Coo Coo for Coconut Water

Yesterday was the first day of my running group.  I've blogged about my running group before and how much I love it and why I stuff my sports bra with tissue.  Running group combines two of my favorite activities: running and talking.  


Today I learned something new from a fellow runner and then was asked a question about coconut water.  Here's the new thing I learned:

$194 at asos.com

Levi's is making something called a Onesie.  It's a shirt that is sewn to the jeans.  Now I will admit, I am not on the forefront of fashion.  I am more of a follower than a leader.  But really?  Has it come to a point in fashion where we have to have jeans already sewn to a shirt?  And it's not even a color combination that would be risky.  It's a light blue shirt with jeans.  Even the most fashion-challenged could come up with this, right?  And it's $194?  And calling it a "Onesie"? I thought I would never, ever have to say that word again after my daughters grew out of them.
 

Can you imagine the conversation with your HE:



HE: "Honey, wow, that outfit"


SHE: "I know!  It's a Onesie by Levi's"


HE: "Isn't that what babies wear?"


SHE: "No, well yes, okay it is.  But it's also what BABES wear this season"


HE: "Isn't that a chambray shirt sewn to a pair of Levi's?"


SHE: "No, well yes, okay it is.  But it was $194 so it's cool"


HE: "You paid $194 for that?  Is football on?"



But wait a minute, look what I just saw at Matters of Style...it's one of the Olsen sisters wearing what could be the Onesie!  I might have to take back everything I just said!  Fashion people...is this a new trend?  Will all of our shirts soon be sewn to the pants?

Ok, enough about that.  Now on to the coconut water. Someone asked me about it and ironically, I have a bottle in my frig.  A Dr. Dork friend of mine loves the stuff so I bought several bottles a while back.  One sip, and I realized that I prefer my coconut in a pina colada.  Hence, several bottles are still in the frig.

It's purported to be great for rehydration after exercise and for alleviating hangovers, plus other things, so I looked into it.  
Here's my research:

• The Zico coconut water has 60 calories per bottle, all coming from carbohydrates (the exact type is not reported but lets assume it's like all fruits and a combination of sucrose, glucose, and fructose).  An equivalent amount of Gatorade has 88 calories and is a combination of sucrose and glucose.  I'm assuming most coconut waters are the same, but this may not be true.  Check the label.
• Coconut water contains two electrolytes: sodium (160 mg) and potassium (569 mg).  Gatorade has both of these as well (192 mg for sodium and 53 mg for potassium).  
• When you sweat, you lose water and electrolytes so replenishing them after exercise is good (usually when you exercise for more than an hour). Two clinical trials have been published comparing coconut water to a sports drink and they were equivalent in rehydrating and replacing electrolytes.  So that's good!  If you like coconut water it does appear to be a good choice for after exercise.
• The potassium content is also a real benefit.  Potassium is known to decrease blood pressure, which may explain why people with higher intakes of potassium have a lower risk of stroke.  You can get potassium in many foods (potatoes, beans, avocados, bananas) as well, so no need to drink the coconut water just for that.  There's also magnesium in there, which is good for your heart. Unless you eat a lot of plants (fruits and veggies), you probably are not getting enough potassium or magnesium.

Now whether it helps a hangover or does other things, I'm not sure.  There is nothing else in the medical literature that I could find.  This means that either the studies haven't been done yet or else the studies were done and either cannot get published (because they're not good studies or the results were lackluster) or the companies chose not to publish them because the results were not favorable for coconut water. 


Bottom line...if you like coconut water, the potassium content is fantastic and good for you.  It still has calories from sugar, which is something to keep in mind.  I can find no evidence that it has any magical properties but will keep it on my radar in case new research becomes available.  If you don't like the taste, there's no reason to drink it.  Have a veggie stir fry instead. 
 
Thanks to Maureen and Eleanor for the inspiration!