With the world’s elevated curiosity in well being and wellness during the last couple of a long time, there’s one pure beverage that has emerged as a fan favourite because the finest hangover treatment and hydration resolution: coconut water. Manufacturers like Vita Coco have made this tropical beverage accessible to the lots, via merchandise like their Pure Natural coconut water and their Pressed coconut water.
Right here’s why coconut water’s distinctive pure profile of wholesome fat and minerals is the superb dehydration resolution.
In my 15 years of expertise as a registered dietitian, I’ve labored with shoppers on every kind of objectives, from long-term vitamin plans to less complicated objectives like staying hydrated. Whereas many individuals flip to water or sports activities drinks to beat hangovers or to pair with train, I like to suggest coconut water because the smartest thing to drink for dehydration.
To know why, let’s dig into what dehydration is, the science behind hangovers, and how one can add coconut water to your every day routine because the finest hangover drink and hydration assist.
What Is Dehydration?
Dehydration happens when your physique doesn’t receive the right quantity of fluids it must perform. It may be attributable to a wide range of circumstances comparable to:
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Extreme sweat
- Frequent urination
- Alcohol
While you change into dehydrated, you’ll be able to develop a wide range of signs, starting from delicate to extreme. The longer dehydration is left untreated, the upper the danger of extreme signs. Examples of delicate to reasonable signs embody1:
- Much less frequent urination
- Thirst
- Headache
- Dry mouth
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
Extra extreme signs of dehydration embody lack of urination, fast heartbeat, fast respiratory, confusion, and fainting.
The Important Function of Electrolytes
To deal with dehydration, it’s very important to switch any electrolytes misplaced. An absence of electrolytes can affect all features of well being, from cardiovascular well being to immunity. Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electrical cost, which is launched when the electrolytes dissolve in fluids within the physique like urine or blood2.
When your electrolyte ranges are balanced, the costs from these highly effective minerals assist regulate your coronary heart rhythm, fluid stability, and nerve and muscle perform. Then again, an electrolyte imbalance within the physique could cause fatigue and negatively affect nerve and muscle perform. For this reason it’s vital to go for drinks with electrolytes when dehydrated. In different phrases, when you’re in search of what to drink for dehydration, water would possibly really not be one of the best resolution!
The Science Behind Hangovers
Alcohol is a diuretic, which suggests it causes an elevated manufacturing of urine within the physique. In different phrases, there’s a purpose why you retain operating for lavatory breaks at completely happy hour! Consuming alcohol in extra can dehydrate you and trigger dizziness or weak spot. Different frequent hangover signs embody fatigue, headache, and focus issues — and when you don’t create good hangover habits, you possibly can be making your signs worse.
Whereas some hangover signs could appear delicate, extended alcohol abuse over time could cause far more extreme points. Extreme or power alcohol consumption causes a sequence of physiological processes that may ultimately end in kidney harm. To start with, blood quantity and blood strain are decreased after alcohol consumption, which in flip will increase the discharge of hormones like antidiuretic hormone (ADH) and aldosterone.
These hormones then stimulate thirst and water consumption, in addition to the discharge of renin — an enzyme which helps regulate the extent of electrolytes within the physique. In an effort to assist preserve your electrolytes balanced via the onslaught of alcohol, your physique then reduces urine manufacturing.
Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electrical cost, which is launched when the electrolytes dissolve in fluids within the physique like urine or blood.
Whereas decreased urine manufacturing could assist stop electrolyte imbalance, it can also cease waste from leaving the physique — which may improve the danger of sickness or an infection within the kidneys3. Treating hangovers isn’t nearly relieving instant signs, it’s additionally about stopping dehydration to keep away from long-term harm. As a Registered Dietitian, right here’s why I’ve discovered coconut water is one of the best hangover treatment.
The Dietary Advantages of Coconut Water
So why is coconut water a superb hangover treatment drink? Conventional rehydration or electrolyte drinks are likely to fall brief on offering optimum rehydration due to their larger sodium content material. This will negatively have an effect on blood strain and have the alternative of the meant hydration impact. To not point out that many electrolyte and sports activities drink choices include synthetic flavors and sweeteners. Total, coconut water is a more healthy, extra pure different to standard electrolyte drinks to assist with every thing from dehydration to hangovers.
Listed below are the vitamin info for one cup of coconut water from recent coconuts4:
- 45.6 energy
- 1.73 grams protein
- 0.48 grams fats
- 8.9 grams carbohydrate
- 2.64 grams fiber
One cup of coconut water additionally contains the next electrolytes, which assist cement its repute as one of the best hangover treatment:
- 57.6 milligrams calcium
- 60 milligrams magnesium
- 600 milligrams potassium
- 252 milligrams sodium
My Favourite Coconut Water Model
In relation to recommending a coconut water for hangovers, I really like Vita Coco.
Their drinks provide superior hydration advantages as a result of their pure extraction means of coconut water. This implies their drinks have the balanced fluid and electrolyte composition of coconut water with none added flavors, preservatives, or colours. And I can personally attest to the refreshing, coconutty taste and hydrating high quality of VIta Coco merchandise. They style nice alone or blended together with your favourite fruit juice or flavored water.
How Vita Coco Can Assist You Hydrate
The great sources of electrolytes like potassium in Vita Coco assist fast rehydration by offering ample electrolytes — however with out overloading the you with sodium and sugar that may additional dehydrate. This in flip gives quicker restoration, particularly as in comparison with water alone, which doesn’t include ample electrolyte content material.
Why Is Coconut Water the Finest Hangover Treatment?
Coconut water can mitigate hangover signs naturally by replenishing the physique with vitamins and electrolytes to keep up fluid stability. And by treating dehydration, you too can stop the destructive impacts on mobile and molecular immunity attributable to an absence of fluid within the physique. So not solely is it one of the best hangover treatment, it’s only a nice on a regular basis hydration resolution.
Why We Love Vita Coco
In relation to selecting your coconut water, there are just a few causes to select Vita Coco. My preliminary suggestion is all the time the organic model of Vita Coco, which is sourced immediately from natural farms within the Philippines and is constituted of a single ingredient: coconut water5. Meaning no added sweeteners, coloring, or anything — it’s USDA licensed natural and all pure. Even the packaging is constituted of plant-based supplies, and we love that there’s actually nothing synthetic concerned in any a part of the manufacturing course of.
One other certainly one of my favs is Vita Coco’s Pressed coconut water, which is nice for people who find themselves in search of a extra concentrated coconut taste. Some folks simply don’t love the style of coconut water — however Vita Coco’s pressed choice drinks a bit extra like a recent, tropical coconut smoothie. It’s made with natural coconut puree, a little bit of natural sugar, ascorbic acid (vitamin C for freshness!), and a few naturally-derived Gellan gum for texture. This selection is good for somebody who needs the electrolyte advantages of coconut water however with a thicker consistency and stronger taste.
Incorporating Vita Coco Into Your Each day Routine
In relation to including Vita Coco into your weight loss plan, attempt merely swapping one or two of your typical cups of water consumption with coconut water — and even higher, drink coconut water along with common water.
Is Coconut Water Good for a Hangover?
Sure, there’s a purpose I like to recommend coconut water as one of the best hangover treatment — you’ll be able to positively use coconut water to assist stop dehydration and deal with hangovers! As a dietitian, I’d suggest that identical to some other beverage that accommodates sugar (pure or not), you need to eat sparsely. That is very true in relation to the Vita Coco Pressed coconut water, as a result of it’s barely larger in energy than common coconut water (60 energy per cup versus 45 energy per cup) and accommodates 10 grams of sugar per serving. To keep away from overdoing it, attempt to restrict your consumption to 16 ounces every day for dehydration, together with loads of plain water.
Understanding the way to stop a hangover is all about hydration. If you happen to’re participating in ingesting alcohol, make sure you hydrate with coconut water previous to ingesting, after which drink one glass of water for each serving of alcohol. If you happen to want, you possibly can additionally make coconut water cocktails to offset a number of the dehydrating signs of consuming alcohol.
Methods to Forestall Dehydration
Hydration is vital for every single day optimum well being, however significantly in conditions the place we could also be in danger for dehydration — like when ingesting alcohol, sweating from train or scorching climate, or after we’re sick and dropping electrolytes.
Listed below are just a few tricks to stop dehydration, irrespective of the scenario:
- Devour water-rich meals every day like soup, in addition to juicy vegatables and fruits like watermelon, strawberries, peaches, cucumbers, and zucchini.
- Drink at the least 8 to 16 ounces of low to no-calorie fluid with each meal and snack you eat all through the day.
- Carry a bottle of coconut water or plain water with you wherever you go so that you all the time have a supply of fluid.
When to Search Medical Consideration for Extreme Dehydration
If you happen to expertise any of the next signs of extreme dehydration, a easy glass of coconut water isn’t going to chop it. Instantly search skilled consideration for medical-grade rehydration when you6:
- Have had diarrhea for twenty-four hours or extra
- Are irritable or disoriented
- Really feel a lot sleepier or much less lively than traditional
- Can’t preserve down fluids
- Have bloody or black stool
Conclusion
As a registered dietitian, coconut water is my favourite drink to suggest for hydration and electrolytes. Vita Coco is a naturally sourced coconut water choice with a wholesome stability of pure sugars, optimum ranges of electrolytes, and a scrumptious and refreshing style.
Hydration is an important a part of dwelling your healthiest life — it’s actually important for the perform of the physique’s cells and regulating fluid and electrolyte stability7! Be your individual well being advocate and educate your self on efficient hydration via pure fluids like coconut water.
Sources:
- https://www.well being.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/symptoms-of-dehydration-what-they-are-and-what-to-do-if-you-experience-them
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541123/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0741832924001009
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/170174/vitamins
- https://vitacoco.com/pages/faq
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/symptoms-causes/syc-20354086
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/well being/illnesses/9013-dehydration
