For about 4 days I drank the water of one young thai coconut everyday, it was very nice - then I drank an extra half coconut's water, and I got this weird warm feeling in my chest and I started feeling slow and heavy and like I was going to pass out... I quickly did a search on the internet and my symptoms seemed to be matching those for potassium overdose. It said that sodium was the anti-potassium so I started drinking saltwater and started recovering a little... but still I was on the brink of passing out which was freaking me out so I called 911 and went to the emergency room. I also read that a potassium overdose will cause excessive urination and diarrhea because the body must quickly eliminate it, and that's exactly what was happening to me.

I'm wondering if anything like this has happened to anyone else?

I'm aware that coconut is an essential source of life to so many people in the tropics but I'm thinking that it may not agree with my purely Northern constitution. I have no tropical heritage whatsoever.

I stayed away from coconut for a couple months and picked it up again recently - and by the second day of snacking on coconut meat I started getting that weird heavy/lightheaded feeling again - this time I straightened myself out with calcium.

I just wonder that if in the evolutionary migrations of humans which separated many populations of humans from the tropics for thousands and thousands of years, whether it's possible that some of us have evolved away from a tropical diet to the point where a diet that's optimal for some, is clearly sub-optimal for others?

There are tropical populations that survive almost exclusively on coconut. I can't even seem to handle it for more than a couple days, and in moderate amounts no less.

I also read that there are populations in South America that far exceed the USRDA upper tolerable limit for potassium intake with no apparent health problems at all - like 20,000mg a day or some crazy figure like that.

This probably also explains why I can only eat bananas sparingly too - usually after a workout to replace lost potassium electrolytes. My Northern constitution apparently doesn't run well on tropical fruits.

Your right about the potassium and the sodium, they are opposite sides of the same coin. The body's cells use what is called the sodium/potassium pump to move fluids into and out of the cells. If either the available potassium OR the available sodium were in short supply you would feel badly. Maybe your natural plant sodium supply is low in your body so that when you eat a banana or a coconut you easily overwhelm the balance ?

Hey sunshine79,

Sorry to hear about your trip to the hospital, hope you are feeling better. I'm a little bit surprised about the coconut water being a possible cause of your symptoms since I thought it is very well balanced in electrolytes, with typically a 2-3:1 K:Na ratio (see here [www.nutritiondata.com] for instance). Would there be anything else in your diet or lifestyle that could possibly be causing these symptoms?

Cheers,
J

gees...that happened to me last week... but i didnt know what the hell was happening...

It was around 9 pm and i had forgotten to take my daily tabblespoons of coconut oil...so i took 3 or 4...

I felt like @#$%& for 2-3 hours, and emptied myself till nothing was left!!

I shall never do that again

It may be that you were reacting to the fungicide used in the young Thai coconuts. Or it could have been that the coconut was going bad. The human kidneys are very efficient at removing potassium from the body. In fact, the human body expects to get a lot of potassium, but to get very little sodium, so there is very little facility for getting rid of sodium.

I also cannot handle that many young coconuts. I've always suspected the fungicide. On the other hand, I can easily eat a dozen large bananas in a day if I am hungry. I also eat mostly fruit, so I am getting tons of potassium.

Because I can handle so much potassium, but my body doesn't like a lot of Thai coconuts, for me I don't think its the potassium.

Fungicide? As in something unnatural added to the coconuts? Or the coconuts have antifungal properties? O.o (I'm suspecting the former, though the latter would be interesting.)

Yeah, I'd like to know more about this fungicide, too. I have a young, Thai coconut sitting on my counter right now. ???

Is the fungicide applied to the outside of the coconut or is it inside ?

I did some checking on the fungicide. Here's a report from [www.youngcoconuts.com]

Reports of Young coconuts being treated prior to shipment

We have had reports that the young coconuts that are shipped over from Thailand may be treated with a preservative and a fungicide before being shipped.

The young coconuts are it dipped into a solution of sodium meta bisulfite (3% concentration with a fungicide thiobendazole) for 5 minutes.

This information has not been confirmed. We are still investigating this, and want to get product testing done to see if there is any residual chemicals inside the coconut meat and water.

I believe the coconuts nuts are treated in this way for two reasons:

1. The Sodium solution acts as a "preservative". Similar preservatives are commonly used in beer making and wine making - Sulfides (Sulfur dioxide) as well as dried fruits (so they keep their "pretty color). If the nuts were not preserved, they would turn brown and begin to oxidize.

2. The Thiabendazole is a systemic benzimidazole fungicide used to control fruit and vegetable diseases such as mold, rot, blight, and stain. It is also active against storage diseases and Dutch Elm disease. In livestock and humans, thiabendazole is applied to treat several helminth species such as roundworms. Thiabendazole is also used medicinally as a chelating agent to bind metals. This same fungicide is widely used on CONVENTIONAL produce, most commonly bananas. If you read most ANY box of conventional bananas, it will say "treated with Thiobendazole".. It also appears that Apples, Pears and Citrus are widely treated with this same fungicide.

Please read on for further information and links regarding the above two chemicals.

1. More information on Sodium meta Bisulfite -

MSDS Sheet
Canada's information about Sulfitest
The Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances
2. Thiobendazole

Pesticide Information Profile
Evaluation of pesticides in food
Management of Fungal Diseases in Tropical Fruits PDF
Chemical Abstract Number (CAS #) 148798
Synonyms Thiobendazole
1H-Benzimidazole, 2-(4-thiazolyl)-
Arbotect
Storite
2-(4-Thiazolyl)benzimidazole
Analytical Method EPA Method 641
Molecular Formula C10H7N3S
Use FUNGICIDE FOR SPOILAGE CONTROL OF CITRUS FRUIT; FOR TREATMENT OF DUTCH ELM DISEASE IN TREES; FOR CONTROL OF FUNGAL DISEASES OF SEED POTATOES; MEDICATION ANTIHELMINTIC (NEMATODES); MEDICATION (VET): ANTHELMINTIC. Agricultural fungicide Medication: anthelmintic As fungicide, controls green mold, blue mold, and stem end rot of citrus fruits;to control Fusarium basal rot and Penicillium blue mold on ornamentals bulbs and corms; to control crown rot on bananas; to control blue mold rot, bull's eye rot and gray mold on apples and pears; to control black rot, scurf and foot rot of sweet potatoes; to control Fusarium (dry rot) in potato storage. Also as a preservative for reconstituted tobacco. Control of Aspergillus, Botrytis, Ceratocystis, Cercospora, Colletotrichum, Corticium, Diaporthe, Diplodia, Fusarium, Gibberella, Gloeosporium, Oospora, Penicillium, Phome, Rhizoctonia, Sclerotinia, Septoria, Thielaviopsis, Verticillium spp., etc in asparagus, avocados, bananas, barley, beans, cabbage, celery, chicory, cherries, citrus fruit, cotton, some cucurbits, flax, mangoes, mushrooms, oats, onions, ornamentals, pawpaws, pome fruit, potatoes, rice, soya beans, strawberries, sugar beet, sweet potatoes, tobacco, tomatoes, turf, vines, and wheat. Also used for control of storage diseases of fruit and vegetables. A food additive permitted in the feed and drinking water of animals and/or for the treatment of food-producing animals; also permitted in food for human consumption.
Apparent Color COLORLESS CRYSTALS; WHITE TO PRACTICALLY WHITE POWDER; White crystals; Tan crystals
Odor ODORLESS
Melting Point 304-305 DEG C
Molecular Weight 201.26
Half Life 30 days

Conclusion:
If one is eating conventional produce: the treatments of the young coconuts are not anything "outside of the ordinary". If one is eating non-organic bananas, one is getting the Thiobendazole. Its also present on apples, citrus, pears, and other fruits and vegetables (as mentioned above). The Sulfides that the cocos are dipped in are also present in many processed foods, as well as wines and dried fruits. Once again, this chemical probably also appears in one's diet at some point anyway.

I am personally reducing my consumption of young coconuts until further investigation and testing can be done to determine the amount of residual chemicals absorbed into the meat and water of the coconut.

I am normally very sensitive to any "conventional" treatment of produce. If I eat other kinds of produce that is treated, I will break out in rash. When consuming young coconuts, this has not happened to me. My girlfriend reports that occasionally after consuming a young coconut she will have an asthmatic response. This is possibly due to the level of sulfites present in some coconuts. I believe that some coconuts may absorb the chemicals in greater concentration than others.

Another precaution I am taking is to never unwrap the outer plastic the coconuts come wrapped in, and only handle the coconuts by the plastic. I will no longer be composting the young coconut shells in my organic compost pile due to the fungicide (which has a half life of 30 days).

If I had to choose between non-organic bananas, apples, pears or citrus fruits for a "does" of Thiobendazole, I would much rather consume young coconuts to get my daily dose.

The above statements are my personal opinions, and research. This is not given as medical advice. Please consult your doctor for medical advice..

©2002 YoungCoconuts.com all rights reserved.

Here's another link from a Hawaiian merchant who explains about "Thai" coconuts. I'm grateful I found this thread. I'll have to ask my merchant about these coconuts being sold as "organic."

[www.rawguru.com]

Quote

Why we No Longer Use "Thai" Coconuts from the Tree of Life Cafe

While they are a good food, we no longer use the "Thai" Coconuts in our cuisine for the following reasons:

NON-ORGANIC Thai coconuts are not certified organic. Information that they are grown organically may not be true. From articles online it seems that fertilizer & pesticides are used in coconut farming. Therefore we would be supporting a non organic industry and ingesting non organic chemicals. Some companies claim to be organic.

FUNGICIDE DIP. Some coconuts are dipped for 5 minutes in a fungicide solution (such as formaldehyde or sodium metabisulphate) before exporting. This is to eliminate mold and bacteria during the "6-week" shipping process.

IRRADIATION Many feel that they may be irradiated during shipping process.

HYBRIDIZATION & SUGAR The Thai coconuts are said to be cross pollinated with palm tree. This makes them incredibly sweet.

SUSTAINABILITY What is the real impact of importing coconuts from Thailand? Fair trade labor, high food miles and chemical usage.

LABOR Highly labor intensive when opening in a commercial setting. High labor investment for harvesting, shaving, packaging, storage, distribution and shipping.

LOW QUALITY Over 30% are usually rotten. This indicated by a purple colored pulp/ water, black spots and pink on the outer husk.

Benefits of Young Organic Coconuts (compiled by John Kohler)

"It's a natural isotonic beverage, with the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It's the fluid of life, so to speak." In fact, during the Pacific War of 1941-45, both sides in the conflict regularly used coconut water - siphoned directly from the nut - to give emergency plasma transfusions to wounded soldiers.

Most coconut water is still consumed fresh in tropical coastal areas - once exposed to air, the liquid rapidly loses most of its organoleptic and nutritional characteristics, and begins to ferment.

* Coconut Water is More Nutritious than whole milk - Less fat and NO cholesterol!
* Coconut Water is More Healthy than Orange Juice - Much lower calories
* Coconut Water is Better than processed baby milk- It contains lauric acid, which is present in human mother's milk
* Coconut water is naturally sterile -- Water permeates though the filtering husk!
* Coconut water is a universal donor-- Its identical to human blood plasma
* Coconut Water is a Natural Isotonic Beverage - The same level we have in our blood.
* Coconut water has saved lives in 3rd world countries thru Coconut IV.

"Coconut water is the very stuff of Nature, biologically Pure, full of Natural Sugars, Salts, and Vitamins to ward off fatigue... and is the next wave of energy drinks BUT natural!", according to Mortin Satin, Chielf of the United Nation's Food & Agriculture Organization.

Coconut water contains more potassium (at about 294 mg) than most sports drinks (117 mg) and most energy drinks.

Coconut water has less sodium (25mg) where sports drinks have around 41mg and energy drinks have about 200 mg!

Coconut water has 5mg of Natural Sugars where sports and energy drinks range from 10-25mg of Altered Sugars.

Coconut water is very high in Chloride at 118mg, compared to sports drinks at about 39mg.

Data is based on a 100ml drink.

I first started eating raw almost 6 years ago, and I've had hundreds of young coconuts and days where I've had 2 or 3. And I've never had a problem.

Potassium is found in all fruits and vegetables, and the form that the potassium is in when it is in plants is a water soluble form that our body can eliminate very easily if we are ingesting more than it needs. I'm saying that the potassium that is found in plants is not in a compound form that could build up in our tissues and cause toxicity. Our bodies should be able to eliminiate any excess potassium without trouble.

All of us who eat a lot of raw food are getting a lot of potassium--that's a good thing! So the fact that you started to feel nauseous after you ate an extra one makes me wonder about that extra coconut, as if something was wrong with it. Did it taste like it was starting to go rotten?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/14/2008 03:25PM by TigerDak.

That's my thought too TigerDak, if the coconut tasted like soap or something of that sort..just off from the usual taste that could signal a bad coconut. It may be hard to tell if just the water was ingested though?

Love,

I didn't feel nauseous; my symptoms matched potassium overdose - i.e, heavy feeling in my limbs, muscular weakness, hot feeling in my chest (potassium relaxes all muscles, including the heart, this is why an overdose can be dangerous), feeling slow and like I was going to pass out... I started regaining some normalcy from drinking saltwater... shortly after the onset of symptoms I began urinating about every 15 minutes and later on had diarrhea. So yes, that would be the body eliminating excess potassium.

A much milder version of this happened to me just last night after eating a bunch of dates, which are also high in potassium. I had gone to the gym, worked out hard then sweat in the sauna. I shouldn't have eaten so many dates by themselves after such a workout, as doing so threw off my sodium/potassium balance (since I lost sodium through sweating but only replaced the potassium). My hands started getting weak & trembly with a that slow feeling coming on... so I quickly looked up whether dates were high in potassium and sure enough, they were.

For future reference if anyone finds themselves in this situation, here is the remedy, which I employed last night with great success: drinking saltwater (sea salt), taking calcium (perhaps not entirely necessary but I thought it helped), and drink water with a little bit of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) added to it. I was really hesitant to ingest baking soda but all the medical literature was behind it so I decided to go ahead & try it - apparently sodium bicarbonate alkalinizes the blood & moves potassium into the cells and may help with its elimination. I must say it seemed to work, because I felt completely back to normal after doing the above 3 things.

Drinking saltwater may sound gross but believe me, during a potassium overdose it will taste good to you.

Potassium, magnesium, sodium & calcium all interact with each another in the body.

A note about calcium - be careful about taking calcium after a workout because the body loses magnesium during sweating & exercise, and if you're already low on magnesium then taking just calcium is a very bad idea, as calcium blocks magnesium absorption.

sunshine79,

I looked up the potassium content of 1 cup of coconut water. It has about 17% of the RDA of potassium. For you to meet the full RDA, you would have to drink over 5 cups of coconut water. Meeting the RDA is not an overdose though.

I don't see how you could have over dosed on potassium unless you had impaired kidneys with just 1.5 coconuts.

Sunshine79- On a side note, Im going to have to generally agree with you that a tropical diet will be sub-optimal for some northerners. You might try eating more apples, other orchard fruitts and berries.

sunshine79, with all due respect, I strenuously disagree with your suggestions regarding the symptoms you describe. There are LOTS of serious disorders, syndromes and medical crises - including serious cardiac issues - that can result in the symptoms you describe, and for many of those issues, taking salt or bicarbonate of soda could make the problem much worse. Bicarb particularly can induce cardiac arrest in susceptible individuals.

May I respectfully suggest to other readers that if they experience sudden muscle weakness accompanied by heaviness in the chest, they see a health professional with all possible speed.

And even if it is potassium overdose, if it was caused by normal food consumption, it can be a sign - as another poster said - of serious problems like ... oh, kidney failure? Which should really be diagnosed and monitored by some sort of health professional.

Do you blog? Add your blog to the thread on blogging: [www.rawfoodsupport.com]!!

Bryan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> sunshine79,
>
> I looked up the potassium content of 1 cup of
> coconut water. It has about 17% of the RDA of
> potassium. For you to meet the full RDA, you would
> have to drink over 5 cups of coconut water.
> Meeting the RDA is not an overdose though.
>
> I don't see how you could have over dosed on
> potassium unless you had impaired kidneys with
> just 1.5 coconuts.


This is along the lines of what I was thinking. I hate to beat a dead horse here, and this topic is probably nearing its death, but plants cannot grow without a LOT of potassium. Gardeners use base fertilizer known as N-P-K, which stands for Nitrogen, Phophorus, and Potassium, and sometimes they will add other minerals as needed. You could sit down to a huge green salad and get enough potassium to last you several days!

Plants have to have a lot of potassium in them; they have to or else the plant will not grow. My point is that we as raw foodists who eat LOTS of raw plants are getting plenty of potassium, lots and lots of it. To think that an extra young coconut will suddenly send someone's body into cardiac arrest from an overdose of potassium is hard for me to believe.

Sure your experience sounds like a potassium overdose. But I wonder what other health problems it closely mimics. I'm thinking that there has to more to the story of your emergency room experience than a sudden overdoes of potassium. Perhaps your body had an experience where it discharged a lot of toxic potassium?

As our bodies start taking in nontoxic forms of minerals supplied from plants, it replaces the toxic compound forms that have built up in our tissues from cooked foods with the nontoxic forms of minerals found in plants.

Anyway, you could be right about your experience, but knowing how much potassium we all take in from eating raw plants every day makes your story just not 'feel' right, if you know what I mean.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/16/2008 06:17PM by TigerDak.