Coconut oil - the beauty elixir!

While things are still going swimmingly on the sugarfree front, I'm going to undertake a couple of other committments. I'd really like to cut bread, pasta and pastry out too (though not as ruthlessly as I did with refined sugar, one has to be polite at others' houses, it's much easier to refuse dessert than mains!), and I'd also like to gradually increase my coconut oil intake.

According to the research I've found, particularly here at the coconut research centre, coconut oil is a veritable miracle worker. It's so antiviral that its capable of reducing the viral load to negligable levels in people suffering from the most debilitating viruses. It is also antibacterial and anti-fungal, and so a fantastic treatment for systemic candida. In case those credentials haven't impressed you, coconut oil is a FAT EATING OIL!!! That's right folks, you can consume this oil and it will munch away at your stored body fat! And just to be a total show off, it's anti-inflammatory too, therefore great for arthritis and autoimmune disorders. WOW.

The approximate dose required for inflammation and candidiasis, is 3 tablespoons a day. It's advisable to slowly advance to that amount if you'd like to try it, it is after all an oil and many of us who have particularly 'toxed up' livers may feel a little ill otherwise. I'd reccommend starting with a teaspoon and working up.

For particularly virulent viruses up to 6 tablespoons can be taken daily. If you like you can have your viral load tested before you start taking coconut oil, then again after, say, 3 months on the full dose. It would be interesting to make the comparison.

So far I'm up to one tablespoon a day. I notice I eat less of other foods for a few hours after I take it. My body feels nourished enough and doesn't ask for more, which could be a great weight management tool.

The other thing I noticed immediatelly is that it's really hard to swallow pure oil!!! So I've been experimenting with finding other ways to take it. This morining I put it in my smoothie which seemed to work well. Another option is to incorporate it into warm foods like coconut oil based curries, over some warm rice or, my personal preference, warm coconut and chai spiced rice pudding made with xylitol! I'll post the recipe as soon as I've got it down pat.

Coconut oil can be found at health shops, make sure you always buy cold pressed. If you have a great coconut oil story or recipe, please share it in comments!

Surprise Surprise!

Today I really surprised myself! I said I'd try to avoid lone shopping trips, but today it was necessary. Bubby was a bit tired and bored of my face, so instead of acting as my straight-and-narrow, he stayed at Grandma's.

Once the groceries were finished my mind turned to food, as usual. But this time my first thought was "is there any sugar free treat food around?" This seemed like a nice idea, but it was the next thought that really surprised me; "don't get food! Get a pair of shorts instead! It'll make you happy for longer." Oh Lordy, that sounds like reasonable thinking!! WOW! So I am capable of it! But only when unclouded by sugar addiction. So I took off in search of my shorts, lest the newfound rationality pass!

As I mentioned, I've cut sugar loose at least once a year for 20 years now. Only I've changed tack this time. Usually I group refined wheat products (bread, pasta, couscous etc) with sugar because, well, it is sugar. Refined wheat is only a little bit less toxic than refined sugar, and as far as our bodies are concerned, it's almost the same thing. So I avoid it. Only this time I decided that since it's really sugar that I want to kick forever, I'd tackle that first, and it's turned out to be successful. Funny thing is, now I find myself naturally avoiding bread and pasta! This has been another fabulous surprise. I noticed it just tonight; I'd spent the day thinking about how I'd 'reward' myself for getting through (most of) the housework with a big plate of pasta. But when I came to start, I made myself tuna coleslaw with organic mustard instead!

I'm really thrilled by this progress. It has honestly never been this easy before. From now on I'll use this tactic for clients when I prescribe diet changes. It's much gentler and more effective.

Speaking of housework, I found yet another wonderful surprise this week. Sugar freedom related? Not on the surface, but who knows? It might have been a karmic reward! I'll get to the point. This week I discovered the concept of the 'Kitchen Witch'. A Kitchen Witch is a woman whose spiritual practice centres around her kitchen, the hearth of the home. She is a solitary practitioner; her magic is in her food preparation and her worship is her time spent cleaning, both of which are performed with intention. Well, I'll tell you, my kitchen has never been so clean! I've been worshiping away, baby on hip! In fact, even he seems to like the kitchen more!!

Here comes the Sun

It's day 6 of sugar freedom (but who's counting??), and I'm beginning to feel serene. My face and tummy are a little less bloated and my skin feels clearer. My brain isn't screaming at me, the cravings have just evaporated! Jolly timely too, the shortbread biscuits I made with xylitol were a dismal failure!! Turns out sugar is what makes them crunchy. Oh well! I won't give up on the xylitol just yet!

So back to mental clarity! When I was reading for my research project during my naturopathic studies, I found many studies describing how sugar inflames the nervous system. There was one in particular that has stayed with me; the subjects in the study were scanned under MRI, then fed some sugar, then scanned again. The 'after' shots showed bright, glowing nervous systems, denoting aggitation, irritation. This translates physically to poor coordination and emotionally to stress and anxiety. I usually didn't notice I was feeling this way because it felt normal, this is obviously because it takes most of a week to calm down! Now I can feel the difference, and I highly recommend it! I kind of feel like I'm floating, rather than fighting through life. I feel successful! So far my mastery project is on track!

Even more encouraging is that I think sugar and I have finally called a truce. I feel now that I can maintain a sugarless diet, although the real test will be going to the shopping centre alone. Thats when I usually find myself scanning the cakes at Miss Mauds. Maybe I'll take Antonio shopping with me until I'm a little more sure of my resolve! I can't eat rubbish in front of him because he always wants some. The later he's exposed to that stuff the healthier he will be. For more info on that one check out Dr Robert Lustig, this video is worth the time. I think his presentation was a large part of my decision to swear off the sugar for good.

Sweet obsessions

It's nap time, but instead of doing some breathing exercises or meditating, I'm lying here googling xylitol biscuit recipes on my phone! I've found some good ones which I'll share once I've tested them.

Part of me doesn't really want to eat sweets. But it's obviously not the louder part! My brain is screaming at me to devour the last of the Christmas chocolate. My man dutifully hides it from me, since he's one of those weird, self regulating types! I've tried all my life to be like that, but it's just not in me. For me it's feast or famine, at least for now.

I've bought some supplies to help prevent cravings: Organic crunchy peanut butter is a favourite; high in protein and fats, both of which fill up quickly. It can also be combined with veggie sticks for fibre, also very filling.

Yoghurt is brilliant, and transportable too. Antonio and I often share a tub of Chris's Greek yoghurt. It's the sourest yoghurt I've tasted, but creamy too. We love it!

Ok, 10 minutes left of nap time, I'll dutifully spend them focusing on my third chakra

Mastery and Mummyhood

I had intended to write this post on the first day of the new year, but such is mummyhood!

This year, 2012, is my new beginnings year. I'm aware that many people believe this year is special and significant. I find it interesting that I spontaneously decided to make this year transformational for me personally. At-bloody-last!! I've finally decided to implement some changes I've been "thinking about" for years. Thinking about as well as preaching!

For example, my number one project is to give up sugar. To 'quit' the stuff like a smoker or an alcoholic. I'm a sugarholic. Or I was until Sunday. I've been clean 3 days now. It's not the first time I've quit sugar; I've done it at least annually since I was 9. That was 20 years ago now, and though I was very diciplined at first, each time I quit it was for a breifer period, until it became almost too dificult, I put on weight and found it hard to shift. This did, of course, coincide with my move to Melbourne, where the food is decidedly better, cheaper, available and more generously portioned. I may have lost control!!

In my youth (she muses wistfully!!) I imagined that someday, a vague timeframe occuring around the scary age of 30, I'd clean up my diet permanently, with the vain motivation of age defiance. Now my reasons have broadened to include my health, both mental and physical (nothing like sleep deprivation to inspire appreciation for mental health!), and my son. I believe role modeling is the best parenting tool, thus if I wish to protect him from the poison, I'll have to get off it too. There's a great story about a mother who went to Gandhi to ask him to tell her son to stop eating sugar. He told her to bring the son to see him in two weeks. She did this, and Gandhi simply told him to stop eating sugar. The mother asked why the two weeks were necessary and Gandhi replied "Because two weeks ago I was eating sugar."

And so I'm a dreadful hypocrite no longer! But so far I just feel hungry!! I do have 20 years of tricks up my sleeve though, and I'll share those here if you're interested in trying this for yourself. It does take time to detox sugar. If you were thinking of trying it I'd recommend Sarah Wilson's fabulous ebook, I Quit Sugar'. It's a quick and easy read and very motivational.

This is, as I said, my number one project, but it's the 'lead up' to my much grander goal of self mastery! I've become aware recently that the dissatisfactions I feel with my own life all seem to coincide with the themes of the solar plexus chakra. That's the third one, it's yellow, like fire, and it centers around ego, boundaries, decisions, personal power, will, that sort of thing. I'm so lacking in all that, so despite my creativity, I never really accomplish much! It relates to the pancreas, liver, spleen and upper intestinal tract, all of which are compromised when I binge on sugar. It all ties together so neatly!




So this year will be dedicated to balancing my solar plexus chakra, using tools like my diet, yoga, meditation, breathing, herbs, and general mindfulness of these issues in my everyday life. I intend to blog for accountability. At this end of proceedings the idea of a shiny new self is very exciting, but I know it will get ickier as the year wears on. I know there will be steep challenges, balancing my self and my journey with my responsibility to my family. And I suppose I don't really forsee true balance eventuating at all, since mummyhood and family harmony are my first priorities. I'll fit 'me' in around them. Which means I'll do a little bit during nap time and a little bit in the evening, and a very little bit while someone else cares for Antonio. But it will be done! And for now, the most important thing is what I'm not doing; eating sugar!

So now I'll finish off my chai spiced cocoa with coconut oil and take myself to bed.