Seymour - Coconut every day : cooking with natures miracle superfood

CONTENTS Foreword BY JOY McCARTHY As a nutritionist, I consider coconut productsespecially coconut oilto be essential in my kitchen. Ive written extensively about it on my blog, Joyous Health, and tell pretty much anyone and everyone wholl listen how much I love coconut products and how coconut can benefit them from a health perspective. It is truly a superfood. After reviewing these drool-worthy recipes that Sasha has created (and letting my husband know that we must make the Banana Coconut Ricotta Pancakes for our next Sunday brunch), I was reminded on this beautiful journey of coconut of the varied and delicious uses of coconut products, including milk, flour, flakes, sugar, and water. Apparently Im not the only lover of coconut products. say it nourishes the body, increases strength, and promotes beautiful hair and skin. say it nourishes the body, increases strength, and promotes beautiful hair and skin.

In Ayurveda medicine, it has been used for over 4000 years as an effective treatment for skin diseases. In the Philippines, the coconut plant is called the tree of life. Interestingly, a country where coconut oil appears in virtually every single dish also has the lowest cancer rates of the 50 countries surveyed by the National Cancer Institute. The health benefits of coconut are as plentiful as the many ways to eat it. PROMOTES WEIGHT LOSS Studies have shown that when coconut oil is part of ones diet, white fat stores are reduced. Because of the medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) being so well absorbed and used as an energy source, their burning actually increases metabolic rate.

A study showed that over a six-day period a diet high in MCTs increased thermogenesis by a whopping 50 percenttalk about fat-burning potential just by adding coconut oil or milk to your smoothie! I know what Ill be making tomorrow: the Brain Power Smoothie (page 40). SAFEST OIL FOR COOKING Because its a saturated fat, coconut oil is very stable and can withstand high heat without smoking, making it ideal for cooking, sauting, and roasting food. Plus it tastes absolutely deeeelish! BRAIN FOOD Insulin problems, which millions of North Americans suffer from, prevent brain cells from accepting glucose, the primary source of energy for your brain. Without glucose, cells eventually die. However, the brain readily accepts ketones as a source of fuel. Theres now evidence suggesting that ketone bodies may actually help restore and renew neurons and nerve function in your brain, even after damage has set in.

Ketones are metabolized in the liver after digesting coconut oil because its such a wonderful source of MCTs. Additionally, coconut oil has been making waves in the media for its link to the prevention of Alzheimers disease. Because of this, Florida researchers are currently studying the effects of coconut oil in the prevention of Alzheimers disease. This is very exciting news for the treatment of a disease that affects millions of people. EXTREMELY HIGH IN FIBER Coconut flour is one of my favorite flours to bake with, as it has the highest amount of fiber of all flours. This makes it blood-sugar- balancing, which means you can say bye-bye to those pesky afternoon cravings.

How does it do this? Fiber slows the release of glucose into the bloodstream. When glucose levels are balanced, insulin levels are kept in check, which aids in managing cravings. A WONDERFUL DAIRY ALTERNATIVE Not only do coconut products have numerous health benefits, but as youll see in Sashas recipes, theyre also the perfect substitute when cooking for those with dairy allergies and sensitivities. You can now eat cream sauces without a bellyache, thanks to Sashas Soft Scrambled Eggs with Creamed Spinach and Smoked Salmon and Cream of Wild Mushroom Soupmy mouth is watering just writing this! GO GLUTEN-FREE Gluten intolerance is hitting epidemic proportions, but you dont have to worry because coconut products are naturally GLUTEN-FREE. Pumpkin Spice Muffins or Coconut Chicken Fingers without gluten? IMMUNE-ENHANCING As much as 50 percent of the fatty acids in coconut are in the form of medium-chain (12-carbon) saturated fat called lauric acid. The only other abundant source of this healing fat is breast milk.

Your body converts this to a highly beneficial compound called monolaurin, an antiviral/antibacterial that destroys a wide variety of disease-causing organisms. H. Pylori, yeast, fungi, protozoa, and a number of species of ringworm are all destroyed by lauric acid. BEAUTIFYING NATURALLY After trying these scrumptious recipes in Coconut Every Day youll probably want to only eat coconut products, but when applied topically theyre also beautifying. In fact, coconut oil is a fantastic deep-conditioning treatment for your hair, a nourishing lip moisturizer, and an alternative to shaving cream for your legs. But who wants to use it on their body when Sasha has provided so many flavorful ways to get it into our belly? BREASTFEEDING MAMAS A study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that lactating mothers who include virgin coconut oil in their diet have higher amounts of capric acid in their breast milk.

Combined with coconut oils other healthy fats, lauric and caprylic acid, there is an increase in high-density lipoproteins, otherwise known as HDL (many refer to it as good cholesterol). Why is this helpful? Children are better protected from infections and toxins. Interestingly, researchers at the University of CaliforniaDavis found that children with infections had high levels of LDL relative to HDL. Go coconut oil! Im really excited that this book has landed in your hands, because these superbly wonderful recipes featuring my favorite superfood, coconut, were created with love by Sasha and will certainly set you on a path to joyous health. Joy McCarthy, CNP, RNCP, is the vibrant nutritionist behind the popular blog and bestselling book, Joyous Health Introduction Deep down in the mind of many a good cook, countless recipes lurk. For the most part, getting them out is just a matter of knowing where to start, finding a little inspiration, or being faced with a great ingredient and knowing what to do with it.

I started with coconut. I got a lot of surprised looks when Id tell people I was writing a coconut book. Why on earth coconut? people would wonder. But trust me, coconut is on its way to being the next big thing. Our neighborhood grocery store started stocking coconut milkwell, thats been around foreverbut then they started carrying coconut water, and then coconut oil, and coconut butter and coconut sugar. Its practically epidemic at this point! But when I starting looking for recipes that used all these things, I found that the one ingredient missing was a coconut cookbook.

Well, here it is. Coconut Every Day grew out of a seed planted by its publisher. She came to me and the photographer and said, I have an exciting idea. And it has been exciting. A whirlwind of learning and cooking and having ideas and scrapping them. Of digging around in the cuisines of cultures that use coconut every day, literally.

My household, and extensions of it, lived coconut every day, too. The coconut is a miracle food. A saturated fat that gets burned like a carbohydrate? And that can increase your metabolism, and lower your cholesterol, and fight candida? Yes! And it tastes good, to boot. I started off slowly, replacing dairy with coconut milk or coconut oil in some of my favorite recipes, and as I got going, I realized that we Western eaters have such a limited pantry. Every meal has either a wheat or a dairy component. Toast for breakfast, a bagel for lunch, and maybe pasta for dinner, and all of it usually covered in some kind of dairy product.