tiptoe to coconut

Coconut?  Isn’t coconut high in saturated fat?  Well, yes, but remember that not all fat and not all saturated fat is bad.  Not only is coconut one of the best sources of those essential fatty acids called medium-chain triglycerides, which provide energy with a balanced burn, but coconut is rich in lauric acid, found in human milk and known to have anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties. 

Because of these properties, coconut can be used to treat candida!  The Ayurvedic Encyclopedia, which explains the medicine of India, states coconut, one of the easiest fats to digest, is used as a tonic to nourish. It also softens skin and helps in the treatment of psoriasis and eczema.  So moisturize with coconut oil or use it to give a loved one a massage.  Try coconut oil to cook with and eat the fruit itself.  Don’t be afraid.  Everything in moderation is fine. 

Ask me for some fantastic recipes that use coconut meat.  And I do mean fantastic! 

Want to get the most out of your food? Enzymes play a big part.

Does eating great food and taking supplements mean we’ll be healthy, wealthy and wise?  If only it were that easy… Before we can absorb food and supplements, our body has to break them down into smaller pieces.  It’s that “breaking down” process that extracts nutrients so they can be assimilated.  Until that happens, not much we put into our mouths does us any good.  What do we call the hardworking stiffs that make that happen?  Enzymes.

Enzymes are catalysts, spark plugs that initiate chemical reactions in our body.  Enzymes are both metabolic (systemic) and digestive.  Metabolic enzymes instigate various chemical reactions in cells including energy production and detoxification.  It’s the digestive enzymes needed to activate metabolic enzymes we’ll talk about here – digestive enzymes such as amylase to digest starches, protease for proteins, lipase for fats, lactase for dairy and cellulase for cellulose or fiber, maltase for grains and sucrase to break down sugars.

Just by living, we hamper the work that enzymes do.  Stress, medications, pollution and lifestyle choices such as cigarette smoking make enzymes struggle more.  And as we age, enzymes fight an uphill battle. 

If enzymes don’t succeed in breaking down food, it spoils inside us and may get re-absorbed and re-circulated in the body hurting the liver, immune system and sometimes leading to disease, especially autoimmune disorders such as arthritis and fibromyalgia.

If the body has to labor to digest food, energy is diverted which might otherwise be used to stimulate our brain or help us repair tissues, organs and cells.

In 1930 Dr. Edward Howell wrote Enzyme Nutrition: the Food Enzyme Concept and stated that “The length of life is inversely proportional to the rate of exhaustion of the enzyme potential of an organism.”  According to Dr. Howell, each of us has an “enzyme bank account.”  We take enzymes out of our bank account for normal digestion and also for emergencies caused by things such as viruses, strenuous exercise or emotional crises.  Dr. Howell advocated making “deposits” through supplementation.  He believed that the enzymes available to us in raw fruits and veggies are usually only enough to digest their own particles. 

Others believe that there are foods that add to that enzyme bank account (foods like avocados, fresh pineapples, fresh papaya and mangos).  Naturally cultured vegetables such as sauerkraut and kimchi and sprouts are said to be a rich source of enzymes.

Speaking of sprouts, raw seeds and nuts contain enzyme inhibitors which neutralize some enzymes our body produces.  Raw peanuts, for example, are said to contain an especially large amount of enzyme inhibitors.  Raw wheat germ is another food that makes enzymes work harder.  In addition, egg whites, all peas, beans and lentils and potatoes affect enzymes somewhat.  (The enzyme inhibitor in potatoes is concentrated in the eyes of the potato.)  So what can you do about those enzyme inhibitors?

When you cook food, the enzyme inhibitors are destroyed, but so, then, are the enzymes!  The second way to neutralize the enzyme inhibitors is to soak, rinse and germinate or sprout the food (remember that we said sprouts are a rich source of enzymes?).  Not only does sprouting food destroy enzyme inhibitors, but it also increases the enzyme content from a factor of 3 to 6.  Can you soak and sprout things like raw peanuts?  Of course, as long as they haven’t been treated with fumigants or mold inhibitors.

Another way to neutralize enzyme inhibitors in food is by fermentation (cultured veggies, kimchi).  Fermentation adds a host of beneficial micro-organisms to food, making them more digestible and increasing the healthy flora in our intestinal tracts.  The simplest way to lacto-ferment grains and beans is by adding whey or yogurt and water, and letting them stand for at least seven hours. Beans should ideally stand for twelve hours or more.

   Do I do this?  I can’t find the time to lacto-ferment or sprout!  I appreciate that others make products that I can buy.  And I like my nuts roasted anyhow.  I still eat peas and potatoes, but I take an enzyme with my meal.

Kefir is another fermented product is rich in enzymes.  (I actually take my supplements with kefir.)

Another source of enzymes is nutritional yeast (nutritional yeast is also rich in the B vitamins – the nerve and stress vitamins and it doesn’t encourage the overgrowth of yeast or candida in our bodies).

According to German researchers in the 1880’s enzymes taken orally, in addition to helping break down food, also help improve circulation, decrease the rate of inflammation from injuries and aid in rehabilitation.  After oral ingestion, enzymes could be detected in the lip of a wound!  Enzymes were demonstrated to dissolve blood clots as well as normalize blood flow equilibrium.

Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, maintains that almost all disease derives from poor digestion.  Rather than take digestive enzymes tablets, Ayurvedia uses fresh herbs like ginger, coriander, cardamom, cumin or turmeric to aid digestion.  Ayurveda considers dairy “holy” and recommends boiling milk from cows that are grass-fed, letting it cool, and then adding a digestive spice.  Alternatively, Ayurveda suggests mixing ½ cup yogurt (the real deal with live cultures) together with ½ cup water and cumin seeds to make a drink taken with or between meals.  

So adding to that enzyme bank can be, but doesn’t have to be by means of a supplement.  There are foods to use, there are herbs to try. 

According to Anthony Cichoke in The Complete Book of Enzyme Therapy, anyone with dull skin, acne, eczema, skin cancer, wrinkles, scars, stretch marks, brown spots, or fungal infections such as athlete’s foot, would be wise to explore enzyme therapy.  Lack of enzymes have been linked to a variety of health problems such as heart disease, depression, allergies, arthritis, fatigue, malnutrition, leaky gut, bloating and gas. 

Regular use of digestive enzymes with meals is said to help one shed excess pounds.  Why?  Well, remember when you were young and lean?  Your body produced quarts of digestive juice to help you handle everything you ate.  That juice speeded up metabolism.  As we age, our bank account of digestive enzymes dwindles, and it’s up to us to add enzymes back.

When you take enzymes dictates what they’ll do for you.  Taken prior to or with a meal, they break down foods, freeing nutrients for absorption and use by the body; taken between meals, enzymes absorb into the bloodstream and break down toxins at the cellular level.  Taken together with other medicinal substances, enzymes enhance their activity, absorption and bio-availability. 

So what can we do?  Take digestive enzymes or eat enzyme-rich foods at the start of a meal. Try the Ayurvedic method with herbs or spices mentioned above.  Chew food well since enzymatic activity begins in the mouth.  Don’t eat on the run, don’t eat late at night. 

One caution:  If you have gastric or duodenal ulcers, or if gastric irritation occurs after the use of any digestive enzyme, discontinue. 

Debra@DebrasNaturalGourmet.com.  Debra Stark is the owner of Debra’s Natural Gourmet in West Concord. 

And the magic word is...

Beets!  Read one of the articles here.  Write a comment, print it out and bring it with you when you come into the store in May (that presumes, of course, that you live somewhere in New England). Do so and you get a free beet!  Organic?  But of course... Yes, honey-bunch, that's any beet your heart desires.  Your reward for trying to help me launch this blog and start some conversations. 

Self-Care Zingiber Officinale (Ginger!)

Zingiber Officinale, which we know as “ginger,” is one of about 1,400 plants in the Zingberacea family right along with turmeric and cardamom. Cultivated for thousands of years in China and India, ginger reached the West some 2,000 years ago. It was recorded as a Roman tax in the 2nd century, and tariff duties appear in the records of Marseilles in the year 1228, and in those of Paris by the year 1296. Before the Norman Conquest of England sometime in the 13th century, ginger was second only to pepper in popularity.

A pound of ginger was then valued at the priced of one sheep.

Today we import ginger from countries like China, Africa, Central American, Brazil and Australia, and there is gorgeous organic ginger grown in the state of Hawaii too.

Ginger is used medicinally in the Orient and considered a warming remedy for cold hands and feet, chills, weakness, poor digestion, nausea, and weak circulation. It’s considered critical in the fight against colds, mucus, coughs, and bronchial infections. In fact, ginger appears in more than half of all Chinese herbal prescriptions. It’s used when the weather is cold and damp, and to prevent and treat viral infections.

In this country, the best known use of ginger is as a digestive aid. Herbalists describe ginger as a “stimulating carminative,” which soothes the stomach, relieves gas, eases cramps, and generally encourages normal digestion and absorption. Ginger tea is said to reduce gastric secretions and help inhibit gastric ulcers. Some use ginger as a food preservative because it has been shown to have potent anti-microbial qualities.

Japanese researchers say that ginger has a tonic effect on the heart and may lower cholesterol levels by reducing cholesterol absorption in the blood and liver.

Back to ginger and nausea – in 1985, in a small study, seasick US cadets were given seasickness pills, some of which contained powdered ginger while others contained a placebo. Ginger cut the symptoms of nausea, vomiting, and cold sweats in half compared to the placebo. Since then, other studies have found that powdered ginger root works better than Dramamine in preventing or treating motion sickness.

All forms of ginger (drunk as tea, eaten by the spoonful when grated into honey, capsules and tablets) have been shown to be effective for morning sickness. An old clinical trial in The European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology reported that women with the most severe kind of morning sickness, termed “hyperemesis gravidarum,” in which women took one gram of powdered ginger per day, had symptoms either greatly reduced or eliminated altogether.

In another study, patients as St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, were given ginger to prevent post-operative nausea and vomiting, and it worked.

Since ginger (like onions and garlic) thins the blood, taking it with synthetic oral anti-coagulants such as warfarin (coumadin) could be problematic, but I wonder whether it could be used in their stead? That’s a study somebody should undertake, don’t you think?

Topically, adding 5-10 drops of the essential oil of ginger to cup or so of any good cold-processed oil such as almond or coconut and then rubbing it onto the affected area can alleviate the pain of lumbago and rheumatism. Someone I know added a few drops of juniper and eucalyptus oils in addition to the ginger oil, and said that she received great, temporary relief. Since this mixture is strong, know your threshold of “pain” to a warming sensation. You might want to use less ginger oil.

Ginger (taken internally) is said to help detox when you’re fasting. It’s also said to help aid in weight loss. While it may get the circulation going, and that’s certainly helpful, I’m convinced the only true way to lose weight is to consume fewer calories and walk more!

My mother used to put a 2” piece of ginger in her vegetable juicer each day. She liked the zing it gave her carrot and veggie juice and said she could feel her whole body warming up and perking along.

Ginger is definitely a part of my arsenal if I’m feeling under the weather. I grate ½ teaspoon fresh ginger into a cup and pour over it boiling water (or make a whole tea pot-full all at once by using ½ teaspoon of ginger per cup of water). Allow the ginger to steep in the water for at least 10-15 minutes (I have to admit that I just let the ginger sit in the kettle and never remove it until I’ve drunk the whole pot). Sip the ginger tea throughout the day. Alternatively, one can grate ginger into raw, organic honey and take by the spoonful.

When I travel (planes, especially, have become germ incubators), I always take a piece of fresh ginger in a little baggie in my purse. When the guy next to me starts coughing, or when I feel somebody acting like a Typhoid Mary begins to cozy up, I nibble on that piece of ginger.

If you just want to make ginger a part of your life, ginger tea bags are the easiest. A sprinkle of ginger powder or chopped fresh ginger in dishes can make them come alive too. There's pickled sushi ginger and crystallized ginger, which does taste great, but which has sugar (do take that into account). Of course there are ginger capsules and tablets too.

Introduce ginger to your system gradually if you’re not used to it. Like anything new, too much of any good thing can be a shock to your system.

And like anything fresh, ginger can spoil. To avoid wasting my fresh ginger, I store it in a baggie in the freezer. When I want some, I take the baggie out of the freezer and allow the ginger to thaw just enough to chop or grate some off. Do I peel my ginger? Who has time? And, of course, I buy organic ginger so I don’t want to waste all those nutrients in the skin. When I’ve used what I want, I simply throw the baggie with the remainder of the ginger back into the freezer.

Let me leave you with this. There’s an ancient Druid formula using ginger which is said to help in the bedroom. Mix 1-2 cups warm milk with ¼ teaspoon powdered ginger, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon and 4 tablespoons of raw honey. This pick-me-upper is said to work if you and yours drink it before bed. If you like things spicy, feel free to add more ginger.

Self-Care 2011. Debra is the owner of Debra’s Natural Gourmet in Concord, and a resident of Acton.

Self-Care Oh, No! Nail Fungus

What is nail fungus? Typically caused by microscopic organisms with the sweet name of “dermatophytes,” nail fungus manifests as discoloration and a thickening of the nail, most commonly the toenails. When you’ve got it, sandals are out because the nails are unsightly, and as they thicken, nails also become deformed so wearing shoes can be an exercise in torture, and the nails can separate from the nail bed.

What causes nail fungus? Dermatophytes (such as Candida) love dark and damp locations. Experts say we can pick up fungus in places like locker rooms or in puddles around pools. (I developed a robust case years ago because I would jump out of the shower and immediately put my damp feet into sneakers which I wore the whole day. I created a warm, moist environment the fungi loved, and they burrowed under my nails big-time. And when I used to cook in our store’s kitchen, wearing plastic gloves all day did the same thing for the nails on my hands. Didn’t help that I ignored the problem for years.)

What else can cause nail fungus? Wearing shoes that are too tight so the nails can’t breathe, or wearing the same shoes everyday. Nail polish doesn’t let the nails breathe either. Wearing socks that aren’t clean may invite fungi. Trauma to the nails may lead to nail fungus. But for the most part, the trick to preventing nail fungus is “Keep your nails clean and dry!”

Can what we eat make a difference too? Yes, and we’ll talk about that in a bit.

If you have nail fungus, how can you get rid of it? There are prescription creams and prescription oral medications, but these are expensive and may come with significant side effects. If they do work (often they don’t), these meds take from 9-12 months to affect change.

There are alternative treatments which also take 9-12 months, cost much less and don’t have side effects. For starters, file your nails straight and keep them short. Smooth any rough edges. Yes, “file” as opposed to cut, because it’s virtually impossible to cut a thickened nail infected with fungus.

Treatment protocol: While there are choices, I’ve found it most effective to mix and match solutions in order to keep the fungi, which are smart living organisms, guessing. For the quickest and best results, soak your feet as described below. If you don’t have time to soak, dry your feet and then apply the strong-smelling oils such as tea tree, neem, rosemary, oregano or thuja. Another topical option is liquid grapefruit seed extract. All these are powerful fungicides. They all have antiseptic, antibacterial, antiparasitical, antiviral, analgesic and antifungal properties.

Another oil you might include in your mixture is essential oil of lavender because it smells good, helps fight the infection and prevents skin irritation.

Do you need to use all these oils? Of course not. You can choose just one if that’s your preference. I like to mix a few in a bottle and apply with a brush (such as the kind you get with nail polish). My brush came with a ready-made tea-tree solution I originally purchased years ago – we still sell it and it’s made by Thursday Plantation. The brush is easier to work with than a Q-tip or cotton ball (these two absorb the solution, which means you waste a fair amount). If I didn’t have my brush, I’d use my finger to apply.

Topical solutions should be applied twice daily, morning and before bed. If you miss a time, don’t worry. Start again.

I always add some 12% hydrogen peroxide solution to my mixture. (FYI: hydrogen peroxide bubbles around the nail and may turn the skin white for about 10 minutes. This is normal and no cause for alarm.) It’s that bleaching effect which gave me hope during the long months the other stuff was slowly working.

Yes, you can speed up the process by soaking your toenails for 15-20 minutes in basin full of warm water and raw apple cider vinegar mixed in equal proportion. Or make a boric acid powder solution, which was my grandmother’s favorite remedy. To make a boric acid powder solution: In a pot large enough so you can put your foot in, bring water to a boil and then stir in a few tablespoons of boric acid powder. Cool mixture slightly (optional: add a few capfuls of hydrogen peroxide). Soak feet for 15-20 minutes. When done with either soak, dry your toenails thoroughly. Apply your favorite topical mixture.

With regard to the boric acid powder solution, I found I could use the soaking solution multiple times instead of pouring it down the sink. I stored the pot, warmed it up each time and soaked. It’s awful to look at, but the mixture still worked fine.

We all want a quick fix. It isn’t going to happen here, but as mentioned above, you can improve the appearance of your nails fairly quickly by bushing them with a 12% solution of hydrogen peroxide (which also helps kill fungus). Try and brush some under the nail bed and over the top of the nail.

What you eat is important. If you have nail fungus, include more probiotics like acidophilus in your diet. The good bugs will help fight the fungus. Yes, yogurt and kefir are good sources of probiotics, but eat those plain, unsweetened, because the bad bugs and fungus feed on and love sugar. Which means every time you indulge in sugary desserts or white pasta that turns into sugar, the Dermatophytes throw a party. No one says you shouldn’t have an ice cream cone, but just know that your war against the bugs will take longer to win.
It’s also said that fungus loves us best when our systems are too acidic. So eat more green veggies and more whole grains and beans. Eat berries instead of bananas. Eat less red meat. You know the drill! If you don’t, write me.

If you’ve spent years developing a good case of nail fungus, you’ll need a good year to get rid of it. If you stop treatment before the fungus is completely gone and before a new and healthy nails have grown in, chances are survivor bugs will infect the nail all over again.

Better safe than sorry is my motto here, and I still treat my nails each morning by brushing them with my solution of the moment. Today my little bottle happens to have hydrogen peroxide with some grapefruit seed extract and a little lavender.

Self-Care 2010. Keep me posted as you battle nail fungus.