How much coconut milk is safe to eat per day?

There are many Indonesian specialties that use coconut milk as a marinade, from chicken opor, rendang to curry. Its delicious taste makes coconut milk popular with people. Coconut milk is also often used as an alternative to milk. Even though it tastes delicious and can be a substitute for milk, can it be coconut milk every day? Are there certain restrictions that must be considered when eating coconut milk? What are the dangers of coconut milk for health?

The nutritional content of coconut milk

When viewed from its nutritional content, coconut milk has a high calorie content. As much as 93 percent of coconut milk calories comes from fat, which is called medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs).

Meanwhile, in 240 grams or one cup of coconut milk contains:

Energy: 554 calories
Fat: 57 grams
Protein: 5 grams
Carbs: 13 grams
Fiber: 5 grams

Reported on the Verrywell Fit page, more than 51 grams of fat contained in thick coconut milk is saturated fat.

So how much coconut milk can be consumed?

Actually there is no limit to how much coconut milk food is good to be consumed in one day. However, according to the American Heart Association, the calorie limit of saturated fat that can be consumed is about 6 percent of total calories. Well, as mentioned earlier, coconut milk is rich in saturated fat, so it needs to be limited according to the recommendations given.

For example, if your daily requirement is 2000 calories, then the total amount of saturated fat that is safe for consumption in a day is 6 percent of that calorie requirement or about 120 calories (13.3 grams).

Well, from these estimates, it means that in a day you should not consume food or drinks that contain coconut milk up to one cup, because the saturated fat content exceeds the recommended limit in a day.

Reported on the Verrywell Fit page, 1 tablespoon of coconut milk or about 15 grams contributes to about 3.2 grams of saturated fat. So, consuming one tablespoon of coconut milk in one day is still within safe limits.

So is coconut milk dangerous?

Although many think that coconut milk is not good for health, some experts say that real coconut milk, which has not been mixed with sugar and other ingredients, is actually nutritious for health. An example is fighting fungi and viruses so that it is effective in helping the body avoid viruses and fungi.

Original coconut milk which contains lauric acid is also thought to reduce levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides so that it can help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.

In addition, even though it is high in calories, pure coconut milk is actually a good source of vitamins and minerals. A cup of coconut milk can meet 11 percent of vitamin C needs, 22 percent of iron needs, 32 percent of copper needs, 22 percent of magnesium needs, and 21 percent of daily selenium needs.

Also be aware of the dangers of coconut milk for health

Even though it is rich in vitamins and minerals, coconut milk consumption must be wisely limited. Of course, coconut milk that is consumed too often will cause health problems.

The dangers of coconut milk for the body are actually related to saturated fat levels which can increase the risk of various chronic diseases, especially heart disease, stroke, and heart attack.

So if you want to eat coconut milk, don't exceed the maximum consumption limit in a day.