Table of contents:
- Nutritional content in coconut milk
- Protein
- Fat
- Sodium and potassium
- Iron, zinc and folate
- Is it true that coconut milk can increase blood pressure?
- What about cholesterol?
Do you have high blood pressure? People who have high blood pressure must control their food intake, especially those with salt because salt is one of the causes of increased blood pressure. How about coconut milk? Many people with high blood pressure also avoid foods with coconut milk. They are afraid that blood pressure can rise after eating coconut milk. But, is this true?
Nutritional content in coconut milk
Coconut milk is made from the juice of coconut flesh. Indeed, coconut is one of the most beneficial fruits, so that even the juice of the flesh can be made into coconut milk. This coconut milk can then be one of the ingredients for various dishes and cakes, for example uduk rice, chicken opor, rendang, klepon, apem cake, and many more.
This coconut juice is known to have a bad impact on health. But, what exactly is the content of coconut milk? This is it.
Protein
One glass of coconut juice (about 250 ml) contains 5.5 grams of protein. This protein is a good content because the body needs to repair damaged tissue and build tissue.
Fat
The fat contained in coconut juice is 57 grams per one glass. Quite a number. Plus, the type of fat contained in coconut milk is mostly saturated fat. This saturated fat is obtained from the content of lauric acid in coconut oil in coconut milk.
Sodium and potassium
Both types of minerals that are closely related to blood pressure are found in coconut juice. In one glass of coconut juice, it contains 631 mg of potassium. This is quite a high number. Meanwhile, the sodium content is quite small, which is only 36 mg or less than 2% of the recommended requirement.
Iron, zinc and folate
One glass of coconut juice contains 4 mg of iron, 1.6 mg of zinc, and 38 mcg of folate. This amount is sufficient to meet your body's needs for these nutrients. Where, all three are important nutrients for the body.
Is it true that coconut milk can increase blood pressure?
When viewed from the sodium content in coconut milk, it seems that coconut milk cannot cause blood pressure to rise because it contains only a small amount of sodium. In fact, the high potassium content in coconut milk can prevent you from high blood pressure.
However, consuming too much coconut juice is also not good because of its high fat content. High fat content can lead to excess fat and calorie intake, leading to weight gain. This is certainly bad for those of you who have hypertension. Because, excess body weight is one of the factors that can worsen the condition of hypertensive patients
If you do have high blood pressure, you may still be able to eat foods that contain coconut milk. However, pay attention to the numbers. Not too much!
What about cholesterol?
Coconut juice does not appear to cause your bad cholesterol levels to rise. Although coconut juice is high in saturated fat, this type of saturated fatty acid is different from those commonly found in animal products.
This saturated fatty acid is in the form of lauric acid, where the lauric acid will be converted by the body into monolaurin which can act as an antiviral and antibacterial agent in the body. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has also proven that lauric acid is beneficial in increasing good cholesterol levels and strengthening the immune system.
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