When cooking a post-workout meal, choose culinary coconut milk to suit your recipe and check its nutritional information. If you’re looking for a ready-to-drink option, consider coconut plant-based drinks, which are a different product. Neither option alone tells you whether a meal is nutritionally suitable: check its overall composition.
Culinary coconut milk can be used in a curry, soup or sauce. If the nutritional composition of your post-workout meal is a priority, consider its other ingredients too: Anses notes that protein contributes, among other things, to the renewal of muscle tissue.
Classic coconut milk, a reduced-fat version and a plant-based drink all differ in their intended use and composition. Carrefour France product listings show variations in coconut content, fat and ingredients, so check the details of the specific product you’re considering.
First decide whether you want to use coconut in a dish or drink it. Then compare the composition of products intended for that use, without treating the ingredient as if it were the whole meal.
Worth considering: for making a curry, soup, sauce or coconut dessert.
Bear in mind: fat content and ingredients vary by product; a reduced-fat version is still a cooking ingredient.
Worth considering: if you’re looking for a ready-to-drink option rather than an ingredient for a recipe.
Bear in mind: the Carrefour Sensation drink described by Carrefour France contains 3.2% coconut and rice syrup; its composition should not be confused with that of culinary coconut milk.
| Criteria | What to check | Who is this for? |
|---|---|---|
| Product category | Read the product description and stated use: culinary coconut milk, a plant-based drink or, if you’re looking to grate cheese, a product from another category. | I want to avoid comparing a cooking ingredient with a drink or a cheese that serves a different purpose. Around 46% of consumers put identifying the product first. |
| Its place in the meal | Check the product’s nutritional information, then consider the composition of the whole meal. | After a workout, I’m preparing a meal and don’t want to assume that its coconut ingredient alone meets all my nutritional needs. This is the top consideration for around 36% of consumers. |
| Composition and use | For the same 100 ml serving, compare fat content, coconut percentage and ingredients; take into account whether it’s for cooking or drinking. | For my recipe or drink, I’m looking for a composition that suits its intended use, rather than choosing based only on the word “Light”. Around 18% of consumers focus on composition first. |
Culinary coconut milk and a ready-to-drink plant-based beverage aren’t used in the same way. A block of cheese for grating is a different purchase again.
Start with the dish or drink you want to make, then check the product description and format on the packaging.
Coconut milk is a recipe ingredient, not a description of the whole meal. Anses notes that protein contributes, among other things, to the renewal of muscle tissue; the presence of coconut alone doesn’t tell you about the nutritional composition of the whole meal.
Check the product’s nutritional information and the other ingredients you plan to use in your dish.
Kara Light is still culinary coconut milk. Its Carrefour France listing gives 13 g of fat and 134 kcal per 100 ml: the name doesn’t make it a drink for after a workout.
Compare the values per 100 ml and the ingredients list with those of any other culinary product you’re considering.
Ingredients lists vary: the Kara Bio listing viewed on Carrefour France gives organic coconut extract and water, while Grace’s lists sodium metabisulphite (E223), among other ingredients.
Read the ingredients list for the specific product and format you’re buying, especially if a particular ingredient is relevant to you.
Organic culinary coconut milk, including in a 400 ml can.
Culinary coconut milk, including Bio and Light varieties in 200 ml cartons.
Culinary coconut milk in a 1 L carton, described as suitable for curries, soups and desserts.
Culinary coconut milk in a 400 ml can, described as suitable for savoury dishes and desserts.
First check the stated use, then the ingredients and values per 100 ml. According to Carrefour France’s listings, Carrefour Bio and Kara Bio culinary coconut milks contain 17 g and 16 g of fat per 100 ml respectively; the Carrefour Sensation drink contains 3.2% coconut and gives 1 g of fat per 100 ml.
No: Kara Light is described as culinary coconut milk, not a ready-to-drink plant-based beverage. Its Carrefour France listing gives 13 g of fat and 134 kcal per 100 ml; when choosing what to have after a workout, consider the product as part of your overall meal.