Flu season is here, so it’s time to talk about the benefits coconut water can have for treating dehydration, nausea, and an upset stomach. Flu, short for influenza, is a virus that causes dehydration, stomach pain, nausea, and pain throughout the body. Having the flu is a horrible experience, especially for young children. This article shows how coconut water relieves the symptoms mentioned above and also has flu treatment recipes to help you recover quickly.
In order for your body’s immune system to function at its most efficient, your body must stay properly hydrated. Coconut water has all five electrolytes your body needs to do this. Potassium is the main electrolyte needed, because an 8.5 oz serving has 15 times more potassium than other sports drinks, such as Gatorade or VitaWater.
Because you will be more hydrated, you will feel better and it will also heal you faster, because your immune system will be working more efficiently.
It also has lauric acid, a mineral that benefits you while you have the flu because it helps relieve the stomach irritation that accompanies the virus. Nausea is another symptom of the flu, because stomach irritation limits the stomach’s ability to hold food.
An old school flu remedy my mom used to help me rehydrate when I had the flu was to give me ice chips.
With what we know about the benefits of coconut water, why not take this flu remedy one step further and make ice chips out of coconut water? It will rehydrate you faster than water and calm your stomach. There are also several flavors, with natural fruit extracts, with which you can make popsicles.
Although I didn’t have the flu, I did get food poisoning about 3 weeks ago, which was accompanied by violent stomach pains and frequent trips to the bathroom (sorry for being too descriptive). There was a box of coconut water left in the house with about 6 ounces left and I prayed that it would help ease my pain.
During the 2 years that I have been drinking coconut water, it was the first time that I used it to relieve any type of medical symptom, besides a hangover. It always helped with my hangovers, but I’m pleasantly surprised at how much better my stomach was when I got food poisoning.
Within 15 minutes the pain was tolerable and continued to fade until I fell asleep.