vitamin C and amino acids, coconut water is also containing fiber, which is great in digestion. Drink a glass of coconut water can be helpful in addressing your digestion problem or preventing such problem happens.
- Nutrients Richness
There are five important electrolytes your body needs the supply and all of them can be found in coconut water, they are potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium and phosphorus. This is why people with different conditions and problems can drink coconut water due to the full-package of electrolytes provided. However, some medical conditions are not allowed to drink this natural water because they might already had too much of those electrolytes.
- Electrolytes Replacement
As electrolyte is the most beneficial nutrient contained in coconut water, replacing the lost electrolyte from your body by drinking it is quite effective. When you drink coconut water for rehydrating your body, you can drink it more than you can drink water or sports drinks because it doesn’t generate fullness in your stomach. You can use this for casual exercises to replace the electrolytes in your body.
- Cleansing
Keeping your body hydrated is very important because it can make your body cleanse itself from any toxins. Your kidneys and livers need water to flush out the toxins from your body and prevent diseases from coming. When you don’t get enough water, they cant work properly and the toxins will accumulate. Electrolytes loss can make you feel extremely thirsty and fatigue. Drinking eight cups of water each day is all that you need to keep your body rehydrated while allowing your kidneys function properly. However, more than just water, sometimes drinking coconut water can be a great idea since it has the same role as plain water in flushing your body. It can exactly replace the lost fluids because its electrolyte is similar to the one in your body. You can also get the bonus of its high potassium for reducing the amount of sodium in your blood.
- Rich in Copper and Cytokinins
If your body is a machine, copper is the oil. Machine that is not oiled properly cant work effectively. That is why your body needs this mineral to keep it working. Drinking coconut oil can supply your body with copper in one serving. It is surely cant cover the full copper required by your body, but this is at least can provide 11% of the required amount. Cytokinins might be unpopular unlike magnesium or potassium, but this compound is beneficial for your body as it helps to slow down cancerous cells development in your body preventing them from forming the dangerous diseases.
- Reducing Stress
Your daily menus might not contain enough magnesium and potassium required by your body. This might be why you are experiencing stress so often since these two minerals have control in managing your stress. Calcium is also needed in relaxing your muscles, more than just strengthening your bones. These three minerals work together in your body in reducing muscle tensions including the ones on your heart to keep it relaxed and preventing heart attack. Especially magnesium, which works by forming good hormone in your body called serotonin, it is great for your nerve system. Coconut water have these three important minerals for your body, so drink it when you are feeling stressful to calm down your muscles.
19 – 23 Benefits of Coconut Water for Pregnancy
Coconut water is natural and fresh. It comes from the fruit containing beneficial minerals such as calcium, potassium, vitamin C, magnesium and many more. Instead of drinking sodas or caffeinated beverages, coconut water is so much safer for pregnant women as it can also provide some benefits for the baby. You can drink a glass of fresh coconut water without added sugar to hydrate your body while giving your baby more nutrients. Here are some other benefits pregnant women can reap from coconut water.
- Stabilizing Weight
Pregnant women tend to be fatter than they really are. this might make you fight with what you should eat and coconut water can be one of the best solutions as it is low in calories. The only fat that can be found in coconut water is omega fatty acid, which is also great for pregnancy. So you don’t have to feeling guilt drinking this fresh water.
- Relieving Heart Burn
During pregnancy, heart burn is one of the most common symptoms that can make you feel uncomfortable. You can get the heart burn relieved simply by drinking coconut water as it is also reducing acidity and constipation.
- Fighting Infections
During pregnancy your immune system should be well boosted as it will influence your baby. Packed with antioxidants, electrolytes vitamins and minerals, coconut water can boost your immune system protecting your body and your baby from any risk of infections and illnesses. Surely you cant do this by only drinking coconut water because other nutrients from other kinds of foods are still required.
- Relieving Stomach Problems
There is a possibility that during your pregnancy you can get some digestion problems, but you cant just take the medicine because it can be harmful for your baby. A natural and safe medicine that you should take to get this problem out is coconut water. This is all natural and high in fiber, so it is surely good for relieving your digestion problems.
- Boosting Energy
Pregnant women also need some exercises to do, but they tend to get tired easily as the baby bumps getting bigger. When it happens, drink coconut water after doing exercises can boost your energy and prevent you from feeling fatigue. This is also a great option of drink when you are feeling sick caused by vomiting as one of the pregnancy symptoms. Coconut water can replace the lost of fluids in your body making you feel better.
In fact, coconut water doesn’t provide significant benefits for pregnant women related with the fetus. This is just healthy kind of drink that is better than those juices or other packaged drinks from the stores. This is low in fat and calorie and very hydrating. There is nothing better in boosting your energy and satisfying your dehydration than coconut water. Surely plain water is always the best option, but if you need other healthy type of water, it should be coconut water. Remember that coconut water doesn’t have any magical benefits as what the myths said. It is just hydrating, no more than that.
Popular Wrong Facts About Coconut Water For Pregnant
Here are some facts to break some popular about coconut water.
- This is not a Magical Drink. Just because coconut water is packed with nutrients doesn’t mean that this is so magical that when you drink it you don’t need anything else. Coconut water is indeed rich in minerals, but you still need the other kinds of foods such as fruits and vegetables to supply your body with nutrients. Coconut water only cant help you do that especially for pregnant women. So it is good to have coconut water, but combine it with other kinds of super foods is very important.
- This Won’t Thicken Baby Hair. There is a myth connecting coconut water and baby hair that drinking coconut water can make your baby’s hair thicker. One of the signs when the water is working in thickening the hair is the acidity that you feel in the stomach. This is all crap because acidity is normal for pregnant women as they get their bellies larger. So it has nothing to do with thickening hair by drinking coconut water. There is no scientific proof about this connection and it shouldn’t be believed.
- This isn’t the most Hydrating. did you can drink coconut water during pregnancy, but drink plain water more since this is so much better for your body.
- This wont Make Your Baby Healthier. It cant be avoided that coconut water does contain many kinds of essential minerals, electrolytes, antioxidants and vitamins required by your body. However, again people think that drinking coconut water only will help the baby to be healthier while there are many factors that determine the baby’s health. If you drink coconut water daily, but leaving your healthy lifestyle and foods, there is no benefit that you can get from it except its hydrating effect.
So this is actually a great idea to have coconut water in your daily menu, but don’t depend only on this. Remember that nutrients can be taken from various foods as the serve different amount that your body needs. During your pregnancy you should also think about what your baby needs. You cant just drink coconut water all day while the baby needs other kinds of vitamins and minerals. This is a really great kind of water for pregnant women and this is safe, but this isn’t magical.
24 – 35 Benefits of Coconut Water for Your Skin
Asides from its long list benefits for the health, coconut water is truly amazing for your skin and hair. When you drink it, your body gets benefits, but when you apply it, your skin and hair can look and feel better.
- Instant Glow
One of the best benefits from coconut water for your skin is its ability in making your face glow. You just need to wash your face with coconut water daily and your skin will look more glowing. This is simple and easy to just use fresh coconut water since this is more natural. Some skin problems such as acne, blackheads, pimples and blemishes can be also prevented by washing your face with coconut water.
- Natural Moisturizer
Coconut water is light and free of oil. It is the best option to reduce the greasiness from oily skin. If you have such skin type, try to use it as your natural moisturizer for smoother skin with natural shine.
- Sun Burn Curer
When your skin tone get darken caused by the sun burn, you can use a mixture of coconut water and fuller’s earth to apply on your face removing the dark spots of the tanning. This will help your skin gets better.
- Skin Rehydration
Having dull and dry skin is really frustrating and this is usually hard to handle, but simply dab coconut water to your dull skin will instantly hydrate it. you can also drink it to rehydrate your skin from inside of your body.
- Hair Loss Prevention
Preventing hair loss using coconut oil can be a great idea if you want a simple and easy method. Coconut oil works by addressing your blood circulation, which with its proper blood flow you can prevent your hair from any breakage. Nice blood circulation in your scalp can improve the strength of your follicles and make the hair healthier.
- Addressing Frizzy Hair
Every woman wants the hair to be smooth and shiny. Give it a simple massage using coconut oil can make the roots of your hair moisturized while strengthening them. You can use it as a conditioner to replace your over-the-counter conditioner product.
- Dandruff Prevention
Dandruff can make your scalp feels itchy and uncomfortable. Containing anti-bacterial properties, coconut oil can be used as a solution for your scalp problems related with itchiness and dandruff. Apply it gently to your scalp as a conditioner to get rid of your dandruff while smoothing your hair.
- Dry Skin Prevention
While coconut water is helpful in removing the greasiness off your face, this is also a great moisturizer for dry skin. You can check the result first by dipping cotton balls into coconut water and apply to your face. This water is truly natural, so it is free of any chemical ingredients that might be harmful to your skin.
- Natural Makeup Remover
If you are busy choosing what makeup remover product is best for your skin, here it is the answer. Mixing coconut water with lemon juice and use it as your natural cleanser to remove the makeup and dirt from your face is so much better than using your certain brand of makeup remover. With just some drops of lemon juice added to your coconut water, it can also hydrate while brightening up the skin.
- Infections Fighter
Experiencing from certain skin infections might happen during humid seasons and this will make you frustrated in choosing what product that can be safe and helpful in removing them. Instead of trying certain medicine, you can try coconut water by mixing it with water for bathing. It contains antifungal properties that can help to fight the fungi causing infections. If it doesn’t help your skin infections, then you can check your conditions to your doctor.
- Natural Anti-Aging
Containing antioxidants, coconut water can make your skin fresher and younger. You can drink it as well as using it as your facial wash. Go with the fresh coconut water and you don’t need to buy the expensive anti-aging products from the store. Surely you cant depend only on this water because slowing down the aging signs should be also done with a healthier lifestyle.
- Acne Prevention
Don’t be so stress out by your pimples or blemishes because you can use coconut water to cure them. Coconut water works by lightening up the scars of your acne, blemishes or even dark spots. Dap it to your dark areas every night before going to bed and see the difference. it might take time so you should be more patient.
This can be the answer why many beauty products for skin and hair are using coconut water as one of the ingredients. This natural water is packed with many benefits not only for your body, but also your beauty. However in order to get the maximum benefits of coconut water you need to know how to consume it properly, not too much or too less.
How to Properly Consume Coconut Water
Consuming coconut water is very easy. You can just drink it along without mixing it with other beverages. It is fresh and sweet. You can drink plenty of coconut water if you don’t have any concerns about calories as every eight ounce of coconut water provides about 45 up to 60 calories contained. Those who are afraid of calories should do more exercises or be more active if they want to drink plenty of it. this is safe for your stomach and that is why some people might want to drink it a lot. Fresh and natural coconut water is so much better than the packaged ones, but make sure you pick the green and young coconuts since they are higher in nutrients. Coconuts with harder shells are more mature with lower nutrients in its water. Test the coconut by shaking it from up to down to see the amount the amount of water inside.
What is the Best Coconut Water?
The best coconut water is surely the fresh and natural one from green and young coconuts. This is free of additional sugar and this is the healthiest option. Packaged coconut water is easier to drink and is available in many varieties, but this is usually containing additional sugar or sweetener and preservatives that decrease its nutrition. Opened coconut water cant stay longer than five days even if you put it in the fridge. So consume it as soon as you open it and always store it in the fridge for no more than five days. If this is very hard for you to find fresh coconut water, you can go with the other option, the cold pressured coconut water. This kind of coconut water has been processed lightly without heat that might reduce its benefits, but high pressure instead. By processing the coconut water under high pressure, this is low in bacteria without decreasing too much the minerals and vitamins contained. Packaged coconut water that can stay longer at room temperature is usually pasteurized. Pasteurizing means that the coconut water is processed under high temperature for killing the bacteria and it results in decreasing the minerals and vitamins making this kind of coconut water lower in nutrients than the cold pressure one. the worst option is actually the concentrate coconut water since there are so much nutrients reduced during the concentration process. It is best that you cant find the fresh one, never go with the concentrate version.
Check the ingredients on the label before buying to ensure that your coconut water is free of additional sugar and flavors. Many companies add flavors to their products to make them tastier since many of them are not using the water from young coconut, but the more mature ones. The flavors can hide the acidic and bitter taste from the mature coconut water to make it just great. The best packaged coconut water is the one containing 100% of real coconut water without additional sugar or other artificial ingredients that can make it lack of nutrients.
Never use coconut water for replacing plain water because these two are different. Coconut water is helpful in rehydrating your body, but it is never enough compared to the importance of plain water. Just in case you need to drink other beverages, this can be a healthy option.
Coconut Water Side Effects
Just because coconut water is packaged with high nutrients doesn’t mean that this is all beneficial. Everything has side effects including this natural water. Especially if you drink this water too much, you will probably find some symptoms of coconut water side effects in your body. Knowing some side effects that might happen to you is necessary to prevent you from experiencing them.
- Levels of Calories
Drinking fresh coconut water is safer since it is lower in calories, although drinking it too much still allows you to increase the amount of calorie in your body. However, packaged coconut water is containing more calories that might make you gain weight. Drinking coconut water one cup a day is the best rule to follow if you have calorie concerns. Stay away from any packaged coconut water containing flavors or additional sugars if you are afraid of your calorie intake. Paying attention to your daily calorie intake can be a solution if you want to drink more coconut water in a day.
- Source of Sodium
Not only calories, the amount of sodium in your body is also increasing as you drink plenty of it. coconut water is great in replacing the loss of sodium after having exercises, but it doesn’t mean that you can drink it too much. Drinking only a cup of coconut water has added about 17 percent of sodium required by your body. If you drink two bottles or more, you have exceeded the limit of sodium intake daily and this is surely not good. Sodium can lead to high blood pressure if its amount is too high. Eat low sodium foods when you drink plenty coconut water in a day to ensure your body doesn’t get too much of it.
- High Sugar Content
If you drink fresh coconut water, you don’t have to worry about the sugar content since this is really natural and safe. However, when you go with the packaged ones, you need to check the labels to see how much sugar added. the real coconut water is not really sweet and that is why most companies add sugar to their products. The sweeter the coconut water, the more calories that you take. Coconut water does contain sugar, but it is quite low so that you don’t have to worry about it. flavored coconut water can be a great beverage, but don’t take this too much. Go with the plain natural one if you want to take more than one cup.
- Electrolyte Imbalance
Normally after doing exercises you will experience dehydration so you need to drink water for replacing the loss of fluids. Coconut water is one of the best options, even better than sports drink in rehydrating your body. However, in some cases the conditions might be different since doing outdoor activities under certain degree of temperature can cause your body produce excessive potassium. Low in potassium is not good, but high in potassium, or even too high, is dangerous. This condition can be indicated by the feeling of weakness and lightheaded. When you drink coconut water, you will get more potassium intake, adding more potassium to the already high-level potassium amount in your body. Make sure to check your condition first before drinking coconut water after doing workout.
No matter how many benefits that you can get from coconut water, remember that this is still just water. It comes from the inside of young coconut that makes it safe and natural. You cant depend only on drinking coconut water just because it is packed with minerals and vitamins because your body needs more. Whether this is your body, skin or hair, you need to give other types of treatments to get maximum results. Also, you shouldn’t drink too much of it and choose the natural option, which is the plain coconut water to gain more benefits.