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Coconut milk is something that I don't eat much of, but I do use it a few times a year, in some soups and in chia pudding. Today I got an email from a Weston A. Price clinician about what kinds of coconut milk to use and store.
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/best-type-coconut-milk/
Best Type of Coconut Milk (for health and storage)
by Sarah Pope / Jul 5, 2022 / Affiliate Links ✔
TABLE OF CONTENTS
When it comes to coconut milk, there are several kinds available to buy at the store or online.
Cartons and cans are the most readily available especially at the supermarket.
However, powdered coconut milk is increasing in popularity and becoming widely available too.
Consider Freshly Made First
Before examining each of these commercial coconut milk options in detail, let me first suggest considering making it yourself.
Many people do not realize how easy and fast this is to do!
All that is necessary to make a quick batch of homemade whole coconut milk is to procure a package of frozen, shredded coconut meat from your local Asian supermarket.
This video of me shopping at an Asian supermarket and what I typically buy shows what to look for.
You don’t have to procure whole coconuts, crack them open with a hammer and scrape out the meat.
Simply add some plain young coconut water (this is a good brand) to a package of the frozen meat (use filtered water in a pinch), blend in a food processor to desired consistency, and you are done!
Commercial Coconut Milk Options
If making your own coconut milk isn’t an option or you need to add it to your emergency pantry supplies, then freshly made is clearly not the way to go.
In that situation, canned, shelf-stable cartons or powdered coconut milk are needed.
Which of these storage forms of coconut milk is the best and healthiest?
Should you have a mix of the three on hand?
Let’s take a look.
Whole Only!
When it comes to commercial coconut milk, it is important to only buy the whole form.
Lowfat coconut milk is a waste of money and has very little nutritional value.
The fat in coconut milk is almost all saturated with anti-microbial lauric acid as the primary fatty acid.
This lipid is the healthiest medium chain triglyceride and usually absent (or significantly reduced) in MCT oil brands.
It is used for energy and is not typically stored by the body.
If you think saturated fat from coconuts is bad for health, consider that traditional cultures such as the Polynesians who ate coconuts for centuries as a staple food had virtually no heart disease.
All their health issues started after the introduction of the “displacing foods of modern commerce”. These included evaporated dairy milk, refined sugar, and white flour.
This is verifiable via in-depth text and photos in the anthropological classic Nutrition and Physical Degeneration written early in the last century by Dr. Weston A. Price.
Canned Coconut Milk
Canned coconut milk is an excellent choice for storage. Here are the pros and cons to consider before choosing this type for your family.
Pros
Canned coconut milk is extremely convenient. Simply open the can and use immediately.
No heating or mixing is required.
Cans also offer the benefit of long shelf life, typically a year or two.
This is the primary reason I always keep roughly a half dozen cans in my pantry. This is the brand I buy that contains no guar gum.
Cans are also very affordable per ounce even if you buy organic.
Is it necessary to pay extra for organic? Not really, although it is always ideal if you can support organic farming.
Coconut palms are not a high spray or GMO crop, so you are not risking chemical exposure if you opt for non-organic.
Cons
Non-organic coconut milk tends to have more additives than organic, which usually just has one … guar gum (except for this organic brand which does not have any additives).
Note that nonorganic coconut milk usually has preservatives like potassium metabisulfite. Anyone with sensitivities to sulfites or who are prone to headaches should avoid this undesirable ingredient.
Canned coconut milk also has the potential for endocrine disruption even when using non-BPA cans.
This is because the thin lining of the cans even if BPA-free is usually made from cousin chemicals such as BPS which carries the same risks.
Thus, it is best to only use cans for storage purposes and opt for freshly made for regular use.
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/best-type-coconut-milk/
Best Type of Coconut Milk (for health and storage)
by Sarah Pope / Jul 5, 2022 / Affiliate Links ✔
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Consider Freshly Made First
- Commercial Coconut Milk Options
- Whole Only!
- Canned Coconut Milk+
- Coconut Milk Powder+
- Shelf Stable Coconut Milk Cartons
- What Kind to Choose?
When it comes to coconut milk, there are several kinds available to buy at the store or online.
Cartons and cans are the most readily available especially at the supermarket.
However, powdered coconut milk is increasing in popularity and becoming widely available too.
Consider Freshly Made First
Before examining each of these commercial coconut milk options in detail, let me first suggest considering making it yourself.
Many people do not realize how easy and fast this is to do!
All that is necessary to make a quick batch of homemade whole coconut milk is to procure a package of frozen, shredded coconut meat from your local Asian supermarket.
This video of me shopping at an Asian supermarket and what I typically buy shows what to look for.
You don’t have to procure whole coconuts, crack them open with a hammer and scrape out the meat.
Simply add some plain young coconut water (this is a good brand) to a package of the frozen meat (use filtered water in a pinch), blend in a food processor to desired consistency, and you are done!
Commercial Coconut Milk Options
If making your own coconut milk isn’t an option or you need to add it to your emergency pantry supplies, then freshly made is clearly not the way to go.
In that situation, canned, shelf-stable cartons or powdered coconut milk are needed.
Which of these storage forms of coconut milk is the best and healthiest?
Should you have a mix of the three on hand?
Let’s take a look.
Whole Only!
When it comes to commercial coconut milk, it is important to only buy the whole form.
Lowfat coconut milk is a waste of money and has very little nutritional value.
The fat in coconut milk is almost all saturated with anti-microbial lauric acid as the primary fatty acid.
This lipid is the healthiest medium chain triglyceride and usually absent (or significantly reduced) in MCT oil brands.
It is used for energy and is not typically stored by the body.
If you think saturated fat from coconuts is bad for health, consider that traditional cultures such as the Polynesians who ate coconuts for centuries as a staple food had virtually no heart disease.
All their health issues started after the introduction of the “displacing foods of modern commerce”. These included evaporated dairy milk, refined sugar, and white flour.
This is verifiable via in-depth text and photos in the anthropological classic Nutrition and Physical Degeneration written early in the last century by Dr. Weston A. Price.
Canned Coconut Milk
Canned coconut milk is an excellent choice for storage. Here are the pros and cons to consider before choosing this type for your family.
Pros
Canned coconut milk is extremely convenient. Simply open the can and use immediately.
No heating or mixing is required.
Cans also offer the benefit of long shelf life, typically a year or two.
This is the primary reason I always keep roughly a half dozen cans in my pantry. This is the brand I buy that contains no guar gum.
Cans are also very affordable per ounce even if you buy organic.
Is it necessary to pay extra for organic? Not really, although it is always ideal if you can support organic farming.
Coconut palms are not a high spray or GMO crop, so you are not risking chemical exposure if you opt for non-organic.
Cons
Non-organic coconut milk tends to have more additives than organic, which usually just has one … guar gum (except for this organic brand which does not have any additives).
Note that nonorganic coconut milk usually has preservatives like potassium metabisulfite. Anyone with sensitivities to sulfites or who are prone to headaches should avoid this undesirable ingredient.
Canned coconut milk also has the potential for endocrine disruption even when using non-BPA cans.
This is because the thin lining of the cans even if BPA-free is usually made from cousin chemicals such as BPS which carries the same risks.
Thus, it is best to only use cans for storage purposes and opt for freshly made for regular use.
