Update after over a year!

My how time flies!

Despite my lack of posts, I've been very busy continuing to change my habits and products!

Some of the changes I have made in the last year include:

Using coconut oil for:
-oil pulling in mornings when I get up or on my way (driving) to work, my goal is to do daily but its still been rather sporadic.
-(in place of) body lotion after showers - it works great!  I've also been using it as a facial moisturizer since about March and I've had several compliments on my skin since I made the change!
-use it instead of shortening for cooking and baking.  ratio of 3/4 cup coconut oil to 1 cup shortening
http://thepaleomama.com/2013/11/how-im-healing-cavities-without-dentistry/
-use it to remove my eye makeup and waterproof mascara

Consuming raw milk:
-daughter has been drinking for over a year
-She had a stubborn spot of eczema on lower back that despite all the creams on the market and some steroid creme from the pediatrician it just lingered - since she has been drinking raw milk it has completely disappeared.
-She also has a stubborn spot of eczema on sides of her biceps, as long as she is drinking raw milk they are gone but if we run out of raw milk and switch to organic milk, it starts coming right back.  Right now its back because we ran out of raw milk several weeks ago and I haven't had a chance to drive to the farm to get more (2 hour drive, round-trip)
-I did a lot of research before letting my child drink raw milk and drank it myself before letting her drink it.  It has a different taste, not bad by any means, it just tastes 'clean'.  If you've ever tried it, you'll understand.  Its almost like i can taste hints of the grass that the cows ate.
If you'd like more info, I'd start researching here:
http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/index.html
However, I also learned a lot from other moms and their decisions to turn to consuming raw dairy and  how it has affected their families health.

Drinking Lemon Water
I've read that drinking a glass of water, preferably warm, with some fresh lemon juice squeezed into it  is supposed to help your liver detox.  I've also read it has an alkaline effect on the body when consumed (even though it is an acid, technically)
I personally like the taste and it helps me keep up with drinking the proper amount of water on a daily basis, there are several sites that talk about the many benefits of lemon water that can be found just by google-ing it.  Here's a few links that I came across in my search:
http://www.healthambition.com/many-benefits-of-lemon-water/
http://naturalrevolution.org/12-reasons-you-should-be-drinking-lemon-water-every-morning/

I started making my own dishwasher soap.  I found the recipe on Pinterest and it works pretty darn good!  However, I do still use Cascade in a load if it is extra greasy or my dishes have a lot of food baked on.
Here's the recipe:
2 cups of Borax
2 cups of Super Washing Soda
2 cups Lemi Shine
1 cup kosher salt
use white vinegar as a rinse aid
I've read on some blogs that there is concern for using Borax on dishes since you eat off of them.  there are recipes for the same without the borax - maybe eventually I will try one of those but right now this works great.

We try to avoid eating GMOs if we can.
why?  There are lots of studies out there, and its really hard to find studies that are not biased one way or the other.  However, I don't feel like the right type of studies have been done on these - and specifically long term studies.  Most studies are 90 days or less.  There was a study that was released a while back that was a  2 year study but it was retracted - whether that was from errors or from pressure of GMO producers, we will never know.  BUT, I think if they are really as safe as they are touted, then there will be more long term studies released SHOWING the safety of these organisms.
But on the other hand, I'm not sure how I feel about patenting a life form that can live, breed and spread on its own.  Its like Jurassic Park, I know it sounds cliche, but just because you can do something, doesn't necessarily mean you should.....  You can bet I will be watching how these play out in the future of our food supply.  Some articles I found of interest include:
http://naturalrevolution.org/gmo-resources/scientific-research/
http://naturalrevolution.org/2013-gmo-fact-sheet/
http://naturalrevolution.org/gmo-resources/health-risks-of-gmos/
http://naturalrevolution.org/gmo-resources/the-good-bad-and-ugly-about-gmos/

We are working towards eating a more paleo diet.  We try to cut out as much processed food as we can (which cuts out a lot of our exposure to GMOs)  Our general rule of thumb is to try to eat our food in a form that is as close to the way it was in nature.  We try to eat our veggies raw (or at least the ones that taste good raw) but we definitely cook all our meats - we don't eat any meat raw.  (unless its a special occasion and me and my husband get to indulge in some beef carpaccio!  Yum!)  We've really started to limit the amount of starches, sugars and grains and flours in our cooking and meals.  We do occasionally eat white rice or basmati and we do occasionally eat pasta, but we've cut back quite a bit from how much we used to eat.  I do think you need carbohydrates to live, I just think the typical American probably eats WAY too much of them.  Since I have cut back on them, I haven't had any trouble keeping my body at an ideal weight and I am not even exercising on a regular basis.  And I have a desk job.  Maybe I'm an unusual case study.  I am not a doctor or nutritionist but this is what I have noticed with the changes I have made in my eating habits.  

Shampoo
I was no pooing for over a year and it was working great - except for the development of a dry and itchy scalp.  I never had trouble with dandruff or anything like that before.  I did some research and found that the no poo is great but it is harsh on your scalp because of the swing in pH.  So I searched for another homemade alternative that was closer to the pH of my scalp.  There are lots of different recipes out there, some of the ones I came across were made with coconut milk, aloe juice or aloe vera or honey.  They all looked great but there was one common issue with all of them.  You had to make the shampoo fairly frequently as it didn't have a very long shelf life.  Yay for no preservatives but a big bummer on convenience.  These were just too time consuming for me to have to make regularly.  However, I decided to give a shampoo bar a try.  I had heard that Babassu oil is great for your hair and my favorite soap website, www.soapforgoodnesssake.com makes their own shampoo bar with Babassu oil.  Well the experience was heaven!  That shampoo bar makes thick lather that is beyond compare with any liquid shampoo that I can ever remember!  So, I've been using the shampoo bar for about 3 months and I just love it.  And no conditioner needed afterwards.  My hair is shiny, clean, soft.  Its great.

Oil Cleansing Method for Face
I started making the transition from a soap based cleanser to the oil cleansing method back in March.  And it was a very gradual transition.  I had read some horror stories about some awful acne that some experienced when changing to an oil cleansing method.  I started out washing my face only once a week with the oils, and the rest of the days with my soap cleanser.  then a week or two later, I'd do the oils two days a week, and so on.  It seemed that the blackheads that I always had seemed to fade over time and I hardly have ANY now.  I was pretty skeptical of this cleansing method, but I've been won over through this experience.  My face is so clear now and the tone is so even, I don't even wear foundation anymore.  I just wear blush, eye shadow, eyeliner and my mascara and lip gloss.  Its really incredible!  

Makeup
As I have run out of my conventional makeup products, I have tried to replace each with a less toxic version.  I really like Zosimos botanicals.   I use their blush and eye shadow now.  They actually mix the mineral powders up when you place the order.  It takes a little more time to get your makeup but its nice to know your makeup is as fresh as you can get it!  I have found with the absence of a foundation on my eyes, my eye shadow does fade during the day, so my next task is to find a less toxic eye shadow base or primer.  I still use conventional mascara; I haven't found any less toxic versions that come even close to what I like in my current mascara.  However, I have noticed that my lashes seem to be healthier, longer and thicker since I have been using coconut oil to remove my eye makeup and mascara.  

Well, that's a start.  I'll post more later!

Laundry.....

I've started using Soap Nuts instead of regular laundry detergent for some of our laundry.  They work great for normal laundry (like mine and my daughter's) but not so good for heavily soiled laundry - like my husband's.

He refers to them as "monkey nuts" and prefers that I don't use them to wash his clothes.  :)  It makes me laugh because, well.....enough said.  LOL

So I found a recipe for homemade laundry detergent and have been using that for his clothes.  Here's the recipe:

• 1 cup of grated bar soap (any soap you like - we use all the scraps or half used bars laying around the house)
• 1/2 cup of super washing soda
• 1/2 cup of Borax

Mix these all together in a bowl and keep them in a little canister in your laundry room.

     For a lightly soiled load - start the water in your washer and sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of the mixture so it has time to dissolve before putting the clothes in.  For a heavily soiled load - use 2 tablespoons of the mixture.

This mixture works great and cleans our clothes nicely and leaves a faint scent of whatever soap you used in the mixture.

Soap Nuts are more allergen free.  Actually, I don't think you can get more natural than these nuts for washing your clothes.  You can order them online through various retailers.  Just google "Soap Nuts".  I have used the brand "Eco Nuts" (pictured above) They typically come in a box with a little cloth bag.  You take 4-5 soap nuts out of the box and put them in the little cloth bag and throw the bag in the washer with your clothes.  That's it.

When you pull your clothes out of the washer - pull the little soap nuts bag out and throw it in your next load in the washer.  Occasionally, I have forgotten to retrieve the little bag before putting the load in the dryer and consequently the nuts went through a dryer cycle.  Doesn't hurt them one bit.  Just pull em out and throw them in the washer with the next load.  They are very forgiving.

You change out the soap nuts after about 10 washes - they start getting really brittle and shrived up.  Put the used up nuts in your compost or garbage and put in 4-5 new soap nuts in the bag and you are ready to go!

The outside layer of the soap nuts is a natural surfactant so it works just like soap, you just wont see any suds (which you really don't want in your washing machine anyway).  I personally think they do a great job of cleaning - they just don't leave a fragrance behind.  So your clothes smell like...you guessed it.....clothes! Just not dirty clothes.

If you're used to your clothes smelling like a flower garden after laundering - using soap nuts may take some getting used to.  If you can't live without your clothes smelling like some kind of fragrance, you might try the recipe I listed earlier for making the homemade laundry detergent.

I've read several accounts where people have switched to using soap nuts with great results because they are allergic to the fragrances and other ingredients in the laundry detergents you find at your local grocery.  My daughter has sensitive skin so I do like using these to launder her clothes.  I also like to use them on my clothes too - especially anything delicate.  We've been using the soap nuts for at least a year with good results.  I've been using the homemade laundry detergent for a few months - also with good results.

Hope these tips are helpful to you and your family!

Tooth Powder

This is what I use instead of toothpaste now:

It leaves my mouth feeling minty fresh just like toothpaste, just without ingredients like SLS and flouride.  They sell something similar in Sprouts Farmers Market stores - the brand is called Spry.  I've never used their tooth powder but do like their chewing gum.

I purchased this tooth powder through www.soapforgoodnessake.com.  I purchase all our soap there too.  Love their soap.  I also like that when you finish this jar, you can order a refill from them and it comes in a little bag and you dump the bag of tooth powder in this jar so there's less waste for the landfill.  But if you do want a new jar each time, the jars are made of glass so they can be recycled.  :)

"Non Toxic" Care of my skin - a work in progress

I read about the oil cleansing method a while back and gave it a try.  A few days after I came across a post from someone else who tried it and had broken out severely and it took her 3 months or so to get her face cleared up. YIKES!  I promptly decided not to pursue this method further.

UPDATE (5/13/2013):  One of my fave blogs posted a great list of TIPS on using the Oil Cleansing Method if you are thinking of giving it a try - one of her tips was not to use olive oil or coconut oil.

A friend told me she loved the Pumpkin Compexion Soap that I gave her for a gift one year and has been using it on her face ever since and LOVES it.  Her face looks great so I decided to give it a try too.

Its been a few months, and I love using this soap.  Its easy to use, it takes my makeup off easily, my face feels nice and clean afterwards.  My face does feel a bit tight and dry after it dries so I do need to follow it up with a moisturizer....

What should I use?

I started with organic virgin coconut oil as a moisturizer, as well as a lotion for all over my body.  It worked ok.  My skin definitely "drank" it up promptly, but it was difficult to figure out that balance of applying too much or too little.  Too little - would make my skin itchy and dry, too much - I would be a big greasy ball and leave grease marks on anything I touched.  :/

I ordered some samples of Body Butta from Bubble and Bee to try instead of the straight coconut oil.  I loved the smell of the Rasberry Vanilla and the Coconut Lime.  Wonderful!  They both did an excellent job of moisturizing all day with one application.  Not to mention, I smell divine!

I also tried their sample of Organic Face Cream.  It was better than using coconut oil, but it is very thick and it takes a while to spread on your face - you have to let the heat of your body warm it up a bit so it melts some and then it spreads around much better.  I still felt like I needed more moisturizing than what this product offered.

A few months ago, I had found a moisturizing cream, the Healthy Glow Facial Hydrator, in my local ULTA Beauty store from a line called Belli.  This line is geared towards pregnant moms who are concerned about chemicals in their beauty products.  You can read more here.

I initially tried it when I bought it months ago, but at that point, I was still trying to move towards using the simplest products on my body.  (Products that had one or two ingredients, basically trying to use products that weren't full of preservatives, additives, no matter how natural they were touted to be - just trying to keep it simple)  I remember liking the smell of the Belli lotion, but I remember that I was also battling some minor acne at the time too, thinking that this lotion was just exasperating the problem....and so I put it aside.

Anyway, I pulled it back out about a week ago and started using it again for a moisturizer.  Its smells great, reminds me of orange popsicles....Its a very light cream that doesn't leave my face feeling oily.  It soaks in quickly and has worked great these past few days.  No feeling of tight or dry skin.  And I haven't had any breakouts either....yet.  I hope I don't.  I really like this lotion.

So what's in my cabinet now for skin care?

Pumpkin Complexion Soap - to cleanse my face
Coconut oil - to remove that pesky waterproof mascara
Belli Healthy Glow Facial Hydrator - for moisturizing my face
Bubble and Bee Body Butta Rasperrry Vanilla - for moisturizing all over

UPDATE: (5/13/2013)  I recently had a facial at my favorite spa and they just started carrying a new line of skin care called Naturopathica.  Their products are very simply made and use essential oils and other natural ingredients.  I was very impressed with how my skin felt and looked after my facial with these products.  I have been using the products for about 2 months now and my skin looks great and feels great too.  The products that I am using are:

• Aloe Cleansing Gel
• Lavender Protective Moisturizer SPF 17
• White Tea Antioxidant Mask

Simple Workout

I used this little workout to get back in shape for bikini season this summer.  I found it on Pinterest.
I do it every couple of days - basically whenever I remember to do it.  It takes all of about 2-3 minutes TOTAL.  AND IT WORKS.  no joke.  really.

I typically do this right before I jump in the shower, so you can do it in your bathroom if you want or wherever.

Here it is:

50 jumping jacks
5 pushups
30 crunches (with legs at 45 degree angle, straight)
20 mountain climbers
hold plank position for 60 seconds
30 squats

I do all of these, one right after the other.  No rest in between.  That's it. Who knew something so simple would work so well!!!

Healthy "Raw" Snack Bars

A friend of mine recommended these snack bars to me.  She's very health conscious.

A health food store employee had introduced her to them, and I went along with her to the store to check out these snack bars.  (can't remember the name of the store, but its in in the Sunset Ridge shopping center off of N New Braunfels in Alamo Heights)

I found the ingredient list to be surprisingly simple for a processed bar of "raw" food.  They also use sprouted nuts in them too - I've been hearing more and more about eating grains and nuts that are "sprouted" but haven't had the time to investigate those further.

So I purchased one bar to try it out.  $1.69/bar.  My friend told me this is her favorite flavor, the Spirulina Dream.  (What is Spirulina?) My friend also warned me not to look at this bar, and to just put it in my mouth before I judge it.  (I have to admit, it was kind of funny looking - not gross, but just not sure how to describe it)

Anyway, I tried it.  It was actually pretty yummy for a healthy snack bar.  My husband tried a piece and he said it tasted like sweet feed.  :)  I think it tastes like sweet feed smells.  Kind of nutty and sweet and chewy. Not too bad.  I'm a horse lover so I happen to love the smell of sweet feed, and horses, and leather, but I digress.....

I could eat these every now and then, for breakfast in a pinch or something like that.

There are several other flavors, of which I have only tried one other (see below)

It was not as sweet as I expected, but still good.   I hope to try some more flavors soon.  The Whole Foods market on Blanco and 1604 carries these but only the two flavors I featured here and they are $1.99/bar  there.

I plan to make a trek to the little health food store and try some more flavors soon.

Baby/Child Toothpaste

I've been on the hunt for a less toxic version of baby/child toothpaste for my daughter.  We started out using the standard Baby Orajel (with the Elmo on it) that you can get in the local grocery store.  I wasn't really happy with it - since it was loaded with all sorts of parabens.

In my search I came across the brand Jack N' Jill.  I read some great reviews online about the toothpaste from several moms and decided to give it a try.

I soon found out that the company is based in Australia - wow.  However, they did ship to the USA, but shipping wasn't cheap.  After much debating, I decided to order 3 different flavors to make the shipping worth it.  I was pleasantly surprised and my daughter loves the toothpaste so much that she comes running to the bathroom when I tell her its time to brush our teeth!

I also love that the toothpaste uses certified organic flavorings - and they taste GREAT!  We ordered the strawberry (pictured above), banana and blueberry.  We've just finished the strawberry and started using the banana, and it is amazing how yummy each flavor has been.  No wonder my daughter loves brushing her teeth.  I'm looking forward to trying the blueberry flavor along with her in the future.

I also love that you can start using this toothpaste with babies that are 6 months old and it is safe to swallow.  Overall a great product and cute packaging too!

Safer Nail Polish

I say safer, because if you really don't want toxic chemicals on your nails, which in turn can leach into your body, then don't put ANY nail polish on.

Sadly, even the least toxic polishes still have some stuff in them that I would prefer not to put in my body if given the choice.  However, there are events that would require a bit more dressing up, and nail polish is a necessity, toxins and all.

For those events, I have found a brand of polish, Honeybee Gardens, that is reasonably priced ($7 a bottle), can be removed with simple rubbing alcohol from your medicine cabinet and dries quickly.

I have two colors so far in the polish, a bubble gum pink called Valentine (not pictured) and Goddess, a frosty plum (pictured below)

I've been using these polishes exclusively for about 6 months.  They work well for me and it was an easy transition to this brand from standard nail polish.  However, I have found that the longer you leave this polish on, the harder it is to take off.  When I mean "harder to take off" I mean it takes me a good 15 minutes to get the polish off my nails instead of about 5 with standard polish.  It does state this on the product label as well.

Overall, its been a good transition for me to a less toxic product.

I did come across another brand of less toxic nail polish called Aquarella, but it was more expensive and dictated that you needed their brand of polish remover to get the polish off.  Maybe at some point I will give that brand a try....as for now, Honeybee Gardens polish works just fine.

Natural Deodorant Update

Back in November last year, I made the switch to homemade deodorant.  Its worked pretty well for me.  There was an adjustment period that I went through since it is deodorant and not anti-perspirant.....It took a while to get used to having wet armpits now and then.  And if I would have a particularly stressful day, I would begin to get a little "stinky" about the time I was on my way home from work, ugh.

Surprisingly, its only been 11 months since I started using homemade deodorant and I've only had to make 2 batches of the stuff - it really lasts a long time!

My husband tried it a few times, but it didn't seem to be strong enough for him - he was stinky by afternoon.  I did play with the ratios of the ingredients on the second batch thinking I could make it more potent, but it didn't seem to work as well.  I cut back on the amount of coconut oil in it too, but I don't think that helped much either.

A few months back i found a website, Bubble & Bee Organics, that makes a non-toxic deodorant.  Looking at the ingredients list, its almost the same.  I had purchased a stick of it for my husband to try, since I was having trouble concocting a homemade deodorant that would work for him.

He tried it, but wasn't impressed.  So, it sat on his dresser for a few more months.  

And a week ago, I saw it and got curious (nevermind, that I was getting low on my homemade deodorant and was brainstorming new ratios to try on the next batch)

So I used it.  It had a very bright lemony smell, which I didn't mind.  

It worked pretty good!  Actually, it worked better than my version!  Ha!

I think I'm over trying to figure out the correct ratios - Bubble and Bee apparently have it right.  I've been converted.  I've been using this ever since.

UPDATE (5/10/2013) - Still using this wonderful Super Pit Putty from Bubble & Bee Organics.  I recently discovered that after applying the deodorant to my underarms, if I would rub the product into the skin and make sure it got smeared all over my armpit equally that completely stopped my random "stinky" moments.  Since making the switch to natural deodorant, I find that I don't sweat nearly as much as I used to when I first started (unless I just went for a 5 mile run, obviously) if I even sweat at all.  My hubby is still using conventional deodorant, but I have just found a new concoction to try on him.  Its a mixture of grain alcohol and Tea Tree Essential Oils sprayed on your pits.  It came recommended by another guy.  Stay tuned for the results!  :)

Wait a minute, what side are you on Monsanto?

Monsanto, a biotechnology company has contributed over $4.2 million dollars to try to defeat the upcoming vote on Labeling GMO foods in California (Proposition 37).

But according to the advertisement below, they are in support of labeling GMOs in the United Kingdom.

Uh, what ?

Here's the advertisement, taken from Monsanto's own website in the UK:

Monsanto's Advertisement

Baby Wipes

I recently came across a list of natural/non-toxic baby wipes that a young mom had put together and posted. It was such a plethora of great information, I thought I'd share.  She lists several different brands of baby wipes,  attributes AND how to purchase/find in stores.

A wealth of info for mommies, all in one convenient place!

Here's the link: click here

Just FYI we use the California Organics brand - and are very happy with them.  My only gripe with them is that HEB runs out of them on occasion and they are not flush-able.  Other than that, they are great!  And they make great makeup remover cloths too!

Diet Soda

Scary...

This was a very unsettling article I recently read via the Organic Consumers Association.  

Stop Syngenta's Insecticidal 'Bt' Genetically Engineered Corn

Four Reasons to Avoid Non-Organic Corn and Processed Foods Containing Corn or Corn-Sweeteners:

1. GMO "Bt" corn produces its own insecticide. It kills bugs, bad bugs and good bugs alike, including beneficial insects like honeybees, ladybugs and butterflies.

2. Inhaled Bt has caused severe allergies in farmworkers while GMO Bt corn pollen has reportedly killed peasants in the Philippines. Besides setting off serious allergies in farmworkers inhaling Bt, in 2003, five people living around Bt corn fields in the Philippines died and dozens became ill with fever and respiratory, intestinal and skin problems. Subsequently, 38 individuals had their blood analyzed and all were positive for antibodies specific to Cry1Ab, suggesting an immune reaction to genetically engineered Bt toxins.

3. GMO Bt corn livestock feed kills animals. In 1996, Syngenta abruptly terminated a US Bt corn feeding study after four cows died in two days. Later, Syngenta paid a German farmer 40,000 euros in partial compensation for dead cows, decreased milk yields, and vet costs incurred during authorized field tests from 1997 to 2002.

4. More than 80% of women and their unborn children have GMO Bt toxins in their blood! Most Americans probably have no idea how much corn they're eating, but with all the high-fructose corn syrup, corn oil, and food from animals raised on corn, it's little wonder that so many of us have GMO Bt toxins coursing through our blood.

Please, encourage everyone you know to stop eating non-organic corn and help get this stuff banned - or at least labeled!

There are already 16 different GMO Bt varieties of corn cultivated in this country - even though many other countries ban Bt crops. Now, Syngenta wants another approved.

Stop Syngenta's Insecticidal Genetically Engineered Corn!

Support Proposition 37 - Don't give away the right to know what's in your food

GMO Labeling across the World

Grass fed BEEF VS. Grain fed BEEF

article can be read here

Top 10 Reasons to Eat Grass-Fed Meat

Humans can't eat grass, but the meat we eat should come from animals that did.

Truth be told, we do eat a little bit of grass. Three-quarters of all human nutrition comes from wheat, rice and corn, all of which are grasses. But what we eat is actually their seeds, the dense package of complex carbohydrates that is the specialty of annual grasses. Perennial grasses, which are more common, pack a larger proportion of their energy in their roots, stems and leaves; the building block for these is cellulose. Humans cannot convert cellulose to protein, but cows, sheep and other ruminants can, thanks to the resident bacteria in their highly specialized fermentation tank of a stomach, known as a rumen.

Grass-fed beef, as its name implies, comes from animals that eat perennial grasses all their lives. In contrast, "Grain-fed" beef is what is most commonly sold in supermarkets. While all cattle are grass-fed at some point in their lives, conventionally raised cows spend the majority of their lives feeding on corn and other grains, typically in a confined feedlot.

So what's the big deal? Why is it so important to choose grass-fed when buying meat?

1. Grass-fed animals don't need the large quantities of antibiotics that feedlot cattle do.

Most beef cattle spend their short life in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), where a thousand or more head of steer are kept in close, concentrated conditions and fattened up for slaughter as quickly as possible. Since the 1950s it has become routine practice to add low levels of antibiotics to the feed or water of healthy poultry, cattle, and swine to promote faster growth and prevent infections that tend to occur when animals are housed in crowded, unsanitary conditions. The practice is now so common that according to the FDA, which regulates the use of antibiotics in food animals, 80 percent, or the lion share of antibiotics used in the United States, are used not in humans but in animals, and most of those - an estimated 83 percent -are given to healthy animals, not to treat the sick ones.

The problem is, as organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) recognize, the "overuse and misuse of antibiotics in food animals" is a major source of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that are affecting humans, a major public health crisis. Increasingly, bacteria are resistant to multiple antibiotics, leading to infections that are difficult to treat and sometimes impossible to cure, require longer and more expensive hospital stays, and are more likely to be fatal. At the same time, the development of new antibiotics has slowed to a trickle. In some cases, there are now few or no antibiotics that work to treat drug resistant bacterial infections.

Pastured cattle don't require the drugs their CAFO'd cousins do. But again, a wise shopper should know that antibiotics are allowed for certain grass-fed certification programs, USDA Process Verified for one, while not for others, such as the American Grassfed Association. Use Label Lookup to learn more about what claims on meat mean and which ones you can trust.

2. Perennial grasses are better for soil.

Healthy topsoil is a biological matrix, a housing complex for an incredibly diverse community of organisms. In every handful are billions of beneficial microbes, nitrogen-fixing fungi, nutrients and earthworms whose digestive tracts transform fine grains of sterile rock and plant detritus into the fertile excrement that gave rise to the word dirt itself (drit in Old Norse).

In his book Dirt, David Montgomery, a geomorphologist at the University of Washington, describes modern agricultural practices as "soil mining" to emphasize that we are using up topsoil much more quickly than earth's natural processes can restore it. According to the National Academy of Sciences, cropland in the United States is being eroded at least 10 times faster than the rate at which lost soil can be replaced by natural processes. Tillage, by moving topsoil with high levels of organic matter into the moist depressions, releases not only carbon dioxide but also nitrous oxide and methane (both global-warming gases) by triggering decay and erosion. Shallow-rooted annual grasses, such as corn, wheat and soy, further deplete the soil of critical trace minerals such as calcium, magnesium and iodine.

In contrast, the deep roots of perennials, often extending more than 10 feet below the surface, act like elevators, lifting nutrients back into the system and making them available to plants and everything else up the food chain. Pure prairie builds up organic matter: the richest of virgin prairie soil in the Midwest once ran to 10 feet deep and was about 10 percent organic. What's left of the soils where corn and soy now grow typically contains less than half that amount of organic matter. Perennial pastures can restore the richness of the soil in a decade or so.

3. Animals that are grass-fed their entire life are healthier--and their meat safer for you.

A ruminant's gut is normally a pH-neutral environment, best suited to a diet of cellulosic grasses. It is not well suited to a diet of corn and other grains, the primary fare of feedlot cattle. High in starch, low in roughage and a poor source of calcium and magnesium, corn upsets the cow's stomach, making it unnaturally acidic. Not only is this harmful to the cow--giving it a sort of bovine heartburn or, worse, making it very sick--but it allows a whole range of parasites and diseases to gain a foothold, including the pathogenic E. coli0157:H7 bacterium.

Making its first appearance a little over 25 years ago, E. coli is now found in the intestines of most U.S. feedlot cattle. As Michael Pollan explained in "Power Steer," a 2002 New York Times Magazine article, "By acidifying a cow's gut with corn, we have broken down one of our food chain's barriers to infections."

Interestingly, this process can be reversed, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture microbiologist, who discovered that switching a cow's diet from corn to hay in the final days before slaughter reduces the population of E. coli in its manure by as much as 70 percent. Such a change, however, is considered wildly impractical by the cattle industry (see 4 below for reasons).

4. Grass-fed animals produce the right kind of fat.

Many of us think of corn-fed beef as being nutritionally superior, but it isn't. A corn-fed cow does develop well-marbled flesh, and the USDA continues to grade beef in a way that rewards marbling with intramuscular fat, but this is simply saturated fat that can't be trimmed off.

Grass-fed meat, on the other hand, is lower both in overall fat and in artery-clogging saturated fat. It has the added advantage of providing more omega-3 fats. In addition to being higher in healthy omega-3s, meat from pastured cattle is also up to four times higher in vitamin E than meat from feedlot cattle, and much higher in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), a nutrient associated with lower heart disease and cancer risk that is lacking in our diets.

Beware of claims that animals spent most of their life in pasture. When cattle are taken off grass and shipped to a feedlot to be fattened on grain, they immediately begin losing the omega-3s they have stored in their tissues. As a consequence, the meat from feedlot animals typically contains only 15 to 50 percent as much omega-3s as that from grass-fed livestock. Use Label Lookup to learn more about what claims on meat mean and which ones you can trust.

5. The corn fed to feedlot cattle is fossil-fuel intensive and heavily subsidized.

Our energy-intensive food system uses 19 percent of all the fossil fuel consumed in the United States, more than any other sector of the economy. And it isn't all for powering tractors and farm equipment. Twenty-three million tons of chemical herbicides and fertilizers, all derived from fossil fuel, are used on crops in this country, 10 million tons just on corn. According to Cornell University ecology professor David Pimentel, to make the fertilizer to grow the corn to feed just one feedlot steer during his short life (14 to 16 months, on average) takes about 284 gallons of oil, or1.2 gallons per bushel.

You might think all that oil would make corn an expensive food source. In fact, it does cost more for the farmers to grow than the feedlot operators pay. But corn is heavily subsidized: over the past decade, the federal government has poured more than $50 billion into the corn industry. The fertilizers plus the subsidies have led to huge surpluses. Add in the USDA's encouragement of farmers to feed the corn to cattle, whether they like it or not, and you've got the makings of modern factory farming. Corn is an artificially cheap foodstuff that’s plentiful, compact and portable, making it ideal for quickly feeding tens of thousands of animals on small plots of land.

6. Perennial pasture reduces flooding and pollution-laden runoff.

As noted above, corn and soybean production depletes the soil of its natural health. This greatly diminishes its environmental value, flood control in particular. A stretch of pure prairie will absorb five to seven inches of rain an hour. But when that same land is tilled for corn and soybean production, the normal absorption rate drops to 0.5-1.5 inches an hour. This meant that when the storms of 2008 brought 12 feet of rain to parts of the Midwest in just 24 hours, catastrophic flooding devastated cities and towns throughout the region. Had upriver land been pasture rather than cornfield, the heavy rains might have produced no runoff.

If more cornfields were converted to perennial grasses, we could significantly reduce the devastation of aquatic life from fertilizer- and herbicide-laden runoff. Consider this: when runoff from the predominantly corn-growing fields of the Midwest reaches the Gulf of Mexico, it contributes to what is known as a dead zone, a seasonal, approximately 6,000-square-mile area that has almost no oxygen and therefore almost no sea life. Because of the dead zone, the $2.8 billion Gulf of Mexico fishing industry loses 212,000 metric tons of seafood a year. Elsewhere around the world, there are nearly 400 similar dead zones. It is sadly ironic that to produce one of the least healthy sources of protein--grain-fed beef--we destroy one of our leanest and healthiest--fish.

7. Perennial pasture is a carbon sink.

Agriculture contributes about 30 percent of all global greenhouse-gas emissions when land conversion impacts are considered. This is much more than the amount emitted by transportation. Production of meat, particularly beef, is a very heavy emitter of heat-trapping pollutants. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported in 2006 that current production levels of meat contribute between 14 and 22 percent of the CO2–equivalent gases the world produces every year. See the chart (right) for a comparison of some common lower- and higher-carbon foods per 100-gram serving.

credit: USDA

Beef and dairy production, according to the FAO, emit particularly high levels of greenhouse gases; producing a given amount of ground beef releases four times as much greenhouse gases as are released in the production of the same amount of pork, 14 times as much as chicken, and 50 to 60 times as much as fruits and vegetables. This is particularly true when the animals are raised in CAFOs where they are fed corn or soybeans. Researchers are finding that tillage systems used to grow row crops release not only carbon dioxide but also nitrous oxide and methane (both global warming gases) by triggering the decay and erosion of topsoil. Without exception, all of the tillage systems examined in a recent study published in Science contributed to global warming, and the worst offenders were conventionally farmed corn, soybeans and wheat.

This is not the case for perennial grass systems. In fact, fields of perennial crops in the same study pulled both methane and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and stashed them in the soil. There is even some evidence that perennial grasslands are often better at sequestering carbon than forests are.

Note: Though perennial grass systems may be carbon sinks, many other factors must be considered before it can be determined whether ounce for ounce grass-fed beef has a smaller carbon footprint than grain-fed beef.

8. Modern grazing methods match the efficiencies of industrial-scale grain production.

Modern grass farmers almost universally rely on something called managed intensive rotational grazing. Polywire fences confine a herd of perhaps 60 cows to a small area, maybe one-quarter acre, typically for 12 hours. Then the grazier moves the fence, cycling through a series of such paddocks every month or so. This reflects a basic ecological principle. Left to their own devices in a diverse ecosystem, cows will eat just a few species, grazing again and again on the same plants. Rotational grazing forces them to eat all the available forage, including plants they would normally leave untouched. This produces much more beef or milk per acre than does laissez-faire grazing. But how do modern grazing methods compare in efficiency to industrial-scale grain production? As Todd Churchill, owner of Thousand Hills Cattle in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, reported in the OnEarth, he can make more money than a subsidized corn farmer because he can produce about two steers per acre. It takes roughly the same acreage to grow the 3,000 pounds of grain used to finish a single steer in a feedlot.

9. Pastured animals are treated more humanely.

From a humanitarian perspective, there is yet another advantage to pastured-animal products. The cruelties of modern factory farming are severe, with livestock cooped up in cages barely larger than their own bodies, or packed together like sardines for months on end, standing knee-deep in their own manure. Pastured livestock are not forced to live in confinement and to endure the miseries of factory farming. But buyer beware: some beef labels have only vague standards regarding animal welfare, while others have detailed rules that ensure animal health and well-being in a clean, comfortable environment. Use Label Lookup to learn more about what claims on meat mean and which ones you can trust.

10. Grass-fed is more expensive.

Yes, you read it right, grass-fed beef is more expensive, but maybe as a result, we may eat less of it. This is a good thing, actually, both for our health and for the environment. And honestly, feedlot beef is not really cheaper, not when you add the invisible costs: of antibiotic resistance, environmental degradation, heart disease, E. coli infection, corn subsidies, imported oil and so on. But be advised, while pastured-animal products may have many advantages over factory farm and feedlot products, they are still high in saturated fat (though not as high), still high in cholesterol, and still devoid of fiber and many other essential nutrients. They take less toll on the environment, but the land on which the animals graze still must often be irrigated, thus using up dwindling water resources, and it may be fertilized with petroleum-based fertilizers.

So eat less meat, and when you do, make sure you choose grass-fed, knowing you are supporting a humane, health-promoting, environmentally responsible system of agriculture. Use Label Lookup to help you find beef and other products from animals that are grass-fed their entire lives.

A snapshot of our daily exposure to chemicals

I used to never give it a second thought about what I was putting on my body in the name of "beauty".  Becoming a mom changed all that - the more I research the ingredients of products that we so readily put on our body on a daily basis - the more shocked I am - and saddened.  I guess I always assumed that companies that create these products would realize that these ingredients are not good for us to put in or on our bodies and that they would have their customer's best interests at heart.  (don't forget that your skin is one large organ that allows products to soak through and be absorbed straight into your bloodstream)

A friend sent me this picture - It sums up some of the chemicals that we are exposed to through our favorite beauty products.  I am familiar with many of these through some of my research, but it still shocks me to see just how much.

There are lots of alternative beauty products out there that don't have all of these chemicals in them....and they work just as good as the chemical ones.  I hope you are inspired to give some a try, and reduce you and your family's exposure to some of these chemicals.

Reality Check !

Friends, before I became a mother - I was pretty oblivious to the real challenge of family life-work life balance.  Now that I am one - Wow.......It was a rude awakening.  However, I also noticed a change in myself - a desire to spend all my spare time with my family - and how important that really is to me AND them.

I just started reading this article by Anne-Marie Slaughter called "Why Women Still Can't Have It All".  I'm not even done reading the article but it is a MUST read, especially if you are human.  :)

Here's the article

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-can-8217-t-have-it-all/9020/

Now, back to the article.  :)

Happy Friday!

Article on GMOs, written by Genetic Engineers

Its refreshing to finally see some genetic engineers talk about GMOs and what they think about them. Here's the article take a moment to read their article and if you have time, their rather lengthy study.

http://earthopensource.org/index.php/news/60-why-genetically-engineered-food-is-dangerous-new-report-by-genetic-engineers

YAY for Coconut Oil

A few weeks ago, I got asked why we use coconut oil (virgin), since it has such a "bad for you" reputation.
I had been reading about its benefits for a while now, in various articles and blogs that I have come across.

We use it for some things, but not a WHOLE lot.  I've actually been trying to incorporate it into our diet more.

We use it in our homemade deodorant and pan frying food.

I've read you can use it as a deep conditioning treatment for your hair, haven't tried it yet.

Also read you can use it as a replacement for vegetable shortening - and tried it a few weeks ago with my chocolate chip cookies - my husband remarked that they were the best I had ever made.  I have to say, they were pretty yummy.  I was pleased with how the coconut oil substituted for the shortening very easily.  I dont use shortening very often - only for a few baked goods that traditionally make during the holidays.  So I am looking forward to trying this new substitution for my Christmas sugar cookies!

so the Hype is that Coconut Oil is a saturated fat and we all have heard that those and trans fats are the ones that you need to stay away from.

But Here's the scoop on why its really good for you!  :)

This Cooking Oil is a Powerful Virus-Destroyer and Antibiotic…

link to article:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/10/22/coconut-oil-and-saturated-fats-can-make-you-healthy.aspx

You've no doubt noticed that for about the last 60 years the majority of health care officials and the media have been telling you saturated fats are bad for your health and lead to a host of negative consequences, like elevated cholesterol, obesity, heart disease and Alzheimer's disease.

Meanwhile during this same 60 years the American levels of heart disease, obesity, elevated serum cholesterol and Alzheimer's have skyrocketed compared to our ancestors, and even compared to modern-day primitive societies using saturated fat as a dietary staple.

Did you know that multiple studies on Pacific Island populations who get 30-60% of their total caloric intact from fully saturated coconut oil have all shown nearly non-existent rates of cardiovascular disease?^[1]

Clearly, a lot of confusion and contradictory evidence exists on the subject of saturated fats, even among health care professionals.

But I'm going to tell you something that public health officials and the media aren't telling you.

The fact is, all saturated fats are not created equal.

The operative word here is "created", because some saturated fats occur naturally, while other fats are artificially manipulated into a saturated state through the man-made process called hydrogenation.

Hydrogenation manipulates vegetable and seed oils by adding hydrogen atoms while heating the oil, producing a rancid, thickened oil that really only benefits processed food shelf life and corporate profits.

The medical and scientific communities are now fairly united in the opinion that hydrogenated vegetable and seed oils should be avoided.

These unsaturated fats, artificially manipulated into saturated fats, are also called trans fats, and no doubt you've heard about them lately. Some cities and states have now outlawed their use. There is no controversy anymore regarding the health dangers of these artificially saturated fats.

And guess what?

These are the same damaged trans fats that have been touted as "healthy" and "heart-friendly" for the last 60 years by the vegetable and seed oil interests!

But the truth finally came out. Trans fat was rebuked, debunked, and revealed as the true enemy to good health that it has always been, regardless of what the seed- and vegetable oil shills told the American public for the last half century.

Unfortunately, this rightful vilification of hydrogenated saturated fats has created a lot of confusion regarding naturally occurring saturated fats, including coconut oil.

If one form of saturated fat is bad for you, the argument goes, then all saturated fat must be bad.

Right?

Nothing could be further from the truth!

The Truth about Coconut Oil

The truth about coconut oil is obvious to anyone who has studied the health of those who live in traditional tropical cultures, where coconut has been a nutritious diet staple for thousands of years.

Back in the 1930's, a dentist named Dr. Weston Price traveled throughout the South Pacific, examining traditional diets and their effect on dental and overall health. He found that those eating diets high in coconut products were healthy and trim, despite the high fat concentration in their diet, and that heart disease was virtually non-existent.

Similarly, in 1981, researchers studied populations of two Polynesian atolls. Coconut was the chief source of caloric energy in both groups. The results, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,^[2] demonstrated that both populations exhibited positive vascular health.

In fact, no evidence exists that the naturally occurring high saturated fat intake had any kind of harmful effect in these populations!

That's not what you expected, is it? Based on 60 years of negative public policy towards naturally occurring saturated fats, you would expect these cultures to be rife with clogged arteries, obesity and heart disease.

It may be surprising for you to realize that the naturally occurring saturated fat in coconut oil actually has some amazing health benefits, such as:

• Promoting your heart health^[3]
• Promoting weight loss, when needed^[4]
• Supporting your immune system health^[5]
• Supporting a healthy metabolism^[6]
• Providing you with an immediate energy source^[7]
• Keeping your skin healthy and youthful looking
• Supporting the proper functioning of your thyroid gland^[8]

But how is this possible?

Does coconut oil have some secret ingredients not found in other saturated fats?

The answer is a resounding "yes".

Coconut Oil's Secret Ingredient

50 percent of the fat content in coconut oil is a fat rarely found in nature called lauric acid. If you're a frequent reader of my newsletter you already know that I consider lauric acid a "miracle" ingredient because of its unique health promoting properties.

Your body converts lauric acid into monolaurin, which has anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-protozoa properties.^[9]

Monolaurin is a monoglyceride which can actually destroy lipid coated viruses such as:

• HIV, herpes
• Measles
• Influenza virus
• Various pathogenic bacteria
• Protozoa such as giardia lamblia.

Lauric acid is a powerful virus and gram-negative bacteria destroyer, and coconut oil contains the most lauric acid of any substance on earth!

Capric acid, another coconut fatty acid present in smaller amounts, has also been added to the list of coconut's antimicrobial components.

This is one of the key reasons you should consider consuming coconut oil, because there aren't many sources of monolaurin in our diet. But the health benefits of coconut oil don't stop there.

The Benefits of Medium-Chain Fatty Acids

Coconut oil is about 2/3 medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), also called medium-chain triglycerides or MCTs. These types of fatty acids produce a whole host of health benefits.

Coconut oil is nature's richest source of these healthy MCFAs.

By contrast, most common vegetable or seed oils are comprised of long chain fatty acids (LCFAs), also known as long-chain triglycerides or LCTs.

Let me tell you why these long-chain fatty acids are not as healthy for you as the MCFAs found in coconut oil^[10] :

• LCFAs are difficult for your body to break down -- they require special enzymes for digestion.
• LCFAs put more strain on your pancreas, liver and your entire digestive system.
• LCFAs are predominantly stored in your body as fat.
• LCFAs can be deposited within your arteries in lipid forms such as cholesterol.
• In contrast to LFCAs, the MCFAs found in coconut oil have many health benefits, including the following beneficial qualities:
• MCFAs are smaller. They permeate cell membranes easily, and do not require special enzymes to be utilized effectively by your body.
• MCFAs are easily digested, thus putting less strain on your digestive system.
• MCFAs are sent directly to your liver, where they are immediately converted into energy rather than being stored as fat.
• MCFAs actually help stimulate your body's metabolism, leading to weight loss.

Coconut Oil Helps Fight Diabetes

 Your body sends medium-chain fatty acids directly to your liver to use as energy. This makes coconut oil a powerful source of instant energy to your body, a function usually served in the diet by simple carbohydrates.

But although coconut oil and simple carbohydrates share the ability to deliver quick energy to your body, they differ in one crucial respect.

Coconut oil does not produce an insulin spike in your bloodstream. You read that correctly, Coconut oil acts on your body like a carbohydrate, without any of the debilitating insulin-related effects associated with long-term high carbohydrate consumption!

Diabetics and those with pre-diabetes conditions (an exploding health epidemic in America), should immediately realize the benefit of a fast acting energy source that doesn't produce an insulin spike in your body. In fact, coconut oil added to the diets of diabetics and pre-diabetics has actually been shown to help stabilize weight gain, which can dramatically decrease your likelihood of getting adult onset type-2 Diabetes.^[11]

Cococut Oil, the Friend to Athletes and Dieters

If you live in the United States, you have an almost 70 percent chance of being overweight.

And, by now, I'm sure you're well aware that obesity affects your quality of life and is linked to many health concerns.

One of the best benefits of coconut oil lies in its ability to help stimulate your metabolism.

Back in the 1940s, farmers found out about this effect by accident when they tried using inexpensive coconut oil to fatten their livestock.

It didn't work!

Instead, coconut oil made the animals lean, active and hungry.

However, many animal and human research studies have demonstrated that replacing LCFAs with MCFAs results in both decreased body weight and reduced fat deposition.

In fact, the ability of MCFAs to be easily digested, to help stimulate the metabolism and be turned into energy has entered the sports arena. Several studies have now shown that MCFAs can enhance physical or athletic performance.^[12]

Additionally, research has demonstrated that, due to its metabolic effect, coconut oil increases the activity of the thyroid. And you've probably heard that a sluggish thyroid is one reason why some people are unable to lose weight, no matter what they do.

Besides weight loss, there are other advantages to boosting your metabolic rate. Your healing process accelerates. Cell regeneration increases to replace old cells, and your immune system functions better overall.

Coconut Oil on Your Skin

Besides the mounting medical and scientific evidence that coconut oil has powerful positive health benefits when eaten, it has also been used for decades by professional massage therapists to knead away tight stressed muscles.

However, you don't have to be a professional massage therapist to gain the skin and tissue support benefits of coconut oil. Just use coconut oil as you would any lotion.

Coconut oil is actually ideal for skin care. It helps protect your skin from the aging effects of free radicals, and can help improve the appearance of skin with its anti-aging benefits.

In fact, physiologist and biochemist Ray Peat, Ph.D. considers coconut oil an antioxidant[13] , due to its stability and resistance to oxidation and free radical formation. Plus, he believes it reduces our need for the antioxidant protection of vitamin E.

Like Dr. Peat, many experts believe coconut oil may help restore more youthful-looking skin. When coconut oil is absorbed into your skin and connective tissues, it helps to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by helping to keep your connective tissues strong and supple, and aids in exfoliating the outer layer of dead skin cells, making your skin smoother.

Coconut Oil and Your Heart

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S. And heart disease is often a silent killer. The first sign of cardiovascular disease is commonly a heart attack, and sadly, over one third of heart attacks are fatal.

And despite the propaganda, the truth is this: it is UNSATURATED fats that are primarily involved in heart disease, not the naturally occurring saturated fats, as you have been led to believe.[14]

Plus, the polyunsaturated fats in vegetable and seed oils encourage the formation of blood clots by increasing platelet stickiness. Coconut oil helps to promote normal platelet function.

Coconut Oil in Your Kitchen

I only use two oils in my food preparation.

The first, extra-virgin olive oil, is a better monounsaturated fat that works great as a salad dressing.

However, it should not be used for cooking. Due to its chemical structure, heat makes it susceptible to oxidative damage.

And polyunsaturated fats, which include common vegetable oils such as corn, soy, safflower, sunflower and canola, are absolutely the worst oils to use in cooking. These omega-6 oils are highly susceptible to heat damage because of their double bonds.

I strongly urge you to throw out those omega-6 vegetable oils in your cabinets.

Why?

Reason # 1: Most people believe that frying creates trans-fat
. That is not the major problem, in my opinion. Although some are created, they are relatively minor. There are FAR more toxic chemicals produced by frying omega-6 oils than trans-fat.

Frying destroys the antioxidants in oil and as a result oxidizes the oil. This causes cross-linking, cyclization, double-bond shifts, fragmentation and polymerization of oils that cause far more damage than trans-fat.

Reason # 2: Most of the vegetable oils are GMO. This would include over 90 percent of the soy, corn and canola oils.

Reason # 3: Vegetable oils contribute to the overabundance of damaged omega-6 fats in your diet, which creates an imbalance in the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3. As you know from my extensive writing on this subject, I believe that excessive consumption of damaged omega-6 fats contributes to many health concerns.

They are all highly processed and consumed in amounts that are about 100 times more than our ancestors did a century ago. This causes them to distort the sensitive omega-6/omega-3 ratio which controls many delicate biochemical pathways which results in accelerating many chronic degenerative diseases.

There is only one oil that is stable enough to resist mild heat-induced damage, while it also helps you promote heart health and even supports weight loss and thyroid function -- coconut oil.

So, whenever you need an oil to cook with, use coconut oil instead of butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, margarine, or any other type of oil called for in recipes. Even though I don't fully recommend frying foods, if you must fry, by all means use coconut oil -- it's your smartest choice.

Coconut Oil Safety

The medium-chain fats in coconut oil are considered so nutritious that they are used in baby formulas, in hospitals to feed the critically ill, those on tube feeding, and those with digestive problems. Coconut oil has even been used successfully by doctors in treating aluminum poisoning.^[15]

Coconut oil is exceptionally helpful for pregnant women, nursing moms, the elderly, those concerned about digestive health, athletes (even weekend warriors), and those of you who just want to enhance your overall health.