Thursday, December 10, 2009

a little info on coco water & a giveaway!!!

Remember how I was going to look at coconut water for my thesis a little while ago?  Well, I’m still not able to really do it for a thesis, but I still used it for my proposal paper and presentation for my Research Methods class!

I wanted to share with you some of my research findings, which are actually quite interesting. . . and there may or may not be some kind of giveaway included at the end ;)  I also wanted to thank Laural for sending me research that she found which was a huge help.

First a little history about coconut water . . .

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Much of the research I did find on it included its use as a fluid replacement for patients with gastroenteritis and cholera, and has even been used as an intravenous solution for those third world countries with limited resources.

The picture on the left is an actual coconut hooked up to an IV drip!  This patient was doing pretty poorly and wasn’t able to tolerate many of his feedings and was becoming dangerously dehydrated.  Upon initiation of the coconut water for a short term IV solution, the patient started to turn around for the better.  This is amazing to me!

There are six stages of coconut development, with the youngest green stage being the one where the most fluid can be found (1/2 – 1L of fluid).  As the coconut ages and browns, the flesh becomes more prominent, and the free fluid decreases.  Coconut milk is the emulsion of the flesh and water from the latter stages of development.

Even the amount of electrolytes and flavor can change between stages of coconut development, and whether it is a coastline coconut or inland coconut can also slightly change its nutritional characteristics.  Coconut water is also fairly isotonic.

Compared to conventional electrolyte beverages, coconut water is slightly lower in calories, has less sodium, slightly less sugar, and considerably more potassium.  This brand also has a great source of Vitamin C.   

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Looking at the use of coconut water with athletes, the research was much more limited and hard to find.  I did find two studies that found some pretty good results.  Let me know if you would like references.

The first study by Saat, M et al. found a slightly less percent rehydration in the regular coconut water compared to a sports drink, but the difference wasn’t significant.  The study by Ismail, I et al. then found that sodium-enriched coconut water rehydrated just the same if not better as a sports drink.  Those subjects in the coconut water groups also experienced less GI distress (fullness, bloating, nausea, etc) and were able to finish their last bolus of fluid to meet their sweat rates.

I thought the finding of it causing less GI stress to be very interesting.  I myself have a hard time consuming fluids during high intensity activity sometimes, especially running or anything that jostles the stomach contents.     

Up to 42% of endurance athletes have experienced some form of GI distress during or after an activity (van Niewenhoven et al, 2005)

Many athletes can fail to hydrate properly due to GI distress, which can greatly impact overall performance.  Coconut water could be a great option for those who have trouble consuming sufficient fluids during strenuous activity, especially if they have another event/training session that same day.  I think the coconut water companies should introduce an ‘endurance line’ featuring a higher sodium content to cater towards endurance athletes to really call their product a ‘sports drink’.

Even though regular coconut water is not as high in sodium as ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) recommends for ‘sports drinks’ (110mg per 8oz), both studies concluded that coconut water can be used for whole body rehydration after exercise induced dehydration & even may cause less GI distress compared to sports drinks. 

Well, there you have it in a nutshell! –er I mean coconut shell!  I myself enjoy the taste of coconut water because it is really refreshing and is easy on my tummy.  It isn’t really sweet either which I like.  Think of lactose, the slightly sweet milk sugar, but not as milky :)

If you ever wanted to know how to open a green coconut & have a handy dandy machete hanging around, click here.  This is just a funny video :)

---> GIVEAWAY TIME!!!! <---

I contacted the brand VitaCoco and they graciously offered to send me some of their coconut water to have my class sample for the presentation, and I had some leftover.  Some of them are the flavored kind (pomegranate, pineapple, passion fruit, peach/mango) and I believe I have some kind of sensitivity to citrus so I can’t really drink all of them.  So I thought, let’s do a GIVEAWAY!!!  Yay!

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Let me know if you’ve ever tried coconut water and what you think of it.  I’ll pick two winners who will get 5 individual samples to try!  You can also tweet ‘I want to try some coconut water from EatingRD!’ and link back to this post for an extra entry.  I’ll randomly choose the winners on December 17th @ 9pm PT.

In other good news, I received my box of Glo Bars from SavvyEats!!  I was so excited and had to try the Present bar right away, which is the cranberry pumpkin spice flavor.  Yum!  They are well formed, not too sweet and gooey like most bars, and nice and airy in texture.  The taste is really nice too with a slightly warm bite from the cinnamon & a tart surprise from the dried cranberries.  Are you drooling yet?!  I’m looking forward to trying and reviewing the other flavors.  If you haven’t already, check them out here!

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Hope you guys are having a great week so far!  I finished my finals today and can now finally get into the holiday spirit!!  Woo-hoo!  I feel a bit run down and icky at the moment and hope that I am not getting sick.  I need to get all our X-Mas cards written and sent out ASAP.  Chris and I also have holiday parties on Friday and Saturday night where I will try to employ my holiday intervention strategies again :)  Let’s see if I can do it!

Any fun weekend plans???

31 comments:

MelindaRD said...

Hey there. I love your history lesson. So glad to get the story behind it all. I still haven't tried mine and I bought some, now I wonder where it went to in my fridge. This is why you never buy something the week you are going out of town. Cool giveaway. I am excited to enter.

MelindaRD said...

And I did tweet it too! I forgot to say I can;t wait to hear what you think of the glo bars. I bought some for my lil sis for Hanukah, but a twitter snafu led to her finding out before they arrived. She is excited anyway.

chow and chatter said...

oh thanks for a fab write up on coconut water very interesting doesn't it taste great have a lovely break you deserve a rest love Rebecca

Gina; The Candid RD said...

Fantastic giveaway!! I really want to try this, I tweeted it, and I'll post it on my blog tomorrow!!

I think if you can do your thesis on this it would be awesome. I am so interested now, and I'm going to definitely bring this up in one my hydration talks with the young athletes. Thanks so much for the information, I had no idea coconut water was so beneficial!

Anonymous said...

ive never tried coconut water! but i bet itd be great for hydration!

Jess said...

I've always wanted to try coconut water but never found it at my local grocery store!

ashley said...

I've never tried coconut water, so I'd live to try it!!

ashley said...

I tweeted about the giveaway!

~cygirl88

Unknown said...

I've never tried coconut water, but at 45 calories per cup I'd be willing to give it a shot!

Anonymous said...

Oh cool! I've always wanted to try these Glo-bars...I've got Glo-bar envy seeing them all around the blog world!

I've tried coconut water IN the coconut shell...it's a big thing in SE Asia...best way to cool down!

Gina said...

I've only tried coconut water in the shell and it's so yummy, the meat especially! It takes me back to my childhood; where I lived we had coconut trees! :)

Nicole, RD said...

Coconut water is deeeelish! I am borderline obsessed with coconut -- just had coconut flakes in my granola, actually!

Nicole, RD said...

Tweeted @PreventionRD

amyj said...

I have tried coconut water and prefer the flavored ones. My son and husband also like them. I gave it to my son when he was sick to replace electrolytes. Would love to have the chance to try this brand.

Allison said...

I have never tried it, but I always have wanted to! I think the pineapple one sounds deslish!

Anonymous said...

coconut water is amazing. too bad you chose the worst tasting company for the giveaway.

FoodFitnessFreshair said...

This is really interesting. I stumbled upon coconut water earlier this year, and ever since have been in love. I actually think I like the plain the best, but I've also sampled the mango and pineapple.

Julie @savvyeats said...

I've been wanting to try coconut water for ages!

Glad you like the Glo Bars :)

Allen said...

Hey there, it's cool having your blogity blog on my home page, now I can see your updates.

This was very interesting. I find after my work outs, that I am not hungry and end up drinking water. I would be willing to try to some coconut water, if it helps with the GI stuff. So please enter my name. :) I never log into my Twitter so I can't tweet ya. Thanks Kristen!

madeline said...

I've had coconut water before, but always as a treat. It's really nice to learn how beneficial it can be. I'd love to try those flavors!

Naomi(Onefitfoodie) said...

ohh I havent tried coconut water! I have heard so much good stuff about it htought, thanks for the review I also cant wait to hear your reivew on the glo-bars, Obv I have heard WONDERFUL things about those too! I am so jealous of your package!

happy friday!!xo

Anonymous said...

Great info!
I would love to try glo-bars. You have to let me know your favorite flavor, I just might have to order them.

kristen :) said...

So glad you guys are excited to give it a try!
So far I am loving the glo bars and will get some more in-depth reviews up soon :)

Allen - how long do you work out? If it's not longer than hour to an hour 1/2, water should be just fine if you're well fueled beforehand. Also because the flavored ones have added fruit juice (fructose), this can cause stomach upset in some people during exercise. But you can always give it a shot :)

Anon - I'm sorry you feel that way. I sent a request to each of the 3 brands of coconut water and VitaCoco was the one that responded graciously. Coconut water is a great product in and of itself, and I didn't have a 'choice' in brand selection. Everyone has their own opinions about different brands and I believe that it's nice to be able to try different brands and have your own opinions. I guess you don't want to be entered into the giveaway?

Kasey (Fit For Wellness) said...

great info, thanks for sharing :)
I have never tried coconut water but I'm definitely wanting now!

Lori said...

Your research was really interesting!
I find coconut water really refreshing after a run! I just don't buy it often because of the high price.

Michal said...

I love this giveaway!
Over the summer I developed a slight (expensive!) obsession over vitacoco coconut water, but i havent had it in ages. I would love love love to win!

Yum about the glo bars :) I have heard that they are fantastic, but I dont know when I will be able to try one. One day in the future hopefully.


Hope your enjoying your weekend

Laura E said...

Thanks so much for the opportunity! I have always wanted to try coconut water, I just haven't gotten around to buying any!

Melinda said...

I've only had coconut water one time and I did like it- I have been wanting to try this brand though- the citrus sounds yummy!! :D

Melinda said...

and I'm going to tweet about the giveaway right now!!!

Sweta (My Indian Dietitian) said...

I love Tender Coconut water-we used to send them to patients on a clear diet back in India.

Shannon said...

That's a lot of really good information....I'm sorry you can't write your thesis on it as you originally planned.

I've never tried it, but I've picked it up several times and considered buying it. Maybe next time...