Monday, August 31, 2009

More on the Benefits of O.N.E. Coconut Water

Reprinted from : http://enerfoodblog.com/?p=373

Take a look at what you can find in coconut water and what benefits coconut water can have for you.

fat free - what’s not to love?


Coconuts have long been used for natural health and hydration
Coconut water is 99% fat free, has a low percentage of sugar and is low in carbohydrates. It also can help to keep your body cool. This is important if you are someone who spends a lot of time working outdoors in hot or humid climates such as those found in tropic, sub tropic, desert and even plains areas where summer temperatures can reach close too or top 100° F.

Revitalize and rehydrate

It can also re-hydrate your body as well as carry nutrients and oxygen to your body’s cells. If you exercise consider replacing your after work out drink with coconut water, see if you notice a difference in how fast your body feels refreshed, and replenished. There are other health benefits as well it raises or increases your metabolic rate which helps you to lose weight naturally without having to go on restricting diets or take dangerous pills to help lose weight.

It can help to increase the functionality of your immune system and help to detoxify the body. It can also assist your immune system by helping to fight viruses.
Need a natural cleanse?

Looking for a natural way to cleanse your digestive tract to promote overall body health, try coconut water and see its cleansing and digestive effects. You can also help to control diabetes with coconut water, fight the flu, herpes and some studies show that it can even have a positive effect in the fight against AIDS. You can treat kidney stones, boost poor circulation and even help to remove urethral stones.

Minerals, vitamins and lauric acid

The benefits of coconut water go further it contains more potassium, less sodium, less sugar and more chloride then both energy and sports drinks making it better for you and more effective. It contains the same Lauric acid that is found is mother’s milk making it great even for small babies and children. It contains identical properties to human blood plasma and contains the same isotonic levels as human blood. Many cultures believe it is a life giving and sustaining fluid and with benefits like this and centuries of proof who can blame them.

Get a new lease on life

If you are looking for something that is going to give you a new lease on life when it comes to your health, looking for something that can help your body function better and help you to feel and look younger than consider adding coconut water to your daily routine. It contains everything necessary for life everything from being able to replenish the body’s depleted stores of nutrients to keeping your body cool on hot days. There is little that this water cannot do.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Coconut Water - "Nature's Gatorade"

Coconuts May Be Nature’s Gatorade Dietician: ‘With the Coconut Water, We Actually Have a Mix of Electrolytes’

August 16, 2009 ·

The word coconut probably brings to mind images of tropical beaches and palm trees. But for hundreds of years the coconut has been a dietary staple for cultures all over the globe.

The coconut has been much maligned in the past for its fat content, but as new information has come out regarding the health benefits of coconuts, products from this functional food have started invading shelves across America.

The coconut is a member of the palm tree family. It’s not a fruit, though it can be found in the produce section — and, despite its name, a coconut is not a tree nut.

Because of that, coconut products are safe for those with tree nut allergies.

The coconut also provides different products at different stages of its gestation.

Young baby coconuts look like green water balloons and are filled with water. Coconut water, unlike coconut milk, contains no fat and more potassium than a banana.

The health benefits of coconut water have been attracting the most attention.

“With the coconut water, we actually have a mix of electrolytes,” says Ashley Koff, a registered dietician. “I like to call coconut water ‘nature’s Gatorade.’”

The electrolytes, with help from the potassium, help the body absorb water better.

//
“It actually goes straight into our blood stream,” Koff says, “so it’s extremely hydrating.”

Mature coconuts are the kind most consumers are familiar with. They have a hard, hairy shell. They contain milk and oil — and all the fat and protein that have turned people off for years.

“For a long time, when we were hearing about saturated fat, coconut oil was off limits,” says Koff. “But interestingly, the type of fat in here is medium chain fatty acids. And that is a type of fatty acid that goes right through our digestive system, so it’s actually beneficial for us there.”

Because coconut oil has such a higher burn point, higher than olive oil, it is great for cooking.

Though coconuts can be a healthier option, Koff warns, “We do have to be conscious of things like sugar and fat content.”

Coconut water, though it does have sugar, has significantly less sugar than most fruit juices. An 11 oz. container of coconut water contains 15 grams of sugar, but Koff says that’s about as much as in 4 oz. of apple juice.



A registered dietician says coconut water can be thought of as nature’s Gatorade because of “a mix of electrolytes.” Coconuts also have high sugar and fat content, which has scared off some consumers.
(Foodcollection/Getty Images)




Coconut products are all over the shelves at the grocery store these days. You can buy raw coconut, coconut water, oil, even yogurt and ice cream.

// Coconut milk can be a good alternative for people with dairy allergies.
When buying a raw coconut, check how soft the shell is and give it a good shake. You should hear liquid inside.