“Wellness comes when you drink Coconut water”
Coconut water is made from the clear liquid inside of green coconuts. It should not to be confused with coconut milk, which is made from the water and the flesh inside of a mature coconut. Over 95 percent of coconut water is water.
Due to the Coconut water benefits, it has been consumed for centuries in tropical regions around the world and becomes popular for its recent explosion in popularity. According to the Vedic studies, coconut water is supposed to help digestion, urination, and even semen production. Traditionally it has also been used to treat dehydration and given as ceremonial gifts throughout the tropics. While it may not be a miracle cure, some of the health benefits of coconut water is listed below.
List of Health Benefits of Drinking Coconut Water
1. Good Source of Several Nutrients
Grow on large palm trees, these coconuts are known scientifically as Cocos nucifera. Notwithstanding the name, the coconut is botanically considered a fruit rather than a nut. This tastier juice found in the center of a young, green coconut. It helps nourish the fruit.
The time when the coconut matures, some of the juice remains in liquid form while the rest ripens into the solid white flesh called as coconut meat. The water naturally forms inside of the fruit and contains 94% of water and very little amount of fat.
Coconuts usually take a year to fully mature. And the water typically comes from young coconuts about 6–7 months of age, though it’s also found in mature fruit. An average green coconut provides about 1 cup of coconut water.
Given the coconut water nutrition facts, one cup (240 ml) contains 46 calories, as well as:
- Carbs: 9 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Protein: 2 grams
- Vitamin C: 10% of the RDI
- Magnesium: 15% of the RDI
- Manganese: 17% of the RDI
- Potassium: 17% of the RDI
- Sodium: 11% of the RDI
- Calcium: 6% of the RDI
- Summary: Found in young coconuts, coconut water is a good source of fiber, vitamin C and several important minerals.
2. Have Antioxidant Properties
At the time of metabolic activities, free radicals – unstable molecules are produced in your cells. Their production increases in response to stress or injury. When there are many free radicals production, your body enters a state of oxidative stress, which can damage your cells and increase disease risk.
One of the studies has found that rats with liver damage showed considerable improvement in oxidative stress when treated with coconut water compared to those rats that received no treatment.
In another study, rats on a high-fructose diet were when treated with coconut water, free radical activity decreased, as did blood pressure, triglycerides and insulin levels. So far, no studies have been done this antioxidant activity in humans.
Summary: Coconut water contains antioxidants that protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals.
3. Have Benefits Against Diabetes
Due to the amount of magnesium present in the coconut water, your body may increase insulin sensitivity and decrease blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes.
A research found that the diabetic rats treated with coconut water maintained better blood sugar levels than the control group. The same study also found that the rats provided coconut water had significantly lowers the levels of hemoglobin A1c, indicating good long-term blood sugar control.
Summary: Studies on diabetic animals suggest that coconut water can control the blood sugar level. It’s also a good source of magnesium due to which you may increase insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar levels.
4. Help Prevent Kidney Stones
Drinking enough fluids is important for kidney stone prevention.Although plain water is a great choice, one study suggests that coconut water may be even better.These can then form stones. However, some individuals are more vulnerable to developing them than others.
In a research been done in rats with kidney stones, coconut water prevented crystals from sticking to the kidneys and other parts of the urinary tract. It also reduced the number of crystals that usually formed in the urine.
It is believed that, by some researchers, coconut water helped reduce free radical production that occurred in response to high oxalate levels in urine. Always keep in mind that this is the first study examining coconut water’s effects on kidney stones. However, more research is needed in this area.
Summary: Early animal research suggests that coconut water may prevent kidney stones by reducing crystal and stone formation.
5. Support Heart Health
Drinking coconut water helps to reduce heart disease risk. In one study, rats that consumed coconut water had significant reductions in blood cholesterol and triglycerides. They also experienced significant decreases in liver fat.
In another study, the same researchers fed rats a similar diet supplemented with the same dosage (4 ml per 100 grams of body weight) of coconut water. After 45 days, the coconut water group had a reduction in cholesterol and triglyceride levels that rivaled the effects of a statin drug used to lower cholesterol.
Keep in mind that this was a very high dose. It would be equivalent to a 150-pound (68-kg) person consuming 91 ounces (2.7 liters) of coconut water per day in human terms. However, the finding that it reduced cholesterol as effectively as a statin drug is very impressive and should be further investigated.
Summary: Studies suggest that coconut water have a powerful cholesterol-reducing property.
Can I Drink Coconut Water on a Keto Diet?
Wondering: Is coconut water Keto friendly? Well, coconut water has a sweet, nutty taste and it contains digested carbohydrates in the form of sugar and electrolytes.
To answer your question more deeply, let’s study the Nutrition facts of coconut water calories per coconut:
| Calories | 46 |
|---|---|
| Total Fat | 0.5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 0.4 g |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0 g |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 8.9 g |
| Sugars | 6.3 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.6 g |
| Protein | 1.7 g |
| Sodium | 252 mg |
| Potassium | 600 mg |
