Post Workout - Coconut Water & Dates

So what do you have to eat and/or drink after a workout?  I wanted to find something that didn't involve mixes and bars, so after some searching online I kept finding great things about coconut water and dates.  Could two simple natural foods really help after working out from my kickboxing class or P90X or Insanity workouts?  Well the quick short answer is YES!  I was quite surprised how amazing the two are to have after working out and giving me the boost I need after the high intensity.  Here is the lowdown on these two foods on why they are so great for you.

Coconut Water:

• natures energy drink to replenish your electrolytes after working out
• contains 294 mg of potassium, that's more than bananas and sports drinks provide!
• contains 5 mg of natural occurring sugars unlike energy drinks that contain an average of 10-25 mg of sugars or other sweeteners
• contains high levels of calcium, chloride and magnesium
• naturally sweet, nutty and refreshing flavor
• healthier than orange juice and less calories
• helps break up kidney stones
• supercharges your metabolism
• promotes weight loss

Dates:

• one of the best energy boosting snacks
• Gives extra energy to a tired human body within half an hour after taking it
• packed with 29 grams of natural sugars including glucose, fructose and sucrose
• only around 23 calories per single date fruit
• contains 31 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of dietary fiber
• have a high content of iron in them, which makes them great home remedies for reducing iron deficiency
• rich in potassium, which is essential for a healthy nervous system
• low in sodium, thereby preventing blood pressure levels from rising
• consuming dates on fasting days before breaking the fast helps avoid overeating after the fast. The factor responsible for human hunger is shortage of sugar in the blood. Consumption of dates, not only pacifies the feeling of hunger with its sugar content, but also all of its nutritional value is absorbed by the body. This prevents people from overeating after a day of fasting.

 So what do you think?  We have only tried the O.N.E Coconut Water brand as that just happened to be what my husband bought at the store.  Man was it good, but pricey for a small container.  But since it is working and I like that it is all natural, I will have to work it into our budget.  As for dates, we always have a big container of medjool dates in our fridge that we get from Costco.  We usually use them in our smoothies, but we also have them because our 2 year old loves to eat them like candy as a snack.