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"  Just like kale succeeded broccoli rabe as the choice leafy green of farm-to-table foodies, another healthy go-to might be ousted by the next best thing...in water. Coconut water hit the scene a few years back, touted to health-conscious consumers as a nutrient-rich, natural sports drink and hydrating hangover cure. Now maple water is rallying to be its Made in America counterpart. Unbeknownst to us, maple water has been used for centuries by the indigenous people of North America and was dubbed the &amp;quot;wholesomest drink in the world&amp;quot; over 300 years ago by North American explorers, reports the Boston Globe. But keep your eyes peeled: Soon you&amp;#039;ll see maple water from new brands like Seva, Vertical, and DRINKmaple hit the shelves of your corner health food store. Sure, you might picture the deliciousness you drizzle over your pancakes or those caramel-colored, sugary doughnuts when you hear the word maple, so it&amp;#039;s hard to imagine its water could ever be healthy. But if it is not boiled down to make syrup, it&amp;#039;s actually quite nutritious. When water flows from the ground and travels up the maple tree, it gets infused with sugar, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and manganese, but is still 95 to 98 percent water. These new companies are tapping into this and drawing maple water from trees in the Northeast and Canada, pasteurizing it to retain its minerals and nutrients, then packaging and selling it. So what&amp;#039;s the difference between maple and coconut water other the fact that one is imported from the tropics? TIME reports that Seva&amp;#039;s bottle of water (from Quebec&amp;#039;s Laurentian Forest) has less than a teaspoon of sugar and just 20 calories, about half of what&amp;#039;s in coconut water. Vertical Water claims to contain one-third of the calories of coconut water and just five grams of sugar. Michael Farrell, director of the Uihlein Forest in the Adirondacks, told the Cornell Chronicle that coconut water has a stronger taste and more nutrients, while maple water is more hydrating, has less sugar, and goes down smoother. So, will maple water be the next big thing to quench our thirst? This article originally appeared on ELLE.com. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/body/healthy-eating/news/a17678/maple-water-elle/>