The following information was gathered from the book – “The Coconut Oil Miracle” by Bruce Fife.
Dieting
It is a common mistake to believe that drastic changes in your daily food intake is necessary in order to lose weight. You do not have to “diet” at all to lose weight. Just choose to make healthy and wise decisions when it comes to food choices.
In order to lose fat and excess weight permanently and healthfully, you need to do it slowly. No crash diets. No starving yourself. The best way to lose weight is to make small adjustments in the types of food you eat, increase you activity level, and stop worrying about counting calories or denying yourself.
Fats and Calories
The fact is, fat makes food taste better. And they are necessary in the preparation of many dishes and baked goods. They also contain essential fatty acids and fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, K, and beta-carotene, which help protect our bodies from disease.
Coconut oil has few calories than other fast and actually promotes better health. You can lose unwanted body fat by eating more saturated fat (in the form of coconut oil), and less polyunsaturated fat (processed vegetable oils).
Coconut oil is a Medium Chain Fatty Acid (MCFA). MCFAs speed up your body’s metabolism so you burn more calories faster. MCFAs are also converted directly into energy when ingested into the body. So when you use coconut oil, the body uses it immediately to make energy rather than store it as body fat.
Tips for Healthy Weight Loss
~ Replace processed vegetable oils with coconut oil
~ helps protect against heart disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and many other degenerative diseases
~ prevents premature aging of the skin
~ strengthens the immune system
~ improves digestion
~ treats and prevents stomach ulcers
~ effectively treats all forms of candida in the form of caprylic acid, a dietary supplement found in health food stores
~ may provide an effective defense again many parasites, including giardia
~ foods cooked with coconut oil make a great energy booster without adversely affecting blood sugar
~ promotes health weight loss
~ safe and effective as a lip balm, skin moisturizer, conditioner, and lubricant
~ controls dandruff
~ supports the development of strong bones and teeth
“The potential uses of coconut oil for treating and preventing a wide assortment of infections is truly astounding, ranging from the flu to life threatening conditions such as AIDS.”
It was recently brought to my attention that there are a few bills going through congress right now that could affect the way local farmers make their living. HR 875 and HR 759 are being addressed as “food safety” bills that, intentionally or not, are targeted at industrial-sized farms, but do not exclude just growing vegetables in your backyard. I would like to spread the word about how these bills, if passed, will affect local communities, so you, in turn, can also help spread the word and we can all contact our senators and stop these bills from passing! Here is the jist of things:
HR 875 is the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009. It was introduced by Representative Rosa DeLauro (whose husband has Monsanto, a global seed and GMO production company, as a client. Hmm…). All of the bill is directed at “food production facilities”. What does that mean? Well the bill specifically states that the term “food production facility” means “any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation.” No exclusions or exemptions are implied. So small, local farms would fall into the same category as industrial production facilities and will be expected to meet the same standards as stated in the bill. The Administrator of Food Safety will have duties of which will include enforcing performance standards for food safety, establishing an inspection program, and establishing a national traceability system for food. Sounds safe, yes, but not when I am buying my produce from the farm it came from. I feel pretty safe with that as it is, without the “tracing” of the food and having it live up to “performance standards”.
The bill also allows the goverment to interfere and dictate the standards related to fertilization, nutrients, packaging, and temperature controls, among other things. It also authorizes fines equaling one million dollars for “each act” and “each day” of a violation. Massive amounts of paperwork, fees, and tracking records will be required. This seems all fine and good for large facilities, but near impossible for the small farmers!
HR 759 proves to be even worse. It is called The Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act of 2009. This bill was introduced by Representative John Dingle and it requires the Secretary of Health and Human services to issue “science-based” performance standards to minimize hazards and improve food safety, and also establish “science-based” minimum standards for the safe production and harvesting of fruits and veggies. What the hell does “science-based” standards include? The bill does not say…. it is completely undefined.
All standards of this bill are the same whether it is an industrial farm with hundreds of thousands of animals, or you have a handful of animals on your property. These standards include providing an extensive food safety plan, elctronically tracking all food products, and having an ID system for every animal on your farm. Excuse me, sorry, for the industrial sized farms, they need one ID number for every 800,000 animals….for the small farmer, it is every animal, and the cost of doing so, of course. They will also be required to register with the FDA and pay annual fees for running their farm.
Again, this all sounds like a decent “food safety” program they are trying to instill, but only if you are just counting large food production facilities where animals are confined to a small space, are subject to disease and viruses because of a lowered immune system, and fed all the wrong things. This is where the problems are happening. But if these bills are passed, small farms will be affected in the same way, and could quite possibly be the end of them.
Buying locally is a great way to ensure that the food you are eating IS safe. These farmers’ livelihood depends on their reputation and word of mouth, they cannot risk doing anything that could compromise their products. Support your local farmers and contact your state’s representatives right now and stop this bill from being passed!!
Originating in Indonesia, tempeh is a fermented food consisting of cooked soybeans (or other legumes, seeds, etc) bound together by a dense mycelium of a mold called Rhizopus. It is sold fresh, refridgerated, or frozen in three quarter inch cakes or patties. You can also buy Rhizopus, which is also called “tempeh starter” and make your own tempeh. It is used in recipes ranging from main dishes to salads to dips. It is a highly versatile food that will add flavor and nutrition to any recipe.
What are the Health Benefits of Tempeh?
Tempeh provides essential protein in a strict vegetarian diet. It is also the world’s richest resource of Vitamin B12 for the vegetarian diet, which is often lacking in a vegetarian diet. In one 3 1/2 oz serving there is only 157 calories. It is also low in saturated fats and contains no cholesterol, and is extremely low in sodium, making tempeh an ideal food for a healthy diet.
Tempeh is also easy on the digestive system. During the fermentation process, enzymes from the mold partially break down the soy proteins and oils, so the body doesn’t have to work as much to break it down. It also contains a good amount of natural dietary fiber, which also aids in the digestive tract and is beneficial in protecting against chronic diseases.
Tempeh also contains natural antibiotics, produced by the Rhizopus mold. These antibiotics help fight off many diseases.
Tempeh is most commonly found made with soybeans, so you also get all the healthy benefits of soy. If you make your own, you can experiment by trying different nuts and legumes to get their nutritional value.
How to Cook with Tempeh
As mentioned earlier, tempeh can be used in a variety of different ways. It can be sliced up thin and fried with garlic and soy sauce for a salty substitute for bacon on pizza or in breakfast meals. It can be ground up into a dip such as guacamole for added taste and nutrition. It goes great on a salad. Just cut it up into tiny pieces and fry it up lightly, maybe adding a few spices, and toss into a salad.
Another way to cook with tempeh is cut it up into cubes and simmer it on the stove in a pot of water and soy sauce (I prefer Bragg’s Liquid Aminos). Simmer for about 10-15 minutes, then drain the liquid. You can use the tempeh fresh like that, or mash it up and use in other ways. My favorite recipes involve this process.
Tempeh is a wonderfully nutritional food to use as a meat substitute. Its many health benefits are ideal for a nutritional diet. Go on, try it and see what everybody is talking about!
