Day 288- Book Review: Eat Fat Loose Fat

I highly recommend the book, "Eat Fat, Lose Fat" by Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon. These nutrition experts also are the authors of my favorite nutritional book, "Nourishing Traditions."

"Eat Fat, Lose Fat," is an eye opening book that teaches you that fat is not the enemy that it is made out to be. Focused mostly on the benefits of coconut oil and the harmful affects of vegetable oils in the diet; you will learn how to change your diet to one that allows you to thrive.

"World populations on four continents that subsist on the coconut with less evidence of heart disease, weight gain, or other chronic illnesses provide the "best proof" of this food's safety and efficacy; dozens of studies conducted by prestigious, mainstream universities support the use of coconut and other healthy fats and reveal the faulty reasoning underlying the saturated fat/cholesterol/heart disease hypothesis; and case stories from a wide range of people illustrate how using coconut oil in concert with other healthy fats can spark weight loss and heal serious illnesses, including anxiety, hypothyroidism, and chronic fatigue syndrome."

This book also includes some incredible recipes that help you to better transition into this dietary change in adding more healthy fats into your diet. Below is a sample from the book:

Mango Chicken

Serves 6
366 calories per serving

This unusual dish from Western Samoa combines the tastes of coconut milk and mango.

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 mangos, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, melted
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
pinch nutmeg
grated rind of 1 lemon
1 cup chicken stock
juice of 1 lemon
1 can whole coconut milk

Strew onion slices in a stainless steel baking dish. Arrange the mango slices in a layer on top of the onions and place the chicken pieces (breasts, legs and thighs), skin side up, over the mango. (Use the chicken backs and neck to make chicken stock unless you'd prefer not to, or are having trouble finding these at your local market.) Mix coconut oil, salt, pepper, paprika, nutmeg and lemon rind and brush on chicken pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is nicely browned.

Remove chicken and mango slices to a heated platter. Pour chicken stock into the pan and bring to a boil, scraping up coagulated juices. Reduce to a simmer and stir in lemon juice and coconut milk. Strain into a saucepan and simmer further to allow the liquid to reduce and thicken slightly.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP

Day 210- Feed Your Brain

"Everything you have ever experienced, felt, or conducted in life is due to brain function. The ability to enjoy, perceive, sense, and experience life is dictated by the firing rate and health of your brain. It is impossible for a person to become healthy mentally or physiologically without a healthy brain." - Datis Kharrazian, D.H.Sc., D.C., M.S

How can we make sure that we are providing our brain with the right nutrients to help support proper brain function? Sure you can read, study, engage in brain stimulating activities, but how about literally feeding your brain? Below I have provided foods that will feed and promote healthy functioning of your brain.

1. Omega-3 fatty acids- the brain is made up of about 60% of fat, mostly in the form of DHA. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oils, especially cod liver and krill. DHA is one of the major building blocks in the brain and is a essential nutrient for brain health and neuronal function.
2. Eggs- provide the best food source of choline. Choline is a neurotransmitter that has been shown to support general brain function, increase memory, and thinking.
3. Antioxidants- foods like blueberries, pomegranate, acai, sesamin found in sesame seed oil are good sources of antioxidants which help to damped the effects of free-radical activity on the brain. Helping to reduce aging and age-related diseases.
4. Coconut oil- medium chain fatty acids, which get converted into ketones and help to fuel the brain. Has also been shown to help the brain recover after loss of oxygen.
5. Tryptophan- for issues related to low serotonin, it is suggested to increase consumption of tryptophan containing foods such as, chicken breast, shrimp, mushrooms, halibut, salmon, turkey, scallops, etc.
6. Phenylalanine and Tyrosine- for issues related to low dopamine, it is suggested to increase consumption of foods such as, wild game meat, beef, turkey, eggs, chocolate, etc.
7. Glutamic acid and Glutamate- for issues related to low gaba production, it is suggested to increase consumption of foods such as, cheese, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, liver, halibut, spinach, beans, etc.
8. Vitamin B-12- many well documented cases of brain-abnormalities have been shown in strict vegetarians due to B-12 deficiencies. Good sources of Vitamin B-12 include organic grass-fed beef, wild salmon, organic calf liver, eggs, etc.
9. Cherries- are a natural anti-inflammatory, which may help to dampen inflammation in the brain.
10. Curry- yellow curry contains a spice called turmeric, which has a anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect on the brain. In a study, elderly people who ate curry often or very often did better n tests of mental performance than those who never or rarely ate curry.

On top of foods to feed your brain, I also encourage stabilizing your blood sugar, reducing inflammation all together, removing foods that you are allergic or sensitive to, and getting frequent exercise.

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryam, NTP

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Day 175- What are the Best Oils to Cook With?

This is always a confusing topic for people, since the healthiest oils aren't always the healthiest to cook with. Oils have what is called a "smoke point," the higher the smoke point the higher you can heat them before they go rancid. But that isn't all that you should be considering, since vegetable oils have a high smoke point but that doesn't mean that they should be used for cooking, or all all for that matter. Polyunsaturated oils are the least stable at high heat, due to having the greatest number of double bonds, then followed by monounsaturated oils, and then the saturated oils.

First of all GET RID OF ALL BAD FATS! These include oils such as:

• Vegetable oils- most are a mixture of unidentified oils that have been extracted with chemicals.
• Old oils- beware that some oils have a limited shelf life and so make sure that they still smell fresh when you use them.
• Partially hydrogenated cooking oils- these are vegetable oils that have had some of the double bonds synthetically removed, which increases the degree of saturation, causing it to act more like a saturated oil. This also creates trans fats, which can raise bad cholesterol in people and should be avoided.
• Purchase oils in dark containers, the harsh store lights can cause the oils to go rancid even before you have a chance to use the oil. Once purchased store in dark cupboards. Also for oils such as olive oil, store majority of the oil in the refrigerator and only keep what small amount you will use in a few weeks time out.
• Canola oil, Soy oil, and Corn oil- are all highly common GMO foods, you can read more about Canola oil on my previous blog, Canola Oil, What the Heck is this Anyways? or about the phytoestrogens, and phytates found in soy in my previous blogs, You Scream, We all Scream for Soy! and How Soy Formula is Similar to Birth Control

My suggestions:

Avoid cooking with oils such as flax seed and olive oil; although great oils, these oils are better used for dressings and supplements. Flax seed should never be heated, since it made up of mostly polyunsaturated fatty acids it goes rancid quite easily once heated. I recommend freshly ground flax-seed in shakes, or cold-pressed flax seed in dressings. Olive oil can be used to sauté at low-medium temperatures, but I wouldn't recommend anything higher than that. Use olive mainly for dressings. Grape seed oil has been recommended as a healthy alternative to olive oil for cooking, but this oil does have a high oxidation potential so beware if you are using it at high heats.

Saturated fats such as coconut oil are my favorite choices. These oils can take higher heats before they go rancid, and if you read my blog, My Tropical Love Affair, you can learn more about this healthy oil. Unrefined is the best choice, although refined coconut oil has a high smoke point. Palm oils are another choice since they are highly saturated and therefore more heat stable. Red palm oil has the added bonus of also containing lots of CoQ10 and vitamin E along with the saturated fatty acids. Some controversy is going on with palm oil plantations, but West African red palm oil is normally considered environmentally sound.

Oils such as macadamia nut, almond, sesame, avocado, and walnut are also great choices, but they are a little harsher on the wallet so I wouldn't recommend using them all the time. These oils are a favorable choice for salad dressings, but also can be used to saute and cook with. Most should be stored in a dark area or in the refrigerator for longer shelf life.

Butter, lard, and tallow also are great for cooking since they are highly saturated. They all have received a bad rap over the years, but here is another example of not believing everything you read. Buy good quality fats like butter from grass-fed cattle, these fats are perfect on vegetables to help your body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins. DO NOT substitute margarine for butter!

Pura Vida!

Alica Ryan, NTP