Shake Up Your Smoothie with ZICO Water & $100 Gift Card Giveaway!

While I’ve long been a fan of Almond Joys, only recently did I realize that coconut was more than just something awesome inside my candy bar.

I’ve been using pure coconut oil as an overnight deep conditioning treatment on my hair twice a week. My damaged, color-treated hair feels smoother and more moisturized and my split ends are jumping for joy at the extra TLC the coconut oil provides. Having had only awesome coconut experiences, I jumped at the opportunity to review ZICO coconut water. I had also seen my favorite fitness gals, Karena and Katrina at Tone it Up, talk about ZICO water and its benefits, so I was eager to try it. And the timing could not have been better, as I was in the midst of my 30-day challenge to get back into regular workouts, so I definitely needed the extra hydration and electrolyte boost.

I knew that coconut oil was wonderfully moisturizing for my hair and skin, but I didn’t realize how many benefits coconut water had until I read about it online. I was actually shocked to learn on ZICO’s website that coconut water is the only natural substance that can be safely injected into the human blood stream (did you know that?).

I was given several flavors to try -- original, mango, pineapple and chocolate. They taste best when you drink them super cold, and it’s definitely an acquired taste at first. My favorite flavors are mango and pineapple. I love fruit so the fruity ones taste best to me, almost like those wonderful drinks they make you when you’re on a beach vacation soaking in the sun (wearing SPF, of course), minus the alcohol.

I was not a huge fan of the original flavor at first, but now I LOVE using it in my smoothies (more on that later!).

One of my main concerns was calories because, typically, I don't drink any of my calories (because I love to eat). At 60 calories per bottle*, the calories were definitely justified by the incredible benefits, so I made an exception. Plus, ZICO coconut water has zero added sugar* and it’s packed full of electrolytes (sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus) so, again, the benefits outweigh the very small number of calories.(*except for the chocolate)

Okay, now back to the benefits. Something I really struggle with is cramping in my feet and toes. It hurts so much when it happens (often during my barre classes), so I was happy to learn that ZICO water has more potassium than a banana (potassium is what helps most with preventing cramps). Post-workout, ZICO is supposed to rehydrate your body and promote a speedier recovery too. I don’t think I get enough potassium in my diet, so it’s nice to know that I can get it from ZICO water -- all while rehydrating after a workout. It’s the best of both worlds.

ZICO has a recipes page on their website, so I decided to try to make a smoothie with ZICO water and whipped out my neglected Cuisinart blender to make my coconut/fruit concoction! Not only are smoothies awesome in the first place, but adding the ZICO water meant that I was adding important electrolytes that otherwise would have been missing in action. I definitely plan to keep ZICO water on hand for when I’m having a smoothie craving or feel particularly parched after a workout.

(ZICO mango coconut water, frozen berries, vanilla protein powder, blackberries and a banana)

(the finished product---it tasted delicious!)

Have you tried ZICO water? What do you use to hydrate post-workout? Let me know in the comments below and you will be entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win a $100 gift card and a case of ZICO Coconut water to try for yourself! I get to pick two winners from my blog entries!

Here are the official rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here. This sweepstakes runs from 6/4 – 6/30. Be sure to visit the ZICO brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!