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coconut milk (can vs carton)


lchapman

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I'm not clear what the difference is between coconut milk in the can vs in a carton? I've read in other people comment on having a hard time finding it without sulfites. It appears the "So Delicious Coconut Milk" is sulfite free, but it does contain selenium. Does anyone know if that's approved?

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The lite ones also usually have a lot more nasties.

 

Coconut cream is great too.

 

I tried using full fat canned coconut milk in my coffee yesterday morning, and it separated and went all clumpy on me!  Boo.  Will coconut cream do the same or is it better to use in coffee?  I can drink it black just fine, but it's nice to have something a little smoother sometimes :)

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I tried using full fat canned coconut milk in my coffee yesterday morning, and it separated and went all clumpy on me!  Boo.  Will coconut cream do the same or is it better to use in coffee?  I can drink it black just fine, but it's nice to have something a little smoother sometimes :)

Did you give the can a shake to mix the liquid with the solids before you opened it? Sometimes you might even need to blend those together.  If you have an aerolatte or an immersion blender you can give your coffee/coconut milk a quick buzz to incorporate it also.  I've never used just coconut cream so can't answer on that one.

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Hi,

 

I'm officially on Day 2 (woo hoo). A colleague got me coffee with coconut milk from Starbucks (I didn't drink any yet, as I wanted to do some research before my first sip). 

 

What I found was upsetting.

 

I thought coconut milk was safe . . . but according to Starbucks' nutrition facts their coconut milk contains one ingredient: coconut milk. . .

 

Coconut Milk [Water, Coconut Cream, Cane Sugar, Tricalcium Phosphate, Coconut Water Concentrate, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, Carrageenan, Gellan Gum, Corn Dextrin, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol)].

 

Seems that even though they do have coconut milk, it is NOT Whole30 approved.

 

Can anyone confirm/deny this for me?

 

Thank you!

Andrea

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There's no blanket statement for any processed food because recipes and formulations change across brands and regions.  Not all coconut milk would be considered compliant and unfortunately Starbucks has chosen one with ingredients that aren't permitted on Whole30.  Good on you for checking first.  

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There's no blanket statement for any processed food because recipes and formulations change across brands and regions.  Not all coconut milk would be considered compliant and unfortunately Starbucks has chosen one with ingredients that aren't permitted on Whole30.  Good on you for checking first.  

Thank you - I do see earlier in the thread that there are compliant brands of coconut milk.

 

I'll just see if there's someone else that wants the coffee and I'll stick with black for now!

 

Onto Day 3 . . .

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Thank you - I do see earlier in the thread that there are compliant brands of coconut milk.

 

I'll just see if there's someone else that wants the coffee and I'll stick with black for now!

 

Onto Day 3 . . .

 

Andrea,  I did my first ever Whole30 in June 2015, and I had NEVER (except in the most dire of circumstances) taken my coffee black.  When I began in June, I simply stopped adding the half & half.  I don't really miss it.  The key, for me, is to buy good, smooth coffee.  You might try a milder blend of Starbucks, or Seattle's Best 3 or 4 for a smoother cup of joe if you find black coffee is too strong for you.  Good work on being diligent before slurping down the coffee!

 

I found Natural Value brand coconut milk on Amazon.com - full fat and organic.  Buy it by the case, because you'll use that stuff in everything!

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Did you give the can a shake to mix the liquid with the solids before you opened it? Sometimes you might even need to blend those together.  If you have an aerolatte or an immersion blender you can give your coffee/coconut milk a quick buzz to incorporate it also.  I've never used just coconut cream so can't answer on that one.

 

I had used some of the can previously for a recipe, so I had it in a glass bottle and I shook it up really well!  I do have an aerolatte, so I'll give it another shot with that.  And I do have a can of coconut cream from TJ's as well, so maybe I'll try that the next day.. just for the sake of experimentation! :)

 

Thanks!

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Andrea,  I did my first ever Whole30 in June 2015, and I had NEVER (except in the most dire of circumstances) taken my coffee black.  When I began in June, I simply stopped adding the half & half.  I don't really miss it.  The key, for me, is to buy good, smooth coffee.  You might try a milder blend of Starbucks, or Seattle's Best 3 or 4 for a smoother cup of joe if you find black coffee is too strong for you.  Good work on being diligent before slurping down the coffee!

 

I found Natural Value brand coconut milk on Amazon.com - full fat and organic.  Buy it by the case, because you'll use that stuff in everything!

 

Agreed!  I also did my first Whole30 in June last year, and prior to that I was a die-hard half-and-half user.  I personally find that Starbucks coffee on the whole is too bitter for me to drink black - even if I brew it at home.  

 

Andrea, if you struggle with the black coffee at Starbucks, try out other coffee shops in your area.  I'm lucky to have several independent ones that brew locally roasted coffee, with blends that are much smoother and tastier than Starbucks and I actually quite like them black!  Another option is, if you have a refrigerator at work, to keep a carton of compliant coconut/almond/cashew milk there, and just add it in later!  Good luck!

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I tried using full fat canned coconut milk in my coffee yesterday morning, and it separated and went all clumpy on me!  Boo.  Will coconut cream do the same or is it better to use in coffee?  I can drink it black just fine, but it's nice to have something a little smoother sometimes :)

 

I suspect this is a brand/variation thing. None of mine split, either coconut milk or coconut cream, but we're very lucky here and get ones with only coconut and water as ingredients, I suspect it's the other ingredients binding it normally and then the hot "splits" it. Blending in an immersion blender will probably bring it back together.

 

Agreed!  I also did my first Whole30 in June last year, and prior to that I was a die-hard half-and-half user.  I personally find that Starbucks coffee on the whole is too bitter for me to drink black - even if I brew it at home.  

 

Anyone who wants to drink black but isn't liking it much, try doing a cold brew at home and heating it up after it's brewed (I brewed mine overnight on the kitchen counter and then heated it up in the morning). It tastes "sweet" for black coffee, but isn't sweet really, just smoother and less bitter, which is often what we like with "whitened" coffee. This technique also helps some people who get a sore stomach from coffee when working out.

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Thanks for the all the information! I will definitely check out Amazon, including Seattle's Best. 

 

Good idea to leave some in the fridge at work; that's definitely doable.

 

And I did read in another post (in a different thread) about the cold brew - I will try that, too!

 

I felt bad about not drinking the coffee (knowing how expensive it is), but I'm committed to this Whole30, and kept trying to give my colleague money for the coffee.

 

Thank you so much for all the support - this forum has already proven to be as supportive as the moderators claim.

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I suspect this is a brand/variation thing. None of mine split, either coconut milk or coconut cream, but we're very lucky here and get ones with only coconut and water as ingredients, I suspect it's the other ingredients binding it normally and then the hot "splits" it. Blending in an immersion blender will probably bring it back together.

 

 

Anyone who wants to drink black but isn't liking it much, try doing a cold brew at home and heating it up after it's brewed (I brewed mine overnight on the kitchen counter and then heated it up in the morning). It tastes "sweet" for black coffee, but isn't sweet really, just smoother and less bitter, which is often what we like with "whitened" coffee. This technique also helps some people who get a sore stomach from coffee when working out.

I often have to heat the can a bit in some hot water. Some cans are just very separated and no amount of shaking will fix it.

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  • 3 months later...

I read through this whole feed to see if I could find the answers, but I still have two more questions related to carton vs. canned coconut milk if anyone has time to answer! 

 

1. I get the impression that, as long as the label is W30 compliant, people are using cartoned and canned coconut milk interchangeably. I have both in my fridge right now, but there's a pretty big difference between the fat content of canned Trader Joe's organic coconut milk (44 grams of fat in a cup) vs. organic Trader Joe's coconut "beverage" in the milk carton (as well as So Delicious Organic Coconut Milk Beverage) (both labels say 4 grams of fat in a cup, and both labels are W30 compliant).  Does that not matter? 

 

2. The meal template with those blocks across the top: there are blocks for the thumb's worth of oil/butter, the heaping handful of coconut/olives, and the closed handful of nuts/seeds. If I am understanding correctly, ALL of those amounts of each should be included in EVERY meal. But in the copy underneath those blocks, portions of avocado and coconut milk are also listed. Are those portions of each of those ALSO included in EVERY meal?   

 

Thanks! Preparing the last meal of my Day 5 and hoping I am doing this right! 

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Hi there

 

Yes, both are whole30 compliant regardless of fat content as long as the label reads compliant... they can be used for different things and depending on different tastes, but the one that is less fat will be less filling...

 

You pick from the fats, you don't need to eat every one at every meal... you can do chicken salad with mayo and avocado, or just olives or just avocado... whatever your meal would work with... Hope that helps

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  • 3 months later...
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4 hours ago, MadJoy said:

Nili on Youtube swears by a carton AROY-D 100% coconut milk.  Do any of you know this brand, that you find mainly in Asian and Caribbean markets?

I buy this brand on Amazon regularly. I like that it comes in smaller, 8 Oz packs. 

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