9 Ways To Use Coconut To Kick Your Sugar Habit

Almost four years ago I quit sugar. For years I've experimented with different types of sugar-craving fixes and one of my favourites is coconut. Whether it’s in the form of flakes, shavings, oil, cream, milk or even fresh, these beauties are brilliant when it comes to dealing with cravings. 

Coconut oil is mostly made up of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which produce a whole host of health benefits. They’re small enough to easily permeate cell membranes, do not require special enzymes to be broken down so are easily digested, and they are immediately converted into energy rather than being stored as fat. 

Unlike carbohydrates, coconut oil does not produce an insulin spike in your blood stream, saving you from those dreaded energy slumps. You get sustaining energy, a sense of fullness, and a sweet hit with no after-effects. A quadruple whammy! 

Major supermarkets have jumped on the bandwagon are now stocked with young/green coconuts. You'll recognize them by their white casing, not the brown hard shell of a mature coconut. Drink the juice and scrape the flesh out with a spoon to use in smoothies and recipes. 

Here are some great ideas for ways you can use coconut, to help kick your sugar habit today! 

1. Have a glass of coconut water. 

It’s three times more hydrating than water and is an amazing electrolyte. Go fresh if you can, otherwise look for packaged versions that are organic, fair-trade and have traveled the least distance. 

2. Add coconut to smoothies.

Add one tablespoon of coconut oil to your favorite smoothie blend, or replace regular milk with coconut water or milk. You can also add coconut flesh to the mix to bulk things up beautifully. 


3. Eat a tablespoon or two of coconut oil, straight from the jar. 

I do this most afternoons to help get me through to dinner, and to stop a craving for sweets in its tracks.

4. Toast coconut flakes.

Toast coconut flakes lightly in a pan and sprinkle on top of your oatmeal or yogurt with some walnuts and cinnamon.

5. Pan-fry some pumpkin chunks in coconut oil.

Sprinkle fresh pumpkin with salt to help tenderize the pumpkin, and add some cinnamon. Just before serving, stir in some coconut flakes or shredded coconut until golden. A great little meal or snack on the fly.

6. Make your own coconut ice cream!

Simply put a can of coconut cream (not milk and not a ‘light’ version) in the fridge. It thickens to a soft ice-cream consistency within a few hours. Yum.

7. Stew fruit in coconut milk

Or pour coconut milk over fresh strawberries for an insta-dessert.

8. Make rice pudding with coconut milk. 

Simply heat leftover rice (or quinoa or oats) with a good splash of coconut milk until creamy and sweet. Add cinnamon and nuts.

9. Make your own coconut butter!

And eat it straight from the fridge or spread on toast or pancakes.

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This Is What Drinking Coconut Water For 7 Days Does To Your Body!

Is coconut water as marvelous as everyone says it seems to be? The vast majority of you are most likely acquainted with coconut oil and the various advantages it offers. In this article, we will investigate a percentage of the significant advantages of coconut water utilization.

Numerous individuals are not mindful that coconut water has for all intents and purposes comparative structure to the blood plasma which is shown in the circulation system in each of us.

In this way, this surprisingly wonderful water made far reaching use in the past war conflicts when it was regularly utilized as a substitute for blood plasma in light of the fact that it was basic for the survival of limitless number of war casualties. The various injured and harmed individuals were given coconut water amid awful and prolonged battles.

These days this water is utilized as a part of all nations of the world, so it is enormously popular. The coconut can be found in numerous business sectors around the world, issuing you the chance to have the general wellbeing benefits of this uncommon natural product for yourself!

Despite the fact that the coconut water does not taste as delectably as pizza, you shouldn’t turn away from what is viewed as one of the healthiest detoxifying waters on the planet.

What happens to your body when you drink coconut water?

Coconut water helps you fortify your immune system. It destroys the microbes that cause urinary tract infections, gonorrhea, gum disease and the infections that cause flu, infectious illnesses and typhoid. Drinking coconut water can offer an awesome support of vitality for the individuals who experience the ill effects of chronic fatigue. The prescribed measurement is 40 to 50 ml taken every day.

While the coconut water certainly builds vitality levels, there is another imperative advantage: it invigorates the generation of thyroid hormones. Going about as a natural diuretic, this water is additionally gainful to any individual who experiences kidney disorders.

Similarly, it helps the urinary tract and bladder channels leaving them clean and infection-free; it dispenses with poisons from the body and lessens issues brought on by kidney stones.

Coconut water enhances absorption too in light of the fact that it contains elevated amounts of fiber. On the off chance that devoured consistently, it alleviates issues brought about by stomach acid. This water contains almost no fat, so it can be consumed in vast amounts. It issues you the inclination of satiety and diminishes appetite, in this manner helping you to get thin and keep up an attractive silhouette.

On the off chance that you experience the ill effects of acne or have a combined dry-oily skin, you can drench a cotton ball in coconut water, and apply it to the skin. It scrubs and stimulates the skin, and, not at all like various creams and moisturizers, it doesn’t close the pores.

This water is likewise useful as a characteristic body purifier: when blended with olive oil the coconut water evacuates intestinal parasites. Doctors say that coconut water can be a significant help to commonly solve some wellbeing issues amid pregnancy also!

A full cup of coconut water in the morning harmonizes electrolytes whose irregularity can at times be the foundation for hypertension, all the more regularly known as hypertension. Sometimes all of us happen to drink some more at late-night occasions, and “strangely” the following morning we wake up with a hangover.

Thus, next time you have a headache after a party, review this surprisingly wonderful water which will help you dispose of the headache. By drinking coconut water you likewise remunerate the lost fluids and defeat the sickness that is oftentimes connected with a hangover.

Weight reduction, jolt of energy, reinforcing of the immune system, protection from microbes and diseases… What more can anyone wish from drinking one cup of water?

One full cup of coconut water every day will likewise be adequate for moisturizing your skin and keeping it shinny for the duration of the day. Remember to drink this water after strenuous physical exercises as well. It’s invigorating and as immaculate as the common spring water. 

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Just One Serving Of This Simple Ingredient Boosts Brain Power

In a groundbreaking study published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging, Medium Chain Triglycerides, the primary fat found in coconut oil, has been found to boost a person’s cognitive performance, particularly in older adults who suffer Alzheimer’s. They found that a single 40 ml dose was enough for there to be a remarkable difference.

This study was small but insightful. It studied 20 subjects with mild cognitive impairment. They were given emulsified MCTs or a placebo on separate days. The researchers observed significant increases in blood plasma levels and beta-hydroxylutyrate, a ketone. According to the study:

“Higher ketone values were associated with greater improvement in paragraph recall with MCT treatment relative to placebo across all subjects.”

The study was conducted with a double-blind placebo controlled design with two study visits. During each visit, subjects received one of two isocaloric conditions (690 calories) in a randomized order: emulsified MCTs, or emulsified long chain triglycerides as a placebo. NeoBee 895 (Stepan, Inc.) was used for MCTs. To increase palatability, heavy whipping cream was used as a source of long chain triglycerides and as a source of long chain mono- and di-glycerides for emulsification. MCTs (40ml) were blended with 152ml heavy whipping cream to create the emulsified test sample. Heavy whipping cream alone (232ml) was blended to create the placebo.

Subjects fasted from 8:00 p.m. on the night prior to the study visit. They arrived in the morning and blood was drawn to determine plasma β-OHB levels and APOE genotyping (first visit only). Subjects then consumed the test beverage and rested quietly for 90 min, after which blood was drawn and a 30-min cognitive testing session ensued. After testing, a final blood draw was taken.”

So what’s the deal with MCTs? Aren’t fats bad for us?

Not exactly, and MCTs aren’t like most of the fats we consume. They’re smaller and are not stored as adipose tissue, where most fats are. They are oxidized by the liver and in high enough quantities are able to increase the quantity of ketones in the body.

You can take a supplement if you can’t stand eating coconut oil, or you can incorporate it into foods that you would otherwise use other vegetable oils to cook.

Pretty neat stuff, isn’t it?

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Coconut Flour Almond Meal Pancakes Recipe

Prepare healthier pancakes for your kids upcoming school season. Skip the regular flour and swap it for coconut flour using my recipe.

Source: Mercola.com by Dr. Mercola

Pancakes are generally one of the worst breakfast foods you can eat… but the recipe below, from MindBodyGreen,¹ is an exception, if you choose to eat breakfast. Made with coconut flour and almond meal, these pancakes are entirely grain-free.

Even better, they contain healthy ingredients like eggs, coconut oil, and grass-fed butter, which means you can indulge without feeling guilty. You can make these pancakes ahead of time and eat them as a snack, too, just be careful with the maple syrup. Either skip it or use just a light drizzle for flavor.

Coconut Flour Almond Meal Pancakes²

Makes about 16 small pancakes
Ingredients

• ½ cup coconut flour
• 1/3 cup almond meal
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 4 organic, pastured eggs
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 1/3 cup milk (raw cow's or coconut)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• a pinch of sea salt
• 1-2 tablespoons organic, raw grass-fed butter + more for serving
• pure maple syrup to drizzle (optional)

Directions

1. In a large bow, mix all the dry ingredients: the coconut flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt.
2. Slowly whisk in the wet ingredients: the eggs, coconut oil, milk, and vanilla. Mix until the batter is smooth. (If it feels a little dry, add more milk until it reaches the consistency you're after).
3. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter and allow it to melt, then add scoops of batter (about a ¼ cup each) for silver dollar pancakes. Cook for about a minute on each side until golden brown. Slather with butter and drizzle maple syrup as desired.

New to Coconut Flour? Why It’s a Healthy Alternative

For starters, coconut flour is 14 percent coconut oil. Around 50 percent of the fat in coconut oil is lauric acid, which your body converts into monolaurin, a monoglyceride that can actually destroy lipid-coated viruses such as HIV and herpes, influenza, measles, gram-negative bacteria, and protozoa such as giardia lamblia.

Coconut oil is also comprised of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) that are easily digested and readily cross cell membranes. MCFAs are immediately converted by your liver into energy rather than being stored as fat. This is in part why I recommend coconut oil as an ideal replacement for non-vegetable carbohydrates.

Coconut flour also contains a whopping 58 percent dietary fiber, which is the highest of any flour. For comparison, wheat bran is only 27 percent fiber. Coconut flour is very low in digestible carbohydrates—even lower than some vegetables.

Coconut flour has no gluten either, which is a very good thing. Unfortunately, many people, physicians included, still believe that if you don't have celiac disease, gluten is fair game and you can eat as much of it as you like.

In reality, gluten sensitivity may actually affect as much as 30 to 40 percent of all people, and according to Dr. Alessio Fasano at Massachusetts General Hospital, virtually all of us are affected to some degree.

This is because we all create something called zonulin in the intestine in response to gluten. This protein, found in wheat, barley, and rye, makes your gut more permeable, which allows proteins to get into your bloodstream that would otherwise have been excluded.

That then sensitizes your immune system and promotes inflammation and autoimmunity. Once gluten sensitizes your gut, it then becomes more permeable and all manner of previously excluded proteins—including casein and other dairy proteins—have direct access to your bloodstream, thereby challenging your immune system.

According to Dr. David Perlmutter, much of our current disease burden stems from the fact that we are contaminating our immune systems with proteins to which the human immune system has never, in the history of humankind, been previously exposed to. So a gluten-free flour like coconut flour is an ideal replacement for wheat flour.

What Makes the Eggs in This Recipe So Important

Eggs are an incredible source of high-quality protein and fat—nutrients that many are deficient in. They’re also an excellent source of antioxidants, including lutein and zeaxanthin. However, they serve another important purpose in this recipe – acting as “glue” to hold the pancakes together.
When cooking with coconut flour, baked goods will just fall apart if you substitute it 100 percent for regular flour. However, you can use 100 percent coconut flour if you add eggs. The secret is to add one egg per ounce of coconut flour, on average. Why eggs? Since coconut flour has no gluten, the eggs take its place by helping your ingredients stick together.

Feel Free to Slather on the Butter

This recipe calls for a small amount of butter in the batter, however, you can also smother your pancakes in more for serving. This is actually a far healthier choice than maple syrup.

Refined carbs, sugar, and processed foods are the real enemy—not the saturated fats found in foods such as butter, lard, or eggs. In addition, butter may have both short-term and long-term benefits for your health. One Swedish study found that fat levels in your blood are lower after eating a meal rich in butter than after eating one rich in olive oil, canola oil, or flaxseed oil.³

The scientists' main explanation is that about 20 percent of butterfat consists of short- and medium-chain fatty acids, which are used right away for quick energy and therefore don't contribute to fat levels in your blood. Therefore, a significant portion of the butter you consume is used immediately for energy—similar to a carbohydrate.

The other oils (olive oil, canola, flax, etc.) contain only long-chain fatty acids. The primary nutrients found in butter are outlined in the table below. As you can see, butter contains a wealth of nutrients, making it a veritable health food.

The very best quality butter is raw (unpasteurized) from grass-pastured cows, preferably certified organic. (One option is to make your own butter from raw milk.) The next best is pasteurized butter from grass-fed or pastured organic cows, followed by regular pasteurized butter common in supermarkets.

Nutrients in Butter
*Vitamin A in the most absorbable form	Lauric acid	Lecithin (necessary for cholesterol metabolism and nerve health)
Antioxidants	*Vitamin E	Vitamin K2
Wulzen factor: hormone-like substance known to prevent arthritis and joint stiffness (destroyed by pasteurization)	*Fatty acids, especially short- and medium-chain in the perfect omega-3 to omega-6 balance	*CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid): anti-cancer agent, muscle builder, and immunity booster
Vitamin D	Minerals, including selenium, manganese, chromium, zinc, and copper	Iodine in a highly absorbable form
Cholesterol	Arachidonic Acid (AA): brain function and healthy cell membranes	Glycospingolipids: fatty acids that protect against GI infections

*The highest amounts of CLA and omega-3 fats come from cows raised on grass pastures. Their butter is also 50 percent higher in vitamins A and E, and 400 percent higher in beta-carotene, giving grass-fed butter its deeper yellow color.

How to Make Your Own Almond Meal

This recipe calls for almond meal, which you can purchase pre-made or easily make at home. I suggest the latter, because this allows you to choose what type of almonds to use. Many store-bought almond meals are made with blanched almonds, which have the skins removed. However, one of the healthiest aspects of almonds appears to be their skins, as they are rich in antioxidants including phenols, flavonoids, and phenolic acids. In addition to leaving the skins on, you can seek out organic and raw almonds, which have not been irradiated or pasteurized. Be aware that pasteurized almonds sold in North America can still be labeled "raw" even though they've been subjected to one of the following pasteurization methods:

• Oil roasting, dry roasting, or blanching
• Steam processing
• Propylene Oxide (PPO) treatment (PPO is a highly toxic flammable chemical compound, once used as a racing fuel before it was prohibited for safety reasons)

There are generally no truly "raw" almonds sold in North America, so don't be misled. It is possible to purchase raw almonds in the US, but it has to be done very carefully from vendors selling small quantities that have a waiver from the pasteurization requirement. The key is to find a company with the waiver that is not pasteurizing them. Once you’ve selected your almonds, making almond meal is simple. Almond meal is highly perishable and prone to becoming rancid, so it’s best to make only as much as the recipe calls for.

• Soak the almonds for at least eight to 12 hours. This will help to get rid of the phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors, which can interfere with the function of your own digestive and metabolic enzymes, in the nuts. Enzyme inhibitors in nuts (and seeds) help protect the nut as it grows, helping to decrease enzyme activity and prevent premature sprouting. When nuts are soaked, the germination process begins, allowing the enzyme inhibitors to be deactivated and increasing the nutrition of the nut significantly, as well as making them much easier to digest. 

• Place almonds in a food processor, coffee grinder, or blender. 

• Pulse the nuts until they reach a medium/fine texture. (Avoid processing for too long, as your almond meal will turn into almond butter).

Healthy Toppings for Your Pancakes

Maple syrup is the go-to pancake topping for many, but even though it’s natural, it’s still high in fructose. One tablespoon of maple syrup contains 12 grams of sugar, about 6 grams of which are fructose. I recommend restricting the level of fructose you consume to no more than 25 grams per day if you’re healthy and no more than 15 grams per day if you’re overweight or have a chronic disease like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure or cancer. An even healthier option is to forgo the maple syrup altogether and top your healthy coconut almond meal pancakes with butter, a generous sprinkling of cinnamon and/or fresh blueberries and raspberries.

Thanks for taking the time to read this article. If you found this information helpful, please share it with your friends and family. Your support in our endeavor of sharing free information would be much appreciated. Follow us on Facebook to stay updated with what's going Viral in the Alternative News scene. https://www.facebook.com/ViralAlternativeNews

Source: Mercola.com by Dr. Mercola