Is Vita Coco Bad For You?
Also Known As: Vita Coco Pure Coconut Water
Short answer
Aside from the added sugar, Vita Coco coconut water is good and reaps many benefits. Always opt for fresh coconut water, though, when available.
Recommended Alternative
Very beneficial to your health. Things rated a 'B+' may have a few harmful qualities to pay attention to.
View Full Grading System
Category 'A'
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. Side effects are rare. Things rated an 'A+' are typically necessary for survival (for example, water).
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. A few harmful qualities may be associated, but only under certain circumstances such as an allergic reaction.
Very healthy and numerous health benefits. Harmful qualities may be associated, but aren't usually serious.
It is important to note that even the best things in life can become bad in immoderate amounts. So, although something may be rated an 'A+', overconsumption/overdoing can bring unwanted effects.
Category 'B'
Very beneficial to your health. Things rated a 'B+' may have a few harmful qualities to pay attention to.
Overall beneficial to your health. Things rated a 'B' may have some harmful qualities to pay attention to.
More beneficial to your health than not. However, harmful qualities are most likely associated and shouldn't be overlooked.
The main difference between category 'A' and category 'B' is the harmful qualities typically present in 'B' items. Serious side effects are usually uncommon, but are still possible and should be taken note of.
Category 'C'
Both beneficial and harmful qualities associated. Things rated a 'C+' are typically a bit more on the beneficial side. Still, moderation is important.
A fairly even ratio of beneficial and harmful qualities. Moderation is important. Very general topics that can lean towards both sides of the spectrum will be placed here as well. Rice, for example, can be good or bad depending on the type.
More harmful than beneficial. Side effects are common, especially when consumed/done excessively. Moderation is very important.
Category 'C' usually denotes to both good and bad qualities. When it comes to this category, it is important to keep this word in mind: moderation.
Category 'D'
Harmful to your health. Although benefits may be associated, the bad most likely outweighs the good. Moderation is very important.
Harmful to your health. A few benefits may be associated, but the bad outweighs the good. Moderation is extremely important.
Harmful to your health. Very few, if any, benefits are present. Things in this category should be avoided as much as possible.
Category 'D' is typically for things that are more harmful than beneficial. While consuming/doing something unhealthy once in a blue moon shouldn't hurt, we definitely recommend eliminating 'D' items as a regular part of your routine/diet.
Category 'F'
Category 'F' is for things that fail to bring anything beneficial to the table, and are very harmful to your health. We recommend completely avoiding anything in this category. Long-term side effects of 'F' items are usually very serious.
Category 'N'
'N' stands for neutral. Things placed into this category are generally (a) neither good nor bad for you, or (b) lack the necessary evidence to reach any conclusions.
Long answer
Coconut water is incredibly healthy when consumed fresh, but time and storage cause degradation of the nutrients. Coconut water provides calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin C, natural sugars and carbohydrates making it great for rehydrating and replenishing electrolytes.
Coconut water is boasted about for many great health effects including weight loss, skin health, aiding in hydration and digestion, and reducing blood pressure. Some people even consider coconut water the perfect hangover fixer. While coconut water has some calories, it’s very low in fat and able to suppress the appetite preventing overeating which can help to maintain weight. The hydrating properties can also go a long way for skin health and digestion. One glass of coconut water contains nearly 294 milligrams of potassium which can prevent muscle cramps after working out and replace what is lost in sweat. While it offers some of the same benefits as other sports drink, coconut water does it which much less sodium. Keeping electrolytes balanced in the body is also essential for maintaining a normal blood pressure.
One other interesting, and kind of weird, fact is that coconut water can be used in an emergency to rehydrate the body – intravenously! This is because coconut water is very similar to human blood plasma. Kind of neat, huh?
All this considered, coconut water is very healthy for you. But how about Vita Coco coconut water specifically?
Vita Coco adds extra ingredients and processes their coconut water for packaging and storage. They add “fruit sugar” to their plain coconut water to give it a sweeter flavor, with each serving containing roughly 11 grams. While fruit sugar (or fructose) is okay in small amounts, it is still sugar and excessive consumption can lead to many negative effects including diabetes, heart disease, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Vita Coco also heat pasteurizes their coconut water with flash pasteurization. This is an industry standard procedure for fruit and other juices, dairy, beer and some wines. The purpose of this process is to kill are organisms in the liquid before packaging that may cause spoilage. The upside is that flash pasteurization only takes 10 seconds compared to the traditional process that occurred for 30 minutes. This allows less degradation of nutrients due to heat. It is possible that the very heat sensitive vitamin C is still affected by this process, but many companies add vitamin C back into their products.
So, if you can get fresh, organic coconut water that will be the best and healthiest option. Otherwise, Vita Coco isn’t too bad either, just watch the sugar content – drink in moderation or minimize sugar from other sources.
Ingredients to be aware of
Benefits
- hydrating
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replenishes electrolytes
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contains vitamins and minerals
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reduces blood pressure
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prevents muscle cramps
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aids in digestion
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helps to maintain a healthy weight
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reduces blood pressure
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keeps the gut balanced
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keeps skin healthy
Our Wellness Pick
(what is this?)
Harmless Harvest Coconut Water
- Natural electrolytes
- No added sugar
- Organic hydration
- Fair for Life Certified
- Non-GMO
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Written by Kristin Brown, DC, MS
Published on: 08-20-2016
Last updated: 12-15-2023
Thank you for your feedback!
Written by Kristin Brown, DC, MS
Published on: 08-20-2016
Last updated: 12-15-2023
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