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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AROY-D coconut milk is NOT just coconut milk, even if the “made for export” labels make it look that way. i´ve seen the full ingredients list and as with nearly all coconut milks, it has E224 added…NOT GOOD!
Thank you Chris for your great site!
I didn’t read all comments, so if you addressed this already, please disregard my question and i will just continue reading…
I use the Coconut Dream brand coconut drink for my coconut milk and it comes in quart boxes–do these boxes have BPA’s?
…found my answer to a different product, the So Delicious brand (http://www.sodeliciousdairyfree.com/made-with-care ) has not BPA in the containers and the link here is where i found the info.
Problem is, while looking for that answer, i found a whole different debate on problems with the artificial fatsoluable vitamins that are added to this product. Supposedly fat soluable vitamins are mirror image (chemically) to the real vitamins and that does worry me. Any thoughts?
I would not drink the So Delicious brand. Too many weird things in it.
I have one can of Native Forest coconut milk in my cupboard, and one on the sink empty. I’d bet money Chris, that the cans DO have BPA lining. Sure looks like it to me. -d
http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/7-companies-you-can-trust-to-use-bpa-free-cans.html
If you do some research, Diana, you’ll find that Native Forest has a record of not using BPA as a liner. I’m not saying that whatever they’ve changed to is healthy but seriously? You can tell from looking at the open can on your (and my) counter top? Seriously, a quick search will show that they have been committed to this for quite some time. There are many sources, not just the one I posted. It simply was the first to pop up this time. I checked before I purchased.
Chris, this is my first visit to your blog and honestly, probably the last. The sharks are snarky mean and they don’t contribute to any real discussion or add benefit. You wrote a good article that I found beneficial and informative and gave me some insight into why someone I love is reacting to a quality canned coconut milk. I thank you for that insight but if I want a feeding frenzy complete with rudeness, I can go to a family reunion………. I avoid them like the plague.
To answer the question in the article about the Arroy-D brand. I use it, and the ingredients mentioned are coconut 60% and water, nothing else. If there are any additives they should be mentioned acoording European laws.
I cannot drink coconut milk and I have IBS. I didn’t know why but now I do. It’s the guar gum and/or fructose. Too much fruit tears me up too. Thanks for the insight.
Wow a lot of negative comments although it has confirmed what I hope wasn’t it; I switched over to Silk Coconut Milk about 3 weeks ago and then all of a sudden lots of stomach issues… gas, bloating, pain, constipation; I’ve been wondering what in earth is going on with my tummy and today as I served myself a glass, I realized this is the only new thing I have switched in my diet (I drink two protein shakes a day, I figured the coconut milk would be better for me, rather than skim milk); now I going to quick drinking and consuming coconut oil all together and in a month reintroduce only the oil (wondering about the plastic container it comes in, does that contain BPA)… Thanks for this information, definitively helped me.
Thank you for your blog and all the work you do!
I have Fructose Malabsorption, and coconut milk definitely causes trouble for me. (It was this page that first helped me put the pieces together after several disastrous Thai curries.)
But apparently the newest research out of Australia now says that coconut milk is actually not a fodmap.
Either there is some other FM-related mechanism at work, or it is a separate problem entirely. Either way, I avoid too much coconut milk these days because I know how it makes me feel.
You might consider contacting the research team to confirm and update the info on this page accordingly. (Recap of twitter chat with Jaci Barrett, including mention that coconut milk is low fodmap: http://blog.katescarlata.com/fodmaps/fodmap-twitter-chat-recap-fodmapchat/)
If coconut milk is a FODMAP, does that apply to coconut oil and coconut butter as well?
Not so much, because the small sugar portion is what makes it a FODMAP.
If one were to ferment the coconut milk(ie make a coconut milk yoghurt- I’ve done this in the past with aroy-d and it is delicious thickened with gelatin. It’s like a yogurt that barely tastes like coconut), would the whole FODMAPS deal be gone?
apparently, some ppl just like to hec kle. actually, i found this article informative because a) it ale rted me to the fact that most canned “or ganic” brands aren’t BP A free (even tho i was already aware of the B PA in cans issue) and it gave me the couple brands that are b) it made me realize that even without B PA, i’m probably better of f mak ing my o wn, which is something i never really thought of. thank you for writing this!!!
I found that drinking coconut milk made me immediately gain weight. Coconut milk has 5 grams of fat (5 of which are saturated) and I was doing fine being off of milk. I was drinking nonfat milk and only stopped because of a mild dairy allergy. I found that even a serving or two of coconut milk a day not only stopped me from losing weight but made me feel bloated and by the end of the half gallon I could tell I was gaining weight. I would dilute the coconut milk if I was ever going to drink it again.
When you say you immediately gained weight what do you mean by that?
I’m in sri lanka, for us coconut is a everyday food, because you can’t make sri lankan food without coconut milk, so me, my parents, my ancestors consumes coconut milk in all of our life, actually my parents and ancestors probably consumed it more than us, but yet I can’t see any bad symptoms…
You can easily buy coconut milk in cartons or little glass containers in BRAZIL in any store. We have many recipes that include coconut milk since in Brazil there are so many coconut trees. “Muqueca” is a
very traditional dish here made with fish and coconut milk. Delicious. And a very traditional dessert in “Manjar branco”. attn, Sandra.
Hi, I thought you might be interested to know that latest testing from Australia’s Monash University shows that the level of sorbitol in coconut products, even shredded coconut is so low it should not be a problem for FODMAP sensitive people. Of course, there may be other things in the coconut that the people you are mention react to but it is helpful to know it is not the sorbitol or any other FODMAP. Personally, I have extremely bad FODMAP sensitivity but thrive on all pure coconut products. Throw a little sweetener in there like honey or raw agave and it is a whole other story…. Cheers, Alex
Guess I am extremely lucky. I live in Thailand on a remote Island where coconuts are a hazard because they fall out of trees and injure people. Coconut milk, oil , and water, is made locally and you can’t get it in cans even if you wanted to. I guess what I sacrifice in convenience I gain in health.. thanks for the article, it helps me to make informed choices!!! (oh and the only place that gives out printed receipts is 7/11, and no-one even takes those…) have a great day!!
Just wanted to thank you for this article. I’m a B blood type. I avoided dairy for years until I found out that the antigen that creates the B blood type is actually Galactose (Glucose plus Lactose). I’m now looking for ways to get more Galactose and lactose into my diet. You provided several!
People have made diet a point of contention that seems bound to replace race intolerance. I hope nutritionist learn that, although the body has been blessed with extreme flexibility, not everyone flourishes on the same foods. B’s NEED milk, O’s NEED meat, and A’s can get along with a carrot or two. 🙂 I wonder what other delectable differences are lurking in our bodies and blood!
Chris,
Thank you so much for bringing to our attention this issue of BPA leeching into the foods that are fatty, acidic, or salty. After reading your post I’ve been much more cautious…
I wanted to signal here that there is in the US a brand that offers ‘canned tomatoes’ in a special jar to avoid BPA leeching into the tomatoes! Here is the link:
http://paleoresources.com/paleo-primal-resource/eden-organic
Also, I wanted your advice on something related to your post: would you recommend to be low on canned sardines? I eat a lot of canned sardines in olive oil and I’m starting to wonder whether this is dangerous, as this is precisely a very fatty-and-salty food. What do you think?
Thanks again for the invaluable information on your website 🙂
I find this article very negative. These three points are minor especially given I buy my coconut milk in a carton and other non-dairy milks have guar gum added. The fructose piece is interesting, but minor given the amount of sugar in coconut milk. More of a sentence than the half-page explanation you have going there.
I consider this one of the many headline-grabbing BS articles flooding the net. Just another Dr. Mercola–sometimes the science is OK, but the approach drives people into a place of fear–not what is needed in today’s media-influenced, fear-based society.
In fact coconut milk is terrific in many ways and vastly superior to soy and cow’s milk products. Way to turn people off of a good thing.
Because it’s not a good thing if it has BPA in it (the vast majority sold in cans do, and most people buy it in cans), or if the guar gum or fructose are causing significant digestive issues. Cow’s milk is a nutrient-dense, health promoting food as long as it’s well-tolerated, and especially if it’s fermented.
Erm…no it’s not. It is completely unnatural to drink cow or goat’s milk. We are the only animal in the world to drink another animals milk (other than a snake), the vast majority of people don’t have the required digestive enzymes to process it (because it is completely unnatural) and its consumption is highly linked to diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, early-onset of puberty and a variety of cancers. Are you getting your information and your recommendations from the lobbyist-influenced FDA or from the peer-reviewed literature?
See Dr. Linda Folden Palmer’s book “Baby Bond” for a highly cited chapter reviewing the literature on milk, formula and health.
That’s a tired argument with no scientific basis. Lactase persistance has reached 95+% in certain cultures, particularly in Northern Europeans and in other milk-drinking regions. The fact that cow’s milk isn’t a suitable formula for babies says nothing about whether it’s an acceptable food for adults.
To suggest that I am influenced by the FDA indicates that you aren’t familiar with my work – at all. Show me a peer-reviewed study that demonstrates that milk does anything you suggested it does. Epidemiological studies don’t prove causation, but in fact many of them suggest that full-fat dairy has cardiovascular benefits and reduces the risk of T2DM. I don’t recommend pasteurized milk, but full-fat and fermented dairy are beneficial when well-tolerated.
The ‘certain cultures’ you name are a very minute portion of humanity. In fact, 80% of Native Americans, 75% of African Americans, 100% of native Asians and Africans, and 50% of all Hispanics* cannot digest lactose.
Here are a few studies describing impacts from dairy consumption. There are many, many more to be named.
G. Dahlquist et al., “An increased level of antibodies to beta-lactoglobulin is a risk determinant for early-onset type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus independent of islet cell antibodies and early introduction of cow’s milk,” Diabetologia (Sweden) 35, no. 10 (Oct 1992): 980–4.
R.M. Bostick et al., “Relation of calcium, vitamin D, and dairy food intake to ischemic heart disease mortality among postmenopausal women,” Am J Epidemiol 149, no. 2 (Jan 1999): 151-61
C. La Vecchia et al., “Dairy products and the risk of prostatic cancer,” Oncology 48, no. 5 (1991): 406-10
D. Ganmaa and A. Sato, “The possible role of female sex hormones in milk from pregnant cows in the development of breast, ovarian and corpus uteri cancers,” Med Hypotheses (Japan) 65, no. 6 (2005): 1028-37
B.L. Riggs et al., “Dietary calcium intake and rates of bone loss in women,” J Clin Invest 80, no.4 (Oct 1987): 979–82.
*reference or stats on lactose intolerance: N.S. Scrimshaw and E.B. Murray, “The acceptability of milk and milk products in populations with a high prevalence of lactose intolerance,” Am J Clin Nutr 48, no. 4, suppl. (Oct 1988): 1079–159.
Not one of those studies proves a causal relationship between dairy and those diseases. If we’re going to bring epidemiological/prospective studies into this, perhaps you should take a look at these:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22081692 (Dairy protects against heart disease)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21660519 (High intake of fermented milk may reduce the risk of CVD)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21348924 (Majority of studies reviewed suggest dairy lowers risk of metabolic syndrome)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21559046 (Dairy reduces risk of type 2 diabetes)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21447660 (Higher consumption of dairy associated with lower incidence of metabolic syndrome)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20610172 (Dairy provides protection against and amelioration of chronic diseases related to obesity. These include overweight, insulin resistance/metabolic syndrome/type 2 diabetes, hypertension/stroke, and cardiovascular disease.)
And here is the most important study in relation to our discussion:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20397059
I’ll quote directly from the abstract:
In other words, as I’ve been saying, you can’t use epidemiological research to prove that dairy is harmful. Only RCTs can do that.
But what do prospective cohort studies with disease events and death as outcomes (rather than speculation on harmful mechanisms with no real endpoints) have to say?
I’m afraid you’ll have a very hard time using scientific studies to prove that dairy is harmful. I have hundreds of patients. In almost all cases I put them on a 30-day Paleo elimination diet without dairy, and then have them add it back in (if they wish). That is how individual tolerance to dairy is determined. If someone tolerates it well, dairy is an extremely nutritious food, full of fat-soluble vitamins, CLA and saturated fats. If dairy is not tolerated, it can certainly cause health problems. But that does not make it a bad food choice for everyone.
as a medical person you should consider what is milk today, pus , antibiotics and virtually zero nutrients due to the extraction of all the cream, this doesn’t make it the golden winner you trying to , I know what I am talking about ,go in a dairy farm some time.
Chris has just given an informative article that allows people to go away and think about their own dietru choices.
As someone who beleives in the libertarian notion of individual choice then everyone has the right to decide what they want to eat. And as a libertarian then that also means that I don’t beleive in people offending others who hold different views to them and also trying to force others to change their views.
With that said it would be interesting to know if the trolls that seem to have posted vicious comments on here are vegans or not?
Hi Chris,
vary interesting stuff i am from the UK and the only Coconut Milk we have in our local store is Kara this
comes in a Carton so i assume this is okay unlike the brands you mention above its not cheap though
it retails at £1:34 i dont know what that comes to in Dollars
thanks – Reagards – Peter
Hello Peter
I’m from the UK and I have found a tinned brand by Heera. It contains only coconut and water. No Guar gum at all. It’s what I use.
Hey Chris. Love your work. So is guar gum present in only canned coconut milk? Are the ones in cartons free of it?