The benefits and harms of coconut milk for the body

Coconut milk is an unusual but healthy product. Thanks to its pleasant taste and beneficial effects on the body, the drink is becoming more and more popular. What are the benefits and harms of coconut milk, who is it especially useful for, how to use it for various purposes and how to cook it at home.

How coconut milk is made

Unlike coconut water, which is naturally present inside the fruit, coconut milk is produced artificially. To do this, the coconut pulp is crushed using a grater or a special apparatus and squeezed out of juice. The resulting product can be more or less liquid - it depends on the number of wringes. The thickest drink is obtained after the first spin. Second-pressing milk is also tasty, but not so healthy.

Chemical composition of coconut milk

Coconut milk contains B vitamins, vitamin C, A, PP. The mineral composition of the product includes:

• calcium;
• manganese;
• phosphorus;
• potassium;
• magnesium;
• sodium;
• zinc;
• iron;
• selenium.

In addition, the product is rich in fiber useful for digestion.

Calorie content and nutritional value of coconut milk

The calorie content of coconut milk exceeds the calorie content of ordinary milk and is 152 kcal per 100 g. It contains 1.8 g of protein, 14.9 g of fat and 2.7 g of carbohydrates.

Why is coconut milk good for you?

The health benefits of coconut milk are varied. What effect does it have on the body:

1. Reduces cholesterol levels. Milk is loaded with vegetable fats, but they will not harm the body. On the contrary, this particular drink is useful for lowering blood cholesterol levels.
2. Prevents the development of caries. The product will not help to get rid of an already existing problem, but it will prevent its occurrence. The drink contains substances that kill bacteria, due to which tooth decay occurs and spreads.
3. Improves skin condition. Coconut milk moisturizes the skin, promotes rapid healing of skin damage. All this is due to the B vitamins, as well as lauric acid, which prevents the development of fungal diseases.
4. Strengthens the immune system, restores energy resources largely thanks to vitamin C.
5. It speeds up the metabolism, as it has a beneficial effect on the thyroid gland. The vegetable fat in milk helps the digestive system to function properly.
6. Lauric acid also contributes to strong bones and brain development.
7. Milk has antiviral and antibacterial properties.
8. With the help of milk, you can strengthen blood vessels, increase their elasticity, which means you can avoid atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases.
9. Thanks to its antioxidants, milk protects the body from harmful free radicals.
10. Promotes an increase in hemoglobin - 1 glass of the drink provides the body with 20% of the daily need for iron.

Coconut milk is a good substitute for non-animal food, allergy sufferers and fasting people.

For women

For women, coconut milk is good for maintaining youth and beauty. Antioxidants in the composition of the product will help to heal the skin and nails, the product is often used for both internal and external use - for cosmetic purposes.

For men

The product is useful for men to maintain reproductive function and treat urological diseases. Manganese is a good helper here.

Pregnant and lactating

Coconut milk is a useful product for a pregnant woman's body and fetal development. What are its properties useful during pregnancy:

1. Mild diuretic and choleretic action. It helps to flush water and salts out of the body, thus relieving puffiness.
2. Beneficial effect on the nervous system and the formation of the bones of the child, preventing the occurrence of congenital defects.
3. Normalization of the hormonal background of the expectant mother.
4. Relief from heartburn and constipation, which are often suffered by pregnant women.
5. Prevention of anemia in a child.

After giving birth, milk should also not be discarded. B vitamins, as well as vitamins E and C, improve the quality of breast milk, and the drink as a whole strengthens the weakened body.

It is necessary to introduce milk into the diet gradually, it is advisable not to consume any new products. This will help track down a possible allergic reaction to the coconut. When breastfeeding, a woman is advised to drink about 1 glass of milk a day.

Can children use coconut milk

In countries where coconut grows, they begin to give it to children from a very young age. However, in our latitudes with early consumption of the drink, you should be more careful, since the body of children is not adapted to exotic products. Therefore, it is advisable to give such milk to a child no earlier than 2-3 years. At the same time, you should cook it yourself, the product from the supermarket is much less useful.

How to take coconut milk for weight loss

Coconut milk helps you lose weight as it has a beneficial effect on the metabolism and the digestive system. However, when losing weight, the product should be treated carefully - despite all the beneficial properties, it contains quite a lot of fat. Therefore, on days when you want to enjoy this drink, you should exclude other dishes containing fats from the diet, and eat mainly vegetables, fruits and lean meat.

How to use coconut milk in cosmetology

The product is used to heal the skin, giving it a pleasant shade. It also has a beneficial effect on hair. How to use milk for cosmetic purposes.

For face

The product nourishes and moisturizes the skin well, makes it soft and tender. It can be used both as a tonic and in masks. To prepare a universal mask for any skin type, just mix 2 tbsp. l. milk with 2 tsp. honey and 2 tsp. oatmeal. The composition should be applied to the face for 15-20 minutes, then rinsed with warm water.

For hair

Vitamin E and fats in the composition moisturize and strengthen the hair. Milk can help treat dandruff and hair loss. A 5 tbsp mask will help to make your hair lush, strong and shiny. l. milk and 3 tbsp. l. lime juice. The ingredients need to be mixed, applied to hair and kept warm for 15-20 minutes. Then the mask can be washed off with shampoo.

The use of coconut milk in cooking

Coconut milk is rarely consumed neat due to its high fat content. But it is widely used in cooking:

1. This ingredient is well suited for making desserts such as ice cream.
2. Milk is used in various cocktails.
3. The product is included in many oriental side dishes.
4. Combining milk with powdered sugar produces an unusual buttercream.

Coconut milk, like ordinary milk, can be added to coffee and tea, and baked goods based on it.

How to make coconut milk at home

Coconut milk is not found in every store and is usually expensive. However, you can make a healthy drink yourself. It is prepared from fresh fruit, shavings, and concentrated or dry coconut milk.

For preparation from concentrated or dry raw materials, water is used, with which the main ingredient is diluted to the desired consistency and fat content. How milk is prepared from fresh coconut and its shavings.

From coconut

The coconut must be cut in half. Inside it is the pulp. A quality coconut has a delicate white flesh. A yellowish tint indicates that the nut has a bitter taste and cannot be used for food. You can cook from thin and dried pulp, but the milk will turn out to be much less fatty.

The liquid from the nut is drained, and the pulp is peeled from the crust and grated on a fine grater. Then the grated nut is poured with boiling water and left for 3-4 hours. After this time, the mass must be filtered - healthy and tasty milk is ready.

From coconut flakes

Making homemade coconut milk from shavings is even easier. To do this, grind the chips in a blender and pour boiling water over it. For 200 g of shavings there is 0.5 l of water. The composition is defended for 20 minutes, filtered, cooled and put into the refrigerator for 1 hour.

How much coconut milk can you drink per day

The drink should not be consumed without measure. Doctors advise against drinking it every. Enough 1 glass per week or half a glass 2 times a week. In this case, we are talking about adults, including pregnant and lactating women.

Is coconut milk powder good for you?

Coconut pulp powder will not harm the body. Modern manufacturers do not use preservatives, dyes and flavorings in the manufacture of the product. Moreover, its benefits are hardly less than that of a fresh drink.

However, milk powder has less fat and more fiber. Due to its convenient form, this version of the product is most preferable for storage and transportation.

Benefits and Uses of Coconut Cream

Coconut cream contains all of the same vitamins and minerals as milk itself. The cream helps to relieve stress, relieve depression and insomnia. They are widely used in the preparation of desserts and sauces.

Harm of coconut milk and contraindications

There are not so many contraindications for the product, but still they should be taken into account:

1. The main contraindication is the presence of allergies, which are not so common.
2. It is not recommended to drink the drink with fructose intolerance.
3. You should be careful with the product in case of problems with the gastrointestinal tract - milk can cause nausea, dyspepsia and diarrhea.
4. With a weak peristalsis of the digestive tract, you should not abuse milk.
5. In some cases, drinking milk can cause irregular heartbeats and increased blood pressure.

It's also important to keep in mind that canned coconut milk can contain ingredients that are harmful to your health. Therefore, preference should be given to fresh product.

Choosing and storing coconut milk

When choosing coconut milk, you need to be guided by the same principles as when choosing cow milk. It is important to pay attention to the expiration date, production date and fat content. When buying canned milk, you need to study the composition.A quality product contains only water and coconut milk concentrate. It is important to avoid the preservative E224 - it is hazardous to health.

Coconut milk in a glass jar is healthier and tastier, as the tin packaging can oxidize, which negatively affects the taste and shelf life.

It is undesirable to buy milk in large quantities unnecessarily. The shelf life of the drink in an open container in the refrigerator is about 3 days.

Conclusion

The benefits and harms of coconut milk are now known, it remains to decide for what purposes and quantities to use it. It is important to remember about the required daily norms, then milk can be used with benefit both for culinary and medicinal purposes. And you can find out how milk actually works when used in cosmetology from the reviews.

Reviews