The days of only one non-dairy beverage option, aka soy milk, are long gone. The non-dairy beverage aisle hosts a wide variety of options: rice milk, hemp milk, almond milk, oat milk, raw nut milk and now amidst the 'coconut craze' a new option from the Turtle Mountain brand, So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage. And no, it's not the same thing as canned coconut milk, commonly used for cooking. This light, creamy beverage comes out of a carton and you use it like milk. Click ahead to learn more about the taste, uses and health benefits of this product.....
Coconut Milk Craze. You've seen it everywhere lately right? It's not just an ingredient used in curries, Thai cooking and coconut cream cakes. Now coconut milk, coconut oil and coconut water are all being touted for their health benefits and delicious taste. Coconut milk has tip-toed its way into the non-dairy ice cream scene and the Turtle Mountain brand has been leading the pack with its wide selection of Coconut Milk Purely Decadent non-dairy frozen dessert (aka vegan ice cream). The brand also offers new coconut milk So Delicious yogurt, with live and active cultures. But the main event in this post: the Coconut Milk beverage.
Why Coconut Milk? So you're happy with your soy milk, huh? Well ask any Registered Dietitian and they will tell you one thing: diversity is the key to a healthy diet. Eat a wide variety of different colored fruits and veggies. And also drink a wide variety of non-dairy beverages. Mix it up. Soy one week, hemp the next, rice the next and coconut milk beverage the next. So Delicious's Coconut Milk beverage is uniquely healthy because unlike the other non-dairy options, it is a rich source of MCFA's (medium chain fatty acids). Here's what So Delicious says about MDCFA's:
"MCFA's are recognized as "good fat". They are readily absorbed, digested and utilized as energy by the body, unlike long chain fatty acids which the body stores as fat. Two of the primary MCFA's found in coconut milk are lauric and capric acid, they are known for supporting the body's immune system."
Product Review: So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage
*flavors: vanilla, original and unsweetened.
Shelf-Appeal: Great carton. Packaged in a sturdy carton with a top cap spout. Refrigerated. Easy to grab this once in a while instead of your traditional soy milk. I love the spout with the picture of the coconut.
Label Check: Wow, when I saw the 50% RDA of vitamin B12 in all three flavors, I got excited! Veg-eaters always need more sources of B12 available to them. The unsweetened flavor has only 50 calories per cup. Wow. All three flavors have 5 grams of fat per cup. And it may initially freak you out that all 5 grams are 'saturated' fat. But the word 'saturated' can be deceiving when it comes to coconut products. These saturated fats are actually MCFA's. Which as explained above, are claimed to not hurt your body, but help it greatly. This milk is vegan, gluten-free, low-carb, cholesterol free and trans fat free. And each cup contains 10% RDA magnesium, 10% RDA calcium, 30% RDA Vitamin D, and 8% RDA selenium. Though coconut milk beverage should not be used as a main source of protein in your day, unlike other non-dairy milks, it is low in protein (only 1 gram per cup). But those healthy fats make up for it.
Taste Test: Creamy, luscious and tasty. If you are sick of watery, bitter non-dairy milks you should give this a try. It has a subtle coconut flavor, but not enough to overwhelm your palate. I tried it in my usual soy chai latte and it was delicious. The vanilla flavor has a fluffy sweet flavor, while the original flavor is classicly plain and creamy. And wow, the rich and creamy unsweetened flavor has only 50 calories, just 1 gram of carbohydrates and no sugar added. Super diet friendly. Yum. For me, the creamy texture of this product is what stands out as amazing-something I would crave in certain recipes.
Price Check: Suggested Retail Price for So Delicious® Coconut Milk Beverage is $4.49 for a half gallon. So it is competitively priced to brands like Silk soy milk.
Last Word: So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage has been added to my non-dairy beverage rotation. Super easy (and yummy) way to get coconut milk MCFA's.
Uses of Product: In hot beverages (coffee, tea, chai), with cold or hot cereal, smoothies, rice pudding, rice or couscous entrees, in baked goods recipes and plain on its own (great for cookie dunking).
Read more about this and other Turtle Mountain products.
Extra Factoid: Coconut Craze Continues. And other healthy people in the media have raved about coconut milk and coconut oil. Babycakes NYC, a vegan "special diet" allergy-friendly bakery, uses coconut oil as the primary fat in all their baked goods.
More yummy photos....
Anonymous says
I tried the unsweetened Coconut Beverage. I so much wanted to like this, but was so disappointed by the total and utter lack of flavor. The only taste I received to my palate was a rather faint bleach taste.
Nice idea, poor execution. There's no substitute for the real thing. Make your own or just eat more real coconut.
Kathy says
george:
Gosh there has been so much confusion over this. The beverage isn't pure "coconut milk". It is a non-dairy beverage crafted with coconut milk as an ingredient. Much much lower in fat that coconut milk.
I find it at Whole Foods. It's an interesting product. worth a try.
Hope that helps. 🙂
Kathy
George Martin says
Where can you buy coconut milk in a liter carton I live on the Gold Coast...
Rgds - George Martin
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Dottie says
Hi there. I just discovered this product and purchased the unsweetened variety. I love using it in my smoothies and was thinking of baking with it. My one question is if it is OK to freeze this product. I've called the company but keep getting voicemail so haven't been able to get an answer from them. Just wondering if you have frozen this beverage. Wasn't sure if it would separate like regular coconut milk can.
Eric says
I first tried this a few weeks ago... I am not a fan of soy milk and hemp milk is a bit bitter. I don't know what brand of coconut milk I am using but it is delicious and I love it!
I am also buying coconut milk ice cream.
Vegiegail says
I really love these new beverages. I think they taste delicious, and I found a link to some wonderful recipes on the Turtle Mountain site:
http://www.turtlemountain.com/products/recipes.html
I made the chocolate chip banana bread, and it was really yummy. I'm looking forward to making the chai and the curry dish, too!
Vegiegail says
I love this stuff, too! I have a recipe for heavenly chocolate milk made with them on my blog, and you can check out these other delicious So Delicious Coconut Milk recipes here:
http://www.turtlemountain.com/products/recipes.html
Vegiegail says
I really love these new beverages. I think they taste delicious, and I found a link to some wonderful recipes on the Turtle Mountain site:
http://www.turtlemountain.com/products/recipes.html
I made the chocolate chip banana bread, and it was really yummy. I'm looking forward to making the chai and the curry dish, too!
Natastrophe says
Turtle Mountain has recently stopped exporting to Australia and it makes me sooooo sad! I've contacted heaps of distributors hassling them to take on the products.... *cry*
Michelle says
Thanks for your response Kathy. I agree that vegans can afford to eat some saturated fats here and there (how could anyone give up Babycakes?!). My point wasn't about saturation though, it was about carbon chain lengths of fatty acids (different chemical property of fatty acids/triglycerides). I don't understand So Delicious' claim, which doesn't seem consistent with my knowledge of human metabolism. But my goal was not to argue about chemistry 🙂
If there's anything I've learned from my very brief education in nutrition, it's that very, very little out there is scientifically confirmed, which is why I am generally cynical about trendy health claims. As you pointed out, this isn't a call to guzzle gallons of coconut milk every day!
Thanks for getting me thinking about this. Perhaps I should contact So Delicious with my science question.
Kathy says
Michelle,
Trust me, I have researched this 'coconut oil is saturated fat' issue extensively, and like you and many doctors-I still don't have the proven answer. I don't make it a point of getting my medical answers from Oprah.com, but Dr. Katz on her site has an answer I like: http://www.oprah.com/article/omagazine/200905-omag-katz-coconut-oil
Personally, I don't know who to believe, but as a vegan who at one point ate zero saturated fats (being vegan can do that to you) I found it a welcome treat to add coconut oil and milk to my diet. Since adding it, my hair has been shinier. I can say that much. But that's all I can point to for myself. I personally love coconut milk/oil in moderation, but you will have to weigh the research and make your own decision. It's tricky-most doctors agree that the evidence is still unconfirmed.
Thanks for the comment, Kathy
Michelle says
I am by no means an expert, but the claim about medium vs. long chain fatty acids sounds sketchy to me.
While short and medium chain fatty acids are indeed absorbed differently, all fatty acids are eventually metabolized via the same pathway in the body. Whether the fat you consume is composed of short, medium, or long chain fatty acids, it yields energy and will be stored in the body's fat cells when an excess of calories has been consumed. The length of fatty acids doesn't matter in terms of selective storage as body fat. None of the fat you eat goes directly to body fat; it's all broken down to meet your body's energy needs first.
My point is that science-y nutrient health claims on food products should be examined with a healthy dose of skepticism. It is hard to question their arguments unless you have a solid understanding of nutrition (which I happened to be working on, for an exam tomorrow... eek). Their goal, after all, is to sell a product (not give you trusty health advice the way a dietitian would).
ginger says
i love this stuff. it is also excellent in coffee, smoothies and pudding recipes...you used it in your rice pudding, didn't you? i made chocolate pudding with it, haha!
dreaminitvegan says
I love So Delicious coconut yogurt.