Coconut Milk, Coconut Water, Coconut Meat and Coconut Oil on the GAPS Diet

“It is a good idea for GAPS patients to have coconut on a regular basis. Coconut can provide a natural source of anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral substances for these patients as well as many other nutritional factors,” says Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride in her Gut and Psychology Syndrome book, page 274.

“The best thing is to follow nature and have coconut in its natural form. You can get fresh coconuts in most supermarkets. Many companies now produce good quality virgin coconut oil, coconut milk and cream. Dried coconut and coconut flour can also be used for GAPS patients. Make sure that these products are pure, without any additives.” p 275.

To clarify what this means in detail, a meeting of the minds was held.

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At the 2017 Weston A. Price Conference, six Certified GAPS Practitioners, and one layperson, had a meeting with Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride regarding many specifics on the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) Protocol. Kombucha, coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut water, coconut meat, as well as many other topics, were discussed to determine more specific parameters- specifically what products fall where on the GAPS Protocol. Certified GAPS Practitioners Monica Corrado, Laura Villanti, Kim Schuette, Amy Mihaly, Lisa Middlecamp-Lowder, Becky Plotner and her husband, Kevin Plotner discussed the topics with Dr. Natasha for four and half hours. 

Coconut milk and coconut cream are often used on the protocol. Using it correctly is of utmost importance. Sometimes when a person is not healing, it means we need to dig deeper, tighten up the method and support the body correctly. 

Each person is marked with their initial: DN depicts Dr. Natasha, M depicts Monica Corrado, L depicts Laura Villanti and B depicts Becky Plotner.

B Talk about coconut milk. Where does coconut milk fall? Where does coconut water go in?

DM Those can be introduced earlier. Pretty much Stage Four.

M Can we talk about coconut milk though? In this country there are a lot of people that are doing coconut milk that is canned, that’s full of xanthan gum.

DM Yes, yes.

L Trader Joe’s has one without that.

M I’m aware of that, but within the GAPS…

DM The cans are all lined with plastic. I don’t like plastic cans. There are BCPs in there, there are bisphenol A, you know, there’s nasty things in the plastic. Cans are no good.

M Right, so what I try to do, you know, there’s a million people out there doing all sorts of alternative things.

DM Mmm hmmm

M We’re all trying to get better and that’s great. There’s a lot of misinformation out there about how to do it, what to do with it. So, when they see, in the GAPS diet that coconut milk is OK, they say, oh, great, and they go off and get the ones in the cans.

B You said in the book that some companies are making good quality coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut water.

DM Yes

B It can be bought store bought?

DM In glass jars.

This product is sold in glass jars and claims to just contain coconut milk and coconut water, however the EWG (Environmental Working Group) has a different  Clean, GAPS approved, coconut cream can be found here. 

M There is one organic coconut cream that’s organic that’s dried. It’s just the cream that you reconstitute. It’s dried and blocked. It’s by a group called Let’s Go Organic. That one’s great. They also sell coconut cream in the refrigerator section of Whole Foods.

B Coconut Cream, Stage One?

DM Stage Four

B Stage Four. Coconut water?

DM Coconut water fermented, we can introduce from the beginning, particularly for people who are truly intolerant of dairy. Fermented coconut water, kefir, that’s coconut kefir, basically.

L People who ferment coconut meat, that’s supposed to be very good.

B What stage is that?

L Coconut meat with water.

DM Fresh?

L Yeah, coconut meat and water, and mash it.

DM Very fibrous, very, very fibrous, no, no. The coconut water we can introduce from the beginning.

B Fermented coconut water from the beginning but what would unfermented coconut water be?

DM Full GAPS. It’s very sweet, a lot of sugar in there.

B And the fermented coconut meat?

DM Fermented coconut meat, I would do Stage Six, or even Full GAPS.

B Coconut oil is Stage One?

DM Yes. Coconut oil from the beginning.

Coconut use is described in the book on page 207-8.

To choose a coconut, “Make sure that the shell has no cracks or any other damage to it. Put the nut close to your ear and shake it. If the coconut is healthy, you will hear its juice splashing inside. When a coconut is damaged and its juice has leaked out, it will be rancid and unsuitable to eat.” p 207.

To make coconut cream, “Put the pulp through your juicer to produce a thick coconut cream, which can be diluted with water to make a delicious coconut milk. The cream and milk can be added to your cooking, used as a dressing for fruit and vegetable salads, as a cream for cakes or a replacement for custard.” p 208.

To make coconut milk, “Bring to a boil 1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut and 1 cup of water. Cool down and blend well in the food processor. Strain through a cheesecloth or a fine strainer.” p213. A nut milk bag can also be used. 

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*Nourishing Plot is written by Becky Plotner, ND, traditional naturopath, GAPS who sees clients in Rossville, Georgia. Since her son was delivered from the effects of autism (Asperger’s syndrome), ADHD, bipolar disorder/manic depression, hypoglycemia and dyslexia through food she continued her education specializing in Leaky Gut and parasitology through Duke University, finishing with distinction. This is not a news article published by a paper trying to make money. This blog is put out by a mom who sees first hand the effects of nourishing food vs food-ish items. No company pays her for writing these blogs, she considers this a form of missionary work. It is her desire to scream it from the rooftops so that others don’t suffer from the damaging effect of today’s “food”.