Nuts for Coconuts!

Last night Denise and I held a free seminar at Amoskeag Chiropractic in Manchester, NH, completely dedicated to the coconut, or specifically, the young Thai coconut. Coconuts are the seed of the coconut palm tree, and provide meat, water and oil.

As promised, step-by-step instructions on how to easily open young Thai coconuts:

1. On a solid, steady surface, place the coconut firmly with the point straight up. Get a firm grip, with fingers out of the way. Using a hefty meat cleaver, take several strikes on four sides in such a way that you form approximately a 2 X 2 square around the pointed tip.

 

 

 

 

 

2. Once you’ve cleaved through the husk, use the pointed corner of the cleaver to crack through one of the corners of your square. Notice the cut square around the top point of the coconut in the second photo below.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Then use the cleaver to pry up the “lid” until you can get your fingers in there to pry it the rest of the way, careful not to spill any of the coconut water inside.

 

 

 

 

 

4. Check the color of the meat to make sure you have a “good”, fresh coconut, and not one that has turned. A good coconut will have VERY white meat. A turned coconut will have meat that is discolored, sort of a light lavender or mauve. See the comparison in the first photo below. If you have a good one, pour the water out through a strainer and then scrape the meat out with a spoon.

 

 

 

 

 

That’s it! This is a tried and true method. I’ve tried others, and this is by far the easiest one I’ve come across. Even Denise, who was TERRIFIED to open a coconut, found this method to be very easy. She was opening coconuts like a pro last Monday night in preparation for the seminar. A whole case of them!

Coconut Oil 
-  Pressed from the meat, removing the fiber.

-  Over 90% saturated fat. There are two kinds of saturated fats – long chain triglycerides (associated with “bad” cholesterol) and medium chain triglycerides (MCT’s), which is the one found in coconut oil. Within moments of being consumed, MCTs are converted by the liver to energy, and are not stored in fat cells. Protects against heart disease, stroke and hardening of the arteries.

-  Easily assimilated, provides energy, does not clog arteries, can be used for cooking at high temperatures without becoming toxic like other healthy oils (i.e. olive).

-  Excellent as an anti-bacterial skin moisturizer, lubricant and hair conditioner (helps in the re-growth of damaged hair). And highly effective at preventing tooth and gum decay with daily oil pulling (will write about oil pulling in a future post!).

-  Very effective in reducing excess weight through healthy function of the thyroid and enzyme systems, and increasing metabolism by removing stress on the pancreas, thereby burning out more energy (stored fat). People living in tropical coastal areas, who consume coconut oil daily, are normally not fat, overweight or obese.

Coconut Water
-  Packed with the same electrolytic balance as our blood, it is the original sports drink. The fluid of life. During the Pacific War it was used on both sides in the conflict to administer emergency plasma transfusions to wounded soldiers.

-  Best consumed fresh – once exposed to air, rapidly loses organoleptic and nutritional characteristics, and begins to ferment. Most bottled varieties are pasteurized.

-  More nutritious than whole milk (less fat and NO cholesterol!), more healthy than orange juice (fewer calories from sugar, and effectively stabilizes blood sugar), better than processed baby milk (contains lauric acid, which is present in mother’s milk and strengthens the immune system and protect against viral, bacterial and fungal infections) and naturally sterile (water permeates through the filtering husk).

-  Contains more potassium at about 294mg than most sports and energy drinks at about 117mg. Contains less sodium at about 25mg, where sports drinks have around 41mg and energy drinks 200mg! Contains only 5mg of natural sugars where sports and energy drinks range from10-25mg of altered sugars. And it’s very high in chloride at 118mg, compared to sports drinks at about 39mg.

Coconut Meat and Butter 
-  Meat is pulled directly from the inside, and is unprocessed. Butter is coconut oil and solids processed together.

-  Young Thai coconut meat has less sugar and more protein than bananas, apples and oranges. High in minerals such as iron, zinc and phosphorus.

-  All components of the coconut are excellent replacements for dairy products, oils, household items, and more.

Too good to be true? Coconuts may be the ONE exception. Although, beware, most young Thai coconuts that come into the United States are dipped in formaldehyde. KNOW THE SUPPLIER, and only purchase from those you trust do not sell these toxic coconuts.

Also as promised, the recipe for dehydrated onion bread from Matt Amsden’s RAWvolution book, shared at a previous seminar…

Onion Bread
3 large yellow onions
3/4 c flax seed, ground in a high speed blender
3/4 c raw sunflower seeds, ground in a food processor
1/2 c Nama Shoyu or Braggs liquid aminos (I use less than 1/2 a cup)
1/2 c olive oil

In a food processor, but the onions with the slicing disc. Transfer the cut onions to a large mixing bowl, add the remaining ingredients, and mix until thoroughly combined. Spread half the mixture evenly on a dehydrator tray pined with a Teflex sheet, and the remainder on a second tray. Dehydrate at 105F for 24 hours. Flip onion bread onto another tray pined with a screen (not a Teflex sheet), and gently peel the Teflex sheet off the bread. Return to the dehydrator for another 12 hours. Once dehydrated, cut into pieces using scissors or a large knife.

Enjoy!

Augusta

PS. Happy Birthday Lori!!!

Cleansing Comes Down to Timing

It’s the first of January. You wake up with a fresh-from-the-Holidays extra 5 pounds around your mid-section, and resolution-strength promise to yourself to swear off sugar, alcohol, wheat, dairy and caffeine. For at least a month.

The first few days go well. You’ve survived without sugar and caffeine by filling up on green smoothies and raw nuts. Then you stumble over some delectable home-baked morsel brought into the office by a well-meaning coworker, and one slip brings a lofty dietary plan crashing down to reality.

A week later, you try, again, to control your baser food instincts, growing more dictatorial with yourself with this attempt. You even consider the Master Cleanse* (lemon, maple syrup, cayenne) you’ve heard so much about, to really flush the fat cells out and toxins along with them. STOP.

*We do not advocate doing the Master Cleanse, as it can be very dangerous. Please seek out a licensed holistic nurse practitioner (like at Londonderry Whole Health), or try gentler cleansing and fasting techniques like those offered at Each Peach Café this spring.

Though the start of a new year may feel like the appropriate time to clean the ultimate house, A.K.A. your body, January is not the season for cleansing. Just like other living things, winter is the time for your body to rest – think the slumbering maple, bear and squirrel. Cleansing in winter is destined for failure.

Eastern medicine tells us fasts and cleanses are best undertaken in the spring, “when people have the sense that they’re coming out of the dark winter and into the light. They want to shed layers, literally and figuratively,” explains Marcy Balter, a board member at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. Once a raw-food diet purist, Balter extols the benefits of “warming” foods during cold winter months. Like the soup from our January 12th Winter’s Day post.

Fasting and cleansing makes your liver work overtime, which is extra taxing during colder months. The best way to give your liver and digestive tract a rest this time of year is simply to eliminate the biggest inflammation-causing offenders – coffee, beer, red meat, processed sugars, and bread – and calming foods.

Curries – cinnamon, turmeric, coriander and ginger warm the system and move clogging compounds like mucus out of the body.

Garlic – fights fungus, the yeast candida and inflammation.

Cacao Nibs – has four times the antioxidants of green tea and is the most magnesium-rich food known. Perfect addition to a smoothie for a serotonin and endorphin boost to lift winter blahs.

Lemons – increases body temperature and circulation to clear toxins. Hot water with fresh squeezed lemon is perfect first thing in the morning and before each meal.

Water – lots of it. You can’t clean anything without sufficient amounts of water. The general rule is an ounce of water for every 2 pounds of body weight. Daily. It is difficult for me to drink cold water in the winter, so I leave my water out at room temperature or heat it up and add some lemon.

Still worried this won’t be enough to get you warm-weather-ready (shorts, tank tops and eeek, bikinis)? Each Peach Café is offering a variety of challenges (free), cleanses, and fasts this spring to help educate, motivate and provide support.

In the meantime, everyone is welcome to join me and Denise at Amoskeag Chiropractic this Wednesday, January 26 (weather permitting), for a FREE seminar all about the miraculous coconut. Learn why the coconut is so effective in supporting healthy thyroid function, enzyme systems like the pancreas, and removing excess weight!

In preparation, we opened a case of coconuts last night so everyone can try fresh coconut water (same electrolytic balance as our blood), and a delicious chocolate mousse made from the coconut meat and coconut oil.

Milk-Chocolate Mousse
2 C cashews, soaked 4 hours
1 C young Thai coconut meat (or avocado)
1/4 C raw cacao powder
2-1/2 t vanilla extract
1 pinch of sea salt
1/2 C agave nectar
1-3/4 C filtered water
1-1/2 C coconut oil, melted

In a high-speed blender, blend all ingredients except the coconut oil until completely smooth. With the blender running, slowly pour in the coconut oil. Continue to blend until oil is thoroughly incorporated. Transfer the mousse to a covered bowl and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight to set. Yum!

Next post: step-by-step instructions on how to EASILY open young Thai coconuts. Yourself. At home. With photos.

Augusta

New Year… New Regimen… New Diet?

It’s so cliché, but I joined a gym on 1/1/11… Because I moved from Wakefield to Boston! What’s great about the gym in Boston, as opposed to my former gym in Wakefield, is that it’s literally two blocks away from my apartment. I can walk to the gym, and everywhere else it seems, from my new home.

I learned some valuable tips in 2010 from the likes of Dr. Mercola and Brendan Brazier about how to eat and exercise smarter to the get the most out of your time and your workouts.

Dr. Mercola explained at the Longevity Now Conference I attended last September that telomeres, the caps at the end of all our DNA strands, are the most accurate biological clock there is - aging. As cells replicate, the telomere chain gets shorter each time. There are things that prematurely shorten telomeres, but the interesting thing is that our reproductive cells DO NOT AGE. They have a gene, telomerase, that repairs the damage during replication. In fact, all cells have this gene, but it is turned off and therefore aging occurs. The key is finding a way to turn on telomerase in all our other cells, and reverse aging. Whoa!

This hasn't been figured out yet, but there are things we can do to slow down telomere damage. Increase your production of human growth hormone (HGH) naturally through proper exercise and diet. Dr. Mercola explained that we've been on a cardio kick since the 70's (himself included), and he's learned through speaking with 6 of the top fitness experts in the world that traditional cardio is not the way to go. Natural production of HGH decreases by 50% by the time we reach 30. Not because our bodies can't produce it, but because of the fitness changes we make between our early childhood and adulthood. The key to increasing your HGH production is oxygen debt, muscle burn, and not eating ANY FRUCTOSE for at least 2 hours following a workout. Mercola suggests following the Peak 8 philosophy of training: short burst / rest intervals in sets of 8. For example: sprint 8-10 seconds at 90-100% effort, then 90 seconds of rest. Repeat 7 times. Or: cycle 20-30 seconds at 70-90% effort, then 90 seconds of rest. Repeat 7 times. He says the elliptical machine can be just as effective. Always cool down afterwards. He also recommends mixing this routine up with yoga or Power Plate, Peter Egoscue stretching, strength training, core training, plyometrics... and MAYBE some cardio. You can check your HGH levels with a urine test. Should be 1000+ for men and women.

In October I got to meet Brendan Brazier, world class VEGAN triathlete and creator of the Vega product line. I had been dying to meet Brendan ever since my friend (and smoothie partner in crime) Lori turned me on to his book "Thrive Diet" years ago. I am such a fan, I've even shipped copies of his book overseas to friends and family. I use him as an example almost daily when talking about a raw, vegan lifestyle, and he truly is an inspiration. Can you tell I absolutely love him?

Brendan spoke about how it takes energy (from your body) to gain energy (from the food you eat), and how you want to spend the least to gain the most for a higher net gain. Most Americans are overfed, but undernourished, because of the food they eat!

He also explained the stress/hormone relationship. Stresses including work, environmental toxins, foods we eat, even exercise, cause the hormone cortisol to rise. Excessive cortisol levels prevent the delta phase of deep sleep. This causes adrenal fatigue (I am a sufferer!), and causes many to turn to stimulants such as coffee... Which causes more stress on the body. 40% of stress can be attributed to POOR NUTRITION!

So... Change your diet to a plant-based diet, which is easier for the body to assimilate (use) for a higher net gain. This lowers stress, which lowers cortisol. Eventually you are able to reach the delta level of sleep (2-6 weeks). You'll sleep more efficiently, and require less sleep yet have more energy. The idea is to introduce high net gain foods that are alkalizing (as opposed to acid-forming). Acid forming foods (meats, dairy, sugars, processed, cooked) causes your body to pull calcium from your bones to neutralize your blood. THIS is what causes osteoporosis. Acid forming foods also cause INFLAMMATION.

Introducing nutrient-dense, alkalizing foods such as maca (root from Peru full of nutrient-rich minerals from volcanic ash), and spirulina and chlorella (70% protein and alkalizing) into your diet will improve sleep quality and energy levels.

Tip for athletes: carbs BEFORE a workout, protein AFTER. Learn about Brendan's amazing products on his website http://www.myvega.com/.

Remember: CHANGE is stress, even if it's positive change. Make the change to a new diet slowly, and preferably with the assistance of a holistic nurse practitioner (such as Val or Maureen at Londonderry Whole Health). Changing your diet to a plant-based diet does not mean you have to become vegetarian or vegan, but it does mean incorporating more fresh, nutrient-dense plant foods into your daily meals. That said…

In comments reportedly made during a press briefing for her new movie SALT, Angelina Jolie discussed her experiences with a vegan diet. "I joke that a big juicy steak is my beauty secret," said Jolie. "But seriously, I love red meat. I was a vegan for a long time, and it nearly killed me. I found I was not getting enough nutrition."

I have been eating a mostly vegan diet for more than two years, mostly raw living foods (uncooked). I am conscientious about the foods I choose - mostly leafy green and vibrant vegetables, some fruits, raw nuts and seeds. On occasion I do indulge - if I really want that slice of pizza, I'll have it. But I hadn’t eaten milk, eggs, or any meats (including fish) since making this lifestyle change… Until this Thanksgiving.

The first 9 months of going vegan, I felt amazing. My energy was high, I was sublimely happy, and my physical body was in great shape too. Since then, I believe I've been on a very slow backward slide to low energy, some tendencies toward depression, and feeling out-of-shape. I started to feel there are some improvements I could make to my vegan diet to truly optimize it, and there have been periods of not enough sleep, but I was beginning to wonder if my body requires something else... gasp... meat?

Before making any change like this, I like to do my research. First, I finally took Dr. Mercola's Nutritional Typing online test to see whether, according to his research, I fall into the protein group, carb group (veggies), or combination group (mostly veggies, occasional meats). Turns out, even with several of my responses being "vegetarian/vegan, does not apply", I truly fall into the combination group. Doesn't mean I'm going to go out and eat a steak today! However, after I completed my fall cleanse through Londonderry Whole Health Nurse Practitioners, I spoke with my nurse practitioner about possible changes to my diet based on this new information.

Since then I’ve been experimenting, I’ve found that my body responds very differently to each new food I reintroduce. For example, I had 4 small bites of local, organic, free-range turkey on Thanksgiving. Not only did it taste like sawdust to me, but my stomach was none too pleased. However, a few bites of caught-that-day fish on my vacation in Aruba this December was no trouble. I’ll probably settle for a little bit of fresh, wild fish a couple of times a month and see how that goes.

It is my experience that making any major change to diet can be even more dangerous than whatever diet you're living, unless you move slowly and with some professional guidance. Our bodies are great at adapting, but less so when you just flip a switch.
What I know to be true, 100% to my core: no one diet is best for everyone. There isn't a "one size fits all" when it comes to nutrition. This being said, I recommend everyone take Dr. Mercola's Nutritional Typing test (it's FREE!), and then conduct some further research from there. I also believe our bodies do not require one diet for the entirety of our life. Our bodies change. So I will continue to take the Nutritional Typing test at least a couple times a year, and I recommend others do as well.

Here’s to a happy and HEALTHY 2011!

Augusta