Some rave about the stuff, others are more skeptical and say the over-inflated claims amount to naught.
Never one to miss an opportunity to add my two-cents, I thought I'd enter the debate with a little review of my own.
Personally, I love the stuff. Unlike Green Tea, I genuinely don't just pretend to like it, chugging it down and stifling my shudders whilst thinking of all the antioxidants, I really enjoy the taste (anyone who knows me knows what a sucker I am for anything remotely coconutty!)
Thus far I have tried two brands of Coconut Water - Vita Coco, and Foco (there are lots of others on the market)
The off-putting thing about coconut water is undoubtedly the price - Holland and Barrett sells the measly 330ml cartons of Vita Coco for £2.15, and the 12 pack is an excruciating £25.80!!
However, Exeter fortunately has an abundance of Asian/Foreign food shops, and I found a 500ml carton of Foco for just under £2. It seems the imported foreign brands are a lot more reasonable and I've got to be honest I noticed minimal taste difference.
The best option if you really love coconut water,and what I will shortly be doing, is to bulk buy from Amazon or eBay: 'Grace' brand is currently selling 12 cans, with free delivery, for £10.56!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grace-Coconut-Water-Smooth-Pack/dp/B005KK4FME/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394578719&sr=8-1&keywords=coconut+water+grace
In terms of the health benefits; coconut water contains double the potassium of bananas and other antioxidants and vitamins - and although I don't know what this means in layman's terms, it is WICKED GOOD when you're hungover - this saved me when I felt like nothing could!
It is quite high in sugar, but so are all fruit Juices - it's just about moderation.
Normally when I think of coconut, the first thing that comes to mind is calories; I recently discovered that there are close to 2,000 calories in a medium coconut (I KNOW! WHAT?!)
So it's miracle that coconut water contains around 18-25 calories per 100ml, depending on which brand you've opted for, and very little fat.
I wouldn't say drink this every day - first of all it's too damn expensive for that - but it's certainly very refreshing and perfect when you need a little pick me up, and want to be a little kinder to your body than to supply it with coffee and energy drinks.
