Coconut water

There is something about coconut that feels like a tropical paradise.

Most tropical destinations have plenty of fresh off the palm tree coconuts for you to buy. They can be found at food stands, and normally they cut them right open for you.

Then you can just grab a straw and you could be drinking right from a coconut on the beach.?

You don’t have to go all the way to a tropical paradise to get a coconut, as they are available for sale in most places. While I have to admit, enjoying a coconut on the beach is much better!

You can have a coconut at home that will have you feeling like you are somewhere tropical, which is the next best thing.?

Coconuts now, wine later.

Sun, sand, and a drink in my hand.

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Not to be confused with high fat coconut milk—is 95% water. Coconut water comes from the liquid from the young, green coconuts.

In traditional natural medicine, coconut is believed to?help treat?dehydration, digestion, and other health matters.

Coconut water contains a lot of potassium, some magnesium, and a small amount of sodium. And it’s?low in calories and sugar. Compared to typical sports drinks, coconut water has fewer calories, no added sugars, less sodium, and higher amounts of potassium.

Coconut water contains more the 10 times the potassium as most sports drinks. Potassium is a vital mineral that helps maintain the proper balance of fluids in the body and help the heart pump blood. When you sweat, one of the electrolytes lost in your sweat is potassium, so it’s important to?replace this as soon as possible.

Potassium also helps to balance our sodium levels and while we lose sodium in our sweat as well, consuming potassium helps to balance out these levels, and even help to lower blood pressure.?

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Potassium?helps to prevent muscle cramps during and after a hard workout.

Coconut water also contains small amounts of magnesium which?helps to aid the muscles, helps with energy production, and prevent muscle cramping and spasms. While coconut water contains more calcium and magnesium than most other sports drinks, it does not contain large quantities.

Coconut water contains less than 5 percent of your recommended amount of both calcium and magnesium.

If you are a serious athlete, coconut water may be a little too low in sodium, especially if you are exercising over an hour in the heat. But for light recreation and a refreshing drink coconut water may be just what you need to rehydrate.

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Drinking coconut water may help reduce?heart disease risk?and cholesterol. In a study from 2008, researchers fed test subjects a diet rich in fat and cholesterol. One group also was fed high doses of coconut water. After 45 days, the coconut water group?had lower cholesterol and triglycerides levels, similar to the effects of taking a statin drug.

Another study shows that coconut water is beneficial to?lower blood pressure, most likely due to the blood-pressure lowering effects of the potassium in the coconut water.

Potassium, one of the electrolytes in coconut water,?can help lower blood pressure, according to American Heart Association. The AHA states that potassium-rich foods help lower blood pressure because the electrolyte reduces the impact of sodium, which can raise blood pressure.

Disclaimer:?The information on this POST is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional advice. The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. All content, including text, graphics, images and information, contained on or available through this article is for general information purposes / educational purposes only, and to ensure discussion or debate.

Thank you ….Another study on coconut water and blood pressure, published in the?West Indian Medical Journal, found that?71 percent?of those who drank coconut water for two weeks experienced a?significant decrease?in their systolic blood pressure (top number), as compared to those who only drank bottled water. Additionally, 29 percent had a significant decrease in their mean diastolic blood pressure (lower number).

One of the best ways to?help prevent kidney stones?is to drink plenty of fluids—especially plain water. However, two small studies show that drinking coconut water may be the best fluid to help prevent kidney stones.

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Kidney stones can be created in the body by a variety of substances and there are?four types:?calcium oxalate, uric acid, struvite, and cystine. Some people are more susceptible to kidney stone formation than others.

Coconut water, which is?very low in natural sugars, can also?lower other biomarkers of diabetes including HbA1c.

Another added benefit of coconut water for diabetics is that it’s a decent source of?magnesium?which helps to increase insulin sensitivity and decrease blood sugar.

Do keep in mind however, coconut water does contain some carbohydrates and calories, so beware about drinking too much of it.

One interesting natural ingredient of coconut water is L-arginine (a precursor to nitric oxide) known for its antidiabetic and antithrombotic effects.

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Coconut water also has a good share of antioxidants that help to?fight free radicals?which cause damage to our DNA. Free radicals can come from environmental toxins in the air or water, chemicals in processed foods or even from hard exercise.?

When your body has an overload of free radicals, you can be at a higher risk for other chronic degenerative diseases like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer’s and more.

Some of the electrolytes in coconut water, especially the triad, potassium, calcium and magnesium, can?help reduce stress and muscle tension.

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So many people are often short of these critical minerals in their diets. Calcium, magnesium and potassium actually work together to maintain bone health, muscle health, and our heart.

While?magnesium?gets called the “relaxation” mineral, it has over 300 functions in the body. One of its primary functions is in the parasympathetic nervous system, the part of the nervous system that helps us relax.

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It also helps with better sleep, and contributes to the creation of serotonin, our “happy hormone.”

The very best kind of coconut water or coconut juice to consume is fresh from a young, green coconut. And you’ll know exactly what’s in it.

Nothing but pure coconut water. However, fresh coconuts may be harder to find and purchase and may have to be shipped for miles and miles if you don’t live in a tropical area.

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