Coconut water alternatives are picking up steam. Here are the ones you should keep your eyes on in the coming months.
A couple of years ago few of us – even athletes –were aware of coconut water. Now you can find it on shelves of even the most uninspired supermarkets. But as the claims around the so-called miracle drink are hotly debated, consider switching to one of the following coconut water alternatives to stay hydrated and balanced.
Maple Water
DRINKmaple and other maple waters offer natural alternatives to the artificial colors, sweeteners, and processing commonly found in sports performance drinks. They’re a single ingredient beverages consisting of pure maple sap, tapped straight from trees and, in the case of DRINKmaple, bottled within 36 hours. Packed with 46 naturally occurring vitamins, minerals, polyphenols, antioxidants, prebiotics, and electrolytes, maple water also has half the sugar of coconut water.
Watermelon Water
Watermelons are over 90% water so if you’re having trouble meeting your hydration goals because you don’t find tap water all that appealing try a plant-based single ingredient functional beverage like WTRMLN WTR, which is made from pure cold-pressed watermelon juice. June will also see the launch of DRINKmelon, which like WTRMLN WTR is full of electrolytes, vitamin C, vitamin A, antioxidants, and contains more potassium than coconut water. Note however that watermelon water is high in sugar (even when you opt for the aforementioned brands that don’t add any).
Tart Cherry
Tart cherry juice is increasingly being used by athletes as a post-exercise recovery drink and now a new beverage, WellWell, is making that tart flavor just a wee bit easier to swallow with a juice that is the superstar of coconut water alternatives. WellWell uses organic tart cherry, biodynamic lemon, and organic watermelon without any added sugars, artificial flavoring or coloring. The cherry works to alleviate the symptoms of muscle damage, reduces inflammation, and enhances sleep quality. Watermelon which is a rich source of L-citruline, reduces soreness and enhances nutrient delivery to muscles and has two times the potassium of a banana and 40% more lycopene than a tomato. Lastly, the biodynamic lemons are packed with flavonoids and vitamin C, potent antioxidants that help ensure your immune system runs at peak performance.
Matcha
There’s no arguing that matcha is the green of the moment and for good reason. 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of the powdered green tea has the same antioxidant power as 8 to 10 cups of regular tea. While you can brew it manually and even use it as a base for lattés (Sharp Tea-Ceré Matcha maker makes it really easy), brands like The Republic of Tea have come out with souped up versions that work especially well for those that don’t like the somewhat bitter flavor that comes with drinking matcha in its purest form. Their SuperGreen Tea collection, for example, combines organic matcha, green tea leaves, and functional herbs in various combinations: Immunity, Serenity, Lean Green, and. Brain Boost.
Manuka-Based Drinks
Manuka honey is commonly used in alternative medicine, particularly in New Zealand. Unlike most honey producing countries, New Zealand producers don’t use antibiotics for the treatment of bee diseases and they still have the most disease-free bees in the world. Now brands like Honeydrop are capitalizing on that with manuka-based cold-pressed juices. The juices are packed with antioxidants and nutritive ingredients, sweetened only with pure, raw honey and flavors include Apple Ginger Lemon Daily Immunity and Lemon Cayenne Cleanse.
Balanced Water
CORE is a new USDA-certified organic, 5-calorie, fruit infused beverage with less than 1g of sugar per serving and as many antioxidants as a half cup of blackberries or cherries, all derived from white tea extract and maqui berry. It comes in six flavors: Peach Mango, Watermelon Lemonade, Pomegranate Blue Acai, Orange Clementine, Coconut Colada, and Orchard Pear. CORE is touting itself as a new kind of “perfectly balanced” water because it has a pH of 7.4 and contains the so-called ideal amount of minerals and electrolytes. In the same vein AQUA Carpatica just launched in the U.S. as the only nitrate-free naturally sparkling mineral water. Because of the location of its protected springs, the water is completely nitrate free and loaded with natural minerals. Nitrates are contaminates from the runoff from fertilizer use, leakage from septic tanks and erosion of natural deposits – needless to say something that we’d want to avoid putting in our bodies. AQUA also has a nearly neutral pH of 6.5 – the closest pH level to pure water compared to other sparkling waters on the market
Birch Water
There are a few options here but Säpp is the leader in the birch water category. Their organic beverage is made with birch sap harvested directly from birch trees and never diluted with water. There are also no added sugars and there are only ten calories per 10-ounce bottle. So why opt for birch water? It’s rich in manganese (five times the amount of a cup of kale), which helps prevent stress, supports daily metabolism, and blood pressure, it’s low sugar (up to 80% less sugar than coconut water), and is said to help prevent stomach aches.
Want to experiment with making your own coconut water alternatives? Read on:
Try These Homemade Juices For Better Recovery