Coconut Water vs. Plain Water: What’s Better for Athletes?

If you’ve been anywhere near a television, computer, or magazine in the past several years, you’ve probably heard some mention about the benefits of coconut water — It’s better than sports drinks! It’ll hydrate you for hours! This product is the secret to winning every race ever! — Or something to that effect. As athletes, we always want to know how to best fuel our bodies, so it’s an important topic to think about. Especially since adequate hydration is vital for keeping everything working and moving properly. You may be asking yourself, “What’s the deal with this coconut stuff? Is it really all it’s cracked up to be, or should I just stick to regular water?” Fortunately, the answer is quite simple: trust your intuition and do what works best for you.

Water

As a general rule, you can’t beat plain water. Our bodies might be complex machines, but they run pretty well on the basics. If you’re an average gym-goer who works out for an hour or so, regular water will hydrate you perfectly. Eat nutritious food, drink plenty of H2O, and you’ll be golden — pretty simple, right? Feel free to drink coconut water if you like the taste, but it’s not really going to give you an edge. Not to mention, you can fill a reusable bottle with water from your kitchen faucet for the low, low price of FREE! Most of the time, taking anything extra is unnecessary. If you’re simply bored with the taste of plain water, throw in some frozen fruit slices to make things more interesting. It doesn’t need to be fancy to be effective.

Coconut Water

On the other hand, if you’re an athlete training vigorously for 90 minutes or more, coconut water does offer some benefits. Since it contains electrolytes like sodium, magnesium, calcium and potassium, plus easily digestible carbs from natural sugars, it can be used as an easy alternative to sports drinks. That said, the amount of carbs and sodium in coconut water is low, so you’ll still probably want to combine it with something like dates, raisins, or salt, but it is a quick way to replenish some of the nutrients lost through intense exercise. It’s also a good alternative to sugary fruit juices or commercial recovery drinks that come loaded with weird ingredients. If you’re going to spend money on a specialty drink, it might as well be as close to nature as possible.

Verdict

In the end, it always comes down to personal preference. Some professional athletes swear by mixing coconut water with salt tabs before a match, while others have never bothered with it at all. I will say this: there is no such thing as a miracle product. The only things ever touted as “magic foods” are things that marketers can make a profit from. Sure, coconut water contains electrolytes, which help your body rehydrate during long workouts. Does that mean you need to guzzle it down or you won’t function properly? No. It’s just an option. You could just as easily choose to drink a glass of water with a little bit of salt and fruit added. Or, make a smoothie with a banana and peanut butter to get the sodium and potassium you need. Whether you choose to add coconut water to your routine or not, it should definitely never replace water completely. Our bodies rely on good old-fashioned H2O to keep everything running smoothly.

It’s always important to use trial and error when figuring out what works best for your own body. If you enjoy the taste of coconut water, and don’t mind spending cash on it, then drink up! If you’re a purist and would rather get the nutrients you need from plain water and a healthy diet, then that’s great, too. There’s no right or wrong answer, really. Just remember to trust your intuition rather than blindly following hype. Coconut water can have certain benefits for endurance athletes, but it’s definitely not the end-all-be-all to achieving your fitness goals. 

Image source: Crisco 1492/Wikimedia