Coconut milk: # 039, milk # 039; from the tropics

1. If there is one superfood where opinions are divided, it is coconut oil. According to one it contains healthy fats, but according to the other it contains a lot of bad saturated fats. How about coconut milk?

1. Coconut 'milk' is not the moisture contained in the coconut, as many people think. We call that coconut water. The coconut milk is made by mixing the grated white pulp of the coconut and 'kneading' it with water. Then the mixture is squeezed out and coconut cream or santen is created. If you repeat the process and squeeze the mixture again, you will get coconut milk. Often the milk is mixed a little with coconut cream for an extra creamy taste. Coconut milk is available in cans and packs. It is also called flapper milk. Preservatives and stabilizers are often added. Sometimes the coconut milk is even enriched with starch and milk proteins. You can also make coconut milk yourself by mixing grated coconut with water and wringing it out in a cloth.

2. Coconut 'milk' is not the moisture contained in the coconut, as many people think. We call that coconut water. The coconut milk is made by mixing the grated white flesh of the coconut and 'kneading' it with water. Then the mixture is squeezed and coconut cream or santen is created. If you repeat the process and squeeze the mixture out again, you will get coconut milk. Often the milk is mixed a little with coconut cream for an extra creamy taste. Coconut milk is available in cans and packs. It is also called flapper milk. Preservatives and stabilizers are often added. Sometimes the coconut milk is even enriched with starch and milk proteins. You can also make coconut milk yourself by mixing grated coconut with water and wringing it out in a cloth.

To drink like that?

1. Few people will knock back such a can of coconut milk: it is quite heavy on the stomach and has a distinct coconut flavor. But it is ideal for certain dishes in the kitchen. In a Thai curry, for example, a spicy (pumpkin) soup, a tropical smoothie with pineapple and banana or a sweet rice dessert: it is all possible with coconut milk. Some people even put it in the coffee or turn it into a tropical chocolate milk. There are also coconut drinks that, just like soy drinks or rice drinks, are suitable as a thirst quencher. It contains less coconut and sometimes also some rice to make the drink lighter in taste.

2. Few people will knock back such a can of coconut milk: it is quite heavy on the stomach and has a distinct coconut flavor. But it is ideal for certain dishes in the kitchen. In a Thai curry, for example, a spicy (pumpkin) soup, a tropical smoothie with pineapple and banana or a sweet rice dessert: it is all possible with coconut milk. Some people even put it in the coffee or turn it into a tropical chocolate milk. There are also coconut drinks that, just like soy drinks or rice drinks, are suitable as a thirst quencher. It will contain less coconut and sometimes also some rice to make the drink lighter in taste.

Super healthy?

1. Just google coconut oil and health and you'll be amazed. The most fantastic claims come by. Anti-inflammatory coconut, as a fat burning stimulant, as a weight loss aid and for beautiful skin. Many of the claims have not been sufficiently proven and are often even prohibited by law. Moreover, they are really too good to be true. But is coconut fat harmful? The Nutrition Center says it does, because coconut contains a lot of saturated fats, which increase cholesterol levels. But more and more scientists are now questioning this because this danger has not been sufficiently proven either. In short: don't expect miracles from coconut, but don't be afraid of it either. And then coconut oil, and therefore coconut milk, is simply a delicious addition to the range in your kitchen.

Lots of calories

1. Coconut milk contains quite a lot of calories and fats. A packet of coconut milk (200 milliliters) contains 460 kilocalories, which is considerably more than the same amount of whole milk (124 kilocalories). That's because it contains a lot of fat: creamy coconut milk contains 20 grams per 100 milliliters, in 'normal' coconut milk it is also easily 5 grams per 100 milliliters. That fat ensures that everything you put it in becomes a bit creamier and fuller in taste. In terms of vitamins and minerals, coconut milk is absolutely no substitute for regular milk. It contains hardly any calcium and no vitamins B2 and B12. Coconut milk is not a thirst quencher like a glass of cool milk, you can use it more like cream or sour cream.

Nutritional value per 150 ml

1. (Double click to enlarge) (Source: Eetmeter, Alpro soya, Provamel and Lima)