Crazy for coconut water: quench your thirst with this refreshing and healthful tropical beverage.(FOOD: WHAT'S HOT)

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When I first heard about coconut water, I was skeptical. It just sounded too good to be true. But one sip made me a believer.

Coconut water has long been served as a refreshing beverage in the hot and humid climates of South America and Southeast Asia. Over the past year or so, it has gained a loyal following in the United States too. The reasons are simple: it tastes good, it's loaded with good nutrition, and it's natural. And it contains relatively few calories. What's more, coconut water is often promoted as a mineral-rich rehydrating beverage for athletes--it restores fluids and minerals lost during exercise. For those who don't routinely pump iron or pound the pavement, it's a tasty beverage with a light coconut taste.

Either way, coconut water is one of the richest food sources of potassium, a mineral that's good for the heart and blood pressure. A typical serving provides 660 mg of potassium, almost seven times more than what can be legally sold as a dietary supplement. Coconut water also contains magnesium and calcium, but no fat, no cholesterol, and very little sodium. The naturally occurring sugars, 14 g per serving, are a fraction of what's in a soft drink.

Medical Uses

Much of my original skepticism about coconut water came from reading what seemed to be totally outrageous claims. One of them was that doctors had given coconut water intravenously to patients. Incredibly, the claims turned out to be true.

Doctors first described the intravenous use of coconut water in a 1942 article in the American Journal of Diseases of Children. Other reports on the IV use of fresh coconut water--and its safety--appear from the 1950s through 2001 in publications such as The American Journal of Emergency Medicine and Archives of Surgery.