Terrific Uses For Coconut Milk

Coconut Milk And Its Amazing Benefits

 

  

Have you jumped on the coconut milk bandwagon? Whether you're a fan or just curious about what the fuss is all about, here's how coconut milk can boost your health inside and out...

Although many of us enjoy toasted coconut in cookies, in a creamy pie, or as flavoring for other desserts, few are aware of the fact that coconuts generally, and coconut milk in particular, offer an exciting array of hidden benefits to the human body.

Scientists are working eagerly to study the possible medical treatments and cures that coconut milk might be able to produce.

Here are the basic facts about coconut milk and coconut water along with recipe ideas and healing properties.

How is coconut milk made?Most people do not know how to make coconut milk the proper way—you can’t just poke a hole through the tough skin and pour it out. 

  Squeezed from the moist, white flesh of mature coconuts, the milk comes in two forms: thin and thick.

The thin form of coconut milk is taken directly from the flesh via a first-squeeze process.

Then the flesh is grated or sliced thin, soaked in hot water, and squeezed through cheesecloth or a thin mesh strainer a second time to produce the thicker version.

This may be done two or three times to get increasingly diluted coconut milk that is still usable in a number of ways.

The pre-existing liquid inside the fruit is usually referred to as coconut water and has its own claims to health-related fame.

 

Although experts condemned the use of coconut milk a few decades ago due to its high-fat content, recent studies have uncovered valuable aspects of this fluid that can be used in a number of ways to improve people’s health.

Although high in saturated fat and calories, coconut milk is similar to human milk in key ways and contains important nutrients and fiber content.

You can make your own coconut milk at home.

But for convenience, you can buy it in prepared form in a can or bottle at health food stores or Asian grocery supply shops. Be sure to refrigerate a container that has been opened, or it will go sour.

Some stores sell coconut milk powder so you can mix it yourself to make several fresh servings over a period of time. 

It appears that coconut milk nutrition adds a valuable component to good health.

Here are three key ways to make use of this intriguing natural substance.

Use Coconut Milk as a Health Aid Benefits of coconut milk include possible anti-viral and anti-carcinogenic properties.

In fact, it is currently being tested as a supplemental treatment for various chronic ailments with no known cure such as HIV.

Check with your doctor first, and then try drinking coconut milk on a regular basis to safeguard your body from viral infections and to strengthen your immune system.

If you suffer from a chronic viral condition like herpes, you can ask the doctor to check your blood levels before you start drinking coconut milk, and then check again every few weeks to measure any impact from the milk.

  Keep an eye on the calories, though. A full cup (8 ounces) of thick coconut milk can have over 500 calories. Start with one-half cup per day to see how you like it and whether it affects your body in positive or negative ways.

Coconut milk also helps lower cholesterol. That's because more than 50% of its fat content is from lauric acid.

A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that although lauric acid raises LDL ("bad") cholesterol, it raises HDL ("good") cholesterol even more.

Most people like the taste of coconut milk, but if you don’t, you can add it to drink recipes, like a virgin colada (if you prefer nonalcoholic beverages) or a tropical smoothie.

Coconut Milk in Various Cooking Recipes People around the world enjoy tasty Asian recipes that utilize coconut milk; for example, Thai food and certain kinds of Indian dishes use coconut milk and coconut oil for their unique contribution to many recipes.

 If adding coconut milk to your food seems distasteful, visit restaurants that specialize in Thai or Indian cuisine, as well as African or Hawaiian food, to sample various uses of coconut flavoring in prepared dishes.

Many Oriental eateries offer coconut chicken or shrimp on the menu, and coconut milk soup is a gourmet treat.

Items like these will give you an idea of their taste and texture and determine whether you want to try the recipe at home. 

 

Posted by Mags/  From: Lifescript.com