The EASIEST WHIPPED COCONUT CREAM!

Coconuts are known for their high level of saturated fat. Saturated fat (the kind found in fatty meats, lard, full-fat dairy products like butter and cream, coconuts, coconut oil, palm oil and dark chocolate) has been given a bad wrap for a long time, being blamed exclusively for high cholesterol and heart disease. But wait, keep reading!

While Saturated fats do increase cholesterol, they raise HDL (the “good”) cholesterol and change LDL from small, dense (bad) to Large LDL, which is mostly benign. Overall, saturated fats do not harm the blood lipid profile like previously believed. And while the link between saturated fat and heart disease has been studied intensely for decades, the biggest and best studies show that there is no statistically significant association.

This doesn’t give us free reign to go and eat tablespoon after tablespoon of butter, however, it does mean we don’t need to avoid saturated fats like previously thought. Eaten in balance with mono-unsaturated fats (from avocados, olives, olive oil, nuts and seeds) and poly-unsaturated fats (omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids), saturated fat forms part of a healthy diet. Trans-fats (those found in processed and fried foods like chips, biscuits etc.) should always be avoided.

There are people with certain medical conditions and the ApoE4 gene should look to minimise saturated fats in their diet. Authority Nutrition’s article on Saturated Fat is very well referenced and goes into much more biochemical detail for those interested in finding out more.

Recipe Type: GF, DF, RSF, V, Paleo

Serves 4
Time 5 min

Ingredients:

• 1 can Full Fat Coconut Cream (I use the Aldi, Asia brand as it is just Coconut + water, no emulsifiers or preservatives)
• Optional – sweetener (honey/stevia/rice malt syrup etc), vanilla extract

Method:

1. Empty the contents of the can into your blender and blend until well combined (should only take 20-30sec), just to get the liquid mixed with the thicker cream.
2. Pour into a bowl or container and place in the fridge for 6 hours or over night.
3. Enjoy in place of regular cream (or even yoghurt), on top of cakes, dip strawberries in it and so on.

** Depending on the type of coconut cream you use, it may not firm-up as you would hope, in the fridge. If this is the case, then next time, only add half of the separated water from the can to the blender. You can also add a Tablespoon of tapioca/arrowroot powder to help thicken.