Coconut Waters Review -- Tests of O.N.E., Vita Coco, and Zico

Exercise is a critical componant of any anti-cancer lifestyle for the cancer survivor.  PeopleBeatingCancer has article after article documenting this fact.  Though I love going to my gym, early in 2011 I bought a handcycle.  Picture a bicycle turned upside down so that your hands can peddle.

Well, my handcycle work out of choice has become long rides each Sunday.  And with long workouts come lots of sweating and dehydration.  I have learned through experience that if I don't properly hydrate during my handcycle rides, I get weaker with serious headaches. 

So what's a long distance handcycler to do?  I don't like the taste of Gatorade or powders and I don't see myself drinking sugery soft drinks or juices. 

It turns out that cocunut juice contains water, electrolytes and very little sugar.  I have excerpted a recent review from ConsumerLab.com below. 

Note- yes, Zico is the best and most expensive- but for my once a week rides I am willing to go the extra mile (no pun intended).

"What It Is:
Coconut water -- an increasingly popular beverage option for athletes and natural food lovers -- is the clear liquid that sloshes around the inside of immature (green) coconuts. On the beaches of Rio and other tropical locales, you can drink it straight from the coconut. Many grocery and health food stores sell it in cans, bottles, or other more modern packaging.

Coconut water offers an unusual blend of nutrients. It's especially rich in potassium. One cup provides about 500 mg, roughly what you'd get from a banana or a cup of orange juice. It also contains sodium and magnesium and small amounts of phosphorus and vitamin C. It contains no cholesterol and almost no fat, but it does provide a little protein. Natural sugars make it mildly sweet, although it is relatively low in calories compared to typical fruit juices. Coconut water is very different from coconut milk, which is made from the pressed meat of mature coconuts and contains significant amounts of fat from coconut oils.

How It’s Used:
Coconut water is a refreshing drink. Because it contains sugar as well as potassium and other electrolytes, it is sometimes marketed as a sports drink for rehydration during and after exercise. It may also be sought out by people who want more potassium in their diets. (See ConsumerLab.com Product Review of Potassium Supplements for more information about potassium.)

Rehydration – How Good is Coconut Water?
When you sweat, you lose minerals as well as water. It only makes sense that a combination of water and minerals is the best way to replenish your supplies. The main mineral in sweat is sodium. In fact, there is about ten times as much sodium in sweat as potassium. So is potassium-rich coconut water really a good way to rehydrate?

A study that compared coconut water to both plain water and a rehydration drink containing about four times more sodium but far less potassium than coconut water found that all three provided adequate rehydration (Saat, J Physio Anthro 2002). However, blood sugar levels were restored faster with coconut water and the rehydration drink than with water. An advantage of the coconut water was its palatability. Subjects found it to be sweeter than the sports drink, and it was less likely to upset their stomachs.

The generally small amount of sodium in most coconut water products should still be a concern for anyone trying to rehydrate after strenuous exercise. Rehydration drinks like Gatorade typically contain 110 mg of sodium per an 8 oz cup (240 mL) serving, and even greater amounts may be useful. Commercial coconut waters made from pure coconut water (not concentrate) claim to contain about 40 mg to 60 mg of sodium in a slightly larger serving (330 mL). And because coconut water is very low in protein or branched chain amino acids, it should also not be considered a sports “recovery” drink to rebuild muscle protein. In large amounts, coconut water may have a mild laxative effect. Obviously, this would make it less effective at replenishing fluids in the long run...

What CL Found:
Among the three products tested, only Zico Natural Pure Premium Coconut Water (414 mL bottle) passed all of our tests. Two others failed to provide their claimed amounts of minerals. No detectable amounts of lead were found in any of the products. Shortcomings of the products were confirmed in two independent laboratories:

A bottle of Zico Natural provided a more even balance of electrolytes. The 414 mL bottle contained 160 mg of sodium, several times more than we found in O.N.E. and Vita Coco products and close to the amount you would get from an equal amount of Gatorade. It also had slightly more magnesium (35 mg) than the two other products.

Be aware that Zico sells two different Natural products. We tested the one that comes in a 414 mL bottle and is made from coconut water concentrate. The other is a 330 mL tetra pak containing pure coconut water, similar to the other two other products we tested. The Zico Natural tetra pak lists a much lower amount of sodium (60 mg) than the bottled Zico Natural (160 mg).

Update-

The Beverage Wars Move to Coconuts

"ConsumerLab says its 2011 test wasn't funded by an industry player and that it found higher amounts of sodium in a bottled version of Zico. Zico, for its part, has been sued by consumers alleging its packaging doesn't sufficiently warn that some of its coconut water is from concentrate."

Ed Note- I prefer the concentrate version of Zico that has the higher levels of electrolytes (sodium and potassium) that I need.  Plus it tastes great.

Cost
Coconut waters are not cheap. The most expensive product that we tested was the 414 mL bottle of Zico Natural at $2.50. The 330 mL tetra pak of O.N.E. was the least expensive at $1.73. A 330 mL tetra pak of Vita Coco cost $1.90.

Taste
Coconut water is typically consumed cold, but CL staff drank the products at room temperature to get a better sense of their inherent tastes. The first thing we noticed was a slight variation in the colors of the waters: O.N.E. had a slight pink hue; Vita Coco had a very faint yellow hue, and Zico Natural had no color but was slightly cloudy. All were mildly sweet. O.N.E. had a slightly sour taste, and Vita Coco had a similar but less pronounced tartness. Zico Natural had a milder, less sour but slightly more salty taste, with a bit of a nutty flavor. Its taste is likely the result of "natural flavors" listed as an ingredient as well as its higher sodium content.

Overall Findings
All of the tested products were pleasant tasting. They are certainly a healthier choice than a can of soda or a fruit drink, which contain twice the amount of sugar (a 12 oz, or 355 mL, can of Coke has 39 grams of sugar!). However, they are also somewhat more expensive. Coconut waters are a good source of potassium. If you are using coconut water to help rehydrate, the bottled Zico Natural in a bottle is your best bet due to its more substantial sodium content; our tests found that it contains 15 times as much sodium as O.N.E., for example. Despite a somewhat larger serving size, Zico Natural was in the same low-calorie range (60) as the other two products. Zico was also the only product to live up to the listed amounts of the nutrients we tested. The only drawback is that it's a little more expensive than the other two...

What is your sports drink of choice?

Thanks

David Emerson