Coconut milk

  My total cholesterol was 104mg/dl in February this year from 130 in November last year.  I just had another blood test and will get the numbers on Monday.  In the mean time I was reading up on Low Total Cholesterol and I noticed Coconut oil/milk is great for raising cholesterol, (or was it for raising HDL? which is also very low).  Reading up on canned Coconut milk, if let to stand some will separate into the milk and cream.  I do love coconut but have never had coconut milk so I don't know what to expect as to weather I'll like it or not or if I'll like cream over milk or milk over cream.

  Any case, is there a difference for the cholesterol benefits between coconut milk -vs- cream?

[RadioAstronomyObserver]

What I have found is that the water in the coconut shell is full of electrolytes and a great replacement for tap water.  The meat, when processed, is extremely high in saturated fats!  However, all the web sites I read say that because the saturated fat molecule is a Medium Chain Fatty Acid (MCFA) (also known as Medium Chain Triglycerides) as opposed to the Long Chain Fatty Acid (LCFA) the Saturated fat in this case (MCFA) is very good for you.  Another source for MCFA is Palm Kernal Oils.  Now the problem is, have I just read nothing but bad science web sites or is this really the case that coconut milk is good for you?

  Anybody understand all of this?

[allmymarbles]

Yep. And I love coconut in all forms.

[RadioAstronomyObserver]

WOW,  Someone with an answer!!  :-)  Do you have any other information to share such as, Did I read junk science web sites or is it true that coconut milk (with the MCFA) good for you? Because, again, I love coconut as well and will eat all i can but I don't want to repeat any junk science to others if that's all it is.

[Paxiled]

Coconut milk isn't really related to coconut fatty acids that much.  You never want to eat too much saturated fat for weight gain reasons, but coconut is very high in antioxidants which is what makes it relatively safe.  Palm kernel oil isn't good for you at all, but red palm oil is -- subtle difference, but a difference.  Red palm oil is not that available in this country, but it's very high in tocotrienols, the part of Vitamin E that helps most with preventing the oxidation of fat.  But for raising HDL, the best sources are flax oil, hemp seed oil, and fish oil.