Byline: The Washington Post
Zico brand coconut water is billed as 'nature's sports drink,' but is coconut water really the best beverage for the job?
Andrea Giancoli, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, noted that coconut water is fine, 'if you like the taste.' As for 'the hype that it will cure everything from cancer to hypertension,' Giancoli says, 'there is no miracle food. Every time we 'miracle-ize' a food, we lose sight of its real benefits.'
And those benefits are?
'Coconut water is lower in calories than a Gatorade or juice,' Giancoli says. Better yet, it's a really good source of potassium, delivering nearly 700 milligrams per serving, which is more than a banana, she adds. We need potassium in our diets to, among other things, regulate our blood pressure.
But do we really need coconut water -- or any other sports drink -- after we exercise? Giancoli says, 'Most people don't exercise heavily enough to need a sports recovery drink. Water is just fine for most people.'
