Are all brands essentially the same thing, or do they differ greatly? I imagine there may be some where the second ingredient is not sugar? Do you know any better brands?
Same question for coconut milk and water. Vita seems to be the easiest brand to find for both, is this any good or are there significantly better brands around?
By coconut milk do you mean from a carton or from a can? I use coconut milk (can) all the time. I do not feel any different but, it taste awesome and can be added to all kinds of dishes. Ingredients should be coconut milk and water.
can may have BPA… the wife sometimes uses coconut milk for shakes, but really I can’t justify the price for regular consumption of this stuff and my life seems just fine without them
[quote]xXSeraphimXx wrote:
By coconut milk do you mean from a carton or from a can?[/quote]
What is the difference?[/quote]
Carton coconut milk is more of a milk alternative like with almond and soy. Many brands have extra ingredients, additives and carbs. Canned coconut milk is thicker/creamier it is what is used for cooking but, I still use it in rice or oatmeal add a bit of water to get it to the consistency I am in the mood for.
1 - Agreed that that brand you listed is crap. But out here, I’ve only come across Almond Breeze brand and their label is just fine, no sugar at all in the unsweetened flavor actually.
2 - BIG difference between coconut milk & water. One would be excellent during football practice while the other would be excellent in weightgainer shakes for football season.
3 - I wouldn’t call em gimmicks, they’re no different than most other minimally-processed foods.
As mentioned above, coconut milk and water are not at all the same. My brand of choice for coconut water is “one”. They claim to be all extra natural and stuff, but I just prefer the taste. Generally marketed as “nature’s gatorade” and some swear by it. It’s got trace minerals, potassium carbs etc. but it’s a little light on the sodium if you’re really sweating a lot. It’s also uber-trendy right now. Still, I like it on a hot day when I’m sweating my bag off. It feels extra hydrate-y, but that could be purely psychological.
I have almond milk around the house. I use it in some low carb recipes and don’t mind it in protein shakes. It’s more of just a pasteurized milk substitute than anything, I don’t feel it has any nutritional value beyond having fewer calories than cow’s milk.
Coconut milk is a great way to add extra calories to just about anything. I used to make a prebed shake that was half a can of coconut milk, heavy cream, peanut butter, and Metabolic Drive and it was delicious and about 1000 calories. You can also use coconut milk to make great curry stews that are high in fat and protein. Throw in some veggies and you have a perfect low-carb meal.
Coconut water like others have mentioned is a nice alternative to HFCS sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade. You get tons of electrolytes, and some b vitamins if I remember correctly. I was actually thinking about doing a 1 month stint of using coconut water exclusively for peri-workout nutrition. I know a few MMA fighters that do this and swear by the recovery aspects of it. They don’t get sore, have more endurance, etc.
[quote]yolo84 wrote:
What do you feel are the benefits? Are there any benefits beyond just eating a few almonds?[/quote]
The “benefits” would be a lactose-free drink base for use in cereal, oatmeal, shakes, etc. Almond milk isn’t comparable to eating almonds, because it’s, basically, extracted and doesn’t have the fat or fiber.
Not sure how a food can be a “gimmick”, unless we’re talking something like KFC’s DoubleDown.
[quote]i_am_ketosis wrote:
I was actually thinking about doing a 1 month stint of using coconut water exclusively for peri-workout nutrition[/quote]
A few years ago, when I went strict vegan for a month, I had coconut water during training and a rice protein shake immediately after. I felt okay and did fine in terms of performance and recovery, but definitely wasn’t feeling operating at 110% like with my usual Surge Workout Fuel, Anaconda, MAG-10 combo (obviously).
I’ll still occasionally pick up a coconut water instead of Gatorade at a 7-11 if I’m out and about. I prefer the tall cans that have the pulp in it, so I have a crunchy snack at the end.