This is a short powerpoint on Coconut waters sold in the cans. It answers some of the questions asked about which Coconut water is the healthiest.

1. Coconut Water

2. Coconut Water
Coconut water is one of the
healthiest drinks on the planet:
• Coconut water contains a unique combination of B
vitamins, vitamin C, micronutrients, and phytohormones
that are exceptionally beneficial to your health. A
scientific review of coconut water, published in the
journal Molecules, highlights some of the ways that
coconut water replenishes your body:
• Helps to prevent heart attacks
• Lowers high blood pressure
• Can have anti-aging effects
• Fights free radicals to help prevent cancer
• Contains trans-zeatin which can be used to treat
Alzheimer’s disease or dementia

3. What’s the
Healthiest
Coconut Water?
and
Which are the – Worst? – to Avoid!

4. Drink Coconut Water?
• Of course when you’re traveling in the tropics,
drinking coconut water straight from the coconut
is the best-but what about packaged coconut?
• Mother nature designed the perfect vessel for a
drink that is so refreshing, slightly sweet, and
keeps you hydrated in hot climates.
• Coconut water makes an excellent hydrating
drink that replenishes electrolytes in the body
and can replace those nasty chemical-filled
drinks.
• So, what are the healthiest coconut waters and
which are the worst to avoid?

5. • Using a concentrate instead of fresh juice: Some
coconut water companies get away with saying
their drinks contain “100% Coconut Water”
that’s “All Natural” even though it’s made from -
a reconstituted concentrate.
• Just like other juices in the store, they heat fresh
coconut water and reduce it to a syrup. It’s cheaper for
them to import this coconut water syrup, which they later
add water prior to packaging.
• Any juice that has been heated to this extent loses
a significant amount of its nutrients and its beneficial
enzymes are denatured (i.e. the enzymes don’t work
anymore).
What’s in a Coconut Water?

6. “Additives”
• Adding “natural flavors” or sweeteners: Young
coconut water is refreshing and sweet, so there is
absolutely no need to flavor or sweeten it – unless you are
trying to hide something.
• Overly ripe/mature coconuts tastes acidic, so they
mask this taste with so called “natural flavors” or
sweeten it up with “sugars.”
• Some companies use a centrifuge system to try to
remove the acidic taste, …it’s a safe assumption
that if you see a plain coconut water on the shelf
without any natural flavors or sweeteners added it
may be from overly mature coconuts and not
worth your money.
Ingredients:

7. Natural “flavors” are made in a lab
just like artificial flavors. According to an article
in Scientific American, “When making a flavor,
the flavorist always begins by going to the
scientific literature and researching what
chemicals nature uses to make the desired
flavor.”
• The flavorists do exactly what we whole food
proponents dislike–they isolate parts of a natural
whole. Only nature knows just what chemicals to
put together so that the parts of the universe
work in synergy.
• While natural flavors are derived from nature,
they may not be in their natural form and
therefore, at best,..the body may not be able to
use them, or at worst, they could
be damaging to the body.

8. “Pasteurized”
• Pasteurizing it with heat: Coconut water is
very delicate, naturally perishable, and should be kept
cold. Have you ever stopped to wonder why most bottled
and boxed coconut waters on the shelves aren’t in the
refrigerated section? Foodbabe.com recently checked out one
of these bottles and noticed it didn’t expire for 2 years! This is
because most coconut water at the store is heat pasteurized, which
literally means that it’s been cooked to a very high temperature to
kill bacteria and extend its shelf life. It has been shown that heat
also destroys some of the vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients
and also denatures enzymes – stripping its benefits and much of its
flavor. If coconut water is from concentrate, this would be the
second time it’s heated.
• Obviously, your best bet is to seek out and find unpasteurized raw
coconut water. This can be hard to find, but there is another way to
kill bacteria while keeping the nutrients intact: HPP (high pressure
processing). Without using heat, HPP is best way to preserve the
goodness in coconut water, while extending its shelf life a little to
make it more available commercially.

9. “Fomaldehyde”
• Dipping whole coconuts in formaldehyde or
sodium metabisulphite: It’s been reported that some
non-organic coconuts may be preserved for transport to the U.S. by
dipping them in chemicals, including formaldehyde a known
carcinogen. This leads to the possibility that these chemicals seep
into the coconut meat and poisons the water. Some of my favorite
organic cafes avoid this by getting frozen coconut water shipped
directly to them.
• Foodbabe.com called up several of the most popular
coconut water companies and asked where they source their
coconuts (young vs. mature), if they dip them in chemicals, how they
pasteurize them, and about additives and preservatives that they
may use. We got a variety of responses, and it’s almost surprising to
me how much some of these companies have screwed up
something as basic as coconut water. I found several brands to
avoid, because they are so heavily processed that the final product
barely resembles natural coconut water.

10. Coconut waters
to Avoid
at all Costs?

11. Naked Juice Coconut WaterNaked Juice Coconut Water
• Although it’s not from
concentrate, Naked told
foodbabe.com that they use
“mature” coconut water that is
flash pasteurized with heat.
The plain variety doesn’t have
any additives, but all of the
flavored ones have added
natural flavors.
• This is also a Pepsico brand –
a company that spent over $4
Million dollars to fight GMO
labels – do you really want to
give them your money?

12. O.N.E. Coconut WaterO.N.E. Coconut Water
• This is another Pepsico
brand that is flash
pasteurized with heat.
• The flavored waters “with
a Splash of Fruit
Juice” contain natural
flavors and “sugar” as an
ingredient.
• As it doesn’t say “cane
sugar” on the label, this
could very well be from
GMO sugar beets.

13. Pepsico told foodbabe.com that they
couldn’t confirm whether their sugar is
GMO because:
• “the exact source of the sugar in our coconut
water cannot be confirmed because we source
our ingredients from around the world and that
information is not available at this time. Please
know that all of our products comply with all
applicable food laws and labeling requirements.
O.N.E. Coconut Water relies on the regulatory
agencies charged with safeguarding our food
supply when sourcing ingredients for our
products”.
• They are relying on the FDA’s regulations
to protect us, although the
FDA themselves say that the manufacturer is
responsible for ensuring the safety of the
ingredients used in their products, including
GMOs.

14. ZicoZico - They sell two entirely different
coconut waters depending on which
packaging you choose. The waters in the
bottles are made from concentrate and are a
“blend of Asian coconuts” with natural flavors
added. On the other hand, the ones in the
tetra-pak cartons are not made from
concentrate, have no additives, and contain
only Thai coconut water that is packaged in
Thailand. A bit confusing, isn’t it? While the
tetra-paks (boxed) seem like a good choice,
they use “Ultra High Temperature
Pasteurization” to give it a long shelf life.
This means it’s heated well above boiling
point to 280 degrees Fahrenheit, which “kills
everything” according to Scientific American,
including beneficial nutrients.
• Plus, in case you didn’t hear the news, they
were recently acquired by Coca-Cola – a big
supporter of GMOs who have spent over 3.2
million to prevent GMO labeling.

15. CocoZonaCocoZona – foodbabe.com called
and emailed them on several
occasions, and they never replied
to any of their questions – not even
a peep! - always find it alarming
when a company refuses to stand
behind their product and isn’t
transparent about their practices,
especially since some companies
have been
caught lying about what’s really in the bottle
.
• So, at this point, we know little
more than what’s printed on the
bottle of CocoZona, and the
ingredient list reveals that it is
made from concentrate. That’s
enough reason to stay away from
it.

16. Vita CocoVita Coco - Don’t be fooled by all of
those celebrity endorsements! Their
waters are not made from
concentrate, but they are all
pasteurized with heat.
• Many of the flavored versions contain
added sweeteners and the Cafe
versions contain carrageenan.
Even the seemingly plain 100% pure
version contains added “fruit sugar.”
• Watch out for their coconut waters
targeting kids, which are loaded with
added sugar and many different
natural flavors – they are not 100%
coconut water! According to their
website, Vita Coco Kids is also ultra
high temperature pasteurized.

17. GOYAGOYA – This brand is
heat pasteurized and
contains added
preservatives. Some
versions are
sweetened with
sugar, which may be
GMO.
• Because
foodbabe.com’s
vote is with dollars,
foodbabe.com avoids
any GOYA brand
product as they spent
over $56K to fight
GMO labeling in
California.

18. C2OC2O - They told
foodbabe.com they
heat pasteurize
their water up to
120 degrees
celsius once the
product is in the can
for as long as 5
minutes.
• Although, they use
no additives or
concentrates, the
length of this high
heat processing
puts it squarely on
foodbabe.com’s
avoid list.

19. Purity OrganicPurity Organic
• It’s made from
concentrate and
flash pasteurized
with heat, so
some of the
goodness has
been destroyed.
• It’s organic …, but
not all organic
products use the
best practices!

20. Coco LibreCoco Libre
(Organic)(Organic)
• It’s made from
concentrate,
flash pasteurized
with heat and
has added
“natural
flavors.”

21. How do other
Popular Coconut Waters
Stack up?

22. Munkijo (organic)
• This water isn’t from
concentrate, contains no
additives or added
sugars and their young
coconuts are sustainably
grown and harvested.
• But,… sorry to report
they also use ultra high
heat pasteurization to
process their waters, so
it’s far from the best on
the market.

23. Coco HydroCoco Hydro
• by Big Tree Farms (organic) –
foodbabe.com really like’s Big
Tree Farms’ mission geared
towards sustainability.
• Their unique version of coconut
water is powdered and comes in
packets that travel easily. So,
there is no pasteurization
involved, you just add water to
reconstitute it. However, the
process they use to evaporate
the water uses heat, so it is not
considered raw and some of the
nutrients may be destroyed in
the process.

24. Taste NirvanaTaste Nirvana (organic)(organic)
• No concentrates or
additives in this brand,
and their young coconuts
are sustainably grown,
harvested and organic
(though not labeled as
such).
• Foodbabe.com really likes
how it’s packaged in glass
bottles. They are the only
company that told
foodbabe.com they use a
“steam sterilization”
process which is a
combination of steam
and pressure.

25. Amy & BrianAmy & Brian (organic)(organic)
• Other than the fact that
they flash pasteurize the
water, all other aspects
are good – no additives,
no added sugars, no
concentrates.
• They also told
Foodbabe.com that their
young coconuts are not
treated with any chemicals
or pesticides.
• Foodbabe.com admits
though, it’s not a fan of the
cans they are in, even if
they are BPA-free.

26. Harvest BayHarvest Bay (some varieties(some varieties
are certified organic)are certified organic)
• They flash pasteurize their
water for about 2 seconds at
120 degrees, and it’s not
from concentrate.
• Some of their waters are now
organic, and they are all non-
GMO project verified.
• Although they add no sugars
or additives to their plain
version, most flavored
varieties contain added
sugar or natural flavors, so
Foodbabe.com avoids those.

27. Whole Foods 365Whole Foods 365
• They confirmed they
don’t use a
concentrate, however
they heat pasteurize
their water which
comes “from around
the world depending
on availability”.
• Their water is also
packaged in cans,
which Foodbabe.com
doesn’t like!

28. Trader Joe’sTrader Joe’s
• Their water is not from
concentrate, but it is
pasteurized.
• Foodbabe.com has yet
to hear back from them
in regards to how they
pasteurize their
water (whether they
use flash or ultra
processing).
• They fortify their water
with added vitamin C,
which is a red flag that
it has been heavily
processed.

29. Top Picks for
packaged
Coconut Water…

30. Harmless HarvestHarmless Harvest (organic)(organic) --
• This is Foodbabe.com’s favorite - meeting
with the founders of Harmless Harvest -
how open and honest they are about
everything. They’ve become a success not
because of marketing, but because of their
good practices. In fact, they hardly spend
any money on marketing at all.
• They source their young coconuts from
small organic agroforestry farms that pay a
fair wage to their workers.
• The coconuts are then frozen and shipped
to the U.S. for packaging, after which they
use HPP processing to kill bacteria and
extend the shelf life to 60 days.
Because it’s so minimally processed,
some of the waters turn pink when the
naturally occurring antioxidants or phenols
are exposed to light – and you won’t find
this in pasteurized coconut water.

31. Juice Press (organic)Juice Press (organic)
• This water is totally raw.
It’s not pasteurized or
processed with HPP.
• Their coconuts are
shipped frozen to the
store and then they ship it
fresh to you with a 3 or 4
day shelf life.

32. ExoticExotic
SuperfoodsSuperfoods
(organic)(organic)
• Another fave,
this water is
100% organic
and raw.
• It is not
processed
with any heat
or HPP – but
it’s kept
frozen to
preserve
freshness.

33. LiquiteraLiquitera
(organic)(organic)
• This bottled raw
coconut water is
also organic,
without any
pasteurization.
• It’s only
available at their
stores in New
York.

34. Vital JuiceVital Juice (organic)(organic)
• It’s never heated
or frozen, and it’s
preserved with
HPP, 100%
organic and non-
GMO project
verified.
• It is currently only
available at stores
in Washington and
Oregon with plans
of expansion, and
you can also order
it online- Amazon.

35. UnocoUnoco
(wild coconut)(wild coconut)
• Made from wild
coconuts (not
from a
plantation) and
processed with
HPP without any
additives.
• It’s only available
in California right
now.

36. Suja (organic)Suja (organic)
• Suja makes a
coconut water
blend, Tropicalo,
which is made from
freeze-dried coconut
water mixed with
pineapple, apple,
aloe, lime, mint and
spinach juices, all
preserved with
HPP.
• This juice is
exclusively sold at
Whole Foods stores.

37. Questions?Questions?