“Happy Young Woman on Beach with Coconut,” Getty Images, 2016
The year is 2010. Regular water, the kind that springs from the earth and flows from the heavens (rain), is no longer good enough; nor is Gatorade, the go-to post-workout drink of actual athletes and anyone who’s ever been devastatingly hungover. We need something new, something vaguely “healthier,” something trendier and more expensive. And then, like a thief in the night, coconut water swoops in, and it is all of those things. “Why Is Every Celebrity Drinking Coconut Water"” asks E! Online. “Is Coconut Water the Celeb Drink of the Summer"” People wants to know.
Answer: Yes. Coconut water, which has been favored in tropical countries for centuries, suddenly becomes the celeb drink of that summer and beyond. Marketed as a low-fat, low-carb, low-calorie, potassium-rich, electrolyte-packed alternative to traditional energy and sports drinks for replacing nutrients lost during exercise, the health and fitness-crazed crowd goes wild. They conveniently ignore its sugar content on par with high fructose corn syrup, and the actual nutritional facts, which show that its electrolyte value is not, in fact, particularly high. MORE: 10 Things No One Ever Tells You About Sweat
The flood of backlash arrives soon after, when one of the first mass-marketed coconut water vendors faces a class action lawsuit over their false advertising claims, which totally blows up...