is coconut milk good for you?

Question

I like using it instead of heavy cream and I wonder if it's a healthy substitute.

Answer 1

Coconut milk is a sweet, milky white cooking base derived from the meat of a mature coconut. The colour and rich taste of the milk can be attributed to the high coconut oil content and coconut sugars. The term "coconut milk" can also refer to the watery liquid found inside the nut. This liquid is more unambiguously referred to as "coconut water" or "coconut juice."

Two grades of coconut milk exist: thick and thin. Thick coconut milk is prepared by directly squeezing grated coconut meat through cheesecloth. The squeezed coconut meat is then soaked in warm water and squeezed a second or third time for thin coconut milk. Thick milk is used mainly to make desserts and rich, dry sauces. Thin milk is used for soups and general cooking. This distinction is usually not made in western nations since fresh coconut milk is usually not produced, and most consumers buy coconut milk in cans. Manufacturers of canned coconut milk typically combine the thin and thick squeezes, with the addition of water to maintain a consistent product between batches.
Coconut milk is a common ingredient in many tropical cuisines, most notably that of Southeast Asia (especially Thai, Singaporean Malaysian, and Sri Lankan), West African, West Indian, and Polynesian cuisines. Coconut milk can usually be found in the Asian food sections of supermarkets either frozen or canned. Frozen coconut milk tends to stay fresh longer, which is important in dishes where the coconut flavor is not competing with curries and other spicy dishes.

Depending on the brand and age of the milk itself, a thicker, more paste-like consistency floats to the top of the can, and is sometimes separated and used in recipes that require coconut cream rather than coconut milk. Shaking the can prior to opening will even it out to a cream-like thickness.
Coconut milk is the base of most Thai curries. To make the curry sauce, the coconut milk is first cooked over fairly high heat to break down the milk and cream and allow the oil to separate. The curry paste is then added, as well as any other seasonings, meats, vegetables and garnishes.

Open cans of coconut milk must be refrigerated, and are usually good for a few days. An open can should never be left at room temperature, as the milk can sour and spoil easily.

Coconuts, particularly young green coconuts and coconut water, are an excellent source of good saturated fats. Coconuts are as high as 70% fat with 90% of that being saturated fat. Coconut oil is the most saturated of all vegetable oils, which makes it very stable and slow to go rancid. The fat in coconut is almost all in the form of health promoting, immune boosting medium chained saturated fats.

Despite the bad reputation of saturated fat, whole coconut, coconut milk and cold pressed coconut oil are good for you. Coconut in these forms has not been shown to increase cholesterol levels or heart disease but rather to lower cholesterol and raise HDL in some populations. It is only when the fats in coconut are hydrogenated and turned into trans fats that they become harmful.

In many traditional diets coconuts have been used as a nourishing and strenthening food and as a medicine with special healing powers. Thailand, where coconut is abundant in the diet, has the lowest cancer rate of the fifty countries surveyed by the National Cancer Institute.

Coconut milk is close to human breast milk in its pH, and fat and nutrient content. Coconut milk is a good source of calcium, manganese, selenium, zinc and iron. Coconut water measures the same pH as human blood.

Coconut milk and coconut oil contains lauric acid (whose only other abundant source in nature is human breast milk). Lauric acid is considered antiviral, antibacterial and antiprotozoal and is converted by the body into monolaurin, which is believed to cause the disintegration of viruses, including HIV, measles, herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus influenza virus, and pneumonovirus. Monolaurin, from coconut milk has been shown to inactivate H.pylori. Furthermore, H.pylori has not been able to develop resistance to monolaurin and coconuts natural antimicrobials, as it has to many antibiotic drugs. Coconut milk has also been shown to eliminate many fungi, yeast and protozoa, including several species of ringworm and to be an effective agent used against bacteria and viruses.

Even with its heavy fat content, coconut oil appears to promote weight loss. Coconut oil has not been found to increase body fat and it actually decreases white fat stores, is related to the production of fewer fat cells, increases thermogenesis by 50% and increases the body’s metabolic rate.

Research suggests that the average adult would benefit from 24 grams of lauric acid daily, which can be obtained by eating 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil, 10 ounces of pure coconut milk, or 7 ounces of raw coconut daily. Since allergies to coconut are caused by the protein, the oil is usually safe for those who are allergic – but check first. Coconut contains oxalate which some people with a history of oxalate containing kidney stones may need to avoid.

You can use coconut in many forms:

Fresh- once opened refrigerate and use within 7-10 days

Dried coconut meat - store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month or freezer for longer; be sure to avoid the types sweetened with sugar or with added preservatives and other additives especially propylene glycol (used in antifreeze)

Creamed coconut - store in the refrigerator fresh for 7-10 days

Canned coconut milk - be sure and buy whole fat, not low fat coconut milk which has had many of the benefits of coconut’s special medium chained fat removed ; store unused portions in the refrigerator for 7-10 days

Coconut oil – choose only food grade, cold pressed oil that has not been hydrogenated ; best if used within a month after opening

You can easily incorporate coconut into your life by making curries, putting coconut milk into your protein drinks, using coconut oil to cook, and in place of butter.

Thai Curry
Here is a favorite recipe co-created by my youngest daughter and my husband:

Protein– chicken, turkey, pork (all cut into bit size pieces) or shrimp
Vegetables – mix and match the following: onions, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, mushrooms, chard, kale (all cut into bit size pieces) bean sprouts
Cilantro- we like a lot – a good size handful cut up
Red bliss potatoes – cut into bit size pieces; a bit less than the amount of veggies
Organic free range beef or chicken broth
Coconut milk – we like the organic kind sold in Whole Foods; avoid lite coconut milk - 1 can of coconut milk per 6 servings
Thai green curry paste –1 tablespoon per can of coconut milk makes it all moderately spicey- the way we like it.
Olive oil
Sautee the protein and potatoes in a small amount of olive oil (if you are using the shrimp add the uncooked shrimp and potatoes together; if you are using cooked shrimp, cook the potatoes and veggies first).

When the protein and potatoes are almost cooked add in the vegetables. Sautee the veggies until just crisp.


Add in the cilantro and sautee.

Mix the curry into the coconut milk. Add enough chicken or beef broth to the curry coconut mixture so that the liquid covers the vegetables, protein and potato mixture. Heat. Serve in bowls.

Quick and yummy!


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Answer 2

Soy milk is my favorite to use in cereal and to drink straight, though it took me a while to develop a taste for it. The plain So Delicious coconut milk is good; it's the creamiest not-milk that I've had. The unsweetened is too watery and the vanilla tastes fake. I don't have much experience with rice milk, and I don't really like the taste of almond milk.

Answer 3

not really, 1/3 cup contains 130 calories from fat!
but then:
100 grams of heavy cream has 23 g of fat, while 80 mL of coconut milk has 15 g of fat....
but maybe you can find an even better substitute somewhere?

Answer 4

Both are good for you, each fruit/vegetable has different vitamins. Thus as more variety, as better. Vegetables have generally less sugar than fruits.

Answer 5

Yes and no.It's good for you because it has calcium and the bad part is you sometimes get stomachaches so you might need to use the restroom alot.Trust me I tried it.

Answer 6

Yes, but be careful as it's high in saturated fat. Try to find a reduced saturated fat version.

Answer 7

yes

Answer 8

Nah...it's high calories!

Answer 9

Great laxative.

Answer 10

yep