Is Coconut Oil REALLY Healthy? See Dr. Mercola’s Answer

Dr. Joseph Mercola has two kinds of oil in his pantry: olive oil and coconut oil. Watch this video to find out why.

Coconut oil is beneficial for:

1. thyroid health –  due to its metabolic effect, coconut oil increases the activity of the thyroid and help you lose weight
2. heart health – lowers cholesterol
3. and it’s great applied to your skin – as a makeup remover, moisturizer

Of these two oils, Dr. Mercola uses olive oil for salads, and coconut oil for cooking. Why does he use coconut oil for cooking? Because it doesn’t oxidize at high temperatures like live oil can, and industrial oils do. Speaking of industrial oils, avoid these polyunsaturated oils: canola, safflower, soy, sunflower, corn.

What … avoid canola? Yes! Many people think canola oil is good for them, but it’s not. Follow the money, and read this article about the Great Con-ola. If you eat packaged food, read labels carefully; if it says canola on the label, don’t buy it. I recently noticed canola oil on the ingredient list of a popular brand of hummus. Using canola oil in hummus instead of olive oil means the manufacturer’s focus is on cheap, not quality.

Now, back to coconut oil. Look for these qualities in a good coconut oil:

Certified organic by USDA standards No refining No chemicals added (including hexane) No bleaching No deodorization No hydrogenation Made from traditional coconut palms only, no hybrid or genetically modified (GMO) varieties Made from fresh coconuts, not the dried “copra” used in cheap oils Made without heat processing

You can buy good quality coconut oil from Dr. Mercola’s site or Wilderness Family Naturals. I bought mine from Green Pasture, but I don’t see it on their website today.

Dr. Mercola will be the keynote speaker at Wise Traditions, the Weston A. Price Foundation’s International Conference in Dallas, November 11 – 13, 2011. I’ll be there!

If you want to learn more about the health benefits of coconut oil, here’s a good article from real food blogger Cheeseslave, and read Bruce Fife’s well-researched book The Coconut Oil Miracle. Be well!

Randy Travis Drinks Raw Milk

Last Sunday morning, my husband and I spent two happy hours with the Moore family at Lavon Farms in Plano, Texas, home of Lucky Layla drinkable yogurt. This is a picture of one of their beautiful Guernsey cows. We’ve been buying raw milk from the Moores since last summer when I first read Nina Planck‘s book, Real Food: What to Eat and Why?, and learned about the amazing nutrient-dense food that is raw milk.

We were out at the farm taking some pictures for a Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund fundraiser that will take place at Lavon Farms on November 11, during the Weston A. Price Foundation’s Wise Traditions Conference in Dallas. When details for both events become available, I’ll let you know.

Just 20 miles north of downtown Dallas, and a world away, this 200-acre farm is home to champion Guernsey and Jersey cows that live life the way cows were meant to. As we walked the pasture to get a better look a the cows, this Guernsey girl in the photo was so curious she just walked right up to us.

This great life they lead is in sharp contrast to the cows that produce most of the milk consumed in the U.S., even organic milk. Most milk is from confinement dairies where cows stand or lie on concrete, often in their own feces. At Lavon Farms, the average productive lifespan is seven to eight years; contrast that with industrial confinement dairy cows’ lifespan of two to three years.

Are you getting enough good protein in your diet? If you’re counting the protein in industrial pasteurized and homogenized milk, that might not count. Todd Moore reminded me that his milk contains the rare A2 protein that’s particularly beneficial for people with:

• type 1 diabetes
• high risk of heart disease
• autism

Only milk from Jersey and Guernsey cattle have the important A2 protein, and Guernseys are known to produce the highest percentage of A2 of all breeds of dairy cattle. If you or your family members have any of the above conditions, and even if you don’t, you may seriously want to consider drinking A2 raw milk. Find your local source for real milk here.

Ann Marie of Cheeseslave.com, says this about protein in general: “Protein is made up of chains of amino acids, which are the precursors for the neurotransmitters in our brain. The amino acids in protein are the building blocks of endorphins and serotinin. According to Julia Ross, pioneer in the field of nutritional psychology and author of The Mood Cure, lack of protein causes:

• • anxiety
  • depression
  • insomnia
  • ADD
  • alcohol/drug addiction, and a host of other problems

Julia says we need 20-30 grams of protein per meal — three times a day. And that’s just to maintain our current brain chemistry. Animal protein is the most nutrient-dense form of protein — so why not just cut to the chase? Anxious? Depressed? You need more protein! It’s essential to always eat fat with protein.”

I am so passionate about real, raw milk that it inspired me to start this blog. My first blog post was about raw milk, and my masthead features bottles of fresh milk. My husband and I drink about a gallon a week; we’ve been known to drink two … and we find ourselves white-knuckling it toward the end of the week, trying to make it last until our next visit to Lavon Farms. I drink it before and after my Camp Gladiator bootcamp workout. Raw milk is the perfect food: you get protein, carbs and good fat, as well as tons of vitamins for healthy body and amino acids for a healthy gut. When your milk is from healthy, happy cows, milked under sanitary conditions, and it’s not pasteurized or homogenized, you get the full benefits of nature’s perfect food.

So what about Randy Travis? I hear he’s a fan of raw milk from Lavon Farms, too!

Salmon Croquettes: not your Mama’s salmon patties

One of the great benefits of eating well is making new, delicious meals. I never got anything like this from the McDonald’s drive-thru!

Salmon Croquettes
(based on a modified New Basics recipe from Ann Marie at Cheeseslave)

15 ounces wild Alaskan salmon (I used canned Bear and Wolf from Costco)
3/4 cups toasted bread crumbs (toast 4 slices frozen sprouted bread, pulse in food processor)
1/2 cup homemade mayonnaise (I used the recipe for mayonnaise in Nourishing Traditions – make it ahead of time to allow it to thicken)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup minced yellow bell pepper (or celery)
1/4 cup minced red bell pepper 
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley 
2 eggs
2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp organic Worcestershire sauce 
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup macadamia nut oil to start, more as needed
mayo to serve

1. Mince all the veggies together in a food processor.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the salmon with 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs, along with all the other ingredients (except for the macadamia oil and the mayo to serve).
3. Shape into patties. Roll the patties in the rest of the breadcrumbs.
4. Heat 1/2 cup of macadamia oil in a cast iron or stainless steel skillet on medium heat. Cook the patties 3-4 minutes on each side, until brown and crispy.
5. Serve with mayonnaise

Serves 4. Serve with a big salad and a glass of wine.

Notes: If you use prepared bread crumbs, read the label to make sure it is just bread crumbs (e.g., no vegetable oil or other chemicals). Don’t be afraid to make real mayonnaise; throw out that stuff with soybean oil. A panini grill is a great way to heat the leftovers. Enjoy!

Julia Ross says, “Junk moods come from junk foods.”

You’ve probably heard that nutrition plays an important role in how we feel, but have you taken it to heart? If you feel crummy, I’d guess that your diet probably includes:

1. Junk food (fast food, sugar, white flour, vegetable oil, processed food), or
2. Foods you think are healthy, but are not (low fat meats like skinless chicken breast, or worse … no meat, soy products, grains)

Watch this five-minute video from the CheeseSlave’s online cooking class on how plenty of protein and good fats can help you be well:

Give your brain the nutrients it needs, and you will feel well and be well. The nutrients your brain needs are the same that your whole body needs for optimal functioning. I was addicted to white flour and sugar for years. I have recently ditched junk food, and I feel better than I have in more than a decade! And I’m not being “good” or exercising an iron will, I am eating real, beautiful, delicious food that just happens to be exactly what my brain and body need. I really feel like a new person, and I hope the information I share will help you too.

To learn about real food, read Real Food: What to Eat and Why by Nina Planck.

For more information about how food affects your mood, check out The Mood Cure (by Julia Ross).