The list of dairy substitutes is growing, nearly as endless as the variety of personal preferences when it comes to coffee creamers. Back then, soy milk, almond milk, and coconut milk held a monopoly on the dairy substitute market.
Varieties like cashew milk, rice milk, and oat milk have entered the scene in recent years. Numerous fake plant-based products gained popularity as the vegan and healthy eating movements—which caution against consuming excessive amounts of dairy—grew in popularity. Beyond Meat burgers, cheese made from soy, etc. Many people still can’t live without yogurt, especially Greek yogurt, even in spite of these trends.
Greek yogurt is so beloved and highly regarded by the public that some even argue that people who are lactose intolerant should eat it because of its creamy goodness.1. There have even been some lactose-free varieties that appear to have originated elsewhere besides plants.
While consumers are leery of lactose-free dairy products that have a long rich flavor (lactose-free cream, anyone? ), they appear to have forgotten about coconut yogurt, a dairy-free, naturally occurring yogurt product that was introduced in 2009. We’re going to examine more closely at coconut yogurt and its health benefits in this blog post.
The beginning tale
A culinary product’s genesis tale can occasionally be just as thrilling as a superhero’s (well, not quite as much, but you get the idea). In 2009, Sandra and Henry Gosling, the founders of CO YO, produced the world’s first coconut yogurt, a brand that is now well-known worldwide. Henry’s original plan was to ship coconut oil that was certified Kosher and organic to Israel, but he concluded it was a ridiculous idea that Sandra would not have supported.
Henry had to think creatively because finding a work at 62 was difficult, and that’s how he discovered the coconut oil industry. However, as the renowned chess expert Emanuel Lasker once stated, “When you see a good move, look for a better one.” And Henry carried out that exact action. He had a dream that gave him the concept for CO YO, which is yogurt made from coconut milk.
The basics of coconut yogurt
In a nutshell, living microorganisms ferment coconut milk and starch to create coconut yogurt. Because the real deal is created without using any animal ingredients, it is a wonderful option if you are allergic to certain nuts or have dietary restrictions that prevent you from eating certain types of plant-based dairy.
Coconut yogurt has three times less fat than coconut oil since it is created from milk and cream that is extracted straight from the flesh of the coconut, according to the CO YO company website. Since coconut yogurt is made from a plant that is naturally low in protein, it has 0.8 grams of protein per 100 grams less than its Greek counterpart.
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Myths and facts about the health benefits of coconut yogurt
The high demand for coconut goods is not insignificant. However, while some of the highly sought-after advantages of coconut products are untrue, others have scientific support.
Myth: Yogurt made from coconut contains lots of nutrients and good lipids.
Fact: It does include some vitamins and minerals, but not a lot more.
Impressive daily levels of vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and fiber can be obtained from coconut flesh. That, however, is the meat and not the milk. For instance, the milk from coconuts contains less than 25% of the recommended intake of dietary fiber, despite the fact that the flesh of the coconut provides 36% of it (less than the same amount of multigrain bread).
A comprehensive analysis of clinical trials examining the impact of coconut oil consumption on various health aspects revealed that while the predominantly saturated fat in coconut oil does not influence common health culprits like inflammation, it does raise total cholesterol levels. The experts advised against treating coconut oil as a generally healthful oil and instead advised us to use it sparingly.
Since coconut yogurt is manufactured from coconut milk or cream, its health-promoting potential should not be overstated, even though it does retain some benefits from the flesh and some benefits from the oil.
Myth: Yogurt with coconut can help you get healthier.
Fact: There is no proof that it improves overall health, but it may help regulate some elements of some disorders.
Eating coconut flesh does seem to have a down-regulatory effect on individuals with elevated cholesterol. Furthermore, research has shown that the protein from coconut kernels is a high source of arginine and can lessen the negative impact that diabetes in rats has on the pancreas.
One potential medical benefit of coconut oil is its ability to help obese individuals lose weight. As is well known, obesity raises the risk of developing heart disease and is not just a problem that can exist on its own but also frequently coexists with diabetes.
It is probably best not to generalize the results too quickly, even if studies have shown that people who regularly consume coconut products on tropical islands had considerably lower risks of heart disease due to their varied lifestyles and dietary habits (e.g., eating more fish and less red meat).
Since dairy products and the disorders listed above don’t usually mix well, yogurt prepared from coconut milk does seem like a healthier option to regular Greek yogurt because it retains some of the proteins and lipids from the flesh.
Myth and Fact: Yogurt made from coconut is beneficial to your immune system and digestion.
No, there is no connection between this and dietary fiber. As previously stated, the coconut flesh—rather than the coconut milk used to make coconut yogurt—has a higher concentration of fiber.5. No, the probiotics—the live organisms included in yogurts—are the source of these advantages.
Yes, this isn’t particularly for coconut yogurt; it’s just regular yogurt in all its forms.
Myth: Antioxidants abound in coconut yogurt.
Fact: Perhaps, but no study has been conducted.
It is evident by now that a trend is developing here: the advantages hold true for certain portions of the coconut, such its oil or flesh, but not totally for the milk that is produced by pressing the entire coconut. The same is true of coconut yogurt’s antioxidant qualities.
Research indicates that there are sufficient antioxidants in both virgin coconut oil and coconut water to support the designation of “health-beneficial.” However, there is currently little proof that coconut milk has these qualities. However, as milk is primarily made of water, this one has been discovered in coconut water. Because of this, coconut yogurt most likely has a high concentration of antioxidants, yet actual study has not supported this claim.
Thus, is coconut yogurt a nutritious substitute or not?
The succinct response to the query in the headline is no. However, allow me to clarify.
Coconut yogurt falls short of the plant-based, health food hype that surrounds nearly all plant-based products. There isn’t much proof that it improves general health in those who are already generally well. It most definitely doesn’t qualify as a superfood. Actually, we should only take tiny amounts of it because the majority of its oil content is saturated fat.
Coconut flesh and virgin coconut oil may be helpful for those battling health conditions like diabetes and obesity, but the data regarding coconut milk, or in our case, yogurt, is unclear. Having said that, dairy products’ high saturated fat content and natural hormones have been linked to a number of health issues, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. From this angle, coconut yogurt might really offer some advantages by steering clear of some of these dangers.
Even though coconut yogurt has a high fat content, the procedures used to make it are very different from those used to make, say, virgin coconut oil, so the benefits of the research cannot be fully applied.
In summary, coconut yogurt may not always be a superior substitute for conventional dairy yogurt, as the health benefits of coconut are limited to its meat or refined virgin oil. There hasn’t been much research done on the health advantages of coconut yogurt, and the few studies that have been done on the meat and extracted, refined oil from coconuts tend to be conjectural at best.
For those of you whose doctor has advised you to avoid dairy products, it is a good substitute. However, you should still consult a physician before replacing your Greek yogurt with coconut yogurt, just to be sure.
For the healthy people, switching to coconut yogurt might be a taste adjustment, but don’t expect it to make a big difference in your health unless you’re very concerned about protein, which the coconut variety contains very little of. Actually, you should be wary of the saturated fats in this yogurt from the tropics.
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