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Is Coconut Milk Acidic? And Bad For Acid Reflux?

Whether or not coconut milk is acidic or alkaline depends on how it is produced.

Most canned coconut milk is made from fresh coconuts, with a neutral pH of 5-7, and has an alkalizing effect on your stomach, settling it and preventing acid reflux and heartburn.

However, some coconut milk that is made from dried coconuts or includes different additives can have a much lower pH and may not be the best choice for people with acid reflux or GERD.

Coconut milk that is made from fresh coconuts is not acidic – it is a neutral or alkaline drink that can help to balance your stomach acid, rather than making it worse.

Coconut milk is one of the healthiest drinks out there, and also one of the easiest for your stomach to handle. 

You might want to avoid acidic food because they cause health problems, including acid reflux, heartburn, and GERD. 

If you have experienced the pain and discomfort of acid reflux, I’m sure you wouldn’t wish it on your worst enemy.

Although there are many different possible causes of acid reflux and GERD, including psychological factors, one of the most common causes is an acidic or inflammatory diet.

That’s why many people who suffer from acid reflux focus on changing what they eat – avoiding acidic foods. This is the quickest and most reliable way to get relief from symptoms.

Is Coconut Milk Acidic?

Is Coconut Milk Acidic

No, coconut milk is not acidic when it is prepared from fresh coconuts. You can check the label to make sure. It has a pH of 5-6, which falls in the neutral to alkaline range.

Practically, it has an alkalizing effect on your stomach acid when you drink it. If you suffer from acid reflux or heartburn, drinking coconut milk could help relieve your symptoms. 

Coconut milk is a healthy and balanced plant-based milk that is alkaline rather than acidic. There is more than one type of coconut milk, however.

There is low-fat coconut milk that is intended as a replacement for regular milk, and then the very high-fat coconut milk that you buy in Asian stores is used as an ingredient in soups and curries.

In addition, coconut cream has an even higher fat content.

The style of the coconut milk and the fat content does not affect the acidity, which remains the same at between 5.5 and 7 on average. 

However, the higher fat content in certain coconut milk might affect people who have acid reflux, heartburn, or GERD even though the pH is neutral.

Fatty foods can cause these conditions to get worse. It’s also worth noting that some people are allergic to coconuts.

For most people, in moderate amounts, coconut milk is both alkaline and easy to digest and can help to calm the stomach and balance its pH.

RELATED: Is Mango an Acidic Food? The Truth About Mangoes and Health

Is Coconut Milk Less Acidic Than Regular Milk?

Is Coconut Milk Acidic

Yes, coconut milk has an average pH of 5-7, averaging 5.9 in milk that is made from fresh coconuts, “regular” cow’s milk is typically 6.7-6.9. Milk contains lactic acid that coconut milk doesn’t have.

However, this only gives you a part of the larger picture, because it is not just about how acidic the milk is. It is about the effect that it has on your body.

Lemon juice is acidic, but when you drink lemon water, it alkalizes your stomach pH. It’s not always as simple as “acid + acid = more acid.” Some foods have different effects on the stomach than others, regardless of pH.

Milk is acid-forming. When you drink it, it creates a more acidic environment in your stomach.

Coconut milk is alkaline forming and neutralizes the acid in your stomach. Even though these 2 kinds of milk are not that different in pH, when they hit your stomach, they have the opposite effect.

Cow’s milk has some other issues with the gastrointestinal tract, apart from being acid-forming. It also contains lactose, which many people are intolerant of.

If you regularly drink milk, you might not even know that you are lactose-intolerant because you are so used to feeling sick and tolerating low-level inflammation. 

Coconut milk is less acidic than cow’s milk and healthier overall. It doesn’t have lactose, and it is easier on your stomach. If you have acid reflux or GERD, coconut milk should beat out cow’s milk.

Is Coconut Milk Healthy?

Coconut milk is a very healthy food. It has been a staple of a healthy and balanced diet in Indian, Asian, and South American cuisine for hundreds of years and is often served with a range of spices and vegetables. 

Coconuts are full of healthy nutrients and fats. Coconut milk is unusually rich in iron, and has historically been a treatment for anemia. They are also rich in magnesium and other minerals.

It’s easy to see coconuts as a panacea – they have essentially everything needed to sustain life, including short and medium-chain triglycerides.

That are healthy fats that your body uses readily rather than stored as fat – including in places like your arteries, that can cause heart disease.

 In fact, coconut milk can actually decrease your risk of heart disease.

Coconut milk lowers your LDL cholesterol, often considered the “bad” cholesterol. HDL, in contrast to LDL cholesterol, actually strengthens and supports the interior walls of blood vessels, reducing the risk of heart disease.

Coconuts are full of fat, but they probably won’t make you fat, unless you drink an unreasonable amount of coconut milk all the time. It is true that coconuts are high fat, but that doesn’t mean they are unhealthy.

It does mean it is also high in calories, but those calories are some of the best that you can get.

Not all fats are created equal. Coconut milk is high in fat, but it is not at all like the fat in junk food. These healthy fats won’t clog your arteries and cause cardiovascular problems.

Coconut milk is healthy to eat in moderation.

However, if you are on a diet and you are trying to reduce your caloric intake, coconut milk might not be the best choice.

Or, you might want to choose reduced-fat light coconut milk, or reduced-fat coconut milk that isn’t also filled with additives that might make it more acidic.

Is Coconut Milk Good For Acid Reflux And GERD?

Is Coconut Milk Acidic

If you struggle with acid reflux symptoms or longer-term GERD, coconut milk is a good choice for you for a couple of reasons – whether you are drinking it, or cooking with it.

First, coconut milk is alkaline-forming. When you drink it, it neutralizes acids in your stomach and helps your body bring itself back into equilibrium and balance.

In the short term, it can potentially stop your symptoms in their tracks by coating your stomach and treating the acidity there. 

Coconut milk also reduces inflammation.

Although stomach acidity is often the cause of acid reflux symptoms, and diet interventions are some of the most effective remedies we have, that doesn’t mean that acidic foods are the primary drivers.

Alcohol and caffeine are the 2 major culprits when it comes to acid reflux because they cause widespread inflammation. This makes it harder for the sphincter 

Whether you are drinking it or cooking with it, and whichever kind you choose (unless it has lots of additives!), coconut milk is a great choice for people who have acid reflux or GERD.

Is Coconut Milk Good For Heartburn?

In general, coconut milk is recommended for people who suffer from heartburn, but there are exceptions to this.

Coconut milk works for heartburn for the same reasons that it works for acid reflux – it is an alkaline-forming drink that helps to balance stomach pH – but this doesn’t happen for everyone.

There are too many anecdotal stories and reports of coconut milk causing heartburn to ignore.

The most likely explanation is that coconut milk is high in fat.

Sometimes, fatty foods can cause heartburn even if they aren’t acidic. This can be made worse if you aren’t used to drinking coconut milk regularly, or if you have an allergy to it.

If you regularly get heartburn, it is worth trying out coconut milk since it usually helps and rarely hurts.

If you are one of the unlucky people who get heartburn when they eat/drink coconut milk – I’m so sorry, and I hope something else works for you!

RELATED: Are Apples Acidic?

Can Coconut Milk Cause Digestive Problems?

In most circumstances, coconut milk is a very neutral alkaline-forming food that settles the stomach rather than aggravating it

However, there are some circumstances in which coconut milk can cause the exact same issues we are trying to prevent. We should start by acknowledging that. It won’t be the case for everyone, but coconuts can cause digestive issues.

There are a fair number of people who are allergic to coconut, including its raw form and coconut milk. If you are allergic to coconuts, it really doesn’t matter that coconut milk is less acidic than cow’s milk.

It’s not good for you at all and should be avoided! 

If your body is allergic to coconut, it will not benefit from being force fed something that poisons it. 

Coconut milk is also very high-fat. Although these fats are healthy, some people’s stomach and gut bacteria are not used to taking in a lot of oil or fat.

In these cases, curry dishes made with coconut milk can make people sick or cause gas, not because they are bad or acidic, but just because the person’s body wasn’t used to it. 

If you are not used to eating fatty foods, you can become sick just by eating a lot of fat at a time, which is definitely possible to do with coconut milk.

Delicious Coconut Milk Recipes With Healthy Benefits

Coconut milk is considered to be one of the healthiest drinks. So whether you opt for weight loss or your skin glow, it has different benefits.

Even so, coconut milk can be both alkaline and acidic depending on its devoid source. Still, the coconut milk produced from fresh coconuts is considered alkaline for your stomach.

In contrast, the milk derived from dry coconuts is acidic.

Although healthy, they are not everyone’s tea, so people tend to choose different methods to include them in their meals.

We have picked the three best recipes for you from many different options.

Quick Table: Healthy Coconut Milk Recipes

RecipeCaloriesPreparation Time
Coconut Flour (And Milk!) Pancakes12030 Minutes
Coconut Milk Thai Iced Coffee19740 Minutes
Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Soup42450 Minutes

1. Coconut Flour (And Milk!) Pancakes

Did you ever think of getting healthy gluten-free pancakes for your breakfast? If not, we are here to give you a healthy gluten-free pancake recipe made with coconut flour and milk. 

Coconut flour is far healthier than regular flour and is embellished with all nutrition content. The best thing about this dish is that it doesn’t take not more than half an hour but will keep you full for longer. 

You can garnish the pancakes as per your choice, making it a full-packed breakfast to start your day.

Calories: 120

Preparation Time: 30 Minutes

2. Coconut Milk Thai Iced Coffee

If you are a fan of iced coffee, then you must know how addictive it can be. But there is a glitch, too, that they are loaded with heavy calories.

So keeping this thing in mind, we have chosen delicious but vegan coconut milk Thai iced coffee. Thai iced coffee contains a creamy texture with no dairy products.

With the blend of coconut milk, almond extracts, and cardamom, the iced Thai coffee turns out to be the best choice to try.

Calories: 197

Preparation Time: 40 Minutes

3. Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Soup

https://in.pinterest.com/pin/236087205457434727/

If you are looking for a naturally sweet and creamy soup, you may consider trying sweet potato coconut curry soup. It is a combination of two Indian and.

It is a vegan dish made with coconut milk along with sweet potatoes and spiced up with cayenne pepper and garlic.

The garnishing made with chickpeas will make this dish inviting to the eyes.

Calories: 424

Preparation Time: 50 Minutes

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Coconut Milk Difficult To Digest?

Coconut milk is full of healthy fats and nutrients. However, processed coconut milk also contains additives that make it difficult to digest. In some cases, it also causes stomach pain and gastro conditions.

Can I Eat Coconut With Acid Reflux?

According to a recent study, coconuts are efficient and helpful in relieving acid reflux and heartburn conditions.

But as we all know, over-consumption of anything can be harmful too. So the coconut protein can lead to allergies.

Is Coconut Milk Good For Acid Reflux? 

Coconut milk is one of the most popular milk substitutes. It is rich in antioxidants and electrolytes, which are beneficial for digestive health.

Coconut milk is made from the meat of coconuts and has a creamy texture. It is a rich source of lauric acid, which can help to relieve acid reflux symptoms.

3 Delicious Coconut Milk Recipes With Healthy Benefits

Coconut milk is loaded with full of nutrients and fat, apart from being acidic. Read on to find out more about it.

Directions

  • Pick a recipe from the list above
  • Click the recipe name and visit the website
  • Collect the ingredients and cook the food
  • Enjoy – don’t forget to leave a review

Recipe Video

Jess Smith
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