What’s round, was Tom Hank’s major food source in Cast Away and when cut in half makes quite the stylish summertime top?
A coconut of course!
Mmm. I love all things coconut, but especially the milk. I like to blend it in fruit smoothies, drink it cold, cook rice in it, and use it to make my favorite dish–Thai Green Curry. It’s full of healthy medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are a great energy source and known to help boost the metabolism.
I would love to just crack open a coconut every morning and pour the milk out fresh, but c’mon, who has time (or strength! geez!) to do that? I’ve been shopping around for a healthy packaged coconut milk, but I keep coming across yucky ingredients like guar gum, carrageenan, Bisphenol-A (BPA), preservatives and added sugars.
What’s wrong with these ingredients? Here’s the low down:
Guar gum–it is often difficult to digest and can cause tummy trouble (for more info, check out this post from Girl Meets Nourishment)
Carrageenan–can potentially cause inflammation (check out this post here)
Bisphenol-A (BPA)–it is found in the lining of some canned foods and is linked to neurobehavioral problems (that’s right! check out this study)
Preservatives–some can cause hyperactivity, allergies, migraines, and loads of other issues (read my post about 6 preservatives that can wreck your health here)
Added sugars–thanks, but no thanks.
So what are we to do?
We can find a better source.
Some brands of coconut milk are better than others.
Native Forest doesn’t contain any of the unwanted ingredients except guar gum (but I’ve heard they are releasing one without it?!)
Arroy-D is pure coconut milk, so that’s a plus
Let’s Do Organic Coconut Cream can be mixed with water to make coconut milk…
or for a more economical version….just make your own!
Homemade Creamy Coconut Milk
dairy free
(makes about 4 cups)
Ingredients
3 cups organic coconut shreds
5 cups filtered water
pinch of unrefined sea salt
Directions
In a saucepan, add 3 cups of organic coconut shreds, a pinch of salt, and 2 1/2 cups filtered water. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Cover the pan with a lid and let the shreds steep in the water for 20 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend for a few minutes. Then press the coconut mixture through cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve. Be sure to catch the liquid!! That’s the milk.
Do this entire process a second time with the same coconut shreds that you just pressed, a pinch of salt, and another 2 1/2 cups of filtered water.
Store the milk in a glass container in the fridge.
Wondering what to do with the leftover coconut shreds?
- dehydrate the shreds and pulse them to make coconut flour
- put them in smoothies
- use them in baked goods
- How do you like to use them?
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