Coconut milk is often a staple fat source for those following a Paleo diet. From a nutritional perspective, it’s an excellent choice. It’s high in saturated fatty acids and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT), which are both easily burned as fuel by the body. MCTs are particularly beneficial in that they don’t require bile acids for digestion, and they’re directly shunted to the liver via the portal vein.
Coconut milk and fruit can be a great snack for Paleo folks, and coconut milk smoothies make a great Paleo breakfast choice – especially in the summer.
So what could be wrong with coconut milk? Here are three things to consider.
Bisphenol-A
Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a chemical that has been used in consumer goods since the 50s. It’s found in reusable drink containers, DVDs, cell phones, eyeglass lenses, automobile parts and sports equipment. While the research on BPA is still mixed (some studies indicating harm and others not), given the uncertainty I think it makes sense to avoid it whenever possible.
So what’s the solution here? In short, if you want to be on the safe side and reduce your exposure to BPA, you have to reduce your consumption of canned foods (including coconut milk) as much as possible. I made this recommendation in 9 Steps for Perfect Health-#3: Eat Real Food. A study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that families who ate fresh food for three days with no canned food, and using only glass storage containers, experienced a 60% reduction of BPA in their urine. The reductions were even higher (75%) for those with the highest BPA levels at the beginning of the study.
The good news, however, is that there are brands of coconut milk with BPA-free cans or carton packaging. One is Native Forest, which you can purchase on Amazon if it’s not available at your local store.
Coconut milk can also be made quite easily at home, with coconut flakes, a blender and cheesecloth. Here’s a video to show you how (get a load of the soundtrack). I find that blanching the coconut flakes prior to blending improves the results.
Guar gum
It’s primarily the endosperm of guar beans.
Beans and legumes have a variety of compounds in them that make them difficult to digest, especially for people with digestive problems (1 in 3 Americans, from the latest statistics). In my clinical experience, many patients with gut issues improve when they remove guar gum from their diet—including canned coconut milk.
There’s no evidence that guar gum may cause serious harm. So, if you’re able to tolerate guar gum, there’s no reason to avoid it. If it does give you digestive trouble, look for a brand that’s free from guar gum. The other option, of course, is making coconut milk at home.
Fructose malabsorption
Fructose malabsorption (FM) is a digestive disorder characterized by impaired transport of fructose across the small intestine. This results in increased levels of undigested fructose in the gut, which in turn causes overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine. Undigested fructose also reduces the absorption of water into the intestine.
Symptoms produced include bloating, gas, pain, constipation or diarrhea, vomiting and fatigue (to name a few). Recent research has also tied fructose malabsorption to depression.
Lest you think this isn’t a common problem, studies have shown that up to 30% of people in Western countries suffer from fructose malabsorption.
Even in healthy people without fructose malabsorption, however, only about 20-25g of fructose can be properly absorbed at one sitting. Glucose assists in transport of fructose across the intestine, so in general foods with equal amounts of glucose and fructose will be better absorbed than foods with excess amounts of fructose (in relation to glucose).
While fructose malabsorption can cause symptoms in anyone, those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) are particularly affected. While the prevalence of FM is the same in healthy populations and those with IBS & IBD, the experience of FM appears to be more intense in the latter group. This is probably due to the increased visceral sensitivity common in IBS and IBD patients.
In fact, one of the most promising clinical approaches to managing IBS & IBD right now is the low-FODMAP diet. FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligo-, Di- and Mono-saccharides And Polyols. These include:
- fructose (fruits, honey, HFCS)
- fructans (wheat, onions)
- lactose (milk sugar)
- polyols (sugar alcohols like sorbitol, xylitol & mannitol, along with fruits like apples, pears and plums)
- galactooligosaccharides (legumes & beans, brussel sprouts, onions)
- other sweeteners like polydextrose and isomalt
Studies have found that restricting FODMAPs can significantly improve the symptoms associated with IBS, IBD and fructose malabsorption.
What does this have to do with coconut milk, you ask? According to Drs. Gibson & Barrett, experts in fructose malabsorption, coconut milk is a FODMAP and should be avoided by people with digestive conditions like IBS & IBD.
According to NutritionData.com, coconut milk has very little sugar of any kind – including fructose. Nevertheless, I do have patients that cannot even tolerate homemade coconut milk (which has no guar gum in it), even though they are fine with coconut oil. I assume that they are reacting to the fructose in the coconut milk – but I can’t be sure. According to Monash University, small quantities (up to 1/3 of a cup or 80g) of coconut milk may be tolerable for those who are sensitive to FODMAPs.
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Recommendations
Let’s bring this together into recommendations for three different groups of people:
- Women who are trying to get pregnant, pregnant or breastfeeding, children and other vulnerable populations (chronically ill): should avoid canned coconut milk products except for those that are BPA-free, like Native Forest and Arroy-D. Note: Native Forest is organic, but Arroy-D is not.
- People with digestive problems (IBS, IBD, GERD, etc.): may want to avoid coconut products entirely, except for coconut oil
- Healthy people: may be fine with canned coconut milk, provided they don’t react to the guar gum, and provided they’re willing to take the side of industry scientists that claim BPA doesn’t cause harm in humans
Want organic coconut milk – but without the BPA and guar gum?
There are available options to buy organic, guar-gum-free coconut milk in a BPA-free container. Or, with a little extra effort, you can easily make this at home yourself.
- Purchase coconut cream (Let’s Do Organic and Artisana are good choices) and blend with water to make coconut milk.
- Purchase shredded coconut (again, Let’s Do Organic is a good choice), and follow the instructions below for making homemade coconut milk.
Homemade coconut milk instructions
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1.5 – 2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Heat water until hot (but not boiling).
- Add shredded coconut and water to blender (preferably a Vitamix!
) If all of the water won’t fit, you can add it in two batches.
- Blend on high for several minutes until thick and creamy.
- Pour through a colander to filter out the coconut pulp, then squeeze through a cheese cloth or nut milk bag
to filter the smaller pieces of coconut.
- If you separated the water into two batches, put the strained coconut back into the blender with the second batch of water.
- Drink immediately or store in the fridge. Fresh coconut milk should be used within 3-4 days of making it for the best flavor and texture.
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To be honest, I’ve never actually heard of “canned coconut milk” ’til I looked it up in the Internet. Here in the Philippines, coconut milk (aka “gata”) is usually something you make yourself rather than something you buy in a can.
However, I was already well aware that coconut milk is not for everyone way before I heard of its canned counterpart.
Funny how so many said they read the whole article and then proving they didn’t pay attention…
Anyways. I make my own coconut milk and react to it. I gave up the packaged coconut milk long time ago thinking it was the extra ingredients in it that caused my reaction, but still react.
Isn’t it time to update this article? The original article itself is not dated – a real problem that should be addressed, as developments in all spheres are at a hectic pace and information quickly becomes Dated. It is now widely recognised that BPAs are harmful and it has been eliminated from most products.
Well done for making the dangers know long before it was recognised as a dangerous ingredient in plastic manufacturing.
I am a big fan of coconut products and was attracted to this article by the dire warning. So I agree with others who complained that the Subject appears to attack Coconut Milk in isolation, when there are many other products that fall within the scope of article – Guar gum and BPH-lined cans. I’m in total agreement with Olivia Reed’s comments.
Thank you for this information! I am in awe of how many food allergies I have and fructose is the one of the worst. This is the best article I have read on the topic to date. I now have more leads on how to change my diet. I am truly grateful!
Just wanted to point out that you have referred to coconut cream mistakenly, which could be confusing for people. Creamed coconut (you refer to Let’s Do Organic brand) and coconut cream are two different things, with different applications. Aroy D coconut cream is similar to coconut milk, and is great as a dairy cream alternative in coffee. Creamed coconut is more granular and is better for using in recipes, smoothies, etc, but kind of gritty in coffee.
The ‘Blue Monke’y brand of Coconut water contains niether Guar Gum nor BPA
“Packaging Blue Monkey in a sealed, recyclable can assists the product in having a longer shelf life (2 yr+). As no preservatives are added to Blue Monkey, it is sealed to preserve freshness and exposure to any possible contaminants- 100% natural coconut water, just like drinking from a coconut! Blue Monkey cans do not contain BPA – and are easily recycled. Cans also allow the beverage to cool quickly.”
One reason people may be reacting so violently against the title of this article is because many of us have rejected dairy altogether, and coconut milk is one of the very few cruelty-free alternatives to cow or goat milk. This is one of the major reasons why I use it. Additionally, I was diagnosed with diverticulosis two years ago. Changing to a vegan diet has healed me. Coconut milk doesn’t give me the digestive problems I had with animal milk.
Perhaps it isn’t just coconut, but other foods taken in the same diet (such as highly-processed and fried foods, dairy, cane sugar, gluten, meat, etc.) that contribute to IBS. I eat organic, non-GMO food, almost no canned products (choose glass when possible) and plenty of vegetables daily. Coconut milk and cold-pressed sesame oil are the only fats I add to any recipe. I no longer use sugar.
Like others here, I read this article because your title is negative and provocative. In and of itself, there is nothing wrong with coconut milk. Guar gum and BPH-lined cans are legitimate concerns, however. Please consider retitling your article so that it reflects more on the packaging and production of coconut milk, rather than on the milk alone, which, as you point out, can be made organically at home. Thank you.
What about the other bisphenols? Some manufacturers may have ceased using BPA, but there are many other BPs, as you can see in Wikipedia. It’s easy to say no BPA, but …. That white phenol lining in cans and in the linings of jar lids is a mystery, no?
Since I consume the Kroger-brand coconut milk (King Soopers in Colorado), I just checked the BPA content of Kroger’s canned goods. In 2011 the company announced that its cans would be BPA free. Search for: “Kroger Switches to BPA-Free Cans for Private Label” and “Kroger bans BPA from store brands and receipts” at Forbes.com.
So glad to see info on FM. I was diagnosed a couple of years ago. I scoured the internet for as much info as possible but found a lot of conflicting info and too many personal opinions. I no longer eat fruit but veggies are full of fructose. I am both fructose and glucose intolerant. How do I balance the two in order to give fructose a ride out?
Native Forrest has guar gum in it…it’s listed on the back of the can plain as day…INGREDIENTS: organic coconut milk (organic coconut, water, organic guar gum)…
Thankyou Chris, for another well written and informative article- love your work.
I live in Thailand, read Thai, buy Aroi Di coconut milk all the time. The carton states 100% coconut milk as the ingredient, both in Thai and English.
Great article! I now understand why I don’t tolerate coconut too well. I learned a lot from the article. Thanks, Chris.
like some commentators mentioned above, patients with IBS/IBD often react badly to high fiber foods. Your patients are likely reacting to the fiber in coconut milk, not the fructose
does coconut milk adding the bad cholesterol to body?
Great article, it gives me the information I need to make an informed decision and the possible ramifications of that decision, without histrionics.
I think people are missing the point, use the information; coconut nut oil is not ‘the enemy’ but the effects and benefits will vary with the individual. The one thing, however, that will be an issue for everyone is the BPA.
Thanks again Chris.
Wow, this confirms my suspicion that most people generally suck in life. The article provided excellent information. I didn’t feel misled by the title at all.
I was experiencing slight discomfort from drinking coconut milk and after reading the article, I’m now aware that it might be fructose malabsorption. Thanks, Chris for all that you do.
Do you mind if I quote a couple of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back
to your blog? My blog is in the exact same area of interest as yours
and my visitors would genuinely benefit from a lot of the information you provide here.
Please let me know if this okay with you. Thanks a lot!
i think your article was very informative regarding cans…however who drinks canned coconut milk these days? There is pure coconut water, hello? directly from the coconut! you don’t have to make it, you just buy a coconut and crack it open. REAL FOOD.
I, for one, can’t stand the taste of coconut water!!! Also, in the things I use coconut milk for, coconut water is just too thin.