Let’s set the record straight regarding coconuts and coconut oil: They are, indeed, nourishing superfoods. If you are concerned about the fat content in them, guess what? The human body needs good fat, and this is one of the good guys you want. Don’t be deceived by the word “fat”; certain good fats are amazing assets for nutrition and optimal health. The fat in coconuts is used as an energy source as well as a cushion for organs and a conductor of electricity. That’s just a few things on the list of good fat deeds. Coconuts for life, son!

History: It remains uncertain where coconuts (Cocos nucifera) originated. Some say they might have come from the southwest Pacific, then introduced to East Africa. Written references have come from the “Periplus of the Erythraean Sea”, written about 60 A.D., as well as sanskrit mentions going back as early as the 4th Century B.C. The first English language reference to coconut was 1555. Coconuts were eaten in Egypt in the 6th century A.D. and Marco Polo gound them in India and other places in Asia. The coconut, due to its seed that floats, was able to travel the oceans (their fiber and oil were the ultimate botanical boat) and populate the warm climates of the globe. Today, the coconut is an important commercial crop in many tropical countries, including India, Indonesia, Thaliand, Malaysia, Sri Lank, Tanzania, The Philippines, and Brazil, contributing significantly to their economies.

Description: They all have a thick husk covering, and a hard shell that surrounds the rich coconut meat. Young  green “thai” coconuts are green on the outside with white soft (sometimes slimy) coconut meat inside. Young coconuts contain more water then mature coconuts.  Mature coconuts are soft of a medium wood tone on the outside with hard white coconut meat on the inside. Lower water content, more coconut meat.

Nutritional info: There is much nutritional value in the three parts of the coconut – the water, the oil and the meat, which can be transformed into coconut milk.

• ✴ A cup of shredded coconut contains: 142 mg potassium, 13 mg of magnesium, 4 grams of fiber, less then 3 grams of sugar and 13 grams of healthy (MTC’s)  fat.

• ✴ Coconuts are mainly medium-chain fatty acids or MCT’s (medium-chain triglycerides), which are easier to metabolize (break down).

• ✴ The body prefers medium-chain fatty acids for energy rather then to store them as fat around your hips. So, coconuts and coconut oils are better fat type to ingest for people who have trouble digesting fat.

• ✴ These medium-chain fatty acids are mainly composed of a particular fat called lauric acid. Lauric acid is antiviral and antimicrobial – 50% of the fat in coconuts is lauric acid, and in the human body it turns into monolaurin, basically a bug killer.

• ✴ A  great thing about lauric acid is that, although it kills bad bacteria, it doesn’t kill the friendly intestinal microorganisms we need for healthy digestion.

• ✴ Lauric acid is found in mother’s milk and protects infants from viral and bacterial infection.

• ✴ Respected lipid biologist Mary Enig Ph.D. cleared up false believes regarding fear of saturated fat. Her studies on the effects of lauric acid and coconuts in general has shown positive effects on immunity.

• ✴ About 7% of the fat in coconuts are an MCT called capric acid. The body turns capric acid into monocaprin, which has also been shown to have antiviral effects.

• ✴ Supporting healthy gut ecology, MTC’s are also known to kill candida and other fungi in the intestinal tract.

• ✴ The real sports drink, coconut water is a natural electrolyte (natural energy drink) source, very mineral-dense with 19 different amino acids.

• ✴ Polynesian islanders who consume most of their fat calories from coconut oil have an exceedingly low rate of heart disease.

• ✴ Studies have shown that coconut oil does not raise blood cholesterol.

• ✴ Compared to other oils that easily oxidize by heating, coconut oil is 300 times more resistant to oxidation (high point of 450˚ F), which makes it a far better choice for cooking than refined oils and hydrogenated vegetable oils (margarine, canola).

• ✴ Coconut oil has incredible antioxidant power and is an immune system supporter.

• ✴ Some of the micronutrients in coconuts include: high mineral content of potassium, magnesium, manganese, copper, and iron.  Phytonutrients like: galactomannan, pectin, shikimic acid, squalene, vanillin.  Also traces of: B vitamins, some vitamin C and E.

Application: Drink the coconut water and eat the meat as is. The meat can be used to make coconut milk, raw desserts, vegan curries, mousses and even vegan ice cream.  You can add the water or meat to smoothies, use the coconut oil to saute veggies or pour over beans. If you buy the coconut oil, get it raw and extra virgin.

Sources: The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Jonny Bowden PH.D., C.N.S., Healthy Healing by Linda Page Ph.D, Staying Healthy with Nutrition by Elson M. Hass MD.

You know the saying, “great things come in small packages”? Well, we believe they were definitely referring to the health bonanza that we know as the blueberry. Blueberries, you had us at ‘brain food’. Not only are these fruits beautiful in form and color but, as small as they look, they are loaded with health benefits and bursting with nutrients and flavor.

History: Blueberries are estimated by botanists to be more than 13,000 years old. They are one of the few fruits native to North America, of the genus Vaccinium, a name that comes from the Latin root meaning “cow”. Wild bears will eat nothing except juicy blueberries when in season and will travel with an empty stomach for ten to fifteen miles per day to sniff out a blueberry patch. The American Indian held the wild blueberry in very high esteem due to the fact that the blossom end of each blueberry forms a five-pointed star. It was believed that the “Great Spirit” sent these star berries to relieve the hunger of children during a famine. In 1960 when the colonists established settlement at Plymouth, they learned from Native Americans how to gather blueberries, dry them under the summer sun and store them for the winter. In time, blueberries became an important food source and were preserved, and later canned. A beverage made with blueberries was an important staple for Civil War soldiers. In the 1880s, a blueberry canning industry began in the Northeast USA.  North America is the world’s leading blueberry producer, accounting for nearly 90% of world production at the present time. The North American harvest runs from mid-April through early October, with peak harvest in July, which is also known as National Blueberry Month.

Description: They are small, blue to purple/black-colored fruits with a white-green flesh.  Each blueberry contains hundreds of tiny seeds. They grow in clusters and range in size  from that of a small pea to a marble. Blueberries are nice and firm or soggy when they are a little passed. Their flavor also ranges from deliciously sweet to sourly tart. This depends on if they are organic or conventional and also if they are fresh and ripe, not yet ripe, or defrosted.

Nutrition: Blueberries are classified as a brain food but also parts of the blueberry plant were used as medicine,  as a relaxant during childbirth. Early medical books show blueberry tea was used by wives of settlers during labor. Blueberry juice was used for “old coughs” and tea made from wild blueberry leaves was believed to be a good tonic to help purify the blood. Studies say that a diet rich in blueberries significantly improved both the learning capacity and motor skills of aging animals, making them equivalent to younger ones. A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry show that phenolic compounds in blueberries can inhibit colon cancer cell proliferation and induce apoptosis (programmed cell death).  The Nurses Health Study, conducted between 1984 and 2002, revealed that women whose diets provided the most kaempferol, a chemical present in blueberries, had a 40% reduction in risk of ovarian cancer, compared to women eating the least kaempferol-rich foods. In addition to blueberries, foods richest in kaempferol include onions, curly kale, leeks, spinach, and broccoli.

Blueberries can relieve both diarrhea and constipation.  They promote urinary tract health, reduce inflammation, reduce the ability of e-coli to adhere in the bladder, and protects against macular degeneration. Blueberries are an antioxidant powerhouse. They contain ellagic acid, an antioxidant compound that promotes gastrointestinal health.  They are also packed with antioxidant phytonutrients called anthocyanidins, which neutralize free-radical damage to  the collagen matrix of the cells and tissues that can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer.  Anthocyanins, the blue-red pigments found in blueberries, improve the integrity of support structures in the veins and entire vascular system. Anthocyanins have been shown to enhance the effects of Vitamin C, improve capillary integrity, and stabilize the collagen matrix (the ground substance of all body tissues).  A recent study showed that that blueberries deliver 38% more free radical fighters (antioxidants) than red or white wine do. (So the red and white wine being good for your health excuse is over).

Application: They can be made into jams, pies and muffins, pancakes or even tea.  For best nutritional use, add a handful to your morning smoothie, to your rawnola with nut milk, or simply snack on them while at the movies.  In the summer, you can make vegan-raw blueberry sherbet, a tart, or coconut/blueberry vegan ice cream for a tasty, refreshing and nutrient-dense treat.

Sources:  http://www.blueberry.org/blueberries.htm, http://herb.umd.umich.edu/herb/search.pl, http://www.wildblueberries.net/bluehistory.html, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=8,

Apples are so amazing, they remind me of an informercial: Just when you thought, “What an amazing product” and “I’m so sold on it” you hear, “but wait! There’s more! If you call now…”. One of the main things you should know about apples before we get into their composition and story is that you have to eat them ORGANIC. This is because they are on the list of the top 12 pesticides foods (see our post Food Pesticides: The Dirty Dozen and The Clean 15). Like Maryl said in the amazing Digestive System Part 2 post “THE POINT OF EATING IS TO ABSORB NUTRIENTS”, and to do this, the nutrients need to be clean, plentiful and available. But, relax, this doesn’t mean that we are going to binge on apples now. Always remember, it’s not about quantity, it’s about quality and what your body needs.

History: From the beginning, apples have been associated with love, beauty, luck, health, comfort, pleasure, wisdom, temptation, sensuality, sexuality, virility and fertility. Some varieties are Malus communis, Malus domestica, Malus pumila, and Malus sylvestris. The Crab-tree or Wild Apple (Pyrus malus), is native to Great Britain and is the wild ancestor of all the cultivated varieties of apple trees. It was the stock on which choice varieties were grafted (grafting is a method of fusing one variety with another) when brought from Europe, mostly from France. Apples of some sort were abundant before the Norman Conquest and were probably introduced into Britain by the Romans. Twenty-two varieties were mentioned by Italian author Pliny in his famous nature encyclopedia; there are now about 2,000 kinds cultivated. In the Old Saxon manuscripts there are numerous mentions of apples and cider. Bartholomeus Anglicus, whose encyclopedia was one of the earliest printed books containing botanical information (being printed at Cologne about 1470), provided a chapter on the apple. He says:

‘Malus the Appyll tree is a tree yt bereth apples and is a grete tree in itself. . . it is more short than other trees of the wood wyth knottes and rinelyd Rynde. And makyth shadowe wythe thicke bowes and branches: and fayr with dyurs blossomes, and floures of swetnesse and Iykynge: with goode fruyte and noble. And is gracious in syght and in taste and vertuous in medecyne . . . some beryth sourysh fruyte and harde, and some ryght soure and some ryght swete, with a good savoure and mery.’

Romans conquered England about the first century B.C., they brought apple cultivation with them. William Tell gained fame by shooting an apple off his son’s head at the order of invaders of Switzerland. Seeds from an apple given to a London sea captain in 1820 are sometimes said to be the origin of the State of Washington apple crop (Note: now the largest in the U.S.). As the country was settled, nearly every farm grew some apples.

Description: There are many varieties of apples. When an apple is ripe enough to eat, it should be firm, with no bruises, crisp when bitten, and juicy.  Some are more tart then others and some sweeter and more refreshing.

Nutritional Info: Mostly containing carbohydrates, apples have nearly 2 grams of fiber, about 10 mg of Vitamin C, 150 IU of Vitamin A and modest amounts of B1, B2, B3, B6 and Biotin.  They also contain many minerals, like tons of potassium, about 15 mg of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous, as well as about 330 mcg of iron and traces of copper, manganese, selenium, and zinc.

• ✶ Very high in fiber.  Fiber (the bones of the fruits and veggies) cleans your intestines. And because of the high fiber content it has, the fruit’s natural sugars are slowly released into the blood stream, helping maintain steady blood sugar levels.

• ✶ Contains the phytonutrient pectin, which has a detoxifying quality, so it helps you cleanse your system.

• ✶ The juice of apples, without sugar, will often reduce acidity of the stomach; it converts into alkaline carbonates, and thus corrects sour fermentation.

• ✶ The acids of the apple not only make the fruit itself easily digestible, but they also make it helpful in digesting other foods.

• ✶ A ripe raw apple is one of the easiest edible substances for the stomach to deal with, the whole process of its digestion being completed in 85 minutes.

• ✶ The sugar of a sweet apple, like most fruit sugars, is practically a predigested food, and is soon ready to pass into the blood to provide energy and warmth for the body.

• ✶ It is stated on medical authority that in countries where unsweetened cider is used as a common beverage, stone or calculus is unknown, and a series of inquiries made of doctors in Normandy, where cider is the principal drink, brought to light the fact that not a single case of stone had been met with for 40 years.

• ✶ Ripe, juicy apples eaten at bedtime every night will cure some of the worst forms of constipation. Sour apples are the best for this purpose. Some cases of sleeplessness have been cured in this manner. People much inclined to biliousness will find this practice very valuable. In some cases, stewed apples will agree perfectly well, while raw ones prove disagreeable.

• ✶ The astringent juice of the Crab variety is rich in tannins and is helpful in chronic diarrhea.

• ✶ The Apple will also act as an excellent dentifrice, being a food that is not only cleansing to the teeth on account of its juices, but just hard enough to mechanically push back the gums so that the borders are cleared of deposits.

• ✶ The bark may be used in decoction for intermittent and bilious fevers.

• ✶ Apple cider vinegar is used for many ailments because it is extremely alkaline.  I use it as a mouth wash to balance the mouth bacteria and drink it to balance the pH in my body.  The amazing benefits of apple cider vinegar merits a post on its own.

• ✶ Apples are a natural source of health-promoting phytonutrients, including antioxidants that keep the cells free from damage.

• ✶ Apples and apple juice are two important foods for contributing the mineral boron to the diet, which may promote bone health.

Preparation: The apple flavor is widely accepted by almost all demographics, from little babies who eat them pureed and children who love a freshly squeezed apple juice (I still do, with some cinnamon please.) to adults, who love biting into a crisp, delicious apple in its natural state as a snack. The best way to eat an apple is as a whole food snack. Its enzymes and micronutrients are all intact, water soluble vitamins all there with the cleansing fiber ready to be your intestinal Swiffer.  It’s all built the way it is and put together for a reason.

Special Note: Apples contain a sufficient amount fructose/natural sugar in it so please avoid adding sugar or consuming an apple product that has added sugar.  Your body and cells will thank you. Also, the acid in apples has been linked to deterioration of tooth enamel, so, no overdosing.

Sources: The 150 Healthiest Foods On Earth by Jonny Bowde PH.d,  Stay Healthy with Nutrition by Elson Haas, M.D.,  www.vermontapples.org, www.botanical.com, www.usapple.org

Berries are the perfect example of quality versus quantity. They are small fruits, but contain huge health benefits (they are also beautiful to look at.)

Berries contain large amounts of special compounds called polyphenols, which act as antioxidants and are antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic.

Dr. James Joseph, the lead scientist in the laboratory of Neuroscience at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University said that the polyphenols in blueberries turn on the signals (signal is a technical term for the communication from neuron to neuron) for neurons to talk to one another. Blueberries are considered a brain food because their high antioxidant power keeps your memory sharp. Consuming them everyday dramatically slows impairment in motor coordination and memory, helps lower blood cholesterol and promotes urinary health.
There was also a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience showing that animals that consumed blueberries, strawberries and spinach everyday had significant improvements in short-term memory. This study also showed that fruits and vegetables reverse dysfunctions in behavior and nerve cells, and protect blood vessels against damage.

Strawberries and raspberries are not only a great source of dietary fiber but also a great source of ellagic acid. Ellagic acid is a natural occurring phenolic compound in plants that are especially rich in berries. In The American Cancer Society’s Guide to Complementary and Alternative Cancer Methods, it states that ellagic acid has been proven to cause apoptosis (natural cell death) in cancer cells without harming healthy cells as chemotherapy does. This component may also be the most potent for cancer prevention, inhibiting the growth of cancer cells, strengthening the immune system, preventing heart disease, birth defects, liver fibrosis, promoting wound healing, preventing the binding of carcinogens to DNA, strengthening connective tissue – which may keep cancer cells from spreading – and protecting the p53 gene from free-radical damage. The p53 gene exists in all cells, and it programs natural cell death and protects DNA. If this gene is mutated by damage from free radicals, apoptosis does not occur, cells replicate with mutated p53 genes, and cancer is the logical result. Last but not least, ellagic acid reduces the destruction of collagen and inflammatory response inhuman cells, both of which are major causes of wrinkles.

The best way to obtain the benefits of all foods is by consuming them organic and in variety. Why organic? Raspberries and strawberries are on the list of the 12 foods most consistently contaminated with pesticides and other agricultural chemicals. If the point of eating them is optimal health why are you going to add chemicals that will have your liver work overtime? Not buying organic or hydroponic foods is like trying to swim to the surface of the ocean with someone grabbing your legs and pulling you down. How are you going to get ahead?

Remember to always think of your body not only as the big mass you see in front of the mirror, but also as a micro universe, with millions of cells that depend on you just as you depend on them. Start to build that internal relationship with yourself, it is the beginning of a beautiful – and healthy – friendship…a berry, berry good one.

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