• Product: Vita Coco coconut water, $1.99 for a 11.1 fluid ounce box or $10.50 for a 12-pack (original, pineapple, passion fruit, tangerine, peach and mango, or acai and pomegranate flavor), at Whole Foods Market, Super Target and Wild Oats.

• Key ingredients: Coconut water with fruit puree (depending on the flavor); five electrolytes (potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorus); and vitamin C.

• The pitch: A ``natural rehydrant'' that ``surpasses artificial sports drinks.''

• Pros: Coconut water -- found in young, green coconuts -- has been used successfully for short-term intravenous hydration in remote areas, according to a January 2000 report in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine. The January 1992 issue of Tropical and Geographical Medicine reported that coconut water can be used as a home glucose electrolyte oral rehydration solution for children with mild diarrhea, but not serious illness.

• Cons: The amount of sodium and glucose in coconut water varies greatly, depending on the age of the coconut, and is never enough at any time to be valuable as an oral rehydration solution, warned a Brazil study in the April 1993 Journal of the American College of Nutrition. This drink tastes very salty.

• Bottom line: Don't rely on it to rehydrate during an illness, but if you're a sports drink fan, this is a healthier alternative, with fewer calories and less sugar.

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