Posts Tagged: Coconut Oil

Toadally Primal Wellness Bundle

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Bundle

By Rob Archangel, 180DegreeHealth.com staff writer Ahoy! I’m writing to give you all a heads up that Matt’s got a couple of books in Primal Toad’s Wellness Bundle. If you haven’t picked up  Eat for Heat or 12 Paleo Myths, here’s your chance to, alongside 31 other eBooks, at a heavily discounted price.  Among the bundle are Frank Forencich’s Exuberant Animal, and a whole panoply of recipe and cooking guides, including a coconut oil cookbook. You know how much we love coconut oil ’round here. Deal ends next week, so check it out here!

Refined Coconut Oil

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refined coconut oil better than extra virgin

By Matt Stone… It’s funny that with all the information I put out there, I get one question in particular five times for every other question I receive. That question is, “Why do you recommend refined coconut oil?” I thought it would be good to answer that question once and for all and be able to send a link to people instead of a long-winded response. Refined coconut oil is not necessarily something I recommend because it is superior to extra virgin coconut oil. It’s not really. However, you must understand the basic qualities of the world’s most highly-concentrated source of saturated fat, and then proceed to get plenty of it in ya. Because coconut oil is so highly saturated, it is the most stable oil on the planet –… Read more »

How to Reduce Omega 6 Tissue Concentration

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Recently I posted a letter written by nutrition researcher David Brown to his local newspaper. The topic was reducing the total quantity of omega 6 polyunsaturated fat in the diet to reduce tissue and blood concentration of this type of fatty acid – which has a lot of negative associations, such as triggering excess inflammation and other key properties. Although I think as long as vegetable oil is out of the diet almost 100%, this is not something to really get your panties in a wad about. But there is certainly some indication that our tissue concentration of omega 6 is so high that it might be worth the effort to be extremely diligent about avoiding omega 6 from all sources to undo this imbalance. To do that most effectively,… Read more »

Nutrient Bombardment

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I’ve had a little bit of a thing going lately with eating the most nutritious food that I can get my hands on.  This was one of the first attitudes that I ever developed while attempting to improve my health through diet long, long ago.  Only problem was that back then I was primarily a vegetarian.  I was missing out on some very important nutrients that put a nutritious diet to good use.  For three days last week I kept close track of everything that I ate just so I could share my numbers with you guys.  I plugged all my data into some very expensive software that I purchased a couple of years ago (ESHA).  As you will be able to see in a minute when you go to check out… Read more »

Diverticulosis

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This week is evidently digestion week. It began with an email from a friend on helping out with a digestive condition called “diverticulosis,” which she referred to, unknown of the spelling, as “diver-tickle-o-sis.” Next, some friends came over for dinner and, naturally, we talked about IBS while eating. I’m a classy dinner host no doubt. For starters, diverticulosis is a condition, an extremely common one, where pockets form in the intestines and fill with fecal matter. They are basically small blowouts in the intestinal walls, where it balloons out and gets clogged. As this mass ferments and continues to stretch out the intestinal walls, inflammation can set in, causing the development of a condition called diverticulitis. As with IBS, these conditions are both caused and exacerbated by malabsorption, and more… Read more »

Digestive Cleanse

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Cleanses of all kinds exist in the far reaches of alternative nutrition, made well-known to the public by people like the Braggs and Kevin Trudeau. Some of the first nutritional experiments I ever tried could be defined as cleanses, and I can’t argue to the apparent health boost that I received from them. The subject of cleansing is a tough one. It’s something that I go back and forth on for sure as evidenced in this previous edition. Although many people take cleansing to extremes, and there are gentler, more logical approaches to improving your diet and lifestyle, a routine of brief digestive cleanses is probably a great habit to get into. However, the mentality of “the more the better” can be really detrimental when it comes to cleansing and/or… Read more »

Stability Foods

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In the most recent posts, we discussed elevated insulin levels and the therapeutic benefit of following a specific diet to bring insulin levels under control. Bringing the insulin levels back to normal, but not going too far by eliminating carbohydrates, can allow metabolic healing over time. Degenerative diseases, obesity, and chronic departure from homeostasis are really just metabolic disorders at the core. So taking the time to get back to balance, although it is a challenge, is rewarding – not just because you might live a few extra years or something like that, but because you can feel and perform better now. Right now. Every day. Foods that are the most stabilizing, that keep blood sugar levels from fluctuating, which allow insulin levels to fall and recalibrate at a level… Read more »

2007 Reading List

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* Denotes work of particular significance and/or exceptional integrity(Chronological order as they were read)… The Maker’s DietJordan Rubin *Nourishing TraditionsSally Fallon Cholesterol MythsUffe Ravnskov Enzyme NutritionEdward Howell *Nutrition and Physical DegenerationWeston Price Pottenger’s CatsFrancis Pottenger Caffeine BluesStephen Cherniske Eat Fat Lose FatSally Fallon Waking the Tiger Peter A. Levine The Milk BookWilliam Campbell Douglass Solved: The Riddle of IllnessStephen Langer/J. Scheer Sugar BluesWilliam Dufty Excitotoxins: The Taste that KillsRussell Blaylock The Diet CureJulia Ross *The Schwarzbein Principle Diana Schwarzbein Know Your FatsMary Enig Seven Weeks to SobrietyJoan Mathews Larson The Garden of FertilityKatie Singer The Untold Story of Milk Ron Schmid Secrets of the SoilPeter Tompkins Lick the Sugar HabitNancy Appleton *Traditional Foods Are Your Best MedicineRon Schmid *Recipe for Living Free of DiseaseAajonus Vonderplanitz Raw to RadiantKim Cohen Fiber… Read more »

Practical? Me Practical?

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With the giant mountain of information that I’ve managed to accumulate on this site over nearly one full year of work, coming up with a practical plan for improving diet is long overdue. To be honest with you, it’s hard to decide exactly what is the most important starting point for improving the diet. But here goes on coming up with a plan, for someone starting more or less from square one, in abandoning the Standard American Diet (SAD). I assume that you, whoever you are, have spent most of your life eating a great deal of processed and packaged food, lots of sweetened foods, candy and straight up sugar, tons of vegetable oils in the form of French fries and chips, plenty of caffeine and chocolate, and processed meats… Read more »

WAPF 2007 Annual Conference (continued)

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In the last edition I talked about GAP Syndrome, a metabolic disorder rooted in the inner ecosystem of the digestive tract. GAP Syndrome, an imbalance with a myriad of physical and psychological disturbances, is quite treatable through a specific diet according to its “discoverer” Natasha Campbell-McBride. McBride’s best line during her two presentations at the conference was perhaps when she mentioned that the principles of Weston A. Price geeks was “a healthy diet for healthy people, but certain specific conditions require a very specific diet.” This is absolutely true and something we all needed to hear, for many conference attendees have been unable to reverse chronic conditions in themselves and in their children. This observation was put much more bluntly by Donna Gates when she stated that “a lot of… Read more »

Spotlight on Coconut Oil

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So I’m usually like, “hey, fats are good, eat ‘em suckaz!” This time I wanted to get specific though, because true virgin coconut oil is a powerful substance deserving special attention. Coconut oil’s affect on the body can be so noticeable, particularly for those who have been avoiding fats for many years, that is seems almost druglike. I’d go so far as to say that the only people who wouldn’t notice a dramatic physiological effect from consuming coconut oil are those with a high metabolism, those already eating lots of utilizable fats, or those who have particularly stable blood sugar otherwise. The most noticeable effects are a rise in body temperature, increased energy, and lack of hunger and sugar cravings. Coconut oil has a long litany of other less noticeable… Read more »

Derma Dharma

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Don't be a PALE FACE

I don’t know if anyone’s noticed this, but there is lots of sub par skin out there. Somebody’s putting the derrr in Dermatology. Acne is very common, and not just in teenagers anymore. Eczema and psoriasis are prevalent. Skin Cancer is off the charts, and I don’t think it’s all because of the ozone layer. What is the most sensible way to nurture the skin and avoid these maladies and poor skin in general? Nowadays I have very healthy skin, and it gets healthier every year, but I still wouldn’t call myself an expert on skin health. I have worked hard to research and test some things out though – enough to wholeheartedly recommend them. At the very least, my typically opposite perspective will give you another potentially more logical… Read more »

Oops I Did it Again: Episode II (revised)

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Bottle Water

Drink eight glasses of water per day! What does that mean and where did that number come from? How big are the glasses? What if you weigh 103 pounds, do you still have to drink eight whole glasses of water every day? What if you haven’t broken a sweat all day, still eight glasses? For years I’ve been a huge proponent of water consumption. Water, over the past decade, has comprised close to 90% of my liquids. There have been smoothie phases and juicing phases along the way, I had a brief stint as the “teamaster,” and I used to gulp OJ by the quart at one point, but water has always been the mainstay throughout. I’ve had filtered water, bottled spring water, and have even placed signs and pictures… Read more »

Ceviche, tu amigo

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The concept of ceviche can create a little bit of a block for many people, “so you like soak raw fish and stuff in lime juice and then eat it?” The lime juice is like a pickling liquid that ‘cooks’ and preserves the seafood. Yes it’s considered to be cooked in its own way, even though it is never heated. In fact, just as if you were boiling shrimp, the lime juice will turn the shrimp from gray to bright lobster red. And it is most certainly safe to eat as the lime juice will destroy bacteria and any parasites. In fact, it’s much safer to eat than raw fish as in sashimi, which is of course a widely accepted safe food – but if raw fish scares you, don’t… Read more »

Addiction

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Addiction

Nearly everyone is addicted to something. Addictions aren’t always to drugs which alter the biochemical state of the body instantly and acutely. Addictions can also erupt from any activity that alters the body’s chemistry from strenuous exercise to vomiting (as in bulimia). I define addiction as being overly drawn to a substance or activity to varying degrees. Addictions emerge stealthily and without warning because the body, which is highly adjustable, alters itself to cope with the repetitive action or use of a substance. Essentially, all addictive patterns emerge because the oversecretion of certain biochemicals and hormones worsens the condition that it temporarily relieves (i.e. caffeine leading to chronic fatigue). The more you drink alcohol, for example, the more the body readjusts and the more dependent it becomes on receiving alcohol… Read more »

Silly Wabbit, Fat is for Devouring

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Fats

Again, as most of you have discovered, I’m a huge proponent of unadulterated fats. The concept of certain types of fats being healthy is becoming increasingly common. Most fad nutritionists refer to “healthy” fats as being “actually good for you.” Still, most warn of animal fats, saturated fats, and whole fat dairy products. They also typically recommend “lean” meats, skinless chicken breasts, steamed foods over fried and sautéed versions, etc. Increasingly common exceptions are coconut oil as well as cocoa butter from dark chocolate, which are both highly saturated, but because of the types of fatty acids they contain they are nevertheless starting to gain some fanfare in the health and nutrition mainstream. This is a very promising trend; however, most people are still under the impression that fats in… Read more »

When Plants Fight Back!

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By: Pippa Galea of the ADVENTURES IN RECOVERY BLOG I would like to write my testimonial to tell people about my raw food journey. I got turned onto raw foods 9 years ago as I was suffering from chronic fatigue and depression. To start with the diet was amazing. I lost weight, my acne cleared up, my energy increased and I felt a billion dollars. My mum was very proud of me because my eyes shined like a star and she would brag to her friends about her super healthy daughter. I was 27 years old and as I had been sick for 2 years prior to this I felt like I had been given a 2nd chance at life. I became a key figure in the English raw foods scene,… Read more »

Sugarpie Honeybuns

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There is perhaps no hotter topic in nutritional spheres than blood sugar regulation. Although you may have not been diagnosed with any kind of blood sugar regulation deficiency, to a degree your system has been altered if you’ve grown up on typical refined foods like white flour, white sugar, soft drinks, caffeine, candy, etc., which, if you’re technologically advanced enough to be reading this, you probably have. Nearly everyone suffers from drops in blood sugar to varying degrees. If you exercise intensely and find yourself weak, dizzy, exhausted, shaky, and ravenously hungry, then your body has failed to maintain its proper blood sugar levels. If you get a little light headed and weak if you’ve gone for many hours without food, your body has failed to maintain its proper blood… Read more »

The 10-Week Transformation Project

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10 week diet plan

This is the first official call for a group of volunteers willing to follow a simple set of dietary guidelines for a period of 10 weeks. I know that the nutritional principles are sound, and I’ve put all of the following concepts to use in my own life with great success, but I’m curious to see if it’s “that simple” for others. To join the group you can live anywhere on earth but you must: 1) Be overweight.2) Not be too physically active.3) Have a history of dieting, calorie restriction, lowfat/carb attempts or both, etc.4) Have a moderate list of physical “imperfections,” such as low energy, sporadic changes in blood sugar levels, headaches, bladder/prostate issues, sexual dysfunction or infertility, PMS, hot flashes or other menopausal symptoms, chronic ailments, frequent infections,… Read more »

Postnatal Essentials

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New mothers are faced with a difficult challenge. On one hand there is an immediate desire to lose fat and restore vigor and physical appearance. On the other, there is an essential need for nursing mothers to eat an abundance of nutritious foods to make sure breast milk is rich and nourishing for the infant. Although this task is simple and easy, when books, doctors offices, universities, magazines, and television are saturated by misinformation ranging from partial truth to absurdity, it becomes quite a difficult task. The fact that nearly every American has nutritional deficiencies in varying degrees, particularly menstruation-aged women and pregnant and nursing mothers, the need for proper nutrition is desperately needed. To restore vibrant health while supplying an abundance of nutrients to your child, it is mandatory… Read more »