Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

For those of you who have been wanting to research coconut oil but have been overwhelmed by all the results found on Google, this article does a great job of explaining the benefits of it. It has the science, figures and it explains it all in plain, understandable terms. Check it out! For those of you who constantly ask about my hair, I use organic coconut shampoos, conditioners and oil to keep my hair healthy and soft.

Click here to learn about the health and beauty benefits of coconut oil

Healthy ways I like to use coconut oil and milk.

• I love to use coconut milk in place of heavy creams or milk when cooking. When making a spicy Thai or Indian dish it tastes even better than cream or yogurt!
• Adding coconut milk in oatmeal and tea is a great way to add flavor health food that would otherwise taste like caca.
• You can use it in the place of butter when baking, just put it in the fridge and let it get to that "butter" consistency. 

Beauty care methods I use:

• Scrub it into your scalp and leave it on for 20 to 30 minutes before washing. For best results, leave it on overnight. Put a shower cap over it and place a towel on your pillow to protect it. Always wash out the oil with a toxin free shampoo.
• I plan to make myself a sugar scrub out of it and see how it works, you should try it and let me know how it works. Just make it like you would any other sugar scrub, 1 part oil to 2 parts sugar. Make sure to warm the oil in a bowl of warm or hot water first to help with mixing(DO NOT put it in the microwave, you will destroy all the good stuff!), and try to use it all. It is best make it fresh every time rather than store it for later. This is just an experiment and I can't vouch for how well my theory will work. I can say that you should have no awful skin reactions to it since it is just oil and sugar. I am going to use it just before shaving and see if it helps get a closer shave. Good luck with your trial if you do one!

Here are some store bought beauty care products I use that work and won't empty the bank!
Coconut your hair!
Coconut your face!
Coconut your skin!
Most of the beauty care lines put out by this company are great but I found the coconut milk line works best for me. Try them out, those of you who know about sulfate and paraben free hair products know what I mean!

If you try these methods or products please comment and let me know what you think!

Thanks for stopping by and may you live a long and healthy life!

Weekly updates...

So I am going to do my best to post weekly guides and post random health tips when I can. I realize I have not gotten this thing completely organized and for that I apologize but this is a learning process for me as well.

That being said I will be posting a blog on liquids to lower your cholesterol tomorrow. Wine drinkers stay tuned!

I'll end this little note with a great tip from an inspirational health vlog I watch.

Whatever meal you are about to enjoy, if it does not involve fruits or veggies, eat a fruit or vegetable first. So if you are just having cereal for breakfast eat a banana or something else first. If you are having fruit salad than you are good to go. If you obey this rule you will notice that you are closer to getting your daily intake of fruits and vegetables than you ever have been!

Thanks for reading, may you live a long and healthy life!

Not the why but the how...

How do we lower cholesterol and triglycerides?
The obvious answer of course, nutrition! Nutrition is the starting point for changing almost any health issue into a non issue. 


So now we know diet is the best way hands down but what kind of diet? 
One high in fiber of course! Fiber and good fatty acids are the bread and butter of lowering cholesterol levels and triglycerides. The funny thing, most people don't even know what fiber is or how many different food groups are loaded with fiber. I know I didn't before I got my ass on google to find out. 


So here it is, the down low on fiber:


To quote Wikipedia, fiber is the indigestible portion of plant foods that acts by changing the nature of the contents of the gastrointestinal tract, and by changing how other nutrients and chemicals are absorbed. 


WTF does that mean? 


It means it's and indigestible component of food that helps us digest what we eat. It comes in two forms, soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is broken down by the body and creates a gel like substance when mixed with water in the digestive tract. Soluble fiber binds with fatty acids and prolongs stomach emptying time so that sugar is released and absorbed more slowly. Soluble fiber is the main factor in controlling cholesterol levels and insulin levels in the body. You could say it has a bigger sweet tooth than we do. People with diabetes should pay close attention to the benefits of soluble fiber. 


Insoluble fiber passes through the body relatively in tact to move the bulk of the food we eat through the intestines, sort of like and intestinal Draino. Insoluble also fiber helps control and balance the pH (acidity) in the intestines by absorbing it like a sponge and carrying it out through the bowels. Ever wonder why a bowel movement smells so much worse when you eat a buttload (pun intended) of insoluble fiber?  That's why! Back to Draino, insoluble fiber promotes more frequent bowel movements and combats constipation.  No it does not produce watery bowel movements,  just more. A healthy human being should have between 2 and 4 bowel movements in a day depending on how much they eat. The coolest thing about insoluble fiber is that it helps prevent intestinal and colon cancer by balancing the PH level in the digestive tract and depriving cancer causing microbes of the environment they love.


You want about a 3 to 1 ratio of soluble and insoluble fiber in your diet. So 1/4 soluble and 3/4 insoluble, it is not practical to stress yourself out over the exact numbers so just try to keep it with in that ball park and you'll do just fine. 


So that's the what's what, how about the where is what?


Here is a great list of foods that are high in fiber that has been mega useful to me over the years:
Mind you, it's not all of them but a few to help you get the idea. This guide is especially important for those who have IBS or other digestive issues. Soluble is highlighted in blue and insoluble is highlighted in green. 


Insoluble:
Whole wheat flour, whole wheat bread, whole wheat cereal
Wheat bran
Whole grains, whole grain breads, whole grain cereals
Granola
Meusli
Seeds
Nuts
Popcorn
Beans and lentils (mashed or pureed they're much safer)
Berries (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, cranberries, etc.)
Grapes and raisins
Cherries
Pineapple
Peaches, nectarines, apricots, and pears with skins (peeled they're much safer)
Apples (peeled they're safe)
Rhubarb
Melons
Oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes
Dates and prunes
Greens (spinach, lettuce, kale, mesclun, collards, arugala, watercress, etc.)
Whole peas, snow peas, snap peas, pea pods
Green beans
Kernel corn
Bell peppers (roasted and peeled they're safer)
Eggplant (peeled and seeded it's much safer)
Celery
Onions, shallots, leeks, scallions, garlic
Cabbage, bok choy, Brussels sprouts
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Tomatoes (peeled and seeded, especially raw, they're much safer)
Cucumbers (again, peel and seed them and they're much safer)
Sprouts (alfalfa, sunflower, radish, etc.)
Fresh herbs 

Soluble: Rice Pasta and noodles Oatmeal Barley Fresh white breads such as French or sourdough (NOT whole wheat or whole grain)* Rice cereals Flour tortillas Soy Quinoa Corn meal Potatoes Carrots Yams Sweet potatoes Turnips Rutabagas Parsnips Beets Squash and pumpkins Mushrooms Chestnuts Avocados (though they do have some fat) Bananas Applesauce Mangoes Papayas (also digestive aids that relieve gas and indigestion)

Recommended fiber amounts for women is 21 to 25 grams a day and for men is 30 to 38 grams a day. 


To look up Nutrition facts and fiber contents of certain foods not on this list go here:
You can also find great recipes for adding healthy foods to your favorite meals. 
http://www.whfoods.com/

References for this blog post came from these sites:
http://www.healthcastle.com
http://www.helpforibs.com
http://www.wikipedia.org/


Last but not least, I am not a nutritionist. DON'T be afraid to do your own research, you will fare better having found the knowledge yourself. I hope this post has helped answer some of your questions on the health benefits of fiber. Next time we will tackle liquids for cholesterol!


May you live an long and healthy life!



 

An inspiring change from an unexpected place.

We've all seen the Osbourne's (Don't lie, you are guilty of watching it!) and I for one would have never believed the transformation that Kelly went through this year. I had no interest in learning about it however, i love shape magazine for it's good health tips and stories. The article on Kelly's struggle and victory over her health is a good read and made me feel like my goals are in reach. 

Check it out if you get the chance. 

http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/entertainment-and-celebrities/cover-models/kelly-osbourne-how-i-lost-50-pounds-and-found-m

Let's get started!

Before you can start this journey you have to decide upon the specifics of your goal.

So you want to get healthy but what is it about you that is unhealthy?
Illness, poor diet, lack of activity, are you over or underweight?
Each one of these issues has to be addressed individually in order for you to succeed. What you have to determine for yourself is where you are at health wise. The best way to do that is with a physical and no I am not kidding. No shit, right? Right!

Why exactly is this so important? We need to know how our bodies are functioning on every level before we can make the right changes to improve our health. Your doctor will have the final say on what test you need beyond a standard physical but I recommend a CMP(Comprehensive Metabolic Panel). WTF is that? It's a full workup of your bodies blood levels and organ function. This is especially important for those who want to lose weight and/or have health issues. Understanding things like glucose and cholesterol levels are extremely important for losing weight and over all health.

Taking the initiative to have your body tested is not the end of the lesson either. Since you have to go to your doctor to get the test you have the opportunity to corner the best source of knowledge out there, a professional. Have your doctor explain your results to you in depth, make a second appointment if you have to. Poke a probe your Doc's brain until you are satisfied that you are an expert on the subject. If they do not have material to send home with you then you must make use of my favorite learning tool, GOOGLE! Do the research and pay close attention to cholesterol! That by itself should get you off to a great start and help you formulate a health plan.

In depth information on the CMP can be found here:
http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/cmp/glance.html
 I encourage you to nose around the site and learn what you can about how medical professionals determine the condition of your body.

How about cholesterol?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholesterol

I don't want to overload so let's start with the test and talk about change when we get the results.

Ciao for now!

A new beginning...

It's January 2011, the beginning of a new year and a fresh start in life for many of us. I have set many goals for myself this year but the one I would like to share with you in this blog, is healthy living. I will post everything I learn during my struggle to reach this goal and everything I have learned over the years. I will share every kind of health advice and tip I can find. Recipes, books, blogs, tapes, exercises, remedies, you name it! If I can find it or create it, you shall have it.

I also encourage anyone else to jump in and share their on finds and advice, the more the healthier! Some of you may have already learned the information you see here but please be polite to those who have not and who are here to learn. What you will find that is a bit unique here is the science of it all, the explanation behind the idea. Many people know what is and is not healthy but very few know why, at least not in depth. I aim to learn how the human body relates to life choices and explain my findings. If we know how the things we do and eat affect our bodies and what they are meant for, we can finally understand how to properly use them.

My goal with all of this is to help myself reach this goal and help others should they chose to do so, reach it as well. I offer only information, what you do with it is your choice and your choice alone. So welcome all who seek to gain and share knowledge!

Enjoy!