Coconut/An Old Maid??

Tuesday night...almost midnight and fighting sleep. Also busy day tomorrow so I'll get this blog at least started tonight. Had no plans tonight which is rare - most every night (except Saturday, date night) I'm out doing something. The day was full - client meeting in the morning and yes I did let the car drift over to Patrick's house where I sat  for just a few minutes thinking, "What the hell am I doing!" Thursday it will be exactly a year and a half since we broke up. Victor says, "Get over him or you'll end up being an old maid" which made me laugh. "Old" maybe but "maid"??? There were the two husbands. Anyway, I won't visit his house again like a gravestone - mostly because I think it risks being misunderstood. I mean, really, if he'd died no one would fault me for putting roses on his grave every now and then. That's what it feels like, seeing his little house - like visiting a departed loved one, taking a few quiet moments to think about the love and fun times, allowing myself to miss him - then pulling myself together and stepping back into the business of my life without him. I don't see the harm in that but when I tell people (and I never hide it), they look worried and caution me about being a crazy stalker. Makes me sad because either a) they don't know me - they should know I always find my way to the high road and b) I am mentally healthy - just still in love and struggling with it - seem to lack the "falling out of love" gene. Later, Una came for tea which was grand. Fun to hear about her brothers and sisters and her Christmas plans (she's headed to New York).

Today Victor said I need to talk about coconut in the blog. When I mentioned using coconut coffee creamer, coconut cooking spray, cooking with coconut oil, eating raw coconut flesh from the jar, basting acorn squash with coconut butter and munching on fresh coconut as a between meal snack, he said, "Huh! Are you crazy! Coconut is bad for you...everyone knows that!" "Victor, you must have missed the memo.....out with the old and in with the new! Coconut has has been rehabilitated! 180 degrees! Coconut is the new health craze!" And you DO have to take it on faith that it's good for you because when you open a jar of coconut "oil" (I put "oil" in quotes because it does not look like oil at all - looks more like Crisco), it makes you shudder in disgust. The whole hydrogenated trans fat message reached most of us loud and clear and coconut oil sure looks hydrogenated. But......it isn't. It comes by its solid state naturally, not through injecting oil with hydrogen to make it shelf stable and solid. Who knew?

And funny what first tipped us off that coconut could have special properties. Cattlemen are always looking for ways to fatten their herds. Since coconut was oil non-gratis, it was cheap and abundant, seemed like a good way to add pounds to the cows. BUT...cows that were fed a diet high in coconut, got sleek and lean and healthy and horny and energetic. And Islanders who eat a diet where over 50% of their calories come from coconut are - you guessed it - sleek and lean and healthy and horny and energetic.

Today did some coconut research in anticipation of writing this blog. Went to a site that purports to be the expert site for all things coconut. The health claims they list are amazing -  make me a bit skeptical (how can it all be true!) and make me want to do more research and validate that the site isn't just run by coconut farmers spreading hype. Can you believe the following?

Modern medical science is now confirming the use of coconut in treating many of the above conditions. Published studies in medical journals show that coconut, in one form or another, may provide a wide range of health benefits. Some of these are summarized below:

• Kills viruses that cause influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, SARS, AIDS, and other illnesses.
• Kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, and other diseases.
• Kills fungi and yeasts that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash, and other infections.
• Expels or kills tapeworms, lice, giardia, and other parasites.
• Provides a nutritional source of quick energy.
• Boosts energy and endurance, enhancing physical and athletic performance.
• Improves digestion and absorption of other nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.
• Improves insulin secretion and utilization of blood glucose.
• Relieves stress on pancreas and enzyme systems of the body.
• Reduces symptoms associated with pancreatitis.
• Helps relieve symptoms and reduce health risks associated with diabetes.
• Reduces problems associated with malabsorption syndrome and cystic fibrosis.
• Improves calcium and magnesium absorption and supports the development of strong bones and teeth.
• Helps protect against osteoporosis.
• Helps relieve symptoms associated with gallbladder disease.
• Relieves symptoms associated with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and stomach ulcers.
• Improves digestion and bowel function.
• Relieves pain and irritation caused by hemorrhoids.
• Reduces inflammation.
• Supports tissue healing and repair.
• Supports and aids immune system function.
• Helps protect the body from breast, colon, and other cancers.
• Is heart healthy; improves cholesterol ratio reducing risk of heart disease.
• Protects arteries from injury that causes atherosclerosis and thus protects against heart disease.
• Helps prevent periodontal disease and tooth decay.
• Functions as a protective antioxidant.
• Helps to protect the body from harmful free radicals that promote premature aging and degenerative disease.
• Does not deplete the body's antioxidant reserves like other oils do.
• Improves utilization of essential fatty acids and protects them from oxidation.
• Helps relieve symptoms associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.
• Relieves symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (prostate enlargement).
• Reduces epileptic seizures.
• Helps protect against kidney disease and bladder infections.
• Dissolves kidney stones.
• Helps prevent liver disease.
• Is lower in calories than all other fats.
• Supports thyroid function.
• Promotes loss of excess weight by increasing metabolic rate.
• Is utilized by the body to produce energy in preference to being stored as body fat like other dietary fats.
• Helps prevent obesity and overweight problems.
• Applied topically helps to form a chemical barrier on the skin to ward of infection.
• Reduces symptoms associated the psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis.
• Supports the natural chemical balance of the skin.
• Softens skin and helps relieve dryness and flaking.
• Prevents wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots.
• Promotes healthy looking hair and complexion.
• Provides protection from damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
• Helps control dandruff.
• Does not form harmful by-products when heated to normal cooking temperature like other vegetable oils do.
• Has no harmful or discomforting side effects.
• Is completely non-toxic to humans.

All for today. You already know the challenge, right? Go to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's and get the following items to incorporate into your diet:

• coconut milk - use it in place of dairy milk
• coconut creamer - I like it better than coconut milk for coffee - it's thicker
• coconut milk in a can - use for cooking - great in stir-fry - it's what's used in a lot of Thai dishes
• coconut spray - use it instead of unhealthy Pam
• raw coconut butter - use it on roasted vegetables and as a spread on rice crackers
• coconut oil - similar jar to the butter but without the chunks - use it for cooking in place of all the GMO unhealthy oils (you shouldn't be eating anything other than olive oil (salads) and coconut oil for cooking because olive oil is actually unhealthy when it's heated above a certain temperature. All other oils (safflower, corn, canola, etc. are the new "oil non-gratis" - don't eat 'em.
• Mounds and Almond Joy bars (darn, tried to sneak them in!)

Bon Appetit!

Peace,

Sarah