Parental Wisdom Q&A: Best sports drink and food

What is the healthiest thing for my eight year old boy to eat and drink before playing sports?

Parental Wisdom Advisor Maureen Whitehouse Answer:

You can be on the cutting edge of “new discoveries” in sport drinks, since the word hasn’t really hit the mainstream yet… but more and more American people are discovering a truly wonderful source for the five essential electrolytes that help athletes perform at peak levels – not in manufactured sports drinks but in coconut water! The benefits of drinking coconut water are something that tropical residents have been aware of for a very long time. That’s because tropical dwellers work, play and live very active lives in often extremely hot tropical climates, which causes them to perspire. And just athletes they must re-hydrate their bodies often to maintain optimum health.

Coconut water is a refreshing and wonderful tasting electrolyte replacing beverage that in my opinion far surpasses every artificial sports drink. Coconut water contains no artificial sweeteners or added sugars, it’s not colored or artificially flavored and it’s fat-free and cholesterol-free. But of most important concern to athletes is that it is an excellent source of the five essential electrolytes: potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and sodium – all delivered in nature’s perfect balance. You can purchase whole Thai Baby Coconuts in some oriental markets and in natural foods stores, such as Whole Foods. (These are not the little round brown coconuts – those are more mature and typically contain more coconut meat than water. Thai baby coconuts are found in the refrigerated sections of stores and they typically have the white husk still around the coconut shell.) These whole coconuts require some skill and tools to open, so although fresh, live coconuts are the best tasting, you can now purchase cartons (individual serving sized; or larger, 34 FL. Oz. sized cartons) that are convenient, easy to chill and drink from at any location – like sports fields! If you don’t have an oriental food store or natural food store nearby. Ask the grocers in your local supermarket order some for you. Who knows, you may start a new trend for the folks in your neighborhood – and promote a winning (well-hydrated) team!

Two brands of coconut water that I particularly like are: Vita Coco and O.N.E. - here’s a link where you can find them on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Vita%20Coco&tag=swoggle5776-20&search-alias=grocery&sort=salesrank