By Candice Aiken.

If there’s one food on this earth that gets my vote as being ‘complete’ it would have to be coconuts. I’ve raved about the amazing benefits of coconut oil before in a previous article, but nothing compares to a fresh young coconut with its sweet nectar and soft white meat. What’s not to love about this incredible nut (that’s right, it’s actually a nut) – it contains chemicals that counter fatigue, aids in circulation and balances the body’s pH. Second only to water itself, coconut water is the purest liquid on earth!

Although this valuable information was enough to have me sucking back on this incredible juice on a daily basis, I wanted more! So I called upon Russ Lipton, the founder of ‘Beyond Coconut Water’ to tell me all about his journey and further explain the benefits of this miracle water from his firsthand experience:

How did the Beyond Coconut Water journey begin?

I found the idea when I was in New York for fashion week back in 2009. I was with friends at parties and noticed everyone was drinking coconut water in order to stay hydrated so I decided to get on board. I had this idea in my head that when I came back to Australia, I thought this would be something beneficial for people going out and partying to stay hydrated. After a year of researching, I sourced a factory that could produce PURE coconut water for me as opposed to coconut water with added preservatives and sugars.  From there, it opened up a whole new door to the health and yoga fanatics too.

Next to a fresh young coconut, Beyond is by far the best in my personal opinion. How do you ensure only quality coconuts go into your bottles?

Coconuts vary in flavour from country to country. We source ours from Thailand because they truly are the best quality. I’ve been over there several times to find the perfect coconuts. The process is really simple, they extract the coconuts from tree, and it is then opened via machetes. It’s drained through a filter, then the factory sterilises and seals it in a bottle and sends them all over to Australia. People get a bit confused about which coconuts are used for the water but just to clarify it’s the ‘young coconut’ water you want to drink. These are about 9 months old and have the green outer shell. Most of us would be used to seeing the older coconuts which have the brown hairy shell but these are not used for coconut water.

Most packaged drinks are tainted with preservatives and added sugars. How do you keep yours 100 per cent pure?

If you can get your hands on a true coconut and be bothered hacking it open, then it’s obviously your best form of coconut water. Nothing beats that! But your next best thing is finding one without all the additives. We sterilise our coconut water. This process is different to pasteurisation as the water is heated at a low temperature to destroy any bacteria that might be present. For that reason we are able to offer a year’s shelf life on it so it’s available all year round. We use glass in our packaging purely for the premium aspect and like to consider ourselves the “San Pellegrino” of the coconut water world. 

What are some of the health benefits associated with consuming coconut water?

The beauty of coconut water is that it’s a powerhouse of nutrition. It’s fat free, it’s low in cholesterol and it’s low in calories! It’s a proven natural isotonic, so it is also very rich in potassium. For those reasons and more it has been labelled the miracle water and people are starting to cotton on so it’s become very popular especially with sporty people for the hydration and electrolytes factor. There are so many brands available now, which is great for the industry and also in making more people aware of the benefits.

How do you drink your coconut water? Have you got any awesome coconut water concoctions you can divulge?

I drink mine straight, probably about 300ml a time for a hydration hit. And I drink a fair bit I’d say, probably about three to four times a day. A great concoction I’ve had before is to add a bit of rum and mint to coconut water over ice – it will also prevent a sore head in the morning.

*Note: Beyond have recently released a new and exciting flavour – HIBISCUS INFUSED COCONUT WATER – yum!

Do you have any fascinating facts about coconut water you can share?

The fascination with coconut water is not new. It might be new to Australia or new to the states going back three or four years but coconuts have been around forever. Its only recently people have started to realise the benefits. If you go back to the Second World War they were using pure coconut water intravenously for people in need and if they were injured. It’s the closest substance to our blood; there is absolutely nothing else on earth as close to our blood than coconut water. I find that extremely impressive!

Can you offer some advice on how to live a long, happy and fulfilling life?

Stay positive and be happy. Don’t get caught up in the small things. Eat well but don’t go without things either. So, if you want to indulge here and there then do it! Have something to look forward to. Live life, and know that things can only get better. Keep in mind that there are worse people off than yourself so it’s something to remember. Also, be grateful for what you have.

Where can we find Beyond Coconut Water?

All good health stores stock Beyond Coconut Water. Plus you can also find it at Thomas Duck, IGA, Chemist Warehouse and Friendlies Chemist.  If you can’t track it for some reason, contact us and we can find someone to distribute and supply to your area. Go to: www.beyondcoconutwater.com

Image Credit – Beyond Coconut Water 

Did you enjoy this article? Tweet Share the Love

Get Free Updates