Coconut Milk Rich in Medium Chain Triglycerides and Nutrients

by | May 26, 2017 | Blogs | 0 comments

Do you like coconut?

If your answer is no than what’s wrong with you and you can just stop reading now (joking). If you do great because I freaking love them and anything that’s coconut related such as coconut milk, as long as it’s not artificially flavored and contains nothing but real coconut. Lucky for me and you, quality coconut milk has many of the same benefits as getting the real thing.

Coconut milk is a high calorie food, that is because it’s high in fat and fat is calorie dense. Saturated fat, including saturated fats known as medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) make up about 93% of fat found in coconut milk. These MCTs include lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid. Unlike longer-chain fats, MCTs go from the digestive tract directly to the liver, where they’re used for energy or ketone production. They are therefore less likely to be stored as fat.7 Research also suggests MCTs may help reduce appetite and decrease calorie intake, compared to other fats.8,9

Coconut milk is also a good source of many vitamins and minerals.

One cup contains: 5g of fiber, 32% of the RDI for copper, 110% of the RDI for manganese, 21% of the RDI for selenium, 22% of the RDI for iron, and 22% of the RDI for magnesium. Some other potential benefits of coconut milk include reduce inflammation, reducing ulcer size, and can help fight viruses and pathogens (harmful bacteria).

How to select a quality can of coconut milk?

Read the label and ideally only pick a product that only contains coconut and water. Avoid any companies that use questionable ingredients. Also, choose companies that use BPA free cans such as Native forest and Natural value.

  1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11746-014-2562-7/fulltext.html
  2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17570262
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8696422

No sweat recipe of the week

Coconut Mango “Ice cream”

Ingredients
  • 1 – 14 oz can of Coconut milk (I prefer the brands – Native forest, thai kitchen, or natural value)
  • 3 – 4 cups of mango (frozen or fresh)
  • 2 Tbsp of Pure maple syrup (not Aunt Jemima) or Raw honey
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend till smooth
  2. Pour into glass container with a lid and place in freezer for at least 3 hours
  3. To serve, remove from freezer and let thaw for 15-30 minutes or possibly longer