Brian and I have incorporated coconut milk into our weekly diet, as it is high in healthy sources of fat: saturated fatty acids in the form of medium-chain triglycerides (MCT’s) (Brian’s video in this post talks about healthy fats and their importance). MCT’s are particularly beneficial because it’s a type of fat that gets digested directly by the liver, producing ketones which are easily burned as fuel. You’ll notice for bulletproof coffee and other recipes, MCT’s are incorporated as a way to increase energy and cognitive function (More on MCT's to come later). Typically, we will have coconut milk in our smoothies or add some to our coffee or tea in the morning!
We often use coconut milk as a dairy milk replacement, because we've concluded (via Whole30 and personal experimentation) that it does work better for our bodies and it provides the extra healthy fats we need in our diet.
Now,
in the Paleo-world, dairy consumption is definitely a grey area, as its
beneficial qualities very much depend on how an individual reacts to dairy
products. The ultimate determining factor is if dairy causes inflammation in your
body, which would be noted by a sour stomach or poor digestion reaction
after consumption.
When
buying coconut milk, we wanted to point out a couple things, as there is (of
course) a more preferable coconut milk to buy based on how it’s manufactured. Ultimately,
when buying coconut milk you need to watch out for a couple
things: Bisphenol-A (BPA), guar gum and additives in boxed coconut milk.
BPA
is a chemical that has been used in consumer goods since the 50s and is often put
in the lining of certain canned foods. BPA has been linked to neurobehavioral
problems and is thus better to avoid if at all possible. Guar gum has
been linked to increasing digestive problems for some people. Although there
are not definitive studies that show guar gum is particularly harmful, we try
to avoid it in effort to promote better gut health. We also don’t buy the boxed
coconut milk on store shelves because it always has a significant more amount of additives and
preservatives that we like to avoid. Chris Kresser writes more on this topic here if you’re interested in
learning more.
The
coconut milk brand we recommend is Aroy-D. It does not contain BPA or additives of any kind. It's pure 100% coconut milk. You can get this product via Amazon. Another good choice is Native Forest, although this organic canned coconut milk doesn't contain BPA, it does contain guar gum. It’s sold at most
local Whole Foods stores.
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