Saturday 13 June 2015

Benefits of Coconut water - Are there any?

Considering I didn't have to do anything today, I have been incredibly productive so far

After an amazing nights sleep, I woke up to find myself incredibly stiff and achey - I think my Body was reacting to all the bending down and carrying things on Thursday afternoon. I actually woke really early, considering I didn't have to get up at any particular time and once awake, I find it almost impossible to get back to sleep so instead I made myself a cup of tea and read more of my book. It's actually really interesting - The Diet Myth: The Real Science Behind What We Eat, by Tim Spector. It's all about the microbes in your gut and where you're born in the world affects what microbes you have and how you react to different food. Hence why Greek people can eat loads of olive oil products and have a really low rate of heart disease, yet if UK or US people did it, it would increase as we've not been raised on the same diet. 

I'm only 40% of the way through on my Kindle, but it's really interesting and it's not pushing a particular diet at all. It's also discusses the latest fads 'Fat is bad for you', '5:2 diet is amazing' etc. It will be interesting to see what he concludes overall. 

Once up, I stripped and remade the bed and put my sheets in the washing machine before having a shower and undertaking the mammoth task of washing my very long hair. It's one of my sisters birthdays today, so I sent her a text (already sent her a card and gave her a present) wishing her Happy Birthday and then got on with the task in hand: Cooking and eating my kippers for breakfast. 
It's an odd thing, but how do you cook a kipper? I had no idea until I asked Google and found out it was incredibly simple - stick the kipper in a bowl of water, cover.. and leave for 5-6 minutes. Hey presto! Unfortunately Google failed to mention that the water (and subsequent kipper) will stink out your house for a good few hours afterwards, so I don't suggest eating them if you've got friends or family coming round, unless they love the smell of smoked fish :-) 

The kipper was nice, however it looked a bit sad on the plate, on its own, so I think I might eat my other one with some scrambled egg and maybe a grilled tomato. Either way, it was to have a break from porridge and know that what I was eating was healthy and good for me (and also very tasty). 

After that, I headed off to buy yet more bird food for the bird mafia that had settled both sides of my garden fence, silently judging me for the empty bird feeder and after that, I went to Sainsburys to grab some additional ingredients for tonight as I'm planning on using up some of the things in my cupboards and making spaghetti and meatballs. I actually think I did pretty well in not putting lots of random things into my trolley, however I did decide to try some coconut water and see if it as tasty as my Vegan friend suggested it was.

Apparently, coconut water:
  • Is low in calories
  • Aids in weight loss
  • Gives you perfect skin
  • Reduces blood pressure
  • Is naturally fat & cholesterol free
  • Has more potassium than four bananas
  • Is super hydrating
  • Solves Hangovers
  • May be better at replacing lost fluids than a sports drink or water

According to a lot of people, it has a 'sweet, nutty taste', however having drunk it, I can't say I'm a massive fan as it actually reminds me slightly of the 'Cystitis powders' you have to mix with water and drink when you've got a bad case of cystitis.  Having read quite a few articles on it, the conclusion seems to be that the only proven benefits are to hydrate, reduce sodium, and add potassium to diets. There doesn't seem to be any proof it helps in weight loss and despite being high in sodium, it still contains sugar - and after all, sugar is sugar, so drinking a lot of it and thinking it will help you lose weight doesn't seem to make sense.

Additionally, most fruit and vegetables contain a lot of potassium and eating / drinking those will give you more benefits as they contain a number of other nutrients that coconut water doesn't. 
Unless you're a hardcore gym go-er or looking to replace essential electrolytes (potassium and sodium) lost during a high energy exercise session, there doesn't seem to be any proven studies to show that it can reduce or combat any diseases. 

I think I'll be sticking to water, or Cherry Pepsi Max for the time being :-)

No comments:

Post a Comment