Everyone has their go-to hangover ‘cure’, whether it’s a jacket potato with cheese and beans, Ribena and Hula Hoops, or going to the gym (are you actually joking?). But what about coconut water? It’s been touted as better than actual water, called magical and basically lauded as the best thing you could possibly drink for all occasions.
But is it? Well, yes and no. Coconut water contains more potassium than a banana (so, a lot), sugars that you desperately need to replenish and less sodium, plus electrolytes.
When you’re dirnking alcohol, you wee loads – and wee out a lot of sodium, which is a key electrolyte, so it’s good that coconut water does contain a bit of sodium to help redress the balance. Not as much as your avergae sports drink, but then again, it also has less sugar than those average sports drinks, so it’s a bit of a balancing act.
It’s also why you end up gagging for salty food the day after a bender.
If you like coconut water, and find it easier to drink than a glass of normal water when you’re hanging, you could do a lot worse. A coke, for example. Or a diet coke. At least you’re getting nutrients that will help you recover, while hydrating yourself.
‘There’s a lot of hype about coconut water,’ Lillian Cheung, of Harvard School of Public Health, told WebMD. ‘Yet the research is just not there to support many of the claims and much more research is needed.’
So the fact that there’s no scientific evidence pointing towards whether it’s better for you than water on a hangover means you should probably just go with the flow. And definitely don’t choke it down if it makes you gag. Just have some normal water, mate. Whatever it takes to make you feel a bit better.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.