Coconut water? Yay or nay?

[UkrainianTracksuit]

I guess it's a question about "forbidden fruit" and the desire for it.

My friends are mostly health nuts and drink coconut water. When they order brunch drinks, they have juices mixed with coconut water. So, I kinda feel left out because 1. I've never had the stuff 2. don't know if I'm missing out. However, I know that stuff was COMPLETELY off limits due to the outrageous potassium content when I was on dialysis.

Now, I'm just wondering if I could try it, just to see what the deal is. I expect it to be unappealing but I just need to know. Curiosity killed the cat, I know... Is it safe for transplant patients? Is there anything I should be concerned about besides the high potassium, especially with one transplanted kidney doing all the work? Drug interactions?

My potassium is always between 4.5 to 4.7 and my egfr ranges between 110 to 120. Once had a peak of 130+ for awhile but I think those days are gone...

Thoughts?

[Paul]

I usually use Google to find potassium and phosphate levels. Usually it returns the quantity in 100g of the substance. However in the case of Coconut water I got the answer:

Coconut water contains even more potassium per serving than the famously potassium-potent banana, delivering about 600 milligrams per cup, versus 362 milligrams in a medium banana.

So a big no-no then.

[Paul]

P.S. My memory of coconut water (straight from the coconut) is that it is horrible, so you are not missing much. Most commercially sold coconut milks (probably what your friends are drinking) are either flavoured or mixed with fruit juices to make them taste palatable. But that adds a whole new level of "can I eat it?" worry, as you have to figure in the potassium and phosphate levels of the added stuff too.

[UkrainianTracksuit]

Hey, thanks for that.

I just wondered because I have no potassium restrictions at all (I even had a banana on the transplant floor!) so I just wondered what was the deal with the "water." Just wondered how that applies to transplant patients as I know some still have to watch their K and if the water counteracted with those lovely drugs. I don't want to overwork my poor new kidney.

Not sure I could tolerate a cup of it anyway; not really worth 600 mg per cup. For 600 + K, I'll stick to my regular 4 kiwi fruit a day then.

[iolaire]

My thought here is to buy a can/box/bottle of it to try at home with or without juice. Once you know if you even think its good you can proceed.

We get free cans at events every so often. I don’t like it. I just asked my wife if it tastes good and she said I don’t know. Then started to talk about how people probably drink it because it’s better than say a gator aid, less sugar than other drinks etc.   

[Paul]

I just wondered because I have no potassium restrictions at all (I even had a banana on the transplant floor!)

Sorry, you posted in "Dialysis Discussion" so I automatically assumed you were asking about dialysis, I was not thinking "transplant".

My thought here is to buy a can/box/bottle of it to try at home with or without juice.

Or you could buy a coconut and get the damn stuff fresh. That is how I used to get it as a kid, and even though it tastes revolting, we always used to drink it, because the only time we had coconuts was when we had won one at the fair, and it seemed important to consume all of what we won.

[UkrainianTracksuit]

Sorry, you posted in "Dialysis Discussion" so I automatically assumed you were asking about dialysis, I was not thinking "transplant".

Man oh man, am I that blind? I could have swore I posted this in the Transplant subforum. Once in awhile I post in Dialysis General Discussion just to offer whatever insight I gained on the machine... 

We don't keep coconuts (I almost typed cocaine there..) in the house because anytime we have them, He-Man here likes to try to break them open and then complain his hand hurts. But alas, besides the point, I see the drink is more of a trend these days because so many people have become gym rats and worried about their electrolytes.

I came across this: https://www.nwkidney.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Transplant-Connection-Fall-2013_FINAL.pdf

Not my transplant center (different country and all) but coconut water was listed as a possible drink for transplant patients. Just that it should be avoided because of the extra useless calories. No mention of potassium or drug interactions (my big concerns).

[Paul]

I could have swore I posted this in the Transplant subforum.

No you got it right. What I was saying is that it is a sub-forum of "Dialysis Discussion" and I just saw "Dialysis Discussion" at the top of the page and assumed that without noticing there was a sub-forum listed below that.

[Paul]

We don't keep coconuts (I almost typed cocaine there..) in the house because anytime we have them, He-Man here likes to try to break them open and then complain his hand hurts.

I wish I could send you a clip of QI that was on British TV a few days back. There was a woman on the panel from one of the countries where coconuts grow. The show's chairwoman handed her a coconut and asked her "What is the correct way to open a coconut?" She was a thin and not strong looking woman, but she just bent over and banged the coconut hard on the ground, cracking it in two with one blow. That would have destroyed your "he man's" ego.

Incidentally, if you attempt to open a coconut and fail to do so in one blow, superstition dictates that you will have bad luck following the failure.

[UkrainianTracksuit]

If it ever shows up online, I'd love to see it, just for a "point and haha" moment. This is the method used at home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHcxPijltLQ

As you see, the water ends up everywhere but in a glass.

[Paul]

As a general rule, when given two options of ways of doing something, one of which involves pain, I choose the method that does NOT involve pain!

The way I used to open a coconut:

1) Put it in a vice with the eyes pointing upwards (eyes = dots on one end). Hammer a thick nail through one eye, remove and repeat with a second eye, again remove the nail so you have two holes in the shell. Take it out of the vice, pour the water into a jug and share with any members of the family or friends who are stupid enough to help you get through the revolting stuff.

2) When the liquid has been drunk, wrap a piece of thick, uninsulated wire tightly round the middle of the coconut, like a belt. Twist the ends together until the wire is as tight as possible. Put the coconut on a hard stone surface (e.g. the garden path, if this does not work properly, it can become messy). Hit the other side of the wire hard with a hammer. If you do it right the coconut should split into two even halves. If you do it wrong, bits of coconut and shell will splatter all over the garden. Pick up the two halves of the coconut (or collect all the pieces from around the garden if you did it wrong, but if you have a dog, move quickly - dogs love coconut) and eat the coconut.

3.A) If you "did it right" and have two perfect half coconut shells left, drill holes in the sides near the open part, so you can attach strings to the coconut and turn it into a little basket, then hang it in a tree and put scraps of food into it for the birds.

3.B) If you "did it wrong" take the bits of leftover shell and put them on the compost heap. Coconut shell takes a hell of a long time to rot, but apparently when it does it makes great compost.

See: An open and eaten coconut with no hurty hand.