TRIBUNNEWS.COM – Not a few typical Indonesian foods use coconut milk as an ingredient. Rendang, chicken opor, even curry, use coconut milk to add flavor.
The use of coconut milk that has been shaved is known to improve the taste of dishes so that they taste more savory and delicious.
For snacks, coconut milk can be used to make cookies, pudding or bread.
This food ingredient can also be served as a mixture to make fresh fruit iced drinks.
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Not only that, it has become common knowledge that coconut milk is often used as a mixture for cooking vegetables or heavy foods.
In the Eid atmosphere itself, coconut milk is often found in the typical holiday dishes, such as chicken opor or beef rendang.
However, because it is thought to cause high blood pressure or hypertension, some people have to avoid this food.
Are you one of those? Is it true that coconut milk dishes can cause hypertension?
Harmful when heated repeatedly
According to the book Hypertension is not to be feared (2014) by Yunita Indah Prasetyaningrum, S.Gz, the assumption that consuming coconut milk dishes can cause hypertension is not completely wrong.
Cooking with coconut milk should be avoided, especially for anyone who suffers from hypertension.
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Apart from coconut milk, typical Indonesian dishes are usually high in fat and cholesterol.
When coconut milk is consumed in fresh form, for example squeezed using warm water, it is actually not a problem for health.
However, when heated and the oil in cooking is processed many times, such as boiling or frying, the oil can turn into trans fat or saturated fat which is dangerous for the body and blood vessels.
This is what often causes an increase in blood pressure.
Moreover, Indonesian people often reheat coconut milk dishes several times.
When interviewed, nutritionist at Indriati Solo Baru Hospital, Rista Yulianti Mataputun, S.Gz, also said that coconut milk is actually included in the good fat category.
Read: These 5 Types of Food are Good for Lowering High Blood Pressure, aka Hypertension
Coconut milk contains fatty acids and triglycerides which are easily burned by the body.
However, the wrong cooking method can cause the fat in coconut milk to turn into saturated fat.
This type of fat is known to increase levels of bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) including high blood pressure or hypertension.
Therefore, it is recommended for anyone to reduce the consumption of coconut milk dishes that are cooked for too long or reheated repeatedly.
Apart from that, consuming too much coconut milk is also not good for your health.
The reason is, coconut milk is still a source of fat which can increase blood fat levels in the body and cause weight gain.
“Excessive consumption of coconut milk is certainly not good,” said Rista when interviewed by Kompas.com, Thursday (21/4/2020)
This article was published on Kompas.com with the title Can Coconut Milk Cooking Really Cause Hypertension?
