Overcoming obesity, the easy way.

I was once slightly plump. Then I started taking coconut oil as it was a good oil which brings health benefits. It has antioxidant properties. It is antibacterial and antiviral. As I have written in a previous post, it contains lauric acid which helps to prevent heart problems. As for the saturated oil in coconut oil, it is of a different length from saturated oil from animals. In fact, at room temperature, coconut oil does not harden like lard of animals.

After about two months of taking coconut oil, friends noticed that i was either slimmer or thinner. Some were in fact quite worried that I could be suffering from some kind of sickness. I believe it is the result of taking two to three tablespoons of coconut oil per day as my food consumption, the amount and types are almost always the same.

As it is a good nutritious oil, those who are obese ought to try it for two months and find out for themselves. Of course, it may be good to ask your family doctor for his/her opinion. It could be one of the easiest way to bring the weight down.

In fact, I am quite certain it is the effect of the coconut oil as when I stopped taking it for a month, my weight did increase a little.

According to my own experience, smoothies can also help us to reduce weight if we use fruits that are not so sweet as well as vegetables to make them.

Well, this is how I do it. In a blender, I put some washed clean vegetables and fruits with no sugar added. However, initially, for those who think it could be difficult to drink raw food or take on the taste of such stuff, a little honey could help. Another thing which can be done is to have a higher percentage of fruits in the smoothie. As we get used to the taste and the fibre or realise the benefits it brings, we can put in more vegetables.

Then I add some water to the fruits, vegetables and honey before I blend them for approximately one minute. You may add ice-cubes if you wish to have it cold. When it is ready, pour the smoothies into a cup or glass and enjoy it with the knowledge that you are drinking chlorophyll, a good number of nutrients and fibre for your good health.

Of course, reducing weight can never be as successful if we merely depend a certain type of food alone. We must be aware that plenty of simple carbohydrates can add calories and counter the effects brought by any effort to reduce weight. Just do not fight against your goal. An half an hour's brisk walking or some other enjoyable exercise will not only assist you towards your goal, it will bring many health benefits.

Well, knowledge not used cannot bring any benefits. So, do it and tell us the results in two month's time.

Fats, food and health.

Recently, in this blog, you have read about the fats your body needs to stay healthy. Your cells which are found in every part and organ of your body need fats to to be produced and maintained. It supplies you with energy, without which your organs and body cannot function. Some vitamins need fats to be absorbed. So, naturally, fats are necessary.

However, do not go overboard, as we also know that too much of anything is not good for our health. Excess of some vitamins can cause problems. Excess fat can also be a problem. Knowing this how do we go about eating correctly.

Before I continue, I would like to point out that not only obese people get heart problems. I have personally known of at least two persons who had blocked arteries even though they are two very thin persons.

Knowing that saturated animal fats are not recommended by many health researchers, we ought to eat only lean meats. Of course, there is still a little saturated fats in the lean meat but that amount is not excessive. If it is chicken, remove the skin as most of the fats is found there.

When it comes to meat, it is not so much the fats in the lean meat but residues of the antibiotics and other chemicals or growth hormones which are given to the animals that can bring on health problems.

It is good to have some fish a few days a week as our protein intake. Oily fish supplies us with Omega-3.

Then again, some people do not see the fats in ghee, butter and magarine which are used in a good number of food. One of the friends who had blocked arteries told me his favourite breakfast food was 'roti canai', a kind of bread made with some ghee, which he took every morning. Here again, it is not so much the fats in the food but the build-up of the fats. Just as people who eat carrots everyday find their skin taking on a certain colour. Therefore variety is important.

I supplement with two tablespoons of coconut oil and a tablespoon of olive oil, a tablespoon each at either breakfast, lunch or dinner because of the benefits they bring. (Please read my posts on coconut oil.)

To be healthy, we should, as often as possible supply our body with sufficient protein, vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates and water; besides giving it sufficient exercise and sleep.

How do we know we are giving our body the right amount of food? If our weight is fairly constant, then we know there is hardly excess food turning into fat in our body. Of course, we are talking about people with a good healthy build, neither too thin nor too fat.

Thus, if we desire a change, such as doing less exercise, we should reduce our food intake accordingly. Not doing so is one reason some sportmen or women grow fatter when they retire from active sports. The calories remain the same but the energy expended is lower; therefore forcing the body to turn the excessive food, which could be carbohydrates and protein, into fat.

As we can see body fat causing obesity does not come just from fat consumption. It also is caused by excessive carbohydrates and protein.

It is, therefore, excessive fats, carbohydrates and proteins which brings excessive calories which we must think of to remain healthy, not the amount of food. Some food contain so little calories that we can eat more of them and still have no health problem.

Do you agree? Well, let's share our knowledge for the good health of everyone.

Consume only good fats. Rancid fats not wanted.

That's the guy who wrote the postings in this blog. Despite the fat supplement, this is how I look.

And here are my fat supplements.
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Well, I have told you about lessening your input of carbohydrate calories and also the importance of fats in the diet to avoid obesity.

I have a picture of myself with my camera to show you that I practise what I preach. I hope to convince you so that you can benefit from what has been written.

I take the cold-pressed virgin coconut oil as a supplement as I know it does not contain colesterol and has the benefits that I have listed in my previous postings on coconut oil. I also take cold pressed virgin olive oil as it is one of the best oil and it contains the antioxidant, vitamin E which is not found in coconut oil. Together, these liquid fats help me to stay healthy.

I have not had to see a doctor for the last thirty years for any sickness. However, during those years, I did see a doctor for being stung by wasps. I did go to a government hospital to find out the effect of taking Himalayan Mountain salt. I found that it did raise my blood pressure. I was told to take my blood pressure for a week. As a result of that test, I stopped taking the salt and by the end of the week, my blood pressure was back to normal.

The two different fats that I take daily are kept in a dark corner of a closed room. The dark opague bottle of the coconut oil is good as it prevents light from reaching the oil. By doing so, I prevent the coconut oil and the olive oil from turning rancid. Why is it important to prevent fat from turning rancid?

Fats turn rancid due to oxidation, chemical deterioration due to light and heat, and time. Oxidation turns our vegetable oil which many households use turn rancid when it is exposed to oxygen each time we open its container. Day light or any other light helps to it rancid. Having the oil placed near the heat of the stove also turns it rancid. It can still turn rancid even when the expiry date is not over. So, it depends upon where you keep your fats. Unsaturated fat turn rancid faster than saturated fat.

Some researchers claim that rancid fats are harmless except that most, if not all, the nutrients in the fat have been lost.

According to some researches rancid oil are filled with free radicals that are responsible for health complications such as premature aging, cancer, and degenerative illnesses.

So how do we prevent ourselves from taking rancid fats? First, considering that time and light are factors in rancidity, we could buy small quantities of fat with the latest manufacturing date. Obviously, we need to keep the fat in a place which is dark and in the coolest place. An opened bottle of liquid fat could be put into the refrigerator. If possible, buy the liquid fats which comes in light-proofed or dark opague, airtight containers. Since rancidity is caused by oxidation, it has been suggested to vacuum-seal the container but I do not know how this is done. Spraying inert gas into the containers for large amount of fats is one possibility. Inert gas can be bought in spray cans in supermarkets in certain places. The last two methods are to prevent oxygen from coming into contact with the fat.

Fantastic facts about saturated fat.

Healthy Nutrition: Saturated Fat: What to Do?
By Laura LaValle, RD, LD

One of the biggest areas of dietary confusion today is whether saturated fat is bad for us or not. For the most part, conventional medical thought remains firmly in the “saturated fat is bad for you” corner, while a growing number of people feel that not only is the jury still out on saturated fat intake, it may even have health benefits.

One of the primary reasons we are told to lower our saturated fat intake is to lower heart disease risk. As Jim and I have already discussed in several Total Health Breakthroughs articles, studies looking at the effects of low carb diets are a big reason the effects of saturated fats are being questioned; that’s because numerous studies have found that low carb diets lower total cholesterol and triglycerides while increasing HDL — despite being higher than is conventionally recommended for saturated fat intake.

These changes in lipid profiles lower the risk of heart disease, not raise it.

As if these findings aren’t reason enough to prove that conventional medicine may be wrong about saturated fat, another study out of Harvard has really raised some questions. This study looked at postmenopausal women who had previously eaten low fat diets and who, despite that fact, had plaque build-up in their arteries. But the same study found that when the women ate diets that were higher in saturated fat, the progression of arterial plaque stopped.

Interestingly, the one factor that was associated with progression of artery clogging plaque was a higher intake of carbohydrates, as is typically eaten on a low fat diet.

Other findings that are shedding more light on the effects of saturated fats stem from research that is being conducted on the different types of fatty acid chains like lauric acid, myristic acid, stearic acid, and butyric acid, which together make up the whole category of saturated fats.

These fatty acids are all saturated, but they differ in composition and function depending on the length of their carbon chains. If you haven’t heard much about them yet, you will, because the research on them is hot and heavy.

Here are some examples of the research findings:
Stearic fatty acids are composed of 18 carbon atoms and are commonly found in cocoa butter and fatty meats, like beef. Quite surprisingly, research has revealed that stearic acid doesn’t raise cholesterol levels as much as myristic acid found in dairy foods; and palmitic acid from palm oil actually lowers cholesterol.

Lauric acid, a 12-carbon chain, is commonly found in coconut oil, palm oil and breast milk. It is gaining attention because it raises healthy HDL cholesterol but not serum triglycerides and lipoprotein(a) concentrations (risk factors for heart disease). These findings further shatter the notion that saturated fats as a whole increase heart disease risk.

In considering whether we should consume saturated fats or not, heart disease should not be our only consideration. Higher saturated fat intake from full fat dairy products has been found to decrease a woman’s risk of being infertile, while eating low fat dairy foods, which most people do to lower their heart disease risk, was found to increase risk of being infertile.

And while I see many headlines and articles stating that saturated fat intake in general is associated with an increased risk of cancer, many people feel that some of the risk could be from other factors like heterocyclic amines (HCAs) produced from over-cooked meats or the hormones that are sometimes injected into commercial livestock and poultry.

In fact, while it is not yet definitive, it looks like butyric acid, one source of which is butter (a saturated fat), may play a role in preventing cancer by stopping the development of cancer cells.

As more research accumulates, there is no doubt the messages to consumers about saturated fats will be modified. In the meantime, our position at LMI remains the same: limit carbohydrates and center the diet on plant foods and organic proteins. And we probably shouldn’t be afraid to include some saturated fats from butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, and organic meats and dairy (as tolerated).

This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise’s Total Health Breakthroughs which offers alternative health solutions for mind, body and soul.

An unlikely food for a starving brain.

I strongly believe that virgin coconut oil is beneficial to our health as it is anti-viral and anti-bacteria. I consume three tablespoon of the oil each day. Visitors to this blog can go to 'Surprising health benefits from coconut oil' dated February 17, 2009 and Experiences from those who benefited from using coconut oil' dated March 11, 2009.

Below is an article from Total Health Breakthroughs on coconut oil which is certain to be of interest to those suffering from Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease usually comes in our later years. As such, it should be of interest to everyone. People with Alzheimer's disease have a memory problem. While coconut oil is not a cure it can alleviate the problem as Dr. Newport discovered. Please spread the knowledge to those in need of it as it is the aim of this blog to share such knowledge.


An Unlikely Food for a Starving Brain
April 29, 2009

By Melanie Segala
Managing Editor, Total Health Breakthroughs

I learned several interesting facts in this issue devoted to saving your brain from a cognitive crisis. One of the most significant is that people with Alzheimer's disease have a certain degree of insulin resistance in their brain cells which prevents them from taking in adequate amounts of glucose, the brain's primary source of fuel.

Without glucose, a couple of things start happening. First, the brain cells (neurons) cannot produce acetylcholine, the chemical that is needed for memory and cellular communication. Secondly, the neurons begin to die off from a lack of proper nutrition.

You might think when this happens there is little more a person with Alzheimer's can do than eat a low carb diet to reduce insulin resistance and take a drug like Aricept to help slow the progression of symptoms. While both of these are viable options, medical doctor Mary Newport has discovered that a common tropical food, coconut oil, can provide energy-starved brain cells with an alternative fuel called ketones, which are a product of fat breakdown.

Non-hydrogenated coconut oil is comprised of 60% medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). Upon digestion, the liver breaks down the MCTs into ketones which can then be used by the brain.

As Jim explains in his article:

In periods of starvation, the brain will turn to ketones as an energy source. This new treatment [MCTs], which is considered a medical food, simply follows the logic that insulin resistance, which prevents a person with Alzheimer's from getting enough brain food, can be bypassed by giving brain cells ketones as fuel instead.

Dr. Newport had a very personal reason for researching Alzheimer's treatments. Her husband Steve, a healthy active man who could fix anything and kept the books for her medical practice had been diagnosed with early stage Alzheimer's in 2004. He began taking Aricept and was then switched over to Exelon in 2007. Unfortunately, he continued to decline, no longer remembering how to do simple addition, use a calculator, or even to eat.

She began researching new medications and clinical trials in which to enroll Steve. That's when she came across a drug called Ketasyn that showed significant improvement over a 90-day period in half of the Alzheimer's patients studied with a certain genetic profile. The main ingredient in Ketasyn is MCTs.

By now, Steve's cognition was leaning more toward severe than moderate AD.

Knowing that coconut oil could provide the same MCTs as Ketasyn, Dr. Newport went to a health food store and bought a quart of 100% virgin coconut oil. The following morning at 9 am, she made oatmeal for Steve and herself, stirring in over 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil in each serving. At 1 pm, she took Steve to a second screening for a clinical trial that would be testing a new Alzheimer's vaccine. The previous day, he had scored too low (14) on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) to be considered as a test subject.

But now, only 4 hours after taking the coconut oil, Steve scored an 18 on the same test and qualified for the study. (Ed. note: After evaluating the possible side effects of the vaccine, Dr. Newport decided not to enroll her husband.)

According to Dr. Newport, "It was like the oil kicked in and he could think clearly again. We were ecstatic." On the fifth day of taking the coconut oil, she saw significant improvement in his personality and cognition. And now months later, Steve can read again, the tremors he had have disappeared, and he's more interested in life and the people around him.

Dr. Newport acknowledges that the damage done to Steve's brain from AD cannot be repaired, but the coconut oil is helping. And it may help other neurodegenerative diseases as well. In 2005, Dr. Theodore VanItallie studied a ketogenic diet on five patients with Parkinson's disease. In all five patients, tremors, stiffness, and walking ability improved by as much as 43%.

Another leading researcher, Dr. Richard Veech, from the National Institutes of Health, also believes that ketones may be a key factor in treating neurodegenerative diseases. However, he cautions people to consult a physician before consuming coconut oil at home because too much of any one fat can be harmful.

Dr. Newport stresses that since coconut oil contains no omega-3 fatty acids it is important to make sure your diet contains an adequate amount from salmon, fish oil capsules, walnuts, flax meal, or flax oil.2 She believes that the large increase in degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and diabetes is linked to the modern diet of mass-produced vegetable oils high in trans fat and devoid of healthy natural fats.

While coconut oil is not a cure for Alzheimer's disease, there is enough evidence of its success to warrant further research of MCTs in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Newport hopes that sharing her husband's story will help make that happen. You can do your part by passing this story on.

Experiences from those who benefited from using coconut oil.

At the hill, after our hike, Grace asked me about my experiences in consuming coconut oil. Well, that was a tough question as I have always been healthy. For the last thirty years doctors have not been able to earn a cent from me!

Oh, no! I forgot that I did see a doctor twice a few years ago. The first time, about six years ago, it was due to my being stung by bees during the process of trying to drive them away with smoke and fire. They chased me right into my house. I was stung in numerous places, even in embarrassing parts in my loose underwear! Oh, my God! What if that thing were to…… I just would not want to imagine the consequences. So, as fast as I decently could, I went to a doctor. He gave me a jab and some medicine. Before I left, he reminded me of the seriousness of the problem and warned me that should I feel faint or dizzy I should rush to the hospital immediately. That warning left me even more worried. Living in a house all by myself, how was I to drive to the hospital when I was dizzy. (See how important your better half is to you?)

Then there was the time, I needed to check my eyes as specks of something were swimming across my sight. Looks like nothing an optician can do. So, I did see two doctors after all but not due to poor health.

I tarry too long from the topic. Alright, let us see what coconut benefit I have experienced beside still maintaining my health.

I once saw a patch of sparse hair on the top left hind slope of my head. I applied coconut oil to it besides rubbing it onto the rest of my hair after each hair wash. That area hardly looks sparse any longer, after approximately three months.

A friend of mine, Steven, told me he takes a tablespoon of virgin coconut oil each day. Immediately after the first time, there was no more constipation and waste just slipped out so easily. With a grateful smile, he delights in its wonder.

Another woman friend told me she no longer catches cold as easily as before she drinks virgin coconut oil a tablespoon each time twice a day.

A person with toothache could resort to two possible solutions. One was to coat the mouth and teeth with coconut oil or if there is no coconut oil around, use Listerine, an antiseptic mouth wash.

I once had swollen infected gums in my mouth at night. For sure effect, I gargled my mouth with about two tablespoons of pure Listerine, rinsed the mouth with tap water and coat the teeth and mouth with coconut oil. Next morning the swelling had gone!

There was this lady with some kind of skin problem. Itching a lot, she would rub her back and her legs against the sharp edges of doors and furniture. I noticed that one day and brought some coconut oil for her to apply onto her skin. Her skin has improved and the itch has apparently gone.

Perhaps you have been taking coconut oil for another purpose. Do share with us.

Surprising health benefits from coconut oil.

After writing about knowledge I have gained as a result of my interests, my nephew emailed me to enquire about fats, especially saturated fats.

I believe our health is important to us and our children. Without good health and sufficient energy to care for them, our children can be neglected.

As a start, I would like to go into fats and oils as they are consumed by us everyday in our food.

Except trans fat, all fat are necessary dietary components. With fat-soluble vitamins such as A,E,K and fat-soluble antioxidants, our body is unable to benefit from them unless oils and fats are available to absorb them into the body.

We have read that unsaturated oils and fats are good for us because of their essential fatty acid content which is not manufactured by our own body. We have read of Omega 3, Omega 6 and Omega 9 which are needed by our body. They are derived mainly from vegetable or seeds. Some of them possess many health benefits.Some of the more popular oils are flaxseed oil, rice bran oil, groundnut oil and olive oil.

However, we ought to know that, with the exception of olive oil, unsaturated oils can turn rancid very fast, within a few hours after being taken into the body. It seems even ultra violet rays can cause peroxidation in unsaturated fats.

According to a reseacher, many studies have shown a close relationship between consumption of excessive unsaturated oils and the incidence of cancer. Seed oils have also been found to block protein digestive enzymes. According to him, it has been established that unsaturated fats suppress the metabolic rate, apparently creating hypothyroidism. This researcher found that excess 'unsaturated oils, except olive oil, inhibit enzymes,feed cancer cells, suppress the immune system, inhibit thyroid function and cause hormonal imbalances, are cardiotoxic, promote saizures, diabetes and aging.

Read more about the above at www.litalee.com/shoexd.asp?id=192
and go to 'benefits of unsaturated fats'.

Trans fats must be avoided as they cannot be processed by our body. Trans fats are artificial food usually produced in factories. Trans fats are created when oils are highly heated. So, deep-frying is not a healthy method of cooking. Through hydrogenation, trans fats are created. In factories, through patial hydrogenation, passing hydrogen through to get the oil solidified, magarine is manufactured. According to studies, consuming trans fat can bring on coronary heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, liver dysfunction and infertility.So choose your food wisely.

As for saturated oils, we have saturated fats of animal origin. Such fats contain a lot of cholesterol. We should consume as little of this as possible as we grow older.

However, researchers have found that there is a saturated oil which has many health benefits. It is virgin coconut oil.

What is the difference between this coconut saturated oil with saturated oil from animals. The fatty acids or fat molecules can be classified according to the saturation of the fat. It can also be classified according to its molecular length of the carbon chain within each fatty acid. There are short-chain, medium-chain and long-chain fatty acids.According to studies, coconut oil is mostly medium-chain fatty acids. Most of the other fats and oils, be they unsaturated or saturated, from animals or plants, are long-chain fatty acids.

Medium-chain fatty acids do not have a negative effect on cholesterol and help to protect heart disease.

Besides, there is no cholesterol in coconut oil. Studies reveals that, unlike most vegetable or seed oils, coconut oil do not turn rancid easily, being stable for at least two years.

The health benefits of coconut oil are plentiful. Coconut oil has an antioxidant effect.

It is the only oil which contains lauric acid which is the same as the lauric acid in mother's milk. This lauric acid keeps infants from getting viral, bacterial or protozoal infections.

In Malaysia where dessicated coconut is available easily, consuming dissicated coconut everyday can supply the body with a little lauric acid. I eat the dessicated coconut with my bread, rice or simply scoop them into my mouth. As they are made from old coconuts, I get truly extra virgin coconut oil as well as fibre together with all the other nutrients. And it is delicious! Of course, I still take at least 2tablespoonful of virgin coconut oil each day. As for myself I use it as a hair tonic, a skin toner and I feel it works as I have always been in good health and I see no bad side effects.

Well, taking coconut this way ought to be safe as such food has been consumed in huge quantities in many tropical countries apparently without problems until somebody frightened us with cholesterol in coconut milk or cream and oil some time ago. Anyway, studies have revealed that such countries as the Phillipines, Thailand and Malaysia were in better health during those coconut- enjoying years.

From the studies made, coconut oil is an anticarcinogenic oil. It is beneficial for prevention and treatment of some heart diseases.

Well, I suppose you can obtain more information about coconut oil benefits by searching for 'benefits of coconut oil' in the internet. Perhaps you may go to: www.coconutoil.com/ray-peat-coconutoil.htm

All comments or knowledge which you wish to share are welcome. Please do not hesitate to comment as we, in The Art of Living Foundation, believe we are a 'One World Family'