For years, coconut has gotten a bad rap. Many said the coconut’s meat and oil were not healthy choices. Modern science, however, has proven that theory wrong. In fact, it has been shown that coconut oil, once thought to cause heart disease, actually protects against it! We were excited when Blue Monkey asked us to review some of their coconut products and share our feedback with you. An article I read on The Dr. Oz Show website also credits coconut oil with fending off bacterial and fungal infections, increasing metabolism, aiding in digestion, and keeping body weight balanced. My family has been doing our best to boost our consumption of coconut products because of all its health benefits.
Blue Monkey’s Coconut Product Line
The Blue Monkey brand was founded in 2010 by the husband and wife team of Simon and Mary-Jane Ginsberg (also founders of the successful Ice Age Glacier water brand). All Blue Monkey coconut products are 100% pure coconut – not from concentrate, and are preservative and additive free. The Blue Monkey Coconut Collection is a full beverage line including juice blends and instant coconut water, and recently expanded to include Coconut Chips.
Blue Monkey Coconut Drinks
Many of us buy “thirst quencher” or electrolyte replacement drinks like Gatorade or Powerade. But these drinks are full of sugar and artificial flavors and colors. A much healthier, all natural option is coconut water. Coconut water contains a balanced blend of sodium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium – all essential for proper hydration. I’ve started taking coconut water rather than regular water to the gym with me. I like that the coconut water is refueling my body as I work out.
Blue Monkey Coconut Water
We started drinking more coconut water in our house the past year or so. I’ve been dealing with repeated kidney stones, and some say coconut water helps to break those stones apart. I’ve noticed that some brands of coconut water have too sugary of a taste, or have an odd aftertaste. Blue Monkey coconut water, however, has a flavor that is balanced and enjoyable to drink. The coconut flavor is there, but not overpowering. Blue Monkey offers the coconut water with or without pulp. My husband loves the pulp version, while I prefer the no pulp. I appreciate that Blue Monkey gives consumers a choice.
Blue Monkey Instant Coconut Water Powder Packs
Blue Monkey has also created a powdered, single serve version of their coconut water. Just add the contents of the packet to a glass or bottle of water, and voila, you’ve got instant hydration (one pack makes 16 oz of coconut water)! These packs would be great to keep in kids’ sports bags, your gym bag, even in the glove box of your car. The packets make choosing a nutritious drink option a no-brainer. I don’t know about you, but I am better at making healthy choices when they are easy and convenient. To me, these packets have a slightly sweeter taste than the bottled coconut water.
Blue Monkey Juice Blends
My daughters and I loved the new Blue Monkey Juice Blends. These 50% coconut water 50% tropical juice drinks are perfect for kids and adults alike. The splash of passion fruit, guava, pineapple, mango or pom/acai, give them a familiar, pleasing juice flavor. My five year old went crazy for the pineapple. She drank the better part of a 16 ounce bottle by herself, and wanted more. Sadly, I had already finished it…oops! I would say that the pineapple and mango were our favorites out of the 3 flavors that we tried. The guava was good too, but not “sweet” enough for my little one.
I should mention that none of the fruit juice blends are from concentrate and contain no added sulphites, preservatives, or sugar. And, as far as sweeteners go, Blue Monkey uses only a touch of low glycemic, organic agave. I plan on keeping some of these juices on hand for the hot, active summer months.
Blue Monkey Coconut Chips
When I first heard about the Blue Monkey Coconut Chips, I thought they would be the shape and size of a potato chip. Boy was I wrong! These lightly toasted little treasures are actually diced pieces of coconut. They are crunchy and somewhat sweet tasting. My husband loves throwing them on top of his salads.
We’ve also just eaten a handful of them as a snack. Just today, I threw some on top of my Greek yogurt at breakfast. Yum! These Coconut Chips are so versatile. I’m thinking they’d be great as part of a dried fruit mix, added to your favorite nuts, even used as part of the breading for fish, shrimp or chicken.
Buy Blue Monkey Coconut Products
You can purchase Blue Monkey Coconut Products via online retailers like Amazon.com, or at retail chains like Whole Foods.
Win Blue Monkey Coconut Products
You lucky dog, you! Blue Monkey is giving away a coconut product prize pack worth $25 to one AkronOhioMoms.com reader. The prize pack will include a variety of the products I reviewed above.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Contest ends at 11:59 pm EST on May 20, 2013 when a winner will be drawn at random. I will notify the winners and they will have 36 hours to respond or another winner will be selected!
This was not a paid post. My own opinions were used based on my perceptions and experience. Thank you to Blue Monkey who provided products for review and giveaway.
