Last month, I made an 8-hour journey to my friend’s hometown. It was a very exhausting day, and I was thirsty. When I arrived there, my friend’s mother gave me a glass of coconut water. When I drank that, I cannot explain how amazing it felt. Even the scorching and brutal heat felt kind.
Who does not want to relieve their water thirst? The best alternative for easing cravings is coconut water or coconut juice.
The question remains, is coconut water keto friendly? The simple answer is NO. Sometimes a simple solution is not what you want.
You want clarity and evidence more than anything. You are in the right place. Stay with me till the end and understand why it is not simple to answer that, and in the future, I am sure that you can answer the question by yourself.
Table of Contents
What Is Coconut Water?
The name suggests that coconut water is the fluid inside the coconut. Coconut water is the fluid extracted from young green coconuts that contain less sugar and calories than fruit liquids.
Is Coconut Water An Alternative For Water?
Yes, coconut water is the best alternative drink for me. This drink can hydrate you faster than water. The water of coconut has zero calories. Moreover, this drink is cholesterol-free.
Whether it is keto friendly or not, there is no question about the refreshment and hydration it can give you.
Coconut water is a juice you must intake because of its nutrition. Coconut water is more of a natural liquid that is healthy and nutritious. Many unhealthy and dangerous drinks are on the market with colors and illegal substances.
Nutritious Facts Of Coconut Water
If you know the nutritional facts of coconut juice, you will have a clear idea of why people do not recommend this drink on the keto diet. In the keto diet, you cannot have high carbohydrates. You have to substitute carbs for fat.
Coconut water has (Serving Size- 1 cup):
- Fat total of 0.5 grams. Among fats, only saturated fat is present at 0.4 grams.
- Carbohydrates total 8.9 grams.
- Sugar total of 6.3 grams.
- Fiber total of 2.6 grams.
- Protein total of 1.7 grams
- Iron total of 0.7 milligrams
- Sodium total of 252 milligrams
- Calcium total of 58 milligrams
- Potassium total of 600 milligrams
You cannot take more than 50-gram carbs every day in the keto diet. So you are not allowed to take 9 grams of carbs from a single source.
So that is the reason people do not recommend taking coconut water on your keto diet. The second reason is it has low fat.
Health Factors Of Coconut Water
Some say that the water inside the coconut is the most healthy part. I don’t disagree with those people. Here is some proof that I want to share.
Recovery Drink
Coconut water is known for being a high-electrolyte drink. It’s known for being an excellent post-workout drink. It contains 94% of water. So it is a much more beneficial post-work drink.
A 2007 study reported that coconut water enriched with sodium is as effective as drinking a sports drink for post-exercise recovery.
Kidney Stones Prevention
Coconut water aids in the dissolution of kidney stones due to the presence of potassium, which helps prevent kidney stones formation.
According to a 2013 study, coconut fluid prevents the formation of crystals in urine. These crystals have the potential to form a kidney stone.
Another study in 2018 shows that Coconut water has increased potassium urination so that your body’s stone formation will be decreased.
Antioxidant Properties
As we know, coconut water contains potassium and magnesium. These are electrolytic substances.
Some research shows that these compounds have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants can prevent cell damage.
According to some research, antioxidants prevent cancer and heart diseases.
Zero Fat And Cholesterol
Coconut water has 0.5 grams of fat, which is pretty low and can be declared zero. There are no LDLs when the number is zero. We refer to bad cholesterol as LDL (low-density lipoprotein), which can cause heart problems.
Antimicrobial Property
Coconut juice keeps your skin healthy. Antimicrobial properties may help in the fight against skin problems. According to a 2017 study, the antimicrobial property is found in coconut water.
Some coconut fluid has a significant amount of Vitamin C and antioxidant properties. These properties enhance collagen synthesis, making your skin smooth and healthy.
Less Sugar Good Beverage
Coconut liquid carries significantly less sugar than many sports drinks and considerably less sugar than sodas and some fruit juices. Plain coconut water may be a better option for adults and children seeking a less sweet beverage.
Reduction Of Blood Pressure
According to research, potassium-rich diets can benefit heart health by lowering blood pressure. One cup of coconut liquid contains more potassium than a banana. Coconut juice can even prevent strokes.
Incorporating coconut water with other potassium-rich foods in your diet is ideal when supporting a healthy heart.
Good Digestion Good Stomach
Coconut fluid has magnesium substances, a mineral that helps keep things moving and prevents constipation. This drink can also help balance bowel movements.
Recover From Sickness
When the weather becomes rude, your body can lose a significant amount of water. It can cause fever, vomiting, and even diarrhea. Coconut water can prevent these problems as it electrolytes better than regular water.
The medical and health advantages of coconut water are vast. Now you might be asking yourself again, is coconut water keto friendly? Although the simple answer is still no, you cannot deny the perks of this delicious drink.
Will you be happy to know that you can extract some drinks from coconut water that is keto-friendly? I recommend you not to decide quickly. Please stick with me till the end.
Why Coconut Water Is Not Keto Friendly?
Everything has been explained. Ketogenic dieters consume only 40 g of carbohydrates per day. Coconut water is not keto-friendly because of its high carbohydrate content.
I said it before. The answer is not simple. If you decide to take less than 40 g of carbs per day, you can drink coconut water because it’s only dangerous when you intake over 40 g of carbs.
What Are The Alternatives?
Some recipes and drinks are keto-friendly made from coconut water. So if your question is, is coconut water keto friendly? Well, you can create keto-friendly beverages from it.
They are keto-friendly and low-sugar, and low carbohydrates. Overall, they can serve the purpose of a keto-friendly drink.
However, take them in a marginal amount because they have sugar and carbohydrates. So now, I want to explore some of the choices. Stay with me.
Custom Coconut Water Drinks And Recipes
You can make custom coconut water drinks from coconut water. These custom drinks differ from the original 100% coconut water. In most cases, you have to add water to dilute the water of coconut.
Dilution reduces the number of nutrients in the drink and the number of carbohydrates per serving. Some custom beverages are keto-friendly, but please remember that adding extra water will lower the percentage of beneficial vital nutrients.
So we can say that we can create custom beverages made with coconut water which is also keto-friendly. Here are some examples:
Keto Friendly Lemon Drinks
You cannot get keto-friendly coconut water, but you can enjoy lemon drinks made with it. You can have a glass of coconut water lemon drink anytime, and it will revitalize and activate you for the rest of the day. This recipe is specially made for keto-dieters.
It has all the perks of keto-friendly nutritional facts. You will get only 0.9 grams of carbs per serving. However, you will miss some other health benefits of the original coconut fluid.
Coconut Water With Orange And Pineapple Flavors
This drink has both common and uncommon ingredients. With coconut water, it has a lot of water and citric acid. Also, it has some natural flavors and rosemary extract.
This drink contains 15 calories with 3g carbs in an 8.5 oz serving. It has no fat or cholesterol. It has some sugar, so you should be careful about it. Excessive of this juice can be dangerous for your keto diet. Some would say this is not even keto-friendly.
Harvest Birch Water by Equinox
We find birch water in China and Northern Europe. This sweet water is a low-carbohydrate substitute for coconut water. Because of its low carb count, it is suitable for the keto diet. Its manganese and vitamin C concentration might provide extra health benefits.
Although harvest birch water is accepted as a keto-friendly drink, it has sugar. Like the previous one, it has no fat. It has eight calories and 2 g of carbs which is comparatively low than the previous one. You should be careful in the time of consuming it.
Organic Maple Water
The organic name suggests that organic maple water is extracted from trees. Maple water contains a variety of beneficial vitamins and minerals. It also has a low-to-moderate carbohydrate content and is much lower in carbs than coconut water. It is appropriate for the keto diet and most other diets.
Organic Maple Water has 25 calories, 5 g sugar, and carbs of 6 g in an 8.45 oz serving. This drink has a higher sugar amount than harvest birch water.
Coconut Water Against Coconut Oil
There should be no confusion between the water of coconut and coconut oil. Coconut water is natural, and oil is derived from coconut meat. Coconut oil is perfectly keto-friendly. The water of coconut is not keto-friendly.
You can intake the water to some extent. After that margin, carbs will ruin your diet. However, you can use alternative drinks and recipes to avoid that risk.
Oil Of Coconut
We usually get two types of Coco oil:
Unrefined Coconut Oil
We also know unrefined Coconut Oil as virgin coconut oil. Cold pressing or an expeller, which mechanically separates the oil from the meat, usually conducts this process. The extraction process excludes the use of chemicals or heat.
Refined Coconut Oil
The name implies that the extraction process involves chemicals or heat. The refined oil is identified by the label RBD Coconut Oil.
Which is better, you may ask? The smoke point of unrefined coconut oil is approximately 350 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas refined coconut oil is around 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Unrefined oil is typically preferred over refined oil
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the amount of carbs in coconut?
Per 1 medium (397g) has 60-gram carbs. Among 60-grams sugar is 25-grams.
2. Is it okay to drink coconut water on a keto diet?
Yes, it is okay to some extent. It is not keto-friendly. Coco water has carbs and zero fat. So it is not recommended, but there are alternative drinks and recipes preferred.
3. Is it okay to drink coconut oil on a keto diet?
Yes, it is okay. Coconut oil is keto-friendly. You can use it to make healthy dishes. You can also use it in your recipes.
4. What is the amount of carbs in coconut water?
In 1 cup serving (240 g) of coco water, 8.9 grams of carbohydrates and 6.3 net carbs are found
5. What is the amount of carbs in coconut oil?
Coconut oil is solid fat. There are zero carbs in it. So this is a keto material.
6. Is Coconut water Fat-free?
Yes, it has 0.5 grams of fat in a 1 cup of serving, which is pretty low. But it has large amounts of carbs in it.
7. Are there any alternative keto-friendly drinks that can replace coconut water?
Yes, there are some alternative drinks, such as organic maple water and keto-friendly lemon drinks.
8. What is the calorie scale in coconut water?
The calorie scale in coconut water is: 1 cup has 46 calories. There are 8.9 g of carbs and 1.73 g of protein among them.
Final Thoughts
After reading the article, now I want you to ask yourself, is coconut water keto friendly? I hope you have found the solution to your problem.
From my side, I want to say this; it depends on you. You can drink coconut water on your keto diet but to some extent.
Overall, coconut water is a low-fat, moderate-to-high carbohydrate item that is not suitable for the keto diet. Coconut water may cause keto dieters to exceed their daily carbohydrate goals. However, coconut water beverages can sometimes be suitable for the keto diet, so check the label and ingredients.
