Coconut Oil

Information which you may find useful

IT DOESN'T MAKE YOU FAT!

Coconut oil is a short-medium chain saturated fat. But saturated fat is bad, right? No. Not the naturally occurring saturated fats, like coconut oil. It’s the artificially adjusted trans fats you want to avoid, like vegetable oils and seed oils. I’ll be posting on this next week, if you’re not quite convinced! Also, when I mention coconut oil, I’m talking virgin coconut oil, not the hydrogenated version (which is bad).

coconut oil CAN ACTUALLY HELP TOWARDS YOU LOOSIng weight

How so? Coconut oil is mostly made up of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), also called medium-chain triglycerides or MCTs. These types of fatty acids produce a whole host of health benefits:

• MCFAs are smaller. They permeate cell membranes easily, and do not require special enzymes to be utilized effectively by your body.
• MCFAs are easily digested, thus putting less strain on your digestive system.
• MCFAs are sent directly to your liver, where they are immediately converted into energy rather than being stored as fat.
• MCFAs actually help stimulate your body’s metabolism, and increases the activity of the thyroid,
  leading to weight loss.

It stops sugar cravings and energy slumps

Your body sends medium-chain fatty acids straight to your liver to use as energy. This means that coconut oil is a source of instant energy to your body, much like when you eat simple carbohydrates. But although they both deliver quick energy to your body, unlike the carbohydrates, coconut oil does not produce an insulin spike in your bloodstream. This saves you from a slump, and is good news for anyone struggling with insulin issues. Like me. And most of us with AI issues.

it’s the only oil Health Experts suggest we should be cooking with

Coconut oil is the only oil that is stable enough to resist mild heat-induced damage, while still helping to promote heart health, support weight loss and thyroid function. Use coconut oil instead of butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, margarine, or any other type of oil called for in recipes.

it’s anti-viral and anti-fungal

50 percent of the fat content in coconut oil is a fat rarely found in nature called lauric acid. Lauric acid is considered a “miracle” ingredient because of its unique health promoting properties. Your body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, which has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-protozoa properties. Coconut oil is also great for candida.

it’s anti-inflammatory

There are many advantages to boosting your metabolic rate: your healing process accelerates, cell regeneration increases to replace old cells, and your immune system functions better overall. When your immune system is functioning well, your body will be less inflamed.

it’s sooo good on your skin

Coconut oil is ideal for skin care. It helps protect your skin from aging effects, and can help improve the appearance of skin with its anti-aging benefits. Coconut oil is absorbed into your skin and connective tissues, where it helps keep your connective tissues supple and strong, which helps to reduce the appearance of wrinkles and lines. Coconut oil on your skin also acts as an exfoliator for the outer layer of dead skin cells. This will make your skin smoother too. Another bonus!

For those of you who enjoy a little cooked food from time to time  enjoy these yummy roasted sweet potatoes baked using coconut oil.……These are amazing. I’ve also done the same with pumpkin!

• 
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
• About 800g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks
• 2 teaspoons light brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Heat oven to 190/350 degrees. Melt the coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. 

In a large bowl, toss together potatoes, coconut oil, sugar, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Spread the potatoes in an even layer on a large baking sheet. Roast, tossing occasionally, until soft and caramelized, about 1 hour.

  I ALSO USE COCONUT OIL & COCONUT BUTTER IN MANY OF MY RAW FOOD RECIPES . CHEESE CAKES which do not include using cheese by the way, are a delicious way of including coconut oil & butter in a Raw Recipe.! 

This Raw Recipe, titled "my Raspberry Ripple", came from  Sarah Wilson's ( I quit Sugar) original recipe. It is very easy & delicious.
Line a Dinner Plate with some non stick baking paper.
Scatter 1/3 cup of frozen raspberries  & 1/3 cup of shredded coconut evenly on the paper. Melt 1/3 cup coconut oil & 80 grams of Nuttelex or butter  in a saucepan, stir in 2 tablespoons of cacao powder or cocoa & 2-3 tablespoons of Rice Malt Syrup( or Maple Syrup) & pour over the berries & coconut. Freeze for 30 mins until firm, & cut into shards or wedges for a healthy snack!   YUM...thank you Sarah !

Chia, a highly prized Ancient Mayan Food Source

WHAT ARE CHIA SEEDS?

Chia Seeds are black & white edible seeds that come from a desert plant which is part of the sage/mint family. Chia is generally regarded as a whole grain & has been considered by many to be one of the healthiest whole foods in the world. The grain dates back to Ancient Mayan times & the word Chia means "strength". This little seed  supported the Mayans in maintaining good health & supplied mega energy for their people in walking long distances, running messages, working hard in the fields or even fighting neighbouring tribes! They often carried it in a small pouch to sustain them for hours at a time. Chia was definitely considered a staple for the Incas, Mayans & Aztec Cultures & the Native Americans of the South West.
Chia seeds are made up of four components....fiber, protein, omega3 essential fatty acids & various antioxidants. It also has quite a high iron, potasium & calcium content. This little seed holds key nutritional & health benefits, rebuilding cells, boosting your immunity & providing a steady healthy flow of high energy rather than the false levels that caffeine or sugar may give you.
The fiber content helps slow down the body's breakdown of carbohydrates into blood sugar, & acts as roughage, promoting healthy digestion.
The beauty of these super seeds is the sheer amount of goodness that can be crammed into a tiny seed. Their most unique property is their ability to absorb 10 times their own weight in liquid. This makes a low calorie  gel which is open to taking on the flavor of choice to a large extent; chia is thought to repress hunger& as it  is full of goodies, many claim you are less likely to crave fatty, sugary or starchy foods when including it in your everyday diet.
Some say Chia has a slight nutty flavor, although I find it fairly bland so you can add it to almost any dish & most people never notice it.I have seen Chia sprinkled over a salad or main meal on occasion which adds a crunch to the texture of the recipe.
I incorporate a tablespoon into my smoothie, a juice, into a salad dressing, a pie crust, or into a biscuit or cracker & often substitute it for flax seed in many of my Raw Food recipes. Juices in particular are quite quickly digested & Chia will slow down the absorption rate of nutrients.
Two tablespoons (130 calories) of Chia provides 4.8 grams of omega 3 & 1.6 grams of omega 6 which is enough omega 3 for your entire day. It also contains 9.2 grams of fibre & 4.4 grams of protein. Consider including 1 tablespoon in your morning breakfast & perhaps the same in some form for lunch or dinner & you will have a very healthy & beneficial addition to any diet.

 You may like to try this Chia Recipe & see what you think.

Basic Gel Recipe. 1/3 cup Chia to 2 cups liquid....the liquid can be anything from water to nut milks to veggie or fruit juice. If you wish, water or nutmilk Chia gels keep in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks or more ready for many uses at a moments notice.

I often have a Chia Cereal for breakfast, particularly in the winter.

 I use 4-5 tablespoons of Chia Seed to 2 cups of warm almond or coconut milk. I can then fold in some fruit ( I love raspberries or blueberries)  & perhaps some raisins (or another sweetener of choice eg, honey or maple syrup) & top it off with some banana, cacao nibs & perhaps some walnuts or soaked almonds.......Yum !!. I let it sit for 15mins or so before adding some extra nut milk which can be warmed in winter. It can also be kept in the refrigerator overnight so it is ready for  breakfast "on the go".
 My husband & I find this a delicious & very sustaining breakfast keeping us going for many hours.
Other Options: Try Cacao Mint, Cacao & Avocado, Chocolate Orange with a little Cayenne/or Chili or Apple & Cinnamon for a wonderful Desert. Any other combination that appeals to you will probably work equally well.

Culinary Oils add Antioxidants to your Diet

I went through a period where I found the information on Oils quite confusing. These days I mostly use Cold Pressed Virgin Oils for my Dressings & perhaps Coconut Oil for light frying occasionally or in my smoothies  & in some Raw Desert Recipes. I just love Avocado, Hemp, Flax, Walnut & Macadamia Oils for Dressings, I sometimes use Olive & Sesame Oil too; rarely if ever do I use Vegetable Oils. I have found that alternating, even mixing Oils, gives the same Dressing Recipe such a different flavor each time, & can be a fun way to try out your creativity. Salad Dressings are so easy to make, they contain all the beautiful ingredients especially selected by you & are also healthy; generally they are a fraction of the cost of bought Dressings.







Olive Oil breakdown: 77% monounsaturated, 9% polyunsaturated, 14% saturated

- Nutrition benefits: Highest concentration of antioxidants among all of the oils, contains polyphenols that act as anti-inflammatory agents.
- Culinary uses: Versatile--can be used in marinades, salad dressings, sauces, dips, sautéed dishes, casseroles, stir-fries and soups. Low smoke-point. Extra-virgin olive oil and virgin olive oil are recommended for fresh, cool dishes for which you want strong olive flavor, other varieties of olive oil can be used for cooking and baking.

Hazelnut Oil
Fat breakdown: 76% monounsaturated, 14% polyunsaturated, 10% saturated
Culinary uses: High smoke point. Used to provide flavor to meats, dressings, and baked desserts.

Avocado Oil
Fat breakdown: 70% monounsaturated, 10% polyunsaturated, 20% saturated
Culinary uses: Provides buttery, nutty, light avocado flavor to foods. Recommended for marinades and dressings, sautés, pasta dishes, casseroles, and meats. High smoke point--520° F.

Canola Oil
Fat breakdown: 62% monounsaturated, 32% polyunsaturated, 6% saturated
Nutritional benefits: Lowest amount of artery-clogging saturated fat of all oils, may decrease risk of cardiovascular disease.
Culinary uses: All-purpose oil best for dishes that require mild flavor. Often used for frying, general cooking and baking. Moderately high smoke point--400° F.

Peanut Oil
Fat breakdown: 49% monounsaturated, 33% polyunsaturated, 18% saturated
Nutrition benefits: Contains antioxidant resveratrol (thought to decrease risk of heart disease and cancer). May help reduce blood lipids.
Culinary uses: Imparts peanut flavor and aroma to dishes. Recommended for dishes suited for peanut flavoring, including Asian stir-fries, rice, noodles, and salads.

Sesame Oil
Fat breakdown: 40% monounsaturated, 46% polyunsaturated, 14% saturated
Nutrition benefits: Can lower cholesterol and protect the liver.
Culinary uses: Moderately high smoke point. Can be used as a condiment or cooking oil. Great in dipping sauces, salad dressings, and Asian dishes.

Palm Oil
Fat breakdown: 38% monounsaturated, 10% polyunsaturated, 52% saturated
Culinary uses: Enhances flavor of South American and Caribbean dishes. High smoke point.

Corn Oil
Fat breakdown: 25% monounsaturated, 62% polyunsaturated, 13% saturated fat
Culinary uses: Most often used for deep-frying or baking.

Soybean Oil
Fat breakdown: 24% monounsaturated, 61% polyunsaturated, 15% saturated
Culinary uses: Used in baking and deep-frying. High smoke point but heavy soybean flavor.

Sunflower Oil
Fat breakdown: 20% monounsaturated, 69% polyunsaturated, 11% saturated
Culinary uses: Light, imparts no flavor. High smoke point. Best for baking.

Walnut Oil
Fat breakdown: 19% monounsaturated, 67% polyunsaturated, 14% saturated
Culinary uses: Moderately high smoke point. Heavy walnut flavor. Must be refrigerated due to high rancidity. Useful in baked desserts, meats, and salad dressings.

Grape Seed Oil
Fat breakdown: 17% monounsaturated, 71% polyunsaturated, 12% saturated
Nutritional benefits: Antioxidants present may reduce risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.
Culinary uses: Light, somewhat tart taste. Recommended for sautéing or frying.

Safflower Oil
Fat breakdown: 13% monounsaturated, 77% polyunsaturated, 10% saturated
Culinary uses: High smoke point with light flavor. Used to sear meats and deep-fry foods.

Coconut Oil
Fat breakdown: 6% monounsaturated, 2% polyunsaturated, 92% saturated fat
Culinary uses: Solid fat with low smoke point. Provides buttery texture to Southeast Asian dishes.

Note:
Coconut Oil is often used as a skin moisturizer & can be highly recommended as a great way to keep skin supple & soft. The oil can also be rubbed into your hair & left for 15 minutes leaving it shiny & lustrous, just rinse well afterwards with some apple cider vinegar to avoid the hair remaining greasy. I have also used warm olive oil which has much the same result.

A Yummy Dressing for you to try:

Sweet Curry Dressing
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 clove garlic
2 teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup Macadamia Oil
1/2 cup Hemp or Olive Oil
1/2 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon coriander leaf
salt
Blend it all together & Enjoy

Monkeys still fall out of Trees!

I was thinking recently about the many emotions associated with "throwing caution to the wind " & going for everything in sight that represents ultimate self destruction through unhealthy food choices!  I find breaking out can become a pattern if I loose sight of loving myself & I ignore the emotions associated with the so called "need" to throw all my "good intentions" out the window & dive for that processed fatty sugar laden morsel !

Our friends Mary & Yeshua were recently talking about this in another context, but I feel the same guidance applies with food. This is what they said......
 "Mary and I try to identify together whenever something is happening. So life is going along and then all of a
sudden we make a mistake and it feels like things go downhill from there and something terrible happens. So then we try to go back to this point just before the mistake. What many of you are doing is judging yourself for the terrible thing that happens afterward; “Why did I do that again, isn't that terrible?” all those kind of things. It's better to forget about that, that's just the results of the mistake; they are the effects. The more you focus on the effects the less you’re going to see the causes. So if you just focus on the effects you are going to get yourself into a bit of a morose mess generally. It's far better to go back to the point of the mistake and then ask yourself, "Why did I make that mistake?
What emotions were present? And how can I fix that mistake?" and you will also gain a lot of self esteem doing that."

How many times has this happened to you? Seeing you are reading this, I presume you are including more Raw Food & Healthy Choices in your diet. I am consequently making a prediction that some of you at least, have at some point fallen off or will fall off the "healthy" food thing, especially over the Winter months.....and Brrr, it is winter here in the Southern Hemisphere at the moment, so the temptation at times definitely kicks in, with every excuse known to man, to follow "this influence" especially when the winds are blowing & ice is settled on the window pane!
You may have labelled it a "binge" or a "craving" & in hindsight you felt you had let yourself down & didn't really want to eat what you had just eaten! "Guilt & even self punishment, a sense of failure or I'm not good enough to be able to follow through on this" are not emotions we want to carry around,  post the feast! I find it's like a very yucky feeling in the top of my tummy along with the struggle the body is having at the same time to digest the indulgence & does nothing to help support a healthy lifestyle...trust me! One can feel so unsuccessful in adopting these choices, such a failure at sticking to anything;  these emotions are not supportive either...... if we are not willing to truly feel them & find the cause of them being there I have found that the pattern will repeat itself over & over.
After hearing a friend say "Monkeys still fall out of trees", I thought about this some more.
I think it means that monkeys are expert at living in trees, but sometimes they fall out...but guess what? They are still monkeys! It doesn't make them any less of a monkey.
So I'm thinking....falling off the "healthy food choice wagon" doesn't make me any less me & we are able in that moment to pick ourselves up & go back to our original intention....it's actually quite OK..... and if we want to know, we can learn "why" it happened & what emotions kicked in to make the decision we did.   We realize that eating & including more living raw foods on our plate, is Not a Diet.....I am not on it or off it, it is a lifestyle choice & can even be an experiment I may undertake purely to feel the effects of those choices.


You may even decide to become "a raw food monkey & not be fearful of falling out of the tree!"

A vegetable Garden for Children

How To Make A Children's Vegetable Garden That Works

From my observation, the best vegetable gardens for children provide healthy snacks while they are on the go, as well as opportunities to learn about how food grows. Think of it as a healthy and ever-fresh lunchbox planted within the children's play area.
This vegetable garden becomes all theirs to experiment with and develop gardening skills that will be useful for life. While they care for their plants they learn about the food cycle, the workings of nature and how to care for the Earth. This education is invaluable & you may find as a parent, they have much they can teach us too through this simple exercise! They can watch the tiny seeds germinate before planting into the soil which adds an additional interest & teaches them how careful they need to be in planting  out the young seedlings.

I suggest putting their vegetable garden where they can reach it.

The ideal position for the children's vegetable garden is in their play area. That’s their space, and helps them recognize the veggie patch as theirs. Having their veggie patch in their immediate surrounds also means they can snack on what’s growing, fresh and direct from the garden.
Your children will be able to conveniently work on their garden, make observations about what’s growing well and what needs some help and take care of watering and weeding as an extension of their play activities.
Unless you have to protect their vegetable patch from wildlife or pets, leave it unfenced so they can get to it easily. If you need to use a fence, try to install a gate that they can manage.
When attacking animals & bugs are affecting the vegetables it is a great opportunity to talk to your children about the emotions that are contributing to this attack. I have found this to be most effective when I am able to truly access what emotions are at play, especially those of my own...... always keep in mind that the parents' emotions that are out of harmony with love contribute to what's happening for their child!..it may be something as simple as desiring to take everything from the garden for my own purposes rather than sharing or planting extra for others! We so often have a need to only "take" & not "give back" to Mother Earth accompanied with projections on the veggies of "grow..grow..grow so I can eat you!"

Positioning the children's  vegetable garden so that they can access it from all sides seems like a great idea. Don’t make the garden bed too wide, remember that little arms should be able to reach the centre of the vegetable patch from each of the edges. Of course you can make the bed longer, but try to keep it less than 1.2m-1.5m wide. Otherwise it will be tempting for them to walk into the vegetable patch and compress the soil.

Veggie gardens for little ones can teach responsibility.

Give the children a sense of it being their garden and allow them to take responsibility for it. Let them select which vegetables are grown, you can always encourage  them to select varieties that can be picked continuously and ones they enjoy eating. I have found peas, broad beans, tiny tomatoes, salad greens including lettuce and carrots generally very popular. My grandchildren just love the baby  "tom thumb" tomatoes & I grow some different colored ones too like the pear shaped baby yellow ones for them to enjoy. They just love raiding the bushes whenever they visit & I have them available. A handful becomes a very healthy snack.
Allow the children to pick ripe vegetables freely, as long as they actually eat them and don’t waste them. Ask permission before you consider raiding their vegetable patch for the family dinner – they will probably feel proud to contribute, but checking with them first demonstrates that you respect the efforts they’re making in their veggie patch.
As they’re also responsible for their garden, it is a great idea to teach children to watch for changes in the plants so they can attend to their needs. Even younger children can be encouraged to watch for wilting leaves that show a plant needs water and check for ripe vegetables and fruit that are ready to harvest.
A note about picking for pets – I believe this encourages a sharing, caring attitude and I’m all for it. Children can pick and share lettuce and silverbeet leaves with pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs. The idea of planting a few extra plants for the birds, slugs and bugs is well worth encouraging.