I have a short story to tell. We had just made a move back from Maui, HI to Portland, OR and we were asked to be a part of an adventure race weekend called the Wild Canyon Games (see awesome video below). My husband had participated since it started and only missed the year we were in Maui. I had never done it before and always wanted to; I was pregnant the first time around. Now was my chance.
The only thing was…I didn’t feel I was in peak condition for a weekend of intense physical limit pushing, let alone 4 hrs. of Geocaching (my main event) in the desert mountains at 7 am in the morning to kick off the weekend with more events to follow. But, alas, I couldn’t resist the challenge. I said yes and we were set to go.
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- Ready to go! (I’m special, I know.) 😉
We had two months from the time we moved back to when the games were held. We were also on a team trying to collect points, so I didn’t want to suck be bad, at least not too bad. One other thing: I’m directionally challenged. Yeah. And geocaching happens to be a game where you look for hidden ‘caches’ a.k.a. objects with a handheld GPS unit. The caches for the weekend were in the mountains. For real, some were hidden amidst straight-up cliffs. I really had no idea what I was getting myself into other than I wanted to have an experience of a lifetime and do something that would push me. The good thing was I had a partner, Rob, he was awesome. The bad thing was about 30 minutes into it we were climbing straight up and I already felt like I was gonna’ die. Now mind you I wasn’t in terrible shape, just not in peak form. Didn’t matter, this was gonna’ be tough. In the end it was tough, that’s the best part, right?! And Rob and I had a blast through it. It was a high for sure. We found some caches and then met up with another pair and hung out with them the whole way, climbing and laughing and stopping to breathe and drink. {Remind me to talk about the drinking part later}.
The coolest part, we climbed the face of one of the tallest peaks there, at least that is what I was told, and we didn’t even know it until we came all the way down, ran to the finish line and looked up. I had no idea what I was climbing or that I was climbing the face of a mountain, it was totally awesome. Limits = pushed. After that we had more events for the rest of the day and had a relay in the morning. I pretty much thought when I woke up I was going to be the sorest I’d ever been since the summer before eleventh grade when I had to do daily doubles for soccer. My alarm did go off (too early, of course) and I did wake up. I remember sitting up and slowly climbing down the bunk bed, oh, so carefully as if I could prolong the feeling of soreness and pain I was about to feel with a vengeance. I get all the way down and stand on two feet and then I just stand there…in utter disbelief and shock. Uh…is this my body? The body who just went through some brutal mountain geocaching climbing for four hours straight, then running craziness right after all without being prepared for it physically and all less than 24 hrs. ago was a body who woke up not sore. At. All. Um, yep. I felt like a million bucks and wasn’t sore in the slightest. That was the moment when I became a believer in all things coconut water. Island folks know what’s up!
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- Coconut H20 Believer!
{The drinking part —->} I drank more coconut water than I did actual water the day before, not that I am promoting that, but I was floored by the results. I packed an entire bag of these bad boys, some for me, some for the hubs and just pounded them one after the other all day long with water in-between. And voila! I woke up feeling like a million bucks when I should have felt like I got hit by a semi. So, that’s my short…er…long story of how I became a true believer in the hydration and benefits of coconut water. From now on, I will always have coconut water with me when I climb the faces of mountains. The end.
Onto the cool nutrition stuff + where my love for all things coconut began…Maui style!
Did you know…
Coconut water is truly the best hydration on the planet other than water. I fully give you permission to ditch the nasty, neon-colored stuff, a.k.a. quite possibly the worst drink ever for athlete ever and the rest of us for that matter and trade it in for coconut water. I know, I know, I grew up on it, too, BUT, coconut water doesn’t have flame retardants, high-fructose corn syrup (which I think they finally took out), red, yellow, blue dyes and whatever else they decide to throw in there for kicks. Ditch it, it is not a sports drink, nor is it a health drink…at all. Coconut water, however, does have actual benefits for our bodies like B vitamins and minerals like magnesium, potassium, and calcium and trace minerals such as manganese, iodine, zinc, sulfur, and boron. It is the closest thing to our own blood and was even used during WWII as a short-term IV drip to keep the soldiers hydrated when there was a lack of water. It increases blood circulation in diabetics and, get this, the research is still out, but it has in it what are called cytokinins, which regulate the aging of human tissue, so coconut water might actually might keep us younger. Whoa.
Coconut Water Does Not = Coconut Milk
The difference? Coconut water is the water from a young, immature, green coconut.
Coconut milk is made from the meat of a mature, brown coconut.
So, the next time you want the big lightening bolt drink, go for the palm tree instead, or whatever’s on the front of your coconut water carton. 🙂
My favorite, favorite, favorite brand is Vita-Coco. There are a lot of them and some are really bad. You just have to find the one you like.
I was introduced to all things coconut when our family moved to Maui for a year. From coconut water to coconut milk and yogurt, to eating coconut meat (tastes kind of like almonds) and using coconut oil and coconut flour, this little tree nut is amazing for all that it provides us. The islanders knew what was up! Here is a photo montage of our family, Maui and the green, drinking coconut! Aloha!
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- Our fam’s first taste of coconut water. Yum!
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- Young green coconuts on the tree
- Best Smoothie Shack in Maui!
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- The smoothies are good! Morning Mana. Mmm…
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- Sharing the coconut love with friends!
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- Hana, Maui (Do you see the non-GMO sign? Love it!)
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- Hana side. Great little veg and fruit stand and great coffee.
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- My Little Drummin’ on a Coconut. Aloha!
Anytime I feel dehydrated and need to hydrate with electrolytes or have a big workout or it’s really hot or I’m sick or I’m in labor (ha!), I drink coconut water. And I also drink coconut water just because! You can also use coconut water in smoothies and it would be great paired with watermelon juice to beat the heat!
One of my faves in bulk:
Be a part of the Freshly Grown community. Like FG here on Facebook.
Yes, fresh coconut water is one of the best beverages on the planet. I am happy to find someone like you who has found the ocean within us. You lived by one of the most pristine water and land environs on earth, Hawai’i. I also lived there and other tropical places and these were the healthiest years of my life.
In the last few years I had started a business as a farm fresh foods and raw milk milkman delivery service. Residential. The problem was that I could not get enough supply of raw milk to make the business model work. The consumers in Connecticut and New York Metro regions where I was selling to, wanted raw milk like crazy. They were willing and able to pay $15 per gallon. And they did. I delivered farm fresh raw milk in glass bottles to Fairfield, Connecticut. They were loving it. Then the sad news hit me; I could not get enough raw milk from the farmers because they were restricted with regulations and laws set by government to inhibit their growth as a business. Big business was in on the politics too, everyone knows this now. The Weston A. Price Foundation, Farm to Consumer Legal Foundation, the farmers, the consumers; all were part of the raw milk revolution. Including David Gumpert, The Bovine publication organization on line – Mike Schmidt, Marc McAfee, and many others. It is a shame for me I went out of business. even mores for the farmers. Big Ag companies and Commercial Dairy Associations collaborated to keep local farming down and dumb. All because of greed…………
As a result of all this happening, I was out of a job and did not know what to do next……
I discovered the benefits of coconut water. Fresh, Live, Raw, coconut water. From the green or yellow variety coconuts. The water inside has all the Life Force that a processed coconut water does not have. It reminds me of raw milk in ways. I went on to start a fresh coconut water company. And probably the, I am, the only raw milk milkman to cross over to really raw coconut water. I now harvest, pack, ship, sell, market, and promote fresh coconuts, coconut meat, and coconut water. Never processed. I call the company, NOELANI COCONUT WATER COMPANY and NOELANI BEVERAGE COMPANY. Noelani is hawaiian for “Dew From The Heavens.”
I am so happy for you and your family to have lived this truth and have the opportunity to spread the good news as you have done here. You have a great success story and a beautiful website. Many people can benefit from. I will tell others about this.
The life from the ocean is in the live fresh coconut that has not been harmed by chemicals or Genetic Modification and other forms of man made plant interventions. Scientists know the similarity between the mineral content of human fluids and seawater. And coconut water is made in part from seawater and the minerals from the sea. These are bathing our cells with mineral rich fluid that keeps them alive, vibrant, and healthy. It is no wonder we feel great when we spend a day at the beach. we do carry the ancient ocean within us.
The coconut is from the Tree of Life…..
We need to protect it……….
Our food purchase of natural, fresh, sustainably harvested coconuts can help insure their survival and even their growth. Mismanage and harm the environment and let greed take control of their environs and they shall perish. And so shall we.
Look for us this summer in the Hamptons and Manhattan and Connecticut and Westchester County, New York.
With peace and grace be yours in abundance.
Thank you.
Yours truly,
Ed Hartz, aka, “Coconut Ed”
Speechless!! AWESOME!!
Glad, people are realizing the truth and benefits of the Magic Nut, “The Coconut”…
to introduce.. i was born and brought up in tropicals… bascially coconut cultivator… had been drinking coconut water since i was 3 years.. and feeling young as ever, as enlightened by Rama in the blog…Thanks Rama for an wonderful..energetic write-up..
Cheers to Coconut Ed for his venture in Noelani..
People such as him who are true beliver in Coconut can make a difference and would stand as example among our dizz drinkers..
Best wishes
Go Coconut; Go Natural
Raj, Coconut Farmer
Raj, thank you!!! Yes, I heart coconut. It’s really becoming ‘mainstream’ as they say. Love it! I miss Maui though, where you can get it in abundance! 😉 Glad you found me and thanks for commenting.
Best,
Rama
Dear Freshly Grown and Raj:
Thank you for your website Mam.
And Raj, thank you for the compliment. And for knowing the truth. The truth is that any processed coconut water does not have the great taste and higher level of nutrition and efficacy that live fresh really raw coconut water has. You and I and Freshly Grown and millions of other people are talking about fresh live unprocessed coconut water. Coconut water that is HPP or any other process does not qualify for being called “dew from the heavens.” And nor does it qualify to talk about all the health benefits. Because the health benefits that all commercial brands are bragging about are health benefits attributable to only unprocessed coconut water from the coconut. There is no coconut water that is processed that can be used as an IV, and yet they talk about their coconut waters as if theirs qualifies to be used as one. They do not. They cannot be used as an IV unless perhaps they add something to it. Therefore, it does not qualify and they are not telling the truth. ~ Coconut Ed @ Noelani Coconut and Noelani Coconut Water.