Native Forest Simple Organic Unsweetened Coconut Milk, 13.5 Fluid Ounce (Pack of 44) (Pack of 44)

This is a wonderful coconut milk, one of only a couple out there that does NOT contain guar gum. A nutritionist once told me that guar gum (and all the gums, such as xanthan) is inflammatory, so I try to avoid it now. I go through a LOT of this since I learned an easy recipe for quick chia pudding (I can coconut milk, 1 tsp vanilla, honey or stevia sweetener, and 1/2 cup chia seeds. Mix up and refrigerate. Top with berries and nuts.) It's delicious, nutritious and easy.

I really believe this has guar gum or some other emulsifier in it. It never separated, even when refrigerated for a week. It was very smooth and had a texture exactly like that of coconut milk with guar gum.It even tasted like it had an additive...Our family is on the GAPS/SCD diet and we can't have gums or additives.I called the company - Edward and Sons - to enquire...Allison from customer service left me a voicemail saying the the company ''does a very good job of homogenizing the produc'' and that's why it doesn't separate, but that it should separate if refrigerated. (It didn't). Brian from Customer service sent an email saying the non-separation was "due to the organic nature of the product".Wow, talk about 2 'non-answers'. I replied to both and asked for a more in-depth explanation - neither ever replied. I called Allison three times and she never called me back.So, 2 different people from the same company gave me 2 different answers and neither got back to me....that is suspicious in itself.And - if this homogenization process is so effective - why do they even have the same product WITH guar gum?Nevertheless, after being assured by Allison that the product didn't have guar gum, I made a cream soup with it - had stomach pains and bloating both times after I ate it.If you follow GAPS or SCD, or are just trying to avoid additives, I would caution you not to use this product.I'm calling Amazon to see about returning it. Either way, I will not deal with Edward and Sons again! I'm going back to Natural Value organic coconut milk which is the real thing - no gums. It's just a lot more expensive, unfortunately.

Finally!! Native Forest has finally made an organic coconut milk without thickeners or stabilizers, like guar gum! I've been buying Natural Value's version because they were the cleanest ingredients I could find, but it was too clumpy and hard - I could only use about half the cans due to all the pulp on top. Native Forest's Simple doesn't have that problem! It's got hard clumps in it, as to be expected, but they're much much easier to work with and they actually melt into dishes beautifully. I personally buy these cans for my protein shakes. I blend half a can into 4 cups of water and store in mason jars. One can blended with water gets me several protein shakes, and the clumps blend in really well.I'm very happy with this!

I have not had any issues blending the milk that separates in the can, especially in cold weather. I've never had it clump in a big ball like the Classic did. It's only water and coconut. I just empty the can into the tall blender jar and whip it up with the stick blender. Perfect.Back before coconut milk was sold in cans anywhere except Chinatown (I'm that old), there was a recipe going around (with no internet) for making your own. Soaking dried coconut and processing it in a blender til liquefied made coconut milk. It was labor intensive and took a while, but it was good. Some straining was needed unless you didn't mind the tiny coconut bits. Philippine coconut was the best. This is what it tasted like.My cat likes coconut milk as a treat. Sometimes. But this coconut milk, the Native Forest Organic Coconut Milk SIMPLE, she slurps up like a dog. SHE LOVES IT. When she hears me pull the can tab, her ears perk up. Next thing I know she's wrapping herself around my ankles, purring. So we clean out the can, one finger-full at a time.I asked the vet if it was OK and she said coconut milk is good for cats. That's a relief. Actually, her regularity has improved a lot since she started partaking of SIMPLE. As has mine.I use it in my coffee every day and make great ice cream from it.I would never consider changing from this brand.

The first two times I ordered this product it was great. Because of the chukiness and inconsistency I could tell that it did not have guar gum or any other additives, and it did not give me any digestive issues. On a recent purchase, though, the cans are the same - they do not list guar gum as an ingredient. But the moment I opened the first can I could tell something was different. The consistency was very smooth and consistent. There were no chunks. I tried it anyway, thinking that maybe it was just very fresh or something, and that was why there were no chunks. Long story short, my digestive issues surfaced. When I stopped drinking this coconut milk, the symptoms went away. I suspect there has been something added that caused inflammation, even though nothing is listed on the label. I will not risk purchasing this brand again.

It is not as thick as the "classic" version because it doesn't have guar. Just as flavorful and healthy for cooking.

So nice to have a product that is simply water and coconut milk. It tastes great. I blend it up if I don't want to separate the cream from the coconut water. Thank you Native Forest for making a clean product.