The Healthy & Green Consumer

Each coconut recipe here has been tested and created in the kitchen.

Unlike many people who write about  coconut oil by simply reading about it, Marianita Shilhavy actually grew up on a coconut plantation in the Philippines and in a culture that consumed significant amounts of coconut fat in their diet. She later went on to earn her degree in nutrition and worked as a nutritionist in the Philippines. Brian Shilhavy also lived in the Philippines for several years with Marianita and their 3 children observing firsthand the differences between the diet and health of the younger generation and those of Marianita’s parents’ generation still consuming a traditional diet. This led to years of studying Philippine nutrition and dietary patterns first hand while living in a rural farming community in the Philippines. They are authors of the best-selling book: Virgin Coconut Oil: How it has changed people’s lives and how it can change yours!

Eating avocados is associated with a lower body weight, lower BMI and waist circumference, and better diet quality overall, according to a study.

Avocado eaters had higher intakes of good fats and higher intakes of nutrients including fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin K.Avocado eaters had “significantly lower” BMI than others and weighed an average of 7.5lbs less.The avocado-eaters also had smaller waist circumferences, on average 4 cm smaller, than the non-avocado eaters.Avocado eaters had 50% lower risk for metabolic syndrome, which increases the risks of heart disease, stroke, and type-2 diabetes.

Avocados are nutritional powerhouses, and this study suggests that people who eat them make healthier choices overall.

As if that isn’t enough, there are numerous other studies on the health benefits of avocados. These indicate the little fruits are good for fighting inflammation, regulating blood sugar, fighting the signs of aging, and even preventing cancer.

We keep hearing about different types of cholesterol. It’s all nonsense. There’s only one cholesterol molecule, so there’s only one type of cholesterol. What started this nonsense of types of cholesterol?

All that nonsense bandied about to make you fearful that your cholesterol levels are too high … well, unless they’re the “right type” of cholesterol … or maybe it’s making sure they’re at the right balance … or whatever the latest fad among doctors happens to be … It’s all pure and utter nonsense. It’s a cooked up jamboree of confusion, designed to put not only you, but also your doctor, off balance and disoriented so you’ll buy into the idea that you really must take their poisons … uh, drugs, or you could die tomorrow.

Cholesterol has been demonized. Yet the more it’s demonized, the more heart disease we’ve seen. Obviously, something’s wrong with the the theory. Unfortunately, entrenched interests won’t let it go without a fight. There’s simply too much money riding on this false hypothesis. So, more and more details are discovered, resulting in more and more distinctions in so-called types of cholesterol—in spite of how obviously absurd the concept is. There is one, and only one, type of cholesterol.

Truly, if you value your health, you will ignore the warnings about high cholesterol levels. Unless you suffer from hypercholesterolemia, a congenital defect, the chances of having excess cholesterol are fadingly slim. If you have a problem with lipoproteins, reducing cholesterol isn’t going to help, and taking statins, which do reduce cholesterol as they claim, could do terrible things to your health.

Sugar has been tied to diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and much more. But what about cancer? Experts know, sugar and cancer are indeed connected.

Simplified: increased blood sugar levels could lead to increased production of this protein which is known to impact cancer risk.

“We were surprised to realize that changes in our metabolism caused by dietary sugar impact on our cancer risk,” said Dr. Garcia-Jimenez. “We are not investigating what other dietary components may influence our cancer risk.”

Dr. Garcia-Jimenez went on to say something very simple and profound: “Changing diet is one of the easiest prevention strategies that can potentially save a lot of suffering and money.” I’m sure everyone agrees with that one.

 

Experts agree, sugar is a health destroyer. And with the average person consuming 300% more sugar daily than recommended and kids taking in 7 trillion calories of sugar from sodas each year, it seems more important than ever to instill a new dietary lifestyle.

The exotic guyabano fruit, also known as soursop, is a potential cancer fighter, but that isn't all! Here are guyabano health benefits told by history.

The graviola tree grows in warm tropical areas such as the Philippines and South America. Known as a sedative, a nerve tonic, and used to maintain proper intestinal health, guyabano is just one medicinal tool stemming from the graviola tree. Throughout history, each part of the graviola tree, such as the bark, leaves, roots, fruit, and seeds have been used for medicinal purposes. The seeds have been used to treat nausea and vomiting, while herbal medicine practitioners recommend using the fruit and leaves to relieve stomach distress, pain, cough, asthma, and fever.

Other health benefits of Guyabano:

Alleviates painPrevents urinary tract infectionsMigraine and headache reliefMay help with anemiaPrevents constipationBone healthPrevents leg crampsBoosts energy levelsRespiratory issues such as asthma or coughPainHeadaches or migrainesIntestinal upset, constipation, and stomach distressFeverIron deficiency anemiaUrinary tract infectionsLack of energy

Want whiter teeth? No problem! There are plenty for teeth whitening at home. Here are 7 natural teeth whitening home remedies for a beautiful smile.

Microbes turn nutrient in beef into an artery-clogging menace.

Consumption of red meat has been found to increase the risk of death from heart disease, even when controlling for levels of fat and cholesterol. 

Tests showed that consuming l-carnitine increased blood levels of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), a compound that, evidence suggests, can alter the metabolism of cholesterol and slow the removal of cholesterol that accumulates on arteries' walls.

But even when they took l-carnitine supplements, vegans and vegetarians made far less TMAO than meat eaters. Faecal studies showed that meat eaters and non-meat eaters also had very different types of bacteria in their guts. Hazen says that a regular diet of meat probably encourages the growth of bacteria that can turn l-carnitine into TMAO.

Processed foods are often loaded with sugar, salt, and preservatives, and if you have diabetes, theyre even more of a disaster. Stay away from these top 10 offenders.

Americans consume more packaged, processed foods per person than their counterparts in any other country. But while processed foods are undeniably affordable and convenient, many also contain lots of fat, salt, and sugar — and, if you have diabetes, they probably shouldn’t be on your shopping list. The problem is that you might have them around out of habit, and then rely on them when you get hungry. “The best thing you can do is plan ahead,” says pediatric endocrinologist Tamara Hannon, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. Start by avoiding the following leading offenders.

Did you know that green tea promotes skin health by protecting the skin from UV radiation damage and thus improving skin quality?

According to one study, supplementing with green tea catechins increased oxygen flow to the skin. Increased blood flow will not only result in better looking skin, but also healthier skin cells overall. The same study also found green tea to improve elasticity and water content of the skin while reducing roughness and scaling.

Antioxidants like catechins protect cells from damage by free radicals. It guards against oxidative stress and can even protect against UV damage, reducing your possible risk of skin cancer.

These studies and others like them are part of the reason we are seeing more and more cosmetics and skin creams containing green tea. But while slathering something on your skin might deliver some benefits, ingesting something and therefore making it a part of you certainly will.

It is time to discover the many health benefits of Moringa - the incredibly powerful superfood you never knew about.

In the world of nutrition and natural health, there are some foods that come out of nowhere and then BAM – one day it’s all you hear about. One of those foods is Moringa, often referred to as the Miracle Tree. But unlike some of the hyped up trend-foods of years past, there really are some benefits worth noting when it comes to this one. Without further ado, here are some of the many unknown moringa benefits. ...

Thanks to it’s powerful nutritional profile, which includes nine essential amino acids, protein, and a number of vitamins and minerals, the Moringa tree is becoming known as the next “superfood”. Nearly all of the tree is edible; the bark, flowers, and roots all offer some sort of use or benefit to humans or animals.

 

Prized for its culinary and medicinal uses, olive oil is the center of much health research - the oil has even been shown to fight breast cancer naturally.

Based off of the researchers findings, olive oil “thwarts the gene that drives the growth of breast cancer tumours, it switches off proteins that the cancer cells rely on in order to grow and multiply and it protects the DNA from damage that can lead to cancer.”

Virgin coconut oil - Coconut milk contains kinetin riboside, a substance that has been shown to curb the growth of multiple myelomas and is thought to have the potential to inhibit the progression of many other cancers, including prostate, colon, parathyroid adenoma, certain lymphomas and breast cancer.

On the other hand, coconut oil is a source of myristoleic acid, an omega-5 fatty acid that has been found to be associated with increased breast cancer risk. One population study in the Philippines (which has a high rate of breast cancer compared to other Asian countries) found a strong positive association between boiling food in coconut milk and the risk of breast cancer. In addition, high intake of saturated fat has been linked in several studies to increased breast density, a risk factor for breast cancer and recurrence.

In the U.S., there is a love affair with sugar. But all of this sweetness is having detrimental effects on our collective health.

While sugar consumption is heavily associated with obesity and diabetes development, those aren’t the only issues that can arise. Uric acid levels, something we don’t normally talk about, are significantly raised by excess sugar consumption. This leads to decreased nitric oxide levels, increased angiotensin levels, and elevated smooth muscle contractions. This, in turn, can cause kidney damage, high blood pressure, and an increased risk of insulin resistance and fatty liver disease. Excess uric acid levels is also known to cause gout, so limiting sugar consumption could be seen as just one of many home remedies for gout and the other conditions.

In addition to this, sugar consumption creates insulin resistance. While we know insulin resistance to be a predicator for type 2 diabetes, it has also been linked to cancer development. One expert suggests that as many as 80 percent of all cancers are connected to insulin resistance.

Without a doubt, there is a clear connection between turmeric and diabetes, with the spice proven to fight against the disease.

Turmeric and curcumin have been shown in previous research to also fight inflammation and oxidative damage – two processes which help a number of diseases to appear and develop, including type 2 diabetes. One study published in the journal Nutrition shows how turmeric normalizes insulin and triglyceride levels while boosting antioxidant defenses; keeping triglyceride and insulin levels low effectively reduces your risk for numerous health conditions like metabolic syndrome, heart disease, and – you guessed it – diabetes
.

Don't take pharmaceuticals for high blood pressure. Instead naturally lower blood pressure with foods like papaya, watermelons, and tea.

There are easy (and cheap) solutions, however, for treating high blood pressure. One papaya contains 781 mg of potassium, a mineral and electrolyte that helps control blood pressure. In fact, the American Heart Association recommends we each get 4,700 mg of potassium a day to regulate our blood pressure.

The authors of the article in question studied the effects of papaya extract on the blood pressure of laboratory animals. Author A. E. Eno declared the fruit contained anti-hypertensive properties and more research was necessary to determine if the effect would be seen in humans. Luckily, the Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved papaya extract as a pharmaceutical product yet, as a number of questionable products would likely cloud the market. Instead, they’re too busy making money off of pharmaceutical drugs while chastising natural solutions.

Papayas are easy fruit to incorporate into your diet. Try eating or juicing it like any other fruit or adding it to salsas, smoothies, and parfaits. If you want a potent papaya leaf extract supplement, there are certainly some available. Consuming the fruit is a great way to experience the benefits papayas have to offer, but taking a supplement can be much simpler and oftentimes more effective.

Needless to say, papayas aren’t the only home remedies for high blood pressure. Coconut water, black tea, watermelon extract, and hibiscus tea are all great foods that help lower blood pressure. Instead of turning to questionable pharmaceuticals, naturally lower blood pressure simply by eating.

According to a study, consuming about 1 soda per day increases a man's risk of prostate cancer by 40% compared to someone not drinking the beverage.

Overall, it was found that fast-releasing carbohydrates and sugary drinks increased the risk of the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer. But for soda specifically, the researchers found that men who drank 300ml of soda each day (slightly less than one can) were more likely to develop the type of prostate cancer which required treatment. Lead researcher Dr. Isabel Drake commented by saying ”among the men who drank a lot of soft drinks or other drinks with added sugar, we saw an increased risk of prostate cancer of around 40 percent.”

In addition to the concerning association between soda consumption and increased prostate cancer risk, the researchers also found that:

Men consuming a high amount of carbohydrates from wheat, rice and pasta increased their risk of developing milder forms of prostate cancer by 31%. These forms typically required no treatment.Men consuming sugary breakfast cereals saw a 38% increase in developing milder forms of prostate cancer as well.

Coconut oil has been used by countless individuals to stave off, slow the progress of, and even reverse dementia and Alzheimer's.

While solid scientific studies on the role of coconut oil in the treatment of Alzheimer’s are lacking, several case studies have been presented to the public in recent years that have drawn a positive connection. In these, we learn of Alzheimer’s patients who began taking coconut oil daily and found significant improvements in their condition. In one such case, a 67-year old British man had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s so serious that any drug treatment would simply be pointless. His son remarked to the Daily Mail that his father couldn’t wash himself, use the toilet, or feed himself. He had lost much of his faculties. After finding a YouTube video from Dr. Mary Newport suggesting coconut oil, he began mixing it in his father’s food. Within a period of six months, his father’s condition dramatically improved—to the point of him having normal conversations, going on walks with family, and even remembering his insurance number. Dr. Newport discovered that Alzheimer’s was similar to a “diabetes of the brain”, where the brain couldn’t use glucose properly due to an insulin problem. Because Alzheimer’s brains can’t utilize glucose as fuel, they began to die, cell by cell. Dr. Newport found that ketones provide an alternate fuel source. Ketones are created by the liver when we eat medium chain triglycerides, like those in coconut oil.

Are you scared of a fever? Fever is your friend. Don’t worry about a fever, as it kills illness-causing pathogens. High fevers even defeat viruses.

About 1 in 6 couples face infertility problems. Increasing rates of infertility can be tied to diet and environmental factors.

"Possibly the most controversial cause of infertility surround genetically modified foods. ... Could the proliferation of GMO foods in our diets be to blame for increased infertility? It’s entirely possible given the fact that we often don’t know which foods contain GMO corn or soy (hint: most non-organic foods in the U.S. containing any corn or soy).

For men, Monsanto’s best-selling herbicide, RoundUp, could be wreaking havoc on reproductive health. In lab rats, RoundUp was found to damage and kill testicular cells. It decreased testosterone concentrations among the rats by as much as 35%

Plastics may play a role too. There’s no arguing the hormone-disrupting effects of BPA, a chemical found in most plastics and food containers. ... One Danish study found that women who suffered miscarriages had 30% hjigher rates of a vinyl phthalate DEHP in their urine.

Poor diet in general can affect your fertility. Being obese can significantly increase the struggle to get pregnant, and even if your mother was obese, you could be feeling the effects. ... In addition, obesity can lead to a higher rate of c-sections and a greater risk of pregnancy troubles.

But the women aren’t alone. Researchers have found a steady diet of junk food including trans fats can affect sperm health in men. In a study involving young men ages 18 to 22, Harvard researchers found that those who ate the highest levels of trans fats had the highest risk of infertility and at the very least had severely damaged sperm.

So, what’s causing infertility? It could be any one of these factors or a combination of them all. But the take-away should be that a conscientious proper diet of natural, non-GMO foods can increase health overall and possibly improve your chances of conceiving a child.

A new study has found that people who are socially isolated or lonely tend to experience more health problems than those who are social and around people.

Poor-quality relationships often cause serious mental, and even physical health problems, many of which lead to premature death. Many people choose to live alone; however, it now appears that loneliness can also cause serious health complications of its own. The body responds to loneliness by compromising immune system function. A new study has found that people who are socially isolated have elevated latent herpes virus reactivation and more inflammation proteins in their body as a result of the stress of being alone.

Here are 5 ways to supercharge and strengthen your immune system. It’s flu season, so it's time to protect yourself and keep feeling 100 percent.

1. Strengthen Your Immune System - Eliminate Sugar

2. Herbal Teas

3. Green Smoothies and Juicing

4. Expose yourself

5. Eat garlic.

Do you know about all of these solutions to strengthen your immune system, but never actually partake in them?! In order to stay healthy, you have healthy habits. Tis the season for colds and flu, but you don’t have to be a statistic this year. Eat right, get active, and keep your immune system functioning as it should. If you do get sick, get plenty of rest, drink lots of water, and consume some immune-boosting foods.