Coconut Water Confusion

Dear PWN,

What do you make of the recent news that coconut water is just sugar water and doesn’t really help you rehydrate? I’ve been using it in smoothies. Do I need to stop?

-Alice, St. Louis, MO

Alice & other readers,

Coconut water, by definition, is the clear liquid inside a young coconut. As the coconut matures, the liquid decreases and is replaced by coconut meat. Therefore, young coconuts have the most water.

There are naturally occurring sugars found within pure coconut water. In fact, most of the calories in a serving of coconut water come from its sugar content. Coconut water also contains high levels of potassium and other electrolytes, which is why it is often marketed as a solid beverage choice for athletes.

People who consume many servings of fresh fruits and vegetables per day will have no issue getting ample amounts of electrolytes and potassium into their diet. Therefore, water works fine for hydration. However, after a hot yoga class, long training run, or intense workout, a serving of coconut water can help quickly replenish electrolytes. The sugar in coconut water also provides energy.

So, to answer your question, coconut water does help you rehydrate. All of its sugars are natural, but they are still sugar. In terms of sports drinks, coconut water is the best. However, I recommend pure water still be your beverage of choice. Save the coconut water for those days when you feel especially depleted: right before or after an intense workout; those mornings when you wake up feeling like you possibly had one too many cocktails the night before; or other times of dehydration.

If you simply enjoy the taste, that is fine! Just be sure to consume coconut water with some protein and healthy fats so your blood sugar stays under control, and watch your sugar intake throughout the day.

Finally, beware of flavored coconut water or those claiming to be energy drinks. Read their labels carefully – any ingredient other than “pure coconut water” can mean added sugars or flavors. These do not contribute health benefits and can increase the sugar content unnecessarily.

I hope this clears things up a bit! Thanks for raising the issue. It can be easy to get caught up in the latest food or beverage trend!

Have You Seen This?

I’ve seen these futuristic, video game-like machines twice in the past week, so I figured it was time to do a little research and figure out what was new in the world of pop (I’m from the Midwest. It’s pop to me).

Meet Coca-Cola Freestyle. Maybe you already have… according to Wikipedia, these touch screen soda dispensers were released by Coca-Cola to stores in June of 2010. But I am old, and my kid is still too young, so I am out of touch with what's hot in the junk food world.

These machines offer over 100 different flavors of beverage, and market them as being “made for you.” It’s a genius idea. If I were seven years old, hanging out at a Freestyle machine and choosing flavors with my friends would probably be really fun and cool. It’s like this generation’s version of going to 711 and mixing all the soda fountain flavors together into one big plastic cup.

Nutritionally, though, these machines are a disaster. Apparently there are over 60 diet and/or low-calorie flavors, which screams artificial sugars. And the ones using real sugar are still packed with real sugar, as well as artificial flavors and colors.

You know all of this though. Soft drinks are very harmful to our health, whether we are drinking an original Coke or a Caffeine-Free Diet Coke with Raspberry Orange flavoring. I just wanted to write about this to bring it to your attention. Just when it seems like we are gaining some momentum in the world of nutrition with things like organic gardens at elementary schools and gluten-free options on chain restaurant menus, something like this pops up. To me, the Coca-Cola Freestyle machine is just a reminder that we need to continue to educate ourselves and our families on the importance of nutrition, and make a consistent effort to incorporate fresh, healthy foods into our diets. No matter how much publicity healthy eating receives, there will always be equally strong pulls in the other direction. The more we know, the easier it is to choose wisely!

Back to Work!

Hello! After five wonderful months of baby bliss, I am finally getting my nutrition business up and running again. And that includes reviving this little nutrition blog, which I am really excited about!

Please check out my updated website for new information on my services and new office location.

One of the great things about being a nutrition therapist is the variety of opportunities that come my way. I love working one-on-one with clients; it’s very fulfilling for me, and I think I am good at it. But getting out of the office to give an occasional presentation, educate a group of people, or attend a seminar provides me with a sense of balance and helps me to stay on top of the ever-changing nutrition world.

Last week, I was honored to be a part of a panel of nutritionists to discuss the nutritional aspects of raw, local honey. The panel was hosted by a Denver farm, Ekar Farm, as part of its celebration of National Honey Month. My most loyal readers know that I talk about the health benefits of honey often, and I even had a local beekeeper, Jessica, guest blog about honey two years ago (revisit it HERE).

I will not repeat what Jessica wrote about the health benefits of raw honey. I would, however, like to explain in more detail why honey should be your sweetener of choice.

There is a big difference between the way the body metabolizes table sugar and the way the body metabolizes fresh, raw, local honey. Table sugar consists of two molecules, glucose and fructose, bound together to form sucrose. Sucrose is considered a disaccharide, meaning the two sugar molecules are bound together.

When we consume table sugar, our body needs to use its stores of enzymes to break down the disaccharide sucrose into fructose and glucose. It then needs to metabolize the sugar. Metabolism requires many different vitamins and minerals, and since table sugar contains zero vitamins and minerals, our body must supply them. So, vitamins and minerals are pulled from the stores inside our body in order to metabolize the sugar. For this reason, table sugar is considered an “anti-nutrient”. Not only does it not provide us with any nutritional value, it actually steals nutrients from our body.

Honey, on the other hand, is much more self-sufficient! Like table sugar, honey is made up of fructose and glucose, however the bees actually add an enzyme to the nectar that breaks down these sugars. So, when we consume the honey, our body does not need to use up its own precious enzymes to break down the sugars. This leaves more enzymes to aid in digestion of other foods we consume throughout the day. In addition, honey contains high enough levels of vitamins and minerals to support its own metabolism, and even contribute to the body’s stores in the process. Honey contains B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin E, zinc, iron, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phytonutrients, amino acids, antioxidants, and more. While some of these nutrients help fuel the metabolism of honey, others are absorbed by the body and used to support our health.

Finally, I want to reiterate the importance of buying your honey locally and raw and unfiltered. Local honey is especially beneficial to people with seasonal allergies. As the bees buzz around different trees, flowers and plants, they leave trace amounts of local allergens in the honey. In this way, eating a tablespoon of local honey is similar to getting an allergy shot from your doctor! Some people believe that for the local honey to help with seasonal allergies, it should be purchased within 50 miles of your home.

Raw honey is important because any type of heating or processing will kill off many of the honey’s nutritional benefits, including its active enzymes, vitamins and minerals. Honey that is not raw has been processed so much that it really is not much different than table sugar. So, it’s definitely worth the splurge!

Need some ideas on how to incorporate raw, local honey into your diet? Try drizzling it on top of your oatmeal or yogurt; topping whole grain crackers with some nut butter and raw honey; using it in homemade salad dressings; or even adding it as a sweetener to your coffee and tea.

Remember: honey is naturally much sweeter than sugar, so you don’t need much!