Honey-coconut spread...

 

I am big believer in coconut oil and I recommend it to everyone; but the number one thing people ask me is just what to do with it. They can get past the why, it is the how that is so confusing (in case you don't know why, see HERE). How do I use it? We cook with it, we use it on eczema, on diaper rash, on lips, on hair, and we eat as a condiment. Just read about all my uses for it HERE.  I can tell you all this, but it still can be hard to know just how to start. I'll tell you my favorite method, one that works even with those who don't like the taste: honey-coconut spread. This spread is a favorite of my kids. It smells like coconut but tastes like honey and has a smooth creamy texture like peanut butter in the winter (when the oil is stiffer) and like soft butter in the summer (when the oil is softer). It is great on toast and oats and in tea and off a spoon. Your kids will never complain about taking their coconut oil this way. And it is stupid easy, too.

Honey-Coconut Spread 

2 cups coconut oil1 pint of raw, unfiltered honey (preferably local)Optional: one to two teaspoons of vanilla, for those opposed to the coconut fragrance 

Place in the bowl of a food processor and combine until smooth. Transfer and keep at room temperature. 

Yield: One quart

That's it. Not hard at all. I just gave two friends each a quart of coconut oil to try and this is the recipe I gave to them. My preferred brand is Tropical Traditions Gold Label, I buy it two gallons at a time when they go on sale, and I usually try to time it for the free shipping. In fact, right the economical gallon size is on sale, find it HERE. I  believe in the product and I believe in the company. Below you will find their video about their product and it explains why their product is better.

I want to encourage those of you who don't use it know to try it and see how you feel.  Pick some up locally or order from my ad on the right but try it.  If you are a first time customer of Tropical Traditions, they will send you a free booklet with your purchase which will give some great ideas for ways to try it. I personally recommend my honey-coconut spread but there are loads of free recipes  HERE. To make it even easier, Tropical Traditions is giving one reader a free quart of the Gold Label coconut oil to try. Here's how to enter:

Gold Label Coconut Oil Giveaway

I am not a fan of rafflecopter, so I will make it easy. There is one mandatory requirement: subscribe to Tropical Traditions sales newsletter HERE and leave a comment telling me that you did or that you already subscribe. Open to the readers in the US and Canada.

Want some more chances? Here they are, and for each one leave a comment and say that you did or do:

• Follow Tropical Traditions on Twitter and
• Follow me on Twitter 
• “Like” Tropical Traditions on Facebook (Please no, “I was sent by…” posts or posting a link to your blog, they will be removed)
• "Like" me on Facebook
• Follow Tropical Traditions on Pinterest
• Follow Tropical Traditions on Google +

Okay, now the timetable: Contest starts now and ends Monday the 11th at noon Mountain Daylight time. I'll announce the winner then and that individual will have 72 hours to contact me. Game on!

Disclaimer: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Linking up to Monday Mania!!

Win 1 quart of  Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil!

Tropical Traditions is America's source for coconut oil.

The Curly Girl Method...

One Week of Curly Girl Method

Let me start by saying that I hate taking photos of myself almost as much as I hate showing photos of myself. Also, I don't usually spend so much time thinking about hair, so this is more than a little weird. In fact my oldest, who snapped these pictures, thought I had lost my mind. Pictures of me and my blog. All at once.

"So, umm, why are we taking photos of your hair for your food blog?"

"Because...I am doing something different with it. My hair that is."

"Why?"

"Why am I doing something different?"

"Why do people care?"

Good question. But since people are reading the post HERE, I will assume they do care. So, for those who don't sorry, and for those who do, keep up...

So I hate my hair and have my whole life but decided that it is important to make peace with it, see this post HERE. It is frizzy and can get very giant. People notice it, maybe less than I think they do. I am working on a couple of things here. First: Stop worrying about what people think. Second: Stop talking nasty about my hair and the hair of the two children who have inherited my full locks. Third: Start taking care of it properly. Here is how it is going...

Stop Worrying About What People Think

Week One Curl

If you read my first post about hair HERE (I cannot believe there will be three now, but there it is), my brother told me that if Ronald McDonald and Don King had a love child, that kid would have my hair. When anyone mentions my hair, I always assume the negative. Like the total stranger at the rec center who came up to me on a rainy day and said, "Wow, that's a lot of hair you got!" Maybe she meant it nicely. Maybe. But it doesn't matter anyway. Today I got to practice that when a dropped a meal off at a friend's house. She just had a baby.  Her mother in law mentioned how the two girls with me did not inherit my hair (they have sleek, straight hair the color of honey which they get from my husband). My hair is not sleek and it is dark. Immediately I wondered if she hated my hair. How to respond? This leads to the second thing that I am working on...

Stop Talking Nasty About My Hair

I am trying to avoid giving my curly kids a complex or creating bias in my sleek kids. I was never really aware of how biased I am myself. Today I thought before I replied. Usually I would say, "Thank God for small miracles!" Instead I chose to reply, "Nope, their hair is very different. They have Daddy's hair, huh, girls?" So, today am letting go. Only not really, because I just told all of you about it. But I won't dwell on it unless someone at church or a stranger at the WAPF meetings who reads me mentions it or perhaps even the lovely lady I wrote about (I hope H.K. does not tell her mother in law I wrote this). Anyway, there is even more all about me today...

Proper Care of Curly and Wavy Hair

Of which I have both and neither of which have I ever cared for properly which leads to the frizz and halo which I usually sport. Usually it looks like this:

This is not the sleek hair I always coveted. It is pretty fuzzy and all the waves and curls have been combed out. I have two kinds of curls on my head, one is loose corkscrew like above and the other are lazy S-shaped waves that lay pretty flat and just zig and zag on their way down. I need to encourage my hair to start to take shape and start falling into distinct locks. The curlier hair will go faster and the wavier hair could take three weeks.

A very important part of the Curly Girl Method means giving up detergent shampoos and any hair care products with sulfates, parabans, silicon or other artificial and harmful additions

I am washing only the scalp with Dr. Bronner's cut half and half with water. I do not suds the rest of the hair at all. Then, I use a botanical conditioner. I comb it through the hair with the fingers and then scrunch it back up to encourage the curl back. The goal is smooth, conditioned locks which are combed through carefully while conditioned to keep away tangles but not discourage the curls. Then my hair is rinsed while I scrunch. I dry my hair by scrunching with an old Tshirt and then I apply copious amounts of gel. Copious being the key word. Scrunching the gel in I give the hair a bit of a shake to encourage it to come into shape. Then, all hands off. Period. Do not touch while it dries, or you will get a frizz halo. I love the way the curlier pieces look already but the wavier ones are less resilient and are not so nice. I am hoping they look better in three weeks because it is not the best look yet. Here is a picture of the back of my hair:

There is still some frizz because I have a hard time not touching my hair but it definitely a lot shinier and has more shape. Some of the hair is clearly falling into well defined locks even if the whole head is not there yet. I would say I am moving in the right direction, though I am still early on the road. I do not know what it will look like in the end because I have some very different textures going on. We'll just have see how thing take shape.

Next Friday, I will have more hair pictures and include results of homemade hair care products (with recipes). Meanwhile, I would love to hear about your hair. Send me photos of your own hair for my blog or post them to my FB page HERE.

Linking up to Freaky Friday!

Carbs 101

This only looks like a bowl full of pop beads, but pretend they are carbs for a minute. Well, several minutes. Today I am explaining all about carbs: simple vs. complex, corn syrup, HFCS, sucrose, glucose, fructose, insulin and more. But it won't be a freaky difficult chemistry lesson, it will be easy, I promise. This post is really full of pictures of beads which are my stand-in for sugars so you might not want to download it onto a phone. But, even if it is a hassle to get to the computer for this, you won't be disappointed, it will all make so much more sense after this little lesson.

The first thing to understand is that carbs are sugars. There are really only three sugars or carbohydrates, which are known as the simple sugars because they are the building blocks of all carbohydrate chains. These are fructose, glucose and galactose and are represented by my little beads below.

Blue: Fructose, Yellow: Glucose, Orange: Galactose

Glucose is mildly sweet, much less so than fructose which is found is many plants. Galactose is found mostly in milk and is also less sweet than fructose. Fructose is much, much sweeter than other sugars. These simple sugars combine to make other more complex sugars. For example, fructose combines with glucose to make sucrose, common white table sugar. Table sugar is less sweet than straight fructose, which is why agave syrup (reportedly 92% fructose) is so much sweeter than other sweeteners.

Glucose + Fructose = Sucrose

Sucrose is used for more than just making things sweet. It absorbs water like a sponge (hydrophilic) so that all the available water stores are tied up and not available for bacteria to use. Table sugar is often used as a browning agent because of the glucose which changes to the familiar toasty color when exposed to heat; this process is known as the maillard (MY-yard) reaction. It is also used to enhance flavors because it detracts from bitter overtones. When we eat sucrose, we first need to break apart the pieces so that we can use them, this process is known as the hydrolosis of sucrose. The glucose rapidly enters the blood stream and affects glucose levels in the blood, known as "blood sugar".

Insulin "grabs" all the glucose in the blood.

The faster and higher the amount of sugar in the blood, the higher the level of insulin. Insulin serves to moderate blood sugar by moving it around and prevent overwhelming the liver. One of the ways the body deals with this high level is to re-pack into fat and place it in fat storage.

Re-packed glucose is stored as body fat, like my daughter
stringing her beds and placing in her pocket.

When there is always a glut of sugar in the blood, the more spent the insulin gets. It starts acting more slowly and means you need more and more of it. Imagine more and more slower and smaller hands reaching in to grab all those little beads. This condition is known as pre-diabetes, metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. An adjusted amount of glucose gets sent to the liver (the rest is in storage) and this glucose is sent out to the body as energy. It is a quick process, requires little work and the energy out-put is high.

But what about the fructose that was released? What does your body do with that? While your body produces insulin in the pancreas to help the liver cope with the influx of too much sugar in the form of glucose, you don't have a similar system to process fructose. Fructose builds up in the liver because it takes a long time to process it into something the body can use. Long story short, this process creates a lot of waste, specifically free fatty acids and glycerols which increase your triglycerides. Yes, dangerous heart attack causing triglycerides are increased by the consumption of fructose, from plants. All those free fatty acids can also contribute to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease which is just the same disease as cirrhosis of the liver caused by serious alcohol abuse, but in those who do not abuse alcohol. Also, there are some people with inherited disease which prevents them from being able to process fructose at all. This condition is called Fructosemia, or inherited fructose intolerance. This causes the free fatty acids to build up at very high, dangerous rates which leads to serious liver impairment. Also, because the liver is incapable of converting the fructose to sugar, there is very low blood sugar, so there is insufficient fuel to run the body. Another problem with fructose is that it does not trigger our bodies to know that we have eaten in the same way glucose does. As glucose enters the blood stream, our bodies release leptin which signals that we have eaten and that we don't need to keep eating. Fructose won't do that. You will have lower blood sugar and still feel tired, edgy and hungry after eating it.

What about high fructose corn syrup? Is the problem the high level of fructose? Well, yes and no. There are two varieties of high fructose corn syrup: HFCS-55 and HFCS-42. You might have guessed that the HFCS stands for high fructose corn syrup but the numbers indicate at what amounts. In the 55, it is 55% fructose, but in the 42 it is 42% fructose. This means that is higher only than regular corn syrup (like Karo brand syrup) which has no fructose and is instead 100% glucose and places it in the ballpark with table sugar. HFCS-55 is often used in beverages and sauces because it is a liquid and allows for a greater concentration of sugar in solution than table sugar could ever do. This means that beverages sweetened with HFCS-55 can have more sugar than those with cane sugar (sucrose) because the cane sugar won't fully dissolve and instead sink to the bottom. Try it yourself. Try to add 17 teaspoons of sugar to 20 ounces of water (the equivalent of a Coke). It won't work.

The other kind of HFCS, the 42, is used in baked goods. It is used for the same reason as sucrose is used: to sweeten, to prevent bacteria, to enhance flavors and to promote browning. In the United States HFCS-42 is preferred over other sweeteners because of the generous farming subsidies to corn so it is enormously prevalent. One reason for concern is the fact that most corn in the US is made from genetically modified species suitable only to extracting sugars and starches and not for regular consumption.

HFCS has no bonds betweenthe fructose
and glucose, so is is faster to grab and go.

HFCS is used in large amounts but since it is very similar to sucrose (table sugar) in its fructose composition (in fact HFCS-42 is  lower), why should we worry about it? Because it is composed of free sugars.Look back to my top photo, the bowl of mixed sugars. HFCS does not have bonds between the fructose and the glucose. The very first step in processing in the body is removed making it faster and easier to get the glucose to the blood stream and the fructose to the liver. There is nothing to slow it down. Our bodies have a couple of ways of naturally slowing the rush of sugar and the first is the process of simple getting to the sugar in the first place.

Fiber plays a very important role in moderating our blood glucose. It wraps around our food meaning we have to get through it to get to the sugars before we can even begin to break them down. This slows the rush of sugar into our blood stream. Fiber cannot be digested by the body but does lend a sense of fullness which can prevent binging on foods high in carbohydrates or sugars. Also, fat helps to slow the rush of sugars and creates a sense of fullness. This means when you have high carbohydrate foods, you should modify them by eating them with the fiber and with fat. This means veggies over fruits, fruits over juices, and plenty of butter on your bread.

Speaking of bread, bread is sugar. Bread is made of starches which are longer sugar chains. The longer the chain the more "complex" the carbohydrate (starch) and the shorter the chain the more "simple" the carbohydrate (sugar). The more beads in the chain, the longer the process of separating the beads and the slower the rush of sugar into the blood stream, but it is still sugar. Breads (even whole grains) and potatoes are a good part of the diet but should always be eaten with the fiber and with plenty of fat. All grains also contain some anti-nutrients and should be sprouted, soaked or soured so keep that in mind.

Glucose + Galactose = Lactose (milk sugar)

So, all this sugar and we have yet to discuss the sugar in milk: lactose. The sugar is milk is called lactose and half of it is galactose and half is glucose. Glucose is the primary fuel for the body, especially the brain, and most people rapidly convert galactose to glucose with no problems at all. People who have problems digesting or breaking the bond between the galactose and glucose in milk sugar (lactose) are called lactose intolerant and this manifests in loose stools and cramping because some of the sugar passes through unresolved. There is a rare condition called galactosemia whereby people cannot tolerate galactose and it builds up in their livers also causing low blood sugar and liver complications. It is an inherited disease much like fructosemia. There were some preliminary studies announced that indicated increased consumption increased the risk of ovarian cancer, but those studies are highly questionable and not regarded as significant within the scientific community.

Resources: Sucrose, Galactose, Galactosemia, Fructose, Fructosemia, Glucose, Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, HFCS, be cautioned, it is very approving!! Agave, King Corn, the film, Fat and Blood Sugar, again not perfect

So does it all make much more sense now?

Linking up Real Food Wednesday!

A different kind of baby gift...

So I know a few expectant and recent mothers and I have been thinking about more than cloth diapers and onesies for the new arrivals. It is not that I do not think that babies do not need those things, but that I believe that they need more than those. Healthy babies start with healthy pregnancies and the proper diet is necessary to build those  little bodies because you can't give what you don't have. But that does not end at birth, in fact, it is just as critical to maintain that diet. I wrote recently about how babies needs boobs, see HERE, and this is one of the ways to make sure that the breast milk is the healthiest it can be. This little collection of materials, which was ordered HERE, cost only $14.00. The cute little Healthy 4 Life book is a basic introduction to Weston A. Price eating and reminds you what to eat, and almost more importantly what not to eat, as well as provides lots of delicious recipes and for only $10.00. The 2012 Shopping Guide lists specific product brands to look for when shopping and has categories such as good, better and best  so that healthy eating can be possible no matter how much money you have to spend. Lastly, the fridge magnet lists food suggestions and amounts for pregnant and nursing mothers as well as foods to avoid.

If you are in constant contact with mothers, you could order the materials in bulk. Ten copies of the cookbook are $60 and ten copies of the guide are $5.00. This means you could assemble this gift pack for one mother for only $9.50 and provide ten women with the same gift for $95. This would be a great resource to provide to clients if you are a doula, midwife, child birth instructor or lactation consultant. The politically correct nutrition machine is up and running in WIC clinics and other publicly funded nutrition education programs. It is critical that women consume enough fat to promote healing and wellness and enough calcium to provide it to their infants and not rob their own bones.

If you delivered a baby in the last two years (May 1, 2010 through May 1, 2012) the Weston A. Price Foundation is looking for participants in a study to determine nutrition effect on birth outcomes. No matter what your nutrition is or was like, this study can help them best understand the effects on infants and help provide better advice and advocacy. I completed the study and I sent it on to all my new mommy friends a week ago or so. The questions are all about the diet you consumed, if you took cod liver or fish oil and the birth outcomes. They information will not be shared with any outside party and you can decline to be contacted about your survey responses. They only ask your first name and you are not required to provide an email address. They just want to know how to best help mothers and no one will be little you for your choices. If you did not have a baby, but know someone who did, pass this information along to them so that they can participate. You can find the survey HERE.

While I did pass the survey along and did complete it myself, I did not think to blog about it. While I had planned to write about baby gifts for a week, I saw that The Healthy Home Economist wrote about it today, I realized I missed an opportunity to support the Weston A. Price Foundation. Next time, I promise to do better!

So, what is your go-to gift for new mommies?

Linking up to Fat Tuesday!

The cure for curly hair...

...and by cure I don't mean how to get it straight, I mean to make it what it is. My friend, Sarah, who commented on my previous hair post HERE came over to my house and shared her curly hair wisdom. Sarah has voluminous, soft curls with tight definition and zero frizz. She never has a bad day and she came over to tell me how. She brought this book Curly Girl Handbook with her, find it HERE on Amazon. Now I know why I have giant hair. It is so obvious. So I have decided to do this process for three weeks and record it on my blog. I was doing a little "research" on Google and found that someone else had done this recently. See her week by week six week experiment HERE. No, I have not changed the direction of the blog, one of the main tenants of the book is to stop using shampoo and other harsh chemical products and recommends all natural recipes using essential oil. I am all about dumping harsh chemicals. Let's do this!

Let's start by talking about just how much sense this particular method makes. If you have ever felted wool or washed a sweater you will remember that hot water plus harsh soap plus agitation equals felted fabric. Sometimes you want this, sometimes you don't. When washing a fine sweater or your hair, you do not want felting. I had quit harsh products and shampoo years ago. My products are not the problem. I am the problem. I washed with hot water and rubbed it all and then I rubbed it with a towel. After reading the book, I realized that what I was actually doing was felting my hair. No wonder I looked like Don King and Ronald McDonald's love child!

Secondly, the hair cutting method is both brilliant and obvious. I would go and get my hair cut and they would wet it and cut it like it was straight. After looking at descriptions and photos of actual curls of different kinds I came to a stark realization. I have two kinds: one that is a large wavy S shape and another that is loose corkscrew. The looser waves when pulled only spring back two inches. The curlier ones spring back five. So, this means that when the hair dried some of it sprang back three more inches than other areas. No wonder my hair always looked like rats had gnawed it off while I slept! Geez. So, I would cut off the longer pieces. Then when I flat ironed it, once again Rat King hair. It was a vicious cycle. When I think about my hair, the firmer definition of the curls looked curly but the looser and more fragile waves looked like frayed rope. All different lengths of frayed rope.

I also learned that I should never separate the curls, I should baby them and allow them to stay in their little locks. Separating the locks means frizz. This means no combing, no brushing, and no running my fingers through my hair. I need to encourage my hair to find it's shape again and not treat it like tens of thousands of strands but scores of curls. I need to baby my curls like I would a fine cashmere sweater. After a while, they will thank me by acting like a fine cashmere sweater. Or at least I hope.

Now, the damage is not totally irreversible but it does take time, at least three weeks. So, here I am dedicating three weeks of time to making my hair look not like Bozo the Clown. So, as a reminder, here is my freaky giant hair from the other post. I had combed it and smoothed it with coconut oil and it was bright eyed and bushy tailed. A lot of bushy.

See how my hair is fuzz and kinda big? I have been wearing it down to my waist in an attempt to make it pull straight and behave. It apparently does not like being told how to behave. This is a back view of my hair.

It is fuzzy and wild and choppy looking probably because I had been playing with it. I have a bad habit of running my fingers through my hair when I am thinking. It gets so wild that I usually have to pull it back. So, that is one the habits to break. I will also be using aloe vera with lavender essential oil and distilled water with lavender oil to keep it styled. These are just a few of the recipes for hair care products in the book and both of which are clearly working for my friend, Sarah (who should let me post a picture!!). I am also going to start being more careful about the way I talk about my hair and that of my children. As a child, relatives used to joke and tease that it was unfortunate that I inherited my grandmother's nose and hair and as a result I developed a very negative attitude about them. I have one daughter and one son who have curly hair. The son has very, very curly hair and I have struggled with how to keep it looking good because it does not behave the same way in the short cuts his brothers have worn. My daughter has wispy curls, like Taylor Swift, and they tangle easily and I complain about them way too much. I need to change my own attitude. Like the curly girl author said, it is not my hair that needs straightening but my head.

So, who's up for my experiment?

Linking up to Freaky Friday!