Coconut Milk A Miracle Food You Can Make at Home

Coconut milk can easily be made at home from shredded or flaked coconut. It can be used in tea or coffee, in smoothies, curries or soups.

It is a super healthy food for everyone. It’s also good for for people who have trouble digesting animal milk. Coconut milk is a source of several essential vitamins, minerals and electrolytes, including potassium, niacin, iron and copper.

Health Benefits of Coconut Milk

Helps Control Weight 

The saturated fat in coconut is made up of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids the body quickly turns into energy instead of storing as fat. The MCFAs (medium chain fatty acids) are digested and utilized differently than most fats. They do not circulate the bloodstream like other fats, but instead go directly to the liver where they are converted into energy. They help control blood sugar and are not stored as fat. Coconut oil consumption ultimately leads to a reduction in fatty deposits and weight reduction. Coconut milk also makes you feel full, it is very satisfying.

Helps Maintain A Healthy Immune System  

Lauric acid is a substance found only in breast milk and coconut. It is a potent anti-microbial, anti-fungal, and anti-viral agent that can either kill or disrupt the growth of many viruses and bacteria. It is a potent anti-oxidant. The medium-chain fatty acids in coconut milk may also kill the three major types of atherogenic organisms — bacteria that cause plaque formation in the arteries — that may lead to heart disease.

Beneficial For Your Thyroid 

Coconut milk has been shown to restore thyroid function, resulting in lean tissue and increased energy. The medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), are known to increase metabolism and promote weight loss.  Coconut oil in coconut milk can also raise basal body temperatures while increasing metabolism. This, in turn, has a positive effect on your metabolic rate

Beneficial for Skin & Hair

Coconut milk is highly nutritious. The nutrients help fortify and condition the skin and hair. The saturated fat in coconut milk is very helpful in rejuvenating oxidative tissue-damaged caused by aging. It gently relieves dry skin and rashes and can be used to restore moisture to your hair The fatty acids in coconut milk are natural antiseptic and may help treat dandruff, skin infections, wounds and dry, itchy skin.  The high fat content in coconut milk serves as a natural moisturizer for healthy skin and may help repair wrinkles and sagging in aging skin.

Homemade Coconut Milk 

Making coconut milk at home is easier than you think.  All you need is shredded or flaked coconut, a blender and a nut milk bag, cheese cloth or nylon stocking.

Unfortunately most of the coconut milk you buy in the store have some type of thickeners or additives. The worst is carrageenan that studies have shown is harmful to human health as I wrote about in my post on almond milk.

Even the popular brands without the carrageenan in the health food store contain guar gum which may cause digestive problems especially gas. If you have any intestinal issues it is best to keep the guar gum out of your diet.

Homemade coconut milk is similar to the lite coconut you buy in the store. It can be used in smoothies, sauces, puddings, soups and stews.

You can use the left over pulp in smoothies for additional fiber.  I use them in energy bars like my Cranberry Coconut Energy Bars. You may need a little more water depending on how much you squeezed out of the pulp.

I make my own coconut milk frequently but I also buy Natural Value Coconut Milk online. It comes in regular and lite. Native Forest also make a Simple version without any thickeners.

Making coconut milk is easy.  I hope you make some this weekend!

Homemade Coconut Milk

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• Author: Ingrid DeHart - EatWellEnjoyLife.com
• Prep Time: 2 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 22 minutes
• Yield: 1 1/2 cups 1x

Ingredients

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• 1 1/2 cups filtered water
• 1/2 cups unsweetened organic shredded coconut

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Instructions

1. Heat water in a saucepan to near boiling.
2. Add hot water and shredded coconut to blender.
3. Let sit 15 minutes
4. Using a Vitamix, blend on high for 3 minutes until creamy. If you have a regular blender, blend for 5 minutes.
5. Pour mixture through a nut milk bag, nylon stocking or a colander lined with  cheesecloth. Squeeze the cheesecloth well to extract coconut milk.
6. Store in a glass jar in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.

Notes

The recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/3 cup
• Calories: 45
• Sodium: 5 mg
• Fat: 5 g
• Saturated Fat: 4.5 g
• Protein: 1 g