Flu season is here, so it’s time to discuss the benefits coconut water can have for treating dehydration, nausea, and an upset stomach. Flu is short for influenza and is a virus that causes dehydration, stomach pain, nausea, and pain throughout the body. Having the flu is a terrible experience, especially for young children. This article shows how coconut water relieves the symptoms mentioned above and also has recipes for flu treatment that will help you recover quickly.
In order for your body’s immune system to function most efficiently, your body must stay adequately 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, like 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 work more efficiently.
It also has lauric acid, a mineral that benefits you while you have the flu because it helps relieve stomach irritation that accompanies the virus. Nausea is another symptom of the flu, because stomach irritation limits the stomach’s ability to retain food.
An old school flu remedy that my mother 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, today 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 had 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 had used it to alleviate some type of medical symptom, in addition to the hangover. It always helped me with a hangover, but I’m pleasantly surprised how much better it made my stomach feel when I had food poisoning.
Within 15 minutes, the pain was tolerable and continued to go away until I fell asleep.
