If you happen to’re on the lookout for a dairy-free milk different, you’ve acquired loads of choices to select from — like soy, macadamia, oat, almond, cashew, and rice milk, simply to call a couple of. However coconut milk advantages specifically have been getting a variety of consideration not too long ago.

So what precisely is coconut milk? There are two merchandise that go by this title, so it’s useful to know the distinction:

• Conventional coconut milk is made by soaking grated coconut flesh in sizzling water after which straining out the solids. This produces the thick-and-creamy canned coconut milk usually utilized in desserts, soups, and sauces.
• Coconut milk beverage is produced by including water, sweeteners, and stabilizers to conventional coconut milk. The flavour and consistency is just like low-fat milk, and it’s usually packaged in cartons and marketed as a dairy substitute. (That is the kind of coconut milk you’ll see on the menu at Starbucks.)

The coconut milk advantages listed under check with the coconut milk beverage. It’s necessary to notice that coconut milk doesn’t present protein and isn’t a 1:1 different to common milk.

You’ll additionally need to make sure you select a coconut milk beverage that’s fortified with calcium and vitamin D, very similar to common milk can be.

So is ingesting coconut milk good for you? Is it more healthy than common milk? Earlier than you resolve whether or not to inventory your fridge, let’s get clear on all of the coconut milk advantages.

1. It’s Plant-Based mostly and Dairy-Free

This will likely look like an apparent profit, however it’s an necessary one! Coconut milk provides one other scrumptious dairy-free different for individuals who comply with a plant-based weight loss plan or can’t tolerate dairy.

Like different plant-based milk alternate options, coconut milk can be a comparatively eco-friendly choice with a smaller carbon footprint than dairy.

If you happen to’re going to drink coconut milk daily, go for the beverage model. Canned unsweetened coconut milk comprises 420 energy per cup, whereas unsweetened coconut milk beverage comprises 40 energy per cup.

2. It Offers Wholesome Fat

Coconuts are a pure supply of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), a sort of fats believed to profit general well being and assist enhance power expenditure and help a wholesome weight, says Emily Tills, MS, RDN, CDN.

And whereas coconuts do have saturated fats, that doesn’t imply coconut milk diet must be lumped in with butter or bacon. Lauric acid is the kind of saturated fats in coconuts, and it might have some heart-healthy advantages.

3. It’s Decrease in Carbs Than Different Plant-Based mostly Milks

Whereas the precise carb depend might range a bit by model, coconut milk typically comprises fewer carbs than different dairy alternate options.

Unsweetened coconut milk has 1 gram of carbohydrates per one-cup serving. The identical quantity of unsweetened oat milk has 14 grams, whereas unsweetened rice milk has as a lot as 22 grams per cup.

This makes coconut milk an excellent different for anybody who wants to manage their carbohydrate consumption, Tills explains.

4. It Could Be Simpler to Digest

Some individuals have points digesting milk, even when they’re not lactose illiberal. If that applies to you, substituting coconut milk for dairy might make it easier to sidestep these points.

And coconut milk could also be a bit gentler in your abdomen than different nut-based milks due to the MCT, which is “an simply digestible fats that’s usually properly tolerated in people who may need hassle digesting different fat,” says Dana Hunnes, PhD, MPH, RD, a senior dietitian on the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Middle.

5. It’s a Good Supply of Potassium

You’ll get 310 mg of potassium in a single cup of unsweetened coconut milk — almost as a lot as a banana, which delivers 451 mg per serving and has a fame as a potassium powerhouse.

This mineral is a kind of electrolyte that’s essential to almost each operate of the physique, together with your heartbeat, muscle tissue, and nerves.

6. It Could Help Immune Well being

Coconut milk has antioxidant-like properties which can assist help a wholesome immune system, Hunnes says. And analysis suggests the lauric acid in coconut may present some advantages for wholesome immune operate.

7. It Provides Taste to Your Recipes

Final however not least, let’s speak about one of the vital necessary coconut milk advantages: It’s scrumptious! Some dairy alternate options don’t style like a lot, particularly should you purchase the unsweetened variety. Coconut milk, although, is full of taste.

Take full benefit of that through the use of coconut milk in a protein shake recipe, like our Coconut Macaroon Shakeology and Chocolate Coconut Smoothie. And since coconut milk lacks protein, it is a nice solution to take pleasure in this dairy different whereas nonetheless boosting your protein consumption for the day.