Coconut Water

One of my favorite things about competing in Brazil, is the coconut water straight from the coconut.  On this trip I was in Belem and Fortaleza.  When we got to Fortaleza we had a market that was about a 5min walk from our hotel with tons of vendors and several coconut stands.  I would drink one when I got there and bring 2 back for later.  I would have carried more but they are pretty and big and have a little weight to them.  You would see athletes through out the day walking around with coconuts and we’d always get a little chuckle because it seemed too out of place.  But they are so good you don’t care how it looks.

I have been hooked since my 1st trip here back in 2002.  What’s great is you get the water straight from the coconut here.  They have coconut stands on the street like we have Lemonade stands in the US.  They pull one out the of fridge hit it with a hatchet and put in a straw.  All you have to do is drink and enjoy.  For me this used to be a treat I could only get in Brazil and now it’s every where.  As it turns out coconut water is really good for you.

Some interesting facts about coconut water I didn’t know.  For more than 4,ooo years, coconut water has been revered as a natural source of nutrition, wellness, beauty and hydration.  In times of famine and war, coconut water has been used as an intravenous fluid and saved many lives.  It’s the only natural substance that can be safely injected into the human blood stream.  Now modern science has validated it’s effectiveness, especially as a natural sports drink.  Learn more about the benefits from Zico my favorite brands when at home.

I use coconut water as a base for my smoothies everyday.  Here are a couple of fun recipes from Zico.