Coconut oil- A very healthy fat

Not a lot of people know of coconut oil, but I admit is my favorite. It’s important that when you buy it that it is both organic and extra virgin to ensure its purity.

Coconut oil is a saturated oil. While many think this is bad for the body, it isn’t true since there are both good and bad saturated fats. This oil happens to be easily digestible and molds to any temperature, while melting at 76 degrees. Coconut oil is safe for baking and deep-frying and also hair masks for those who are beauty fanatics.

Lauric acid, which is the main ingredient of coconut oil, has the capacity of fighting bacteria and other serious viruses like HIV and herpes just to name a few. Mind you, lauric acid is the main component in breast milk

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Maria's Thoughts on Finding Balance

The past few months as I have gone to many gatherings  and got around to enjoy a good sunny summer I find that I am often being asked :"How nutritious a piece of cake or a can of beer can be for a person?"

Here is my answer...

I feel that the subject of nutrition goes deeper than that. To me nutrition means more than just counting calories. Nutrition is nourishment.

 Human nourishment is divided into two parts. Physical nourishment and emotional nourishment. Physical nourishment has to do with food, what we consume to keep up with our energy levels. Food is fuel for our daily activities. Emotional nourishment comes from our relationships. The way we associate  to people and experience  the world. 

To me the most important part of nourishment is based on the quality of emotional nourishment we receive everyday. Having a "me time". Having a great laugh. Meeting with family members and enjoying a typical dish. Making some fabulous cheesecake with your grandmother. That to me is the healthiest of things that one can do. While I do not encourage anybody to eat a whole cake by themselves, I encourage you to give yourself permission to be and enjoy the moment of being. 

There can be times when all the healthy eating of the world still does not allow us to be at our desired weight, and that is because we are not allowing ourselves to enjoy that moment in time that keeps us the healthiest and most sane. I call this "emotional weight".

To be emotionally malnourished may cause as many illnesses as not eating the right way. As an integrative nutritionist I work with others to allow nourishing relationships into their lives, wether they are emotional or physical, one most learn that our bodies needs both types of nourishment to function as a balanced being.

What nourishes me emotionally?

A good glass of wine  and a home cooked  meal with my boyfriend and best friend.

What nourishes me physically?

A good yoga class with someone I care about

Now that's what I call balance!

Dairy Diary

It is said that allergies, congestion, stuffy nose/head, stomach issues, and lactose intolerance are the product of the pasteurization process.

Unpasteurized dairy product provides with benefits of
weight lost, less allergies, etc. This is due to the
active enzymes in the unpasteurized product. For about 3000 years raw dairy was used to fight diabetes, and it substituted insulin.People had raw milk to treat
eczema, and arthritis.

The Chemistry Behind Raw Dairy is that a person that
consumes raw dairy will experience less allergies due
to the cortisone like factor in the cream. Enzyme phosphataze allows the body to absorb
calcium and aids the digestion of lactose. Raw dairy balances the immune system because
of bacteria and lactic acids. Assimilation of sugars and fat is aided.

So why is commercial dairy pasteurized?

Back in the 1800's French scientist Louis Pasteur
developed a heat treatment technology that preserved
fluids in beer and wine. All these to preserve the
shelf life of the product. During WW II expert cheese
makers were sent to war, leaving the less experienced
ones behind to make the dairy.Overpopulation, and
illness in the world made farmers turn to the
pasteurization process. By 1949 the whole country
applied pasteurization to milk and dairy products.
Highest cause of cheese borne illness outbreak was
post- pasteurization, not before it.

Pasteurization happens when milk is heated to
temperatures as high as 150 degrees. When milk is
heated it overproduces minerals that can't be
absorbed. This contributes to osteoporosis. The
denaturing of the product's natural enzymes causes
allergies and makes dairy harder to digest. The
pasteurization of a product causes a uniform taste,
quality, flavor and texture. Today the quality of the
cows used to make dairy are not as important due to
the fact that the pasteurization process can kill any
organism living in it. To simplify this concept one
must understand that even if the cow is carrying an
illness, the farmer will feel safe to do
pasteurization.

Today's Cows

Due to the growing size of population today's farmers
are giving cows growth hormone, and antibiotics. Cows
are no longer gracing in the grass, and eating grass,
instead they are given corn, grain and live in small
stables making milk day and night. All these creates
an offset for the cows PH balance and the animal's own
happiness. Due to the killing of enzymes during
pasteurization dairy products are now added vitamins
which can sometimes be too little or too much for the
human body to handle. For commercial pasteurized
farmers the quality of the cow or its life is not as
important as the mass production of the dairy product.
Cheese makers accept poor quality milk, which produces
low quality cheese.

The standard rule is that unpasteurized dairy can only
be sold in U.S. if aged over 60 days to be tested for
bacteria.

For more sources go to: www.realmilk.com

Bio-dynamic Organic Wine

The word organic stands for an ingredient grown without pesticide, synthetic fertilizer, genetically modified organisms, and free of antibiotics, or growth enhancing formulas. The essence of organic is its pure nature. But what if an organic product was bio-dynamic?

Bio-dynamic means energy and life. In other words the concept of bio-dynamics involves working with all energies to create and maintain life. These energies are: the sun, moon, stars, and earth itself (The universe). Biodynamic farmers use the forces of nature to cultivate the grapes like the phases of the moon, or seasons of the year, or the position of the earth in conjunction with the planets. What is said is that the land is affected differently by the universal elements. For those who believe in the zodiac it is easy to understand that bio-dynamics explain that a plant may behave or have different characteristics depending on the sunlight at a different month of the year.

Connection of the elements
According to the signs and life forces:
-Flowers are connected to the air element
-Root vegetables like ginger, or carrot are connected to the earth element
-Leafy vegetables are connected to water element
-Fruits like grapes, orange, etc. are connected to fire

Going back to the moon cycle bio-dynamic farmers believe in leaving a rest period before the full moon has an effect in human behavior, you can only imagine the effect in soil and plants!
So...a lunar eclipse is a no-no. There is an annual planting calendar which guides through farming. For fruits like grapes the calendar specifies 3 picking days to be precise (generally during the ascending moon). The planting calendar extends into when to bottle the wine, saying that the best time is during the descending moon.

For those who are wondering about what a farming calendar looks like click on the link above or drag into a new window:
www.boissetamerica.com/press/vintage%20harvest%20reports/biodynamic-calendar.gif


Reasons to drink bio-dynamic wine
-Because of course is free of sulfites, and unnatural ingredients.
-The uniqueness of flavor, for wine lovers who are tired of the same flavor.
-The uniqueness of the soil at a different month of the year will bring new excitement to the taste buds.

For those who wonder what biodynamic taste like come to a free tasting!!

DETAILS BELOW

Upcoming Event: Organic Bio-Dynamic Wine & Cheese Tasting
Is it possible to enjoy wine and cheese guilt free?
It is if it has natural organic enzymes.
In this event with Health Counselor Maria Andrade, we will have the opportunity to taste sheep, goat, and cow cheese organic and raw. The wine will be organic and Bio-Dynamic. Do not miss the free sampling!
Participants will be given a list of suggestions on how to pair red, and white wine with raw cheese as well as material describing the concept behind organic biodynamic.

Date of Event: 03-28-08
Time of Event: 7-9pm
Location and Address of Event: The Bottle Shoppe
353 Graham Avenue
Brooklyn, N.Y. 11211 (Wiliamsburg--take L train to Graham Avenue)
Cost of Event: FREE
For further info call: 917.209.6190

RealityState Wellness: The Battle of the Free Radicals

RealityState Wellness: The Battle of the Free Radicals

The Battle of the Free Radicals

What are Free Radicals? Free radicals are actually a byproduct of unpaired electrons. In order for us to understand the science behind free radicals we have to understand the chemistry behind it. Think back (way back for most of us) at school when we learned about electrons being involved in chain reactions. Electrons are the substances that bond the atoms together like glue, and they create molecules. Free Radicals occur if there is any disparity on the electron that means there is weakness in the molecule that has been formed. Now free radicals from a general stand point are not bad. Why? Free radicals are formed with metabolism when a person gets sick. An example of this is when you have a cold. When we get sick our bodies create free radicals, these are created in order to neutralize viruses and bacteria. What happens here is that as the body continues to get sick and the chain reaction continues to occur, then we get into trouble. With time the release of free radicals in the system weakens our body and creates serious illnesses. Free radicals can also be created by our environment they are what we can call mutated molecules. They are everywhere!

Mutated molecules are produced in the body by constant contact of cigarette smoke whether is active or passive, alcohol, chemicals found in water, automobile exhaust, oxidized polyunsaturated fat. Commonly used oils that become rancid at high heat temperature are olive, canola, safflower and sunflower, chemicals sprayed on food, as well as unprotected sun exposure can also cause free radicals. Free radicals affect DNA by making cells dysfunctional, and modifying chemical structures.

How damaging are free radicals to the body?
We must learn that free radicals attack our immune system and make it weaker. Excess exposure of free radicals in the body produce: Hangovers, cancer, high blood pressure, lupus, heart disease, glaucoma, cataracts, and acelerated aging in general. All these are just a few of the effects, however the list is extensive. For the whole list of damages please visit the link below "Diseases Caused by Free Radical Damage".

*Reversing the Effects with Antioxidants
Ways to reverse free radicals are by neutralizing the effects of free radicals are by neutralizing its effects. Neutralization can occur with the use of antioxidants, which are molecules that slow down and prevent oxidation of free radical cells in the body. Luckily antioxidants are easy to find.

Antioxidants are found in: any type of organic berries, Beta -Carotene, Luten, Lypocene, Selenium, Vitamins A, C, and E.