When we think of tropical fruits, the first fruit that comes to most people’s mind is coconut. While the oil and chunks of the fruit are often used for cooking, the water, in recent times, has gained significant attention for containing a multitude of health benefits.

The water comes from coconuts that are about 5-7 months old and has been used to cure several ailments. The top three advantages of drinking coconut water is that it has high amounts of electrolytes, high levels of potassium, and reduces fat levels. Read more below!

1. Has High Amount of Electrolytes

Instead of using Gatorade for your next sports drink, consider drinking coconut water because it contains natural electrolytes that can help restore fluids after a long, arduous exercise.

Electrolytes help us maintain blood volume, heart health, and prevent dehydration. This, in return helps us reduce stress, fatigue, and stimulates muscle relaxation.

2. High Levels of Potassium

When we think of intaking a daily healthy level of potassium, people assume a banana is the easiest choice. In fact, a banana contains only 440 milligrams of potassium whereas coconut water contains 660 milligrams of potassium.

This super drink water has more than ten times of potassium compared to other sports drinks! Potassium is vital to our bodies because it restores fluid and electrolyte balance in the body, preventing hypokalemia or too little potassium in the body.

This greatly affects cardiovascular health because a certain amount of potassium intake reduces the likelihood of contracting a stroke. Essentially, coconut water helps us maintain optimal blood pressure and is therefore extremely heart healthy.

3. Helps Lower Fat Levels

Foods that are high in fiber are predominantly utilized to help lower fat. Some of these healthy fat foods are oatmeal, fish, avocado, and olive oil. But did we forget to mention another factor of coconut water is that it has super fat-lowering effects?

Researchers conducted a study in which rats consumed coconut water and were found to have less likely had a heart attack. The coconut water decreased the rat’s cholesterol levels, specifically the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) found in the heart.

LDL is considered to be the bad cholesterol because a buildup of this lipoprotein would increase the cholesterol in your arteries. Therefore, coconut water can have the same effect on humans and reduce our LDL levels.

Additionally, consumption of coconut water reduces triglycerides, which are a type of fat found in the bloodstream that increases the risk of heart disease. Reducing LDL levels and triglycerides are both important in the weight loss process.

With all of these health benefits, coconut water is sure to be the next super-drink that can significantly impact human health. Why consume all these other food when coconut water contains these top health benefits and more!

You may be familiar with curries that have a yellowish hue to them. What causes this yellow coloring is turmeric, a spice from the South Asian subcontinent that is gaining immense recognition for various health benefits.

Turmeric has been used for about 4,500 years to alleviate symptoms from congestion to wounds and bruises. The most potent substance found in turmeric is curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Here are a few ways in which turmeric can boost your overall health.

1. Increases Antioxidant Quantities in the Body

Curcumin contains antioxidant properties that prevent oxidative damage, which causes aging and other diseases. These radicals alter the composition of organic molecules including genetic material, proteins, and fatty acids.

Antioxidant properties protect our bodies from this radicalization, and consumption of turmeric not only blocks radicals directly but also initiates self-defense mechanisms that combat radicalization in any shape or form.

2. Strengthens Brain Function

Turmeric can increase the number of neurons because it’s curcumin component stimulates brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) hormone. An increase in the BDNF hormone can “[delay] or even [reverse] many brain diseases and age-related decreases in brain function.”

Consumption of turmeric could be the next step in reducing diseases such as Alzheimer’s or depression. More neuronal connections will lead to overall stronger brain function!

3. Bolsters Body’s Anti-Inflammation Mechanisms

Inflammation is extremely crucial in upkeeping your body’s defense mechanisms and repairing any tissue damage. However, it becomes counterproductive when inflammation is chronic and eventually attacks its own body.

urmeric helps fight against this by blocking NF-kB, which is a molecule present in the nucleus and turns on inflammatory genes. Interestingly, curcumin’s levels of anti-inflammation is so high that it matches that of some anti-inflammatory drugs.

4. Reduces the Contraction of Heart Disease

Curcumin can prevent heart disease because it reverses steps in the contraction of heart disease by improving the function of the endothelium. The endothelium is the lining of the blood vessels, and turmeric plays a role in increasing endothelial function. This helps us regulate blood pressure and blood clotting among other factors.

The bottom-line is that turmeric is very versatile in its benefits and is not too hard to incorporate in food intake. One to two teaspoons in cooking can make a world of a difference in flavoring your food and enhancing your health for years to come.

If you are determined to improve your physical fitness over time, consider the vitamins and nutrients your body is receiving simultaneously. As cardiorespiratory can often represent a level of fitness that prevents disease and improves our ability to push training further, it’s no wonder that so many people are interested in a fast track to improvement.

The base definition of this type of fitness ultimately comes down to the ability of our heart and lungs to supply energy to our muscles. In some recent findings from Virginia Commonwealth University, it’s been discovered that there is a reliable link between vitamin D levels and cardiorespiratory fitness.

Levels of vitamin D could essentially influence various cardiorespiratory indicators. Even with some factors working against cardiorespiratory fitness over time, such as smoking or exercising with a larger body mass index, participants that had higher levels of vitamin D often tested as being fitter in this area.

The data that was collected for this study was delivered through the European Journal of preventive cardiology. This data shows a strong correlation rather than causation between vitamin D and cardiorespiratory health.

Individuals that live in harsher and cooler climates where vitamin D can be more difficult to acquire naturally may have a more difficult time in achieving better cardiorespiratory fitness and exercise, especially during sun-deprived months.

Even though exercising in the sun is not always an option, proper supplementation with the help of fortified foods and/or dietary vitamins to boost their intake of vitamin D is deemed to be a great health benefit for the individual.

So next time you decide whether to go running inside on the treadmill or outside in daylight, keep in mind the adequate level of vitamin D you need to achieve. Individuals can work at enjoying a better capacity for exercise and also work to improve heart health, as well as the strength of our bones which can maximize training results in itself.