If you want good coconut meat, go for the riper coconuts. The young, green, coconuts, on the other hand, are perfect for coconut water. As the coconut ripens, the coconut water hardens and becomes the meat of the coconut.
Why Coconut Water is Better Than Gatorade
Coconut water is a naturally sweet drink that makes for a great way to rehydrate, as it is chock full of minerals such as potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium and phosphorous, all of which are electrolytes that the body needs to rehydrate. It also contains a fair amount of B vitamins and antioxidants, and unlike industrialized beverages, such as Gatorade, coconut water has no added sugar.
Mark Sisson explains why he gives coconut water his primal seal of approval in this post.