Last week I was in Sao Paulo, Brazil to teach trainers, athletes and fitness buffs how to build a better body. On my day off I flew to Rio de Janeiro to check out the sun, surf, and bikinis.
While I was roaming around Ipanema Beach in a somewhat dehydrated state, I was relieved to see a cool little stand that sold coconut water, straight from the source. After mumbling through enough Portuguese to get my order across to the distracted Brazilian dude working the hut, he grabbed a young coconut, chopped off the top with what appeared to be a machete, and stuck a straw in the opening. I handed him a few reais and off I went because I didn’t want to find out what other uses he might have for that machete.
Coconut water is readily available in Rio and it’s as much a part of their culture as iced tea is to America. In Brazil, there aren’t any outrageous claims with regard to the purported health benefits, and that was a refreshing change from what I’ve been seeing around Los Angeles.
I’ve been prescribing fresh coconut water as part of my athlete’s daily nutrition program for years and the results have been excellent. But as soon as marketers get their hands on a product with a few health benefits, everything goes to hell.
