Health Benefits of Coconut Milk

Cononut_milkMany people mistakenly identify coconut milk as the water inside the coconut. But coconut water is completely different to coconut milk. Coconut water is the clear fluid that you can see when you open a coconut while coconut milk is the substance  extracted in the thick white flesh (meat) inside a ripe coconut. The milk can be extracted by finely grating the meat, soaking it to hot water, and then squeezing (straining) it through cheese cloth or mesh. Thick coconut milk is produced when the coconut meat is squeezed only once while a thinner milk is produced when it is squeezed more than once. The more the flesh is squeezed, the thinner the milk produced.

Coconut milk has many culinary uses especially in tropical countries where coconut is abundant.  The thick coconut milk is commonly used to make sauces and desserts while the thin coconut milk is used in general cooking (e.g. soup cooking). In tropical countries, coconut milk is widely used in making rice cakes and cooking vegetable and meat.

You don’t need to buy ripe coconut to produce coconut milk as there are already canned and bottled coconut milk in supermarkets. Coconut milk in powdered form is also available. However, nothing can beat the freshness, taste, and texture of coconut milk directly squeezed from coconut meat.

Foods with coconut milk are not only delicious but also beneficial to our body. Coconut milk contains nutrients that make our body healthy and stronger. Let us look at some of the health benefits of coconut milk.

Health Benefits of Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is a good source of vitamins and minerals including calcium which keeps our bones and teeth stronger.

Coconut oil, a white colorless fatty oil, is derived from coconut milk. This oil has many uses including the production of food, soaps, cosmetics, and candles.

Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid which boosts our immune system to prevent infection. This acid helps our body fight viruses, microbes, and fungi that may cause disease.

Coconut oil is a good home remedy for dryness and flaking of skin. Just apply the oil in your skin and observe how it will make your skin softer. The oil can also be used in treating other skin problems like eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis. It can also be used as natural solution to dry hair; it is an effective alternative to expensive hot oil treatment. Women in the tropics have been traditionally using coconut oil to make their hair smoother and shinier.

Coconut oil can improve the digestive system and thus prevents various stomach and digestion-related diseases like irritable bowel syndrome.

The fatty acids found in coconut oil can help prevent heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases.

Coconut oil is highly recommended to people with diabetes as it was found to help control blood sugar level and improve insulin secretion.

Coconut oil cannot only help dissolve kidney stones but can also improve the general health of our kidneys and gall bladder.

Antioxidants are also found in coconut oil. These compounds get rid of free radicals that damages our cells and cause cancer.


Start using coconut milk now and enjoy its many health benefits. Start by cooking these coconut milk recipes. Happy cooking![ad#afterpost]