How to drink coconut water without causing harm?

Coconut water is both cooling and good for your health.

Staying hydrated during the summer is always important, and even more so when temperatures reach record highs. According toCleveland ClinicTo keep electrolytes at normal levels, there are seven components that need to be present in the foods and beverages you consume, in moderation including magnesium, sodium, calcium, potassium, phosphate, chloride, and bicarbonate.

Drinking water is the best way to rehydrate, however the water filtration process can cause water to lose some beneficial minerals.

You can add trace mineral drops that include minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium to increase the benefits you get from drinking water. You can also buy mineral water to get the same benefits.

In addition, coconut water is also an extremely good rehydration drink on hot days. Fresh coconut water has a high natural potassium content.

According to Dr. Nguyen Thi Lam, former Deputy Director of the National Institute of Nutrition, young coconut water contains many nutritional values, including 95% water, the rest is sugar and some micronutrients such as potassium, iron, calcium, phosphorus... This is a nutritious drink that helps the body increase resistance, prevent kidney stones, regulate blood pressure and is good for digestion.

An average young coconut contains 240ml providing 57 kcal of energy for the body. Coconut water provides vitamin B, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, sodium, calcium which are vitamins, fiber, and minerals that are essential for the body.

Physician Phung Tuan Giang, President of the Vietnam Institute for Research and Development of Traditional Medicine, also added that according to traditional medicine, coconut water is sweet and cool, neutral in nature; affects the spleen, kidneys and stomach; has the effect of cooling, reducing thirst, diuresis, detoxification, and hemostasis. Coconut meat is sweet and neutral in nature; affects the spleen, kidneys and stomach; has the effect of nourishing qi, laxative and diuretic.

Coconut water cures sunstroke, heatstroke, fever, thirst, vomiting, dehydration, edema, little urine, acne, itching, dermatitis, eczema, weakness...

With its rich water and potassium content, coconut water helps balance electrolytes, improve the functioning of the circulatory, nervous, and immune systems, and balances the amount of fluid in the body.

Therefore, coconut water is often used to replenish water and electrolytes for the body in cases of excessive sweating, dehydration due to fever, diarrhea, etc.

Coconut water is considered a sports electrolyte drink because of its role in providing minerals (sodium, potassium, magnesium, etc.). Coconut water is also significantly sweeter, less nauseating, satiating, and less stomach-ache-inducing. It is also easier to consume in large quantities than specialized electrolyte drinks and plain water.

A clinical trial in India showed that coconut water significantly reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure in hypertensive patients. This is an expected effect of coconut water that is being studied by many authors around the world.

According to the Clinical Nutrition Center, K Hospital (Hanoi), coconut water has a positive effect on cholesterol metabolism. Many studies conducted on mice show that young coconut water and mature coconut water are both beneficial for serum and tissue lipid parameters.

Several animal studies have shown that coconut water significantly reduces hyperglycemia and significantly improves the severity of cataracts caused by diabetes.

However, further human studies are needed to determine the mechanism and efficacy of coconut water in diabetes.

How to drink coconut water without causing harm?

According to Dr. Giang, coconut water is good but you should not drink too much. A person can drink about 300-500ml per day (1-2 fruits).

Drinking too much coconut water can cause bloating or discomfort in some people. Too much can cause potassium levels in the blood to become too high. This can lead to kidney and heart problems. Most urologists recommend drinking coconut water every other day.

The rate of bacterial growth in coconut water is relatively fast, about 20 minutes. Therefore, we should not drink coconut water that has been left out for more than 20 minutes to avoid the coconut water changing its taste, which can have a negative impact on the digestive system, especially in children.

According toWebMDCoconut water really doesn't have any side effects when consumed in moderation. If you drink a lot of coconut water and you have chronic kidney disease, there could be a problem.

Chronic kidney disease makes it harder for the kidneys to remove potassium, and coconut water is high in potassium. Too much potassium in the kidneys can lead to a condition called hyperkalemia, a dangerously high level of potassium in the blood that can be life-threatening.

The high potassium content in coconut water also means it can help lower blood pressure by causing you to excrete more sodium in your urine. If you are taking blood pressure medication, talk to your doctor about how much coconut water you can safely drink.