electro-what?

sorry, let me finish the new kitchen counters, etc, and i'll get to the green remodel....

okay, so anyone who knows me knows that i truly deeply love three things (well, really i love more than that, but for the purposes of this post, i'll just focus on three) 1-running, 2-the beach, 3-snowboarding.  so, of course this means that my poor little kiddo gets drug around to all of these places (from 100 plus this summer to -10 degrees and 10,000 feet up in keystone colorado).  i am a good motivated mom and have some guilt that my habits may be somewhat annoying my daughter, so i try my best to make sure she's as happy as she can be while we're out in the heat ( or at altitude). 

getting ready to go up the gondola

at the top of keystone

at the continental divide in loveland, colorado, like 11 or 12,000 feet

running at keystone

heading out for a run back at home

She's had coconut water to help combat altitude sickness when we went from 0-10,000+ feet in 1 day, on all of our hot runs, and at the beach.  I started her on it at around 5 1/2 months and she's Loved it ever since!

about 5 years ago on a yoga teacher training trip to costa rica, i learned all about the awesomeness of coconut water.  now, i do love coconut, so when my friend and i were laying out on the beach, and a nice man was walking up and down the beach dragging a cooler behind him and asked us if we wanted a coconut, i thought, "when in rome..." and said yes.  He pulled out chilled coconuts from the cooler and took a screw driver and put a hole through the rind and gave them to us.  heaven, i tell you!! 

(no, this is not the man in costa rica, this is my hot husband when we were in key west.  i was 26 weeks preggo, and he was being a good hubby and shimmied up a coconut tree for me )

okay, i know the following is a lot of information, but just take a glance through it.  i bet you'll learn a LOT you didn't know about coconut water:

Coconut water is a naturally isotonic fluid, meaning it has the same properties and electrolyte levels as your blood does.  (it has even been used in IV form !). This means it hydrates extremely well!!

"Coconut water is the very stuff of Nature, biologically Pure, full of Natural Sugars, Salts, and Vitamins to ward off fatigue and is the next wave of energy drinks BUT natural", according to Mortin Satin, Chief of the United Nation's Food & Agriculture Organization.

• Coconut water contains more potassium 294 mg sports drinks 117 mg
• Coconut water has less sodium 25mg, sports drinks have around 41mg
• Coconut water has 5mg of Natural Sugars where sports and energy drinks range from 10-25mg of Altered Sugars.
• Coconut water is very high in Chloride at 118mg, compared to sports drinks at about 39mg.

Data is based on a 100ml drink from http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/demo/article-320.html

All of this to say, i have been giving my daughter coconut water all summer long.  i know the people at the children's hospital thought i was def. a nut when i told them, no thanks, i brought my own drink to give her,  no pedialyte for this kiddo.  but why would i ever give her artificial colors/flavors when there is such a better option out there?!!  

for those of you out there who HATE coconut, don't worry, it doesn't taste very coconutty, it's the water from an unripe coconut, NOT the milk that is fatty once it starts to ripen and absorb with the coconut meat.

my daughter and me at the beach

My favorite brand here in the states, since it's hard to just get a fresh young coconut in Virginia, is Vita-Coco. http://www.vitacoco.com/  and you can recycle the container :) 

the best coconut water ever!!!