Cocolife Review and Giveaway!

I'm not a big fan of man-made commercial energy drinks.  Yes, I'm very aware of the importance of properly rehydrating after a sweaty run, but personally I prefer doing so with something a little more natural.  Which, let's face it, can sometimes be a mission to find!  Enter Cocolife Coconut Water: A refreshing, healthy, all-natural thirst quencher.

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Cocolife, a product of Thailand, is imported to South Africa by Nature's Choice, Africa's largest and South Africa's leading health food distributor.  It comes in three different flavours - Original, Pineapple and Mango - and is available at Dischem and other leading health stores in 290 ml glass containers.

Here, in a nutshell, is what I love about Cocolife:

• It's rich in electrolytes;
• It's preservative free;
• It contains no added sugar;
• It is not made from concentrate (i.e. it contains pure, single strength coconut water);
• It's non-GMO; and
• It is bottled in reusable, recyclable glass containers that, unlike plastics, don't leach anything into its contents.

Some fun ideas for reusing those glass bottles [source, source, source].  Or simply recycle!

But the proof of the pudding is in the eating, right?  If you've never tried coconut water before, or you're new to rehydrating with natural drinks, I'd recommend that you try the pineapple or mango flavoured Cocolife first.  These two are both equally delicious and contain 80% pure single strength coconut water, plus 20% pure mango or pineapple juice.  I honestly can't decide which one I love best - they both taste great!  I don't limit these to drinking only after exercise either - it's a delicious, anytime treat.

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To me personally Cocolife Original is best saved as a post-workout drink.  I can't even tell you how many long runs I've spent dreaming about gluging down an ice cold bottle of Cocolife once I got home!  First-timers be warned, though: Natural coconut water does tend to have a slightly "soapy" aftertaste - so I wouldn't recommend opening a bottle to sit and sip with lunch or instead of your afternoon tea.  But be assured that nothing tastes better after a  tough workout - and it's good for you too!

My other favourite use for Cocolife Original is as a smoothie base - try this one as a delicious summertime treat:

• 1 x 290 ml Cocolife Original Flavour
• Half a ripe paw-paw
• 1 x Frozen, ripe banana
• A third of a ripe pineapple
• 4-5 Fresh mint leaves

Blend in a blender until smooth and enjoy!  Serves 2.

Giveaway!

Nature's Choice is giving one Running the Race reader the opportunity to win a whole case of Cocolife Coconut Water!  To win, simply reply to this post with your name and the answer to this easy question: Name one of the healthy attributes of Cocolife Coconut Water.  As easy as that!  [The winner will randomly be selected on 27 August 2013 and announced on the blog, Twitter and the Running the Race Facebook fan page.  The winner will have 48 hours to claim his/her prize before a new winner is selected.  Open to S.A. residents only.]  

*I was provided with free samples of Cocolife Coconut Water by Nature's Choice for the purpose of this review.  All opinions are my own.