I love coconut water! When I’m traveling in the tropics, there is nothing better than drinking water straight from a coconut. Mother nature designed the perfect vessel for a drink that is so refreshing, slightly sweet, and keeps you hydrated in hot climates. You’ve probably heard that coconut water makes an excellent hydrating drink that replenishes electrolytes and can replace nasty chemical-filled Gatorade and Powerade – but there really is more to it than that. How do you buy the healthiest coconut water and avoid the worst?
Coconut water is one of the healthiest drinks on the planet
Coconut water contains a unique combination of B vitamins, vitamin C, micronutrients, and phytohormones that are exceptionally beneficial to your health. A scientific review of coconut water, published in the journal Molecules, highlights some of the ways that coconut water replenishes your body:
- Helps to prevent heart attacks
- Lowers high blood pressure
- Can have anti-aging effects
- Fights free radicals to help prevent cancer
- Contains trans-zeatin which can be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease or dementia
That being said, I don’t want you to think it’s okay to pick up just any coconut water off of the shelf. Packaged coconut water is really flooding into the market recently. You can find it in bottles, cartons or powdered, frozen, flavored, carbonated, and sweetened. With all these choices it can be confusing and difficult to know if you are choosing the best one.
It usually costs at least $3 bucks a bottle, so it’s not exactly affordable- and if I’m going to spend my hard earned money on some, I make sure it’s worth it! Primarily, I look for coconut water that is the least processed and still has the majority of its nutrients intact. This is always going to be directly from a fresh coconut – but, of course that’s not always available. If you haven’t already heard, Pepsico and Coca-Cola have their own versions of coconut water – (O.N.E., Zico, Naked) – and you can only imagine what the corporations have done to it.
How To Ruin Coconut Water
Using a concentrate instead of fresh juice: Some coconut water companies get away with saying their drinks contain “100% Coconut Water” that’s “All Natural” even though it’s made from a reconstituted concentrate. Just like other juices in the store, they heat fresh coconut water and reduce it to a syrup. It’s cheaper for them to import this coconut water syrup, which they later add water prior to packaging. Any juice that has been heated to this extent loses a significant amount of its nutrients and its beneficial enzymes are denatured (i.e. the enzymes don’t work anymore).
Taking water from mature coconuts: This is a biggie. Young coconuts on the tree are usually green with an abundance of water in the center that is full of nutrients. Anyone that drinks coconut water straight from a coconut is drinking out of one of these young coconuts. As they begin to age, the nutrients in the water begin to seep into the meat of the coconut, and the water becomes less nutritious. It’s essentially watered-down. This also happens when young coconuts are picked and allowed to lie on the ground in the sun, for an extended period of time. While older “mature” coconuts might be used to make coconut oil, coconut milk and other coconut products, the coconut water from older coconuts is often discarded because it’s lacking nutrients and doesn’t taste the same. As the popularity in coconut water spiked recently, companies realized that they could buy up the water from mature coconuts and could get it cheaper than young coconut water. This is why it’s important to drink young coconut water and not get scammed into drinking the watered-down and less nutritious version.
Adding “natural flavors” or sweeteners: Young coconut water is refreshing and sweet, so there is absolutely no need to flavor or sweeten it – unless you are trying to hide something. Guess what happens when they use mature coconuts for their water? It tastes acidic, so they mask this taste with natural flavors or sweeten it up with sugars. I’ve heard that some companies use a centrifuge system to remove the acidic taste, but it’s a safe assumption that if you see a plain coconut water on the shelf with any natural flavors or sweeteners added it is from mature coconuts and not worth your money.
Pasteurizing it with heat: Coconut water is very delicate, naturally perishable, and should be kept cold. Have you ever stopped to wonder why most bottled and boxed coconut waters on the shelves aren’t in the refrigerated section? I recently checked out one of these bottles and noticed it didn’t expire for 2 years! This is because most coconut water at the store is heat pasteurized, which literally means that it’s been cooked to a very high temperature to kill bacteria and extend its shelf life. It has been shown that heat also destroys some of the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients and also denatures enzymes – stripping its benefits and much of its flavor. If coconut water is from concentrate, this would be the second time it’s heated. Obviously, your best bet is to seek out and find unpasteurized raw coconut water. This can be hard to find, but there is another way to kill bacteria while keeping the nutrients intact: HPP (high pressure processing). Without using heat, HPP is best way to preserve the goodness in coconut water, while extending its shelf life a little to make it more available commercially.
Dipping whole coconuts in formaldehyde or sodium metabisulphite: It’s been reported that some non-organic coconuts may be preserved for transport to the U.S. by dipping them in chemicals, including formaldehyde a known carcinogen. This leads to the possibility that these chemicals seep into the coconut meat and poisons the water. Some of my favorite organic cafes avoid this by getting frozen coconut water shipped directly to them.
We called up several of the most popular coconut water companies and asked where they source their coconuts (young vs. mature), if they dip them in chemicals, how they pasteurize them, and about additives and preservatives that they may use. We got a variety of responses, and it’s almost surprising to me how much some of these companies have screwed up something as basic as coconut water. I found several brands to avoid, because they are so heavily processed that the final product barely resembles natural coconut water.
Coconut waters to avoid at all costs:
Naked Juice Coconut Water – Although it’s not from concentrate, Naked told me that they use “mature” coconut water that is flash pasteurized with heat. The plain variety doesn’t have any additives, but all of the flavored ones have added natural flavors. This is also a Pepsico brand – a company that spent over $4 Million dollars to fight GMO labels – so they aren’t getting any of my business.
O.N.E. Coconut Water – This is another Pepsico brand that is flash pasteurized with heat. The flavored waters “with a Splash of Fruit Juice” contain natural flavors and “sugar” as an ingredient. As it doesn’t say “cane sugar” on the label, this could very well be from GMO sugar beets.
Pepsico told me that they couldn’t confirm whether their sugar is GMO because:
“the exact source of the sugar in our coconut water cannot be confirmed because we source our ingredients from around the world and that information is not available at this time. Please know that all of our products comply with all applicable food laws and labeling requirements. O.N.E. Coconut Water relies on the regulatory agencies charged with safeguarding our food supply when sourcing ingredients for our products”.
They are relying on the FDA’s regulations to protect us, although the FDA themselves say that the manufacturer is responsible for ensuring the safety of the ingredients used in their products, including GMOs.
Zico – They sell two entirely different coconut waters depending on which packaging you choose. The waters in the bottles are made from concentrate and are a “blend of Asian coconuts” with natural flavors added. On the other hand, the ones in the tetra-pak cartons are not made from concentrate, have no additives, and contain only Thai coconut water that is packaged in Thailand. A bit confusing, isn’t it? While the tetra-paks (boxed) seem like a good choice, they use “Ultra High Temperature Pasteurization” to give it a long shelf life. This means it’s heated well above boiling point to 280 degrees Fahrenheit, which “kills everything” according to Scientific American, including beneficial nutrients. Plus, in case you didn’t hear the news, they were recently acquired by Coca-Cola – a big supporter of GMOs who have spent over 3.2 million to prevent GMO labeling.
CocoZona – We called and emailed them on several occasions, and they never replied to any of our questions – not even a peep! I always find it alarming when a company refuses to stand behind their product and isn’t transparent about their practices, especially since some companies have been caught lying about what’s really in the bottle. So, at this point, we know little more than what’s printed on the bottle of CocoZona, and the ingredient list reveals that it is made from concentrate. That’s enough reason to stay away from it.
Vita Coco – Don’t be fooled by all of those celebrity endorsements! Their waters are not made from concentrate, but they are all pasteurized with heat. Many of the flavored versions contain added sweeteners and the Cafe versions contain carrageenan. Even the seemingly plain 100% pure version contains added “fruit sugar.” Watch out for their coconut waters targeting kids, which are loaded with added sugar and many different natural flavors – they are not 100% coconut water! According to their website, Vita Coco Kids is also ultra high temperature pasteurized.
GOYA – This brand is heat pasteurized and contains added preservatives. Some versions are sweetened with sugar, which may be GMO. Because I vote with my dollars, I avoid any GOYA brand product as they spent over $56K to fight GMO labeling in California.
C2O – They told me they heat pasteurize their water up to 120 degrees celsius once the product is in the can for as long as 5 minutes. Although, they use no additives or concentrates, the length of this high heat processing puts it squarely on my avoid list.
Purity Organic – It’s made from concentrate and flash pasteurized with heat, so some of the goodness has been destroyed. It’s organic I know, but not all organic products use the best practices!
Coco Libre (Organic) – It’s made from concentrate, flash pasteurized with heat and has added “natural flavors.”
How do other popular coconut waters stack up?
Munkijo (organic) – This water isn’t from concentrate, contains no additives or added sugars and their young coconuts are sustainably grown and harvested. But I’m sorry to report they also use ultra high heat pasteurization to process their waters, so it’s far from the best on the market.
Coco Hydro by Big Tree Farms (organic) – I really like Big Tree Farms’ mission geared towards sustainability. Their unique version of coconut water is powdered and comes in packets that travel easily. So, there is no pasteurization involved, you just add water to reconstitute it. However, the process they use to evaporate the water uses heat, so it is not considered raw and some of the nutrients may be destroyed in the process.
Taste Nirvana (organic) – No concentrates or additives in this brand, and their young coconuts are sustainably grown, harvested and organic (though not labeled as such). I really like how it’s packaged in glass bottles. They are the only company that told me they use a “steam sterilization” process which is a combination of steam and pressure.
Amy & Brian (organic) – Other than the fact that they flash pasteurize the water, all other aspects are good – no additives, no added sugars, no concentrates. They also told me that their young coconuts are not treated with any chemicals or pesticides. I have to admit though, I’m not a fan of the cans they are in, even if they are BPA-free.
Harvest Bay (some varieties are certified organic) – They flash pasteurize their water for about 2 seconds at 120 degrees, and it’s not from concentrate. Some of their waters are now organic, and they are all non-GMO project verified. Although they add no sugars or additives to their plain version, most flavored varieties contain added sugar or natural flavors, so I’d avoid those.
Whole Foods 365 – They confirmed they don’t use a concentrate, however they heat pasteurize their water which comes “from around the world depending on availability”. Their water is also packaged in cans, which I don’t like!
Trader Joe’s – Their water is not from concentrate, but it is pasteurized. I have yet to hear back from them in regards to how they pasteurize their water (whether they use flash or ultra processing). They fortify their water with added vitamin C, which is a red flag that it has been heavily processed.
My top picks for packaged coconut water:
***This chart contains examples of the coconut waters we researched, however, there are many more available on the market or may be available in your neck of the woods. Please use this post as a guide to find the best coconut water in your area.***
While the best coconut water is straight from a young coconut picked from a tree, these packaged waters below are as close to the real thing as you can get. They don’t use any heat processing or concentrates, so they aren’t cooking your coconut water. Some of them use HPP to kill bacteria, and a couple of these brands serve it up completely raw and unpasteurized.
Harmless Harvest (organic) – I’ve written about this brand before, and it’s no secret that they are my favorite. I had the pleasure of meeting with the founders of Harmless Harvest and I’m blown away with how open and honest they are about everything. They’ve become a success not because of marketing, but because of their good practices. In fact, they hardly spend any money on marketing at all (and bloggers are not compensated either). They source their young coconuts from small organic agroforestry farms that pay a fair wage to their workers. The coconuts are then frozen and shipped to the U.S. for packaging, after which they use HPP processing to kill bacteria and extend the shelf life to 60 days. Because it’s so minimally processed, some of the waters turn pink when the naturally occurring antioxidants or phenols are exposed to light – and you won’t find this in pasteurized coconut water. You can find this at Whole Foods and most natural food stores in the refrigerator section.
Juice Press (organic) – This water is totally raw. It’s not pasteurized or processed with HPP. Their coconuts are shipped frozen to the store and then they ship it fresh to you with a 3 or 4 day shelf life.
Exotic Superfoods (organic) – Another fave, this water is 100% organic and raw. It is not processed with any heat or HPP – but it’s kept frozen to preserve freshness.
Liquitera (organic) – This bottled raw coconut water is also organic, without any pasteurization. It’s only available at their stores in New York.
Vital Juice (organic) – It’s never heated or frozen, and it’s preserved with HPP, 100% organic and non-GMO project verified. It is currently only available at stores in Washington and Oregon with plans of expansion, and you can also order it online on Amazon.
Unoco (wild coconut) – Made from wild coconuts (not from a plantation) and processed with HPP without any additives. It’s only available in California right now.
Suja (organic) – Suja makes a coconut water blend, Tropicaloe, which is made from freeze-dried coconut water mixed with pineapple, apple, aloe, lime, mint and spinach juices, all preserved with HPP. This juice is exclusively sold at Whole Foods stores.
Keep in mind that while I think coconut water is amazing, I don’t drink it every day, I use it as a treat or on days I am very active and sweat hard!
If you know someone who loves coconut water or needs a great substitute for soda, Gatorade, Powerade or other unhealthy drinks – please share this post!
We must educate as many people as possible about their choices to change the marketplace. When we change the marketplace and start spending our money on the best and safest brands, we change the world!
Xo,
Vani
So many varieties…. how could one ever choose from so many. I buy a brand called Thirsty Buddha, to which I add a squeeze of lemon juice and 2 tsp chia seed… Taste is awesome… Product of Thailand, 100% natural,no added ingredients, BPA free can, non-GMO…. I chose this after checking out a lot of the other brands and figuring this was the lesser of the evils..bottom line, it tastes AWESOME and is not soda. I really have to push myself to drink more fluids; this coconut water makes getting hydrated a bit easier….Thank you FOODBABE for all you do; your work on our behalf is incredible.
I agree regarding Thirsty Buddha although it’s quite expensive which is why I switched to Coco-Libra and Vita-Coco but I guess I’ll be switching back! We don’t get all of your “approved” brands up in Canada unfortunately.
I have found Thirsty Buddha at Winners quite often for 99 cents for the 250 ml, also quite often at Target when they have their *temporarily reduced* sale– I prefer the smaller size as I don’t have opened containers in the fridge.
What about Full Circle? It says it has Vit C added so I assume it’s too processed?
Do you know anything about cocozia? It comes in a tetra pack coco z/a and it’s GMO cert usda organic. It says it’s 100% coconut water and under ingredients it says organic coconut water. 100% juice.
I can send pics if you would like
I too would like to know about Cocozia…all of their claims seem legit, but so does everything else these days.
We would love to provide with samples. COCOZIA® coconut water is 100% Organic, NON GMO Verified and Kosher, not from concentrate, never frozen as “HPP” ( FoodBaby forgot to mention in review that all these HPP “Processed” Coconut waters are previously “Frozen”)
I have a bunch of cocozia in my fridge! I love it and wanted to make sure it checked out on her list 🙂 please continue to stock it in the palm beach county region 🙂 I’m thrilled that your product is so great!
I am so so thrilled that cocozia checks out! Not only have I stocked my fridge with it but I recently had fresh coconut water from a green coconut and out of all the brands I’ve tried this comes the closest to it- in taste and in quality (now I can say that for sure) the only thing missing is that I’m not drilling a hole in a coconut to drink it :)! I hope @foodbabe adds this to her approved list!!!! And please keep supplying it to palm beach county
Hi Felicia, I am glad you are enjoying COCOZIA®, look for it at Whole Foods Market, we are available in all Florida region stores!
Goya was purchased by Monsanto.
no it wasn’t
Thanks for the reply.
Interesting-this has been making the rounds in South Florida for the past couple of months as a done deal. What triggered it? The press around it seems to have disappeared off the Internet search engines…
Very interesting article to help sort through the confusion. One comment is that I am not sure that heating the water to 120 degrees is a big deal. That is about the temperature hot tap water is set at in many homes. Many organic and raw dairy farmers use minimal heat to pasteurize their milk so as to not adversely affect the wholesome benefits of the raw milk–about 150 degrees.
Loved this article. Now I’m really curious to try raw coconut water from young coconuts. I’ve tried some of the brands you said to avoid and didn’t like the way they tasted. Probably due to all the processing and the fact they were made from mature coconuts…Thanks Vani!
What a fantastic article! I do like the whole foods one and I guess it isn’t terribly bad bc it just got hot before it got bottled. I however had one coconut water in NYC this weekend and it was so awful it made me almost get sick. I was wondering what was up with that!
I can’t find the Vital Juice Coconut Water on Amazon. Would you be able to provide a link?
What about Costco’s coconut water – “Kirkland” – anyone know anything about that?! Thank you ahead of time!!
I would love to hear a review about “Kirkland” as well please!
me too!!!
Any news on Kirkland yet? They are probably one of the largest distributors out there, so I am disappointed that they are not reviewed.
You down with HPP? (NO NO, not me)
Who’s down with HPP? (Every last homie)
You down with HPP? (NO NO, not me)
Who’s down with HPP? (All the homies)
THE CLAIM: HPP kills off all the “bad/dangerous” bacteria and leaves the “good/healthy” bacteria for your nutritional needs.
SOUND TO GOOD TO BE TRUE?
It is going to take some time but soon people will learn that HPP is yet another MARKETING GIMMICK to extend product shelf life and increase company revenue, and as usual, PRODUCT QUALITY SUFFERS. HPP stands for High Pressure Process. Process. Process. Process??!!
Oh, you mean pasteurization. Just because heat is not used does not mean it is no longer a form of pasteurization. The marketing kingpins new exactly what they were doing and skirted around that word and came up with a beautiful vague replacement, “PROCESS!”
Plain and simple, limit the amount of human involvement from harvest to end consumer!! It is the only way to prevent additives, chemical concoctions, and baloney preservation tactics.
If you buy it in a grocery store, guess what?, IT HAS BEEN PASTEURIZED, meaning…
…there are no living enzymes and you are paying for a fancy plastic package with great marketing and little to NO NUTRITIONAL VALUE.
Remember this mantra, and if you cant live it every day just make it a goal to always shoot for…
…EAT ORGANIC, EAT RAW, EAT LOCAL
Plus they state that is “ROW” which is not and we also like the selling point “never heated” or is should be “PREVIOUSLY FORZEN” (Minimum Twice).
Cocozia – Unfortunately, your information is not correct. Please verify your statements before making false claims. We will happily clarify any questions you might have.
Hi Jeremy – I love your passion and understand the frustration that comes with so many marketing gimmicks, making it harder and harder to know how products are actually sourced and handled.
Fortunately, there are no marketing kingpins at Harmless Harvest (we actually don’t even keep a marketing budget). We would love to learn more about what you’ve written here. If you have any links to more information or scientific research, please share! Also, feel free to email us at [email protected] so that we can discuss further.
There is no such thing as a “living enzyme.” Enzymes are proteins.
While pasteurization will denature some enzymes, so will stomach acid (HCl). Unless you’re taking coconut water as an enema it’s unlikely to make much difference in the amount of enzymes absorbed by your body.
Trying to research this topic on the Internet is likely to prove frustrating. I recommend being extremely skeptical of anyone with an obvious stake – e.g., products to sell.
That said, I am very much in agreement with the “eat raw, eat local” part of your message.
This is awesome… love it thank you.. my only complaint is i cant get most of the good stuff around here…. and my bigger complaint… you can get the good stuff on amazon… FOR $70 PER BOTTLE !!… good grief thats just insane !
Try Pearl Royal. I’ve tried heaps of packaged coconut water and this baby is the closest tasting you’ll get to the real thing.
Hi Vani!
This is absolutely one of the best, most thorough coconut water articles I’ve ever seen–and I’m in the business of knowing everything I can about coconut water! You hit on so many important points that many people are unaware of. I especially like how you mentioned that some coconuts could be lying in the sun for a while before being processed. Harvest turnaround is key to maintaining quality and flavor and that’s why we’re so particular in getting our coconuts from tree to can in less than 12 hours.
I’m a representative from Rising Sun Thai Coconut Water. One of our customers wrote in to let me know about your awesome article, and I noticed a couple comments referring you to us. I would love to have a chat with you and let you know even more about the coconut water industry…..from the packaging to the processes! We are a completely transparent company who got into this business because of our passion for coconut water, sustainability and healthy living and I’m happy to share my knowledge with anyone. On that note, if any readers would like more information about our coconut water and our process, or coconut water in general, please do not hesitate to write us through our website or email at [email protected] 🙂 I will answer all emails personally.
Thanks again for a great article!!
Mason
I think Rising Sun is the best tasting! Until this article that was my only criteria.
I’m so glad to hear that! If you have any questions about our process or product, please do not hesitate to email me! I’m always happy to teach people all about coconuts 🙂
The truth is, there is nothing special about coconut water. Sure its better than soda, but it should not be used as sports drink replacement. This is a advice comes from accredited nutritionists. It does not have nearly enough carbohydrates or electrolytes for a high level of activity. For more recreational type activity, just plain water is better because you won’t need the extra calories. As far as the minerals that are claimed to be in coconut water, they are minuscule amounts compared to fruit and veg.
Bottom line is, if you are drinking this as an alternative to soda or other sugary drinks and like the flavor, then it makes sense. If you are drinking it because you think it is some super food, then stop, because it is not what you think it is.
Do you know anything about Thirsty Buddha brand? Would love to know! Thank you!
I just go to grocery store and get the greenest and biggest coconut and use that. Lol. But good info.
Thank you Vani! You’ve opened my eyes, I will share xx
Do you have any info on the Sun Tropics brand? Purchased in Canada at Costco. This water is in a tetra pack, claims to be pure /not from concentrate with no added sugar.
I am super PO’d WTH i carefully read all lables and you can’t trust the one that say 100% coconut OMG. … my government is too friggen corrupt. … we need wholesale changes.
Never, ever believe ANYTHING on the front of a package … you have to read the ingredients …
INVO is new to the market and they process exactly the same as Harmless Harvest. Their bottles also warn of some of the pink that may happen. We can only find it at Whole Foods so far. Trader Joe’s in California is now carrying the same. I believe it is being made by one of the two companies above.
Great write up! thanks! sharing with my peeps
Real whole food i.e. coconut water from real green coconuts while in Hawaii would be my top choice. Next would be “non-formaldehyded” or “non sodium metabisulphited” coconuts. I wonder if they also do that to organic coconuts and how we could know?
Trudy
Hi Vani,
Is there such a thing as healthy form of powdered coconut water?
Thanks!
I’ve always used young coconuts and thought why would anyone prefer a can with processed and heated practices. Taking natures perfect bottle and preservation to swap for crap. No thanks! This article is great for peope to understand what marketing does to sway you from your healthy options.
You forgot the BEST brand, Ecos!!!
Ecos is unique…
1- Better Tasting: it is the only brand to use the more rare, single-origin Maphrao Num Hom coconuts from southwest Thailand. This gives Ecos naturally occurring notes of vanilla, caramel and almond. Sooo delicious!
2- Younger Age: average harvest is 6 months after flowering, vs 11 months for most brands.
3- More Nutrients than all surveyed: More minerals like potassium, less sugar and less acidity.
4- Environmentally Ethical: the whole coconut is used and constant refrigeration is not needed like HPP products that can be very harmful. Also, HPP uses lots of plastic and over 50% is never recycled in the USA 🙁
5- Not From Concentrate
6- No Added Sugar
7- No Ascorbic Acid is added (aka vitamin c)
8- Organic & Sustainable Farming
9- Socially Ethical: Ecos pays over 50% more for its coconuts compared to many other brands to help assure living wages are paid to farmers. This is a dirty secret of the trade, that many brands beat up small, poor farmers by paying them too little.
10- Not owned or managed by a soda company, private capital or hedge fund… only one guy who lives with his parents!!!
Cheers!
John Ross
P.S. I’m the guy who lives with his parents 🙂
I love Ecos! My local co-op carries it. Was surprised to not see it on this list!
thanks for the love Megan 🙂
Is Taste Nirvana the same as Nirvana in the tall green cans?
Thank you soooo much for all you do but I have one request: Is there any way you could show photos of the good brands? I never remember the names but I always remember the label…
Do you know which brands use cans without BPA?
This is my fave coconut water and check out their amazing transparency in their food labelling!!
http://www.pret.com/menu/cold_drinks/pure_coconut_water_PUK5338.shtm
Really am a green tea coffee water drinker using a Santevia pitcher to boost my filtered water ph to 8 or 9 , I use this water for everything … thank you for all you do … reading all the comments I just wonder how we can further the cause in letting people know about the poisions were being fed … you always have skme great ideas … so let us know mike carney
Thanks for breaking this down! I drink coconut water all the time and this was very useful!
Hi – could you please comment on Grace coconut water? Thank you
Thanks Vani!
Any similar research or information about coconut milk / cream on the market?
Thank you! I will not longer be featuring Naked or other brands on my site for Organic Coupon deals!!
Hi Vani!
We love you at our house and pray for your safety as you help to keep us safe. I have one concern, though, as you are steadfastly against pasteurization and other high heat methods, won’t you go all the way raw and vegetarian with us? If high heat kills nutrients in coconut water, and we all agree it does, then can’t we all agree that high heat kills nutrients in all our foods whether the processor does it or we do it through our own cooking methods above 200 degrees F?
I’m another one that would like to know about Coco Zia! Just came back from store with a 12 pack. It says 100% coconut water and is organic but is it processed and heated like some of the others you mention?
It is Flash Pasteurized.
Ultra-high temperature processing, (less often) ultra-heat treatment (both abbreviated UHT), or ultra-pasteurization is the sterilization of food by heating it for an extremely short period, around 1–2 seconds, at a temperature exceeding 135°C (275°F)
We would love to provide samples!
Wow!!!! Thanks so much for all your research, you’re the best 😉
Foodbabe – I love Harmless Harvest and don’t drink anything else. But I’ve noticed in the last 6 months that all the Harmless Harvest bottles I buy are pink. It used to be rare and now it’s the norm. When did this happen? Are we sure it’s still natural? Since you have a connection to them I thought maybe you could ask and report back. I’m not the only one (of my group of friends) who has asked about this. Thanks! And keep up the good work.
Do not drink the pink ones! It’s not that they’re bad, they just don’t have as many nutrients left. Coconut water turns pink when it has been oxidized. Because Harmless uses plastic bottles (a giant reason why I never drink them), small amounts of oxygen can leech into the bottles. The byproduct of oxidized nutrients (meaning the nutrients are degrading in quantity and quality) is a pink hue in the coconut water. It doesn’t mean the coconut water has expired or soured, and it should still taste the same. But pink coconut water means it has lost its nutrients. Their shady marketing plus the fact that they use plastic bottles is why I never drink Harmless.
Hi Susan,
You are correct that oxidation is at play, but the root cause actually comes from the high pressurization that breaks down the cell walls and structures within the coconut water fluid and allows leakage of enzymes and other chemicals within the cells.
You can find out more by reading a really interesting study on High Pressure Processing, just google “Opportunities and Challenges in High Pressure Processing of Foods”. It gives the science behind HPP and is really enlightening. I like HPP, but it has drawbacks, like everything in life 🙂
Hi Susan,
We actually use a specific PET1 BPA-free plastic container that can withstand the rigors of High Pressure Processing (HPP). The pink color is actually a result of a variety of factors, including light (while the plastic does not allow oxygen to penetrate, it does allow light in). We would love to hear more about the information you state here, and would be happy to tell you more about our marketing, which in short is to do as little as possible with a budget of $0. We try to be as transparent as we can be, so please email us at [email protected] if there’s any information we can clear up for you!
Actually, your plastic bottles DO allow oxygen through. This is a known fact, as confirmed by one of the scientists working on bottling YOUR product. This same scientist also confirmed that the pink color is due to the loss of the “good stuff”. Your marketing tactics are deplorable. There’s no way you’re in this business and don’t know the pink ones are losing their nutrients. That’s why you label your bottles with “Got a pink one? Lucky you!”. You knew those ones needed to sell faster or they would go bad.
Hi Lauren,
That’s a great question and something that we are asked about often. The proportion of pink bottles varies with seasonality, amount of time on the shelves and exposure to light. This color occurs naturally and could be hidden by the use of additives but we choose to keep our coconut water raw and organic. If you have any other questions about this or anything else, please don’t hesitate to email us at [email protected]. We’re always willing to talk.
Thank you Kisura and Jenna from Harmless Harvest!
What about Blue Monkey coconut water? I understand they have great GMP.
Is there a way to purchase the chart only or a site to download to I may print it out?
Really gain alot from your posts.
I have already sent this one out.
Rog
Thank you SO much for this. My daughter drinks coconut water to add in her lactation and this is an eye opener for her and me. You do GREAT work!!! Thank you.
Thanks for keeping us informed Vani. I will certainly share this useful information, keep on exposing these frauds.
this is how I like drinking coconut water http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY9nvnIBcNM
I have a question. I buy the “Kirkland Signature” coconut water from Costco because it’s more affordable and it’s the only one I know of that comes in bulk. After reading this article, I read the ingredients on the label and it says it only contains coconut water and vitamin C. Would you happen to know anything about Kirkland brand coconut water because I am looking for all the health benefits. Thanks 🙂
Avoid ones that contain Vitamin C. This is a synthetic vitamin C (no such thing as a natural vitamin C additive) more commonly known as Ascorbic Acid…..which is very bad for you.
Not to mention, both citric acid and ascorbic acid are likely to be genetically modified. When used as preservatives, I hear, these ingredients don’t come from citrus but rather are made in a chem lab …
Yikes!!
I’m shocked to see my thus far favorite “Zico” at the end of the naughty list.
Thanks for putting the time in to investigate coconut waters!
I’ll be looking out for better options now.
Dan
Harmless harvest is my favorite too! It tastes 10x better than any other kind I’ve ever had. And their customer service is amazing.
Thank you for your support Erin! I’m so glad you’ve had great experiences with our customer service. Contact us if there’s anything we can help you with.
What about KOH?
Costco has been trying to stock better grades of foods…they’ve carried some various coconut waters, but this one has so far been the best they’ve done on this.
Have emailed that company, but not gotten a response yet.
I assume its been heated, since it’s in tetra-pak boxes…guessing anything that comes in tetra-pak boxes has been heated?
I was wondering about KOH also, that I purchased at Costco. Koh’s website states:
KOH COCONUT is made with premium baby Thai coconuts.
KOH COCONUT is made with baby coconuts. Comes right from the coconuts and is packaged after the coconut is cut, ensuring the freshest product possible. Healthy low calorie, zero fat, no added sugars, right balance of electrolytes and minerals, and is NEVER made from concentrate.
No mention of how it’s processed on their website.
Hi Chi,
I am sorry that it has taken this long for someone to find you.
KOH is in Costco again this March! I work for KOH. You are buying a very good product and I can say this because I am involved from farm to shipping. I work directly with our farmers, all nine of them. Vani has written an excellent article and I am impressed. At KOH we fill and produce immediately after cutting so we don’t need to add any presevatives. Our bottling facility is only an hour + from the farms. KOH uses Thailand’s Amphawa river young coconuts which are very sweet naturally so no need to add sugar no flavor like the other big guys. KOH is good to GO. Please enjoy. Thank you! Brett
Also, we use the flash pastuerization UHT but that was because I rejected HPP option for both expense and health concerns (pink bottles= bacteria) and the can is sterilized truly denuding all nutritive value. The heat is necessary for us to provide you a safe, shelf stable product. If you don’t want any heat at all, then I would prefer you drink fresh coconut water or frozen rather then HPP that uses pressure to pastuerize. But while the heat might kill the good bacteria, it doesn’t affect other nutritive values you get from coconut water.
PS: Let me know if you have any questions. I’m here.
If one wants to avoid all of the above and just buy a fresh coconut in the produce department. You can shake them to listen for one that has liquid inside, because some don’t contain liquid. Poke a hole and put in a straw and yum! That way you can use the pulp and put the core into the compost bin.
What are your thoughts on Ultima Electrolyte powder that can be bought at Whole Foods as a substitute for coconut water, Gatorade, Powerade, etc? It says it is all natural. Would love to hear what you think!
Thank you for your hard work and education of healthy foods!
I find it particularly helpful when you include the pictures…
I wish that you would include the pictures of what brands to buy so it can jog my memory when I shop.
Much Love
Kristyn
What about Blue Monkey? Thoughts on that one? Thanks Vani!