Coconut milk instead of cow's milk? - Page 2

[Jilian]

We get our high fat coconut milk in a can from the ethnic foods section

[heatherdeg]

Originally Posted by peainthepod

But if he was breastfed until five, wasn't he getting milk in his diet? I'm not just talking about cow's milk.

I had to wean my son at 20 months and he's not getting milk of any kind at all. So I'm a little nervous about his calcium and vitamin intake. Good to know that it's not strictly necessary though.

Breastmilk DOES have casein in it (milk protein) as I understand, but I was completely casein-free in my own food intake and still am. I remember there being some kind of difference with breastmilk but I can't recall. I know that goat's milk protein was different, too--such that some kids couldn't tolerate cow's milk but could tolerate goat's milk...? I've never heard of a child that couldn't tolerate breastmilk due to protein allergy so there must be some kind of variation like that. It was a really long time ago so I don't remember

But there was no casein in my diet to pass through the breastmilk. I was deadly vigilant with it. You can't imagine where they use the stuff.

[vicxtoria]

Originally Posted by Jilian

The only issue is that coconut milk has far more fat and calories. We used coconut milk with my DS2 as advised by our ped because DS2 is/was FTT. I found this handy chart that compares milk & milk substitutes: http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/2009...k-substitutes/

One 8 oz serving of coconut milk has 552 calories, 57 grams of fat with 51 grams of sat fat. It is a good choice, but should be used in moderation because of high fat & calories.

My DS1 has sensitivity to cow's milk and he gets vanilla flavored almond milk (almond breeze). We've used vanilla rice milk in the past (rice dream) with success too.

That chart is way off on coconut milk. There are 5 grams of fat and 80 calories in a serving of So Delicious coconut milk. The AAP recommends fat for toddlers because it promotes normal growth and brain development. My son is drinking coconut milk because of his dairy allergy as well and my doctor made it a point to supplement good fat for the lack of fat in coconut milk compared to cow's milk as well as calcium and protein.

[carmel23]

We don't drink cow milk, but when my guy weans I plan to do what we do now, a rotation of almond, coconut and occasional organic soy milk, Hemp milk, and rice milk from a source that monitors arsenic (although rice milk is our least fav). And the occasional cow milk from a local, organic farm (that is not raw, but really good and really organic, not usda organic )

I think a variety is key.

[carmel23]

Originally Posted by vicxtoria

That chart is way off on coconut milk. There are 5 grams of fat and 80 calories in a serving of So Delicious coconut milk. The AAP recommends fat for toddlers because it promotes normal growth and brain development. My son is drinking coconut milk because of his dairy allergy as well and my doctor made it a point to supplement good fat for the lack of fat in coconut milk compared to cow's milk as well as calcium and protein.

yes! toddlers still require additional fat. I think at almost 2 the peds would recomend 2 per cent (not full fat) ...

[Lucy&Jude'sMama]

I love milk alternatives! My daughter did goat's milk from 4 month to a year (instead of formula). She still occasionally has it at her Nana's house. Then she was on Hemp milk for several months but that became way too expensive for our budget. I loved that stuff though! She's done rice and almond milk occasionally. But mostly now she does soy milk because we get it for free with WIC. I'd prefer her to be on hemp, but sadly that's not an option and we have to go with what we can afford. We've never tried coconut milk, but it looks like it would be a fun alternative. Now that she's two I don't really worry about making sure she has "milk" to drink.

No one in my family drinks regular cow's milk. I use to love it, but my taste bud changed when I took dairy out of my diet for about 3 months... I found alternatives for all my favorite foods...except plain greek yogurt and cheese. So I added those back into my diet, but cow's milk makes me want to vomit! So gross! One day I'll go fully dairy free but I'm taking it very slow. I really really don't know if I can ever give up cheese.

[4 Butterflies]

Originally Posted by Momo123

My DS drinks coconut milk (unsweetened SoDelicious brand) instead of cow's milk because of his allergy to dairy. My naturopath said it is a good substitute.

Exactly this. DS2 can't have any dairy and it's been a great substitute.

[APToddlerMama]

Originally Posted by Jilian

One 8 oz serving of coconut milk has 552 calories, 57 grams of fat with 51 grams of sat fat. It is a good choice, but should be used in moderation because of high fat & calories.

This is the coconut milk that you buy in a can that is really not milk...it is almost as thick as yogurt (we made this mistake too!).

The kind you'd buy for your kids to drink is refridgerated and in a container that milk and juice come in. I think it has something like 5 grams of fat/cup. My son has done great on this and his doctors suggested it over Rice Milk and soy milk. Kids don't "need" cow's milk. At all. It happens to have fat which they do need and calcium, but you can get those other ways.

[Odddlycrunchy]

Making coconut milk is not difficult.  All you need is a blender, a cloth (old pillow cut into 18-inch squares is perfect), a large mixing bowl, and a concrete sidewalk or other concrete slab.  First, take out the coconut water by poking the soft "eye".  There's always one eye that is soft, and it can be opened with a pointy knife and then the hole enlarged with a bamboo chopstick.  Shake some of the water into a glass, then rest the coconut on top of the glass until all the water has dripped out.  This water is excellent and nutritious, and you can use it as part of the water in a later step of the recipe.

Second step: shell-busting - this is fun and kids will enjoy it:  put the coconut in a plastic bag (ziplock or grocery), close the bag, and take it to your concrete slab.  Throw the coconut up, about 8 feet, so it will land on the slab.  It will break and the pieces will stay inside the bag.  Repeat until all the pieces are manageable, 4 to 6 times usually does it.  A lot of the meat will even detach itself from the shell.  Return to your kitchen and finish removing the meat from the shell. Taste the meat, because some coconuts aren't fresh any more (when in doubt, throw it out). 

Third step: blending.  Rinse the meat and transfer to a blender.  You should have about a cup of meat.  Add 3 cups room-temperature water (less if you want coconut cream).  Blend on high (I do it in a Vitamix, for 1 minute). 

Fourth step:  "milking the coconut".  Line the bowl with the cloth, pour the milk in.  Wash your hands thoroughly and rinse them well.  This is a hands-on step, and again, kids love to do this.  You'll get coconut milk on your hands, which is a wonderful moisturizer.  Pick up the cloth by the corners and hold the four corners in one hand, then pick up the new corners that have formed in the middle of the square sides, so that you hold the cloth at 8 points. Twist the cloth to wring out the milk into the bowl.  Voila!

I get about 4 cups coconut milk per coconut, which is a lot cheaper than store-bought, and tastes incredibly fresh and wonderful.  I use the remaining meat to make coconut flour pancakes and other baked goods for the SCD/GAPS diet.

I don't know what the nutrition composition is for the home-made milk, but if you look up coconut nutrition facts you'll get a pretty good idea.  Some of the components will remain in the flour, so it's not exactly that.  I do know it's delicious, cheap, easy, and *no additives*!  I suspect that a good portion of the minerals gets transferred to the milk, and note that it's a source of manganese, magnesium, selenium, zinc, copper, iron, potassium, Vitamin C, Folate , Thiamin, Pantothenic Acid. And some of the best protein available from any source, animal or vegetable.

It seems long as written above, but with the concrete-slab shell-busting method, it really is quite fast and easy. 

[Terrilein]

Do you need to sterilize (bring it to a boil or something) the coconut milk before drinking it?