The Scoop On Coconut Kefir

I’ve been on the search for information about Coconut Kefir for a while. I’m almost ready to try making a batch. I first kept coming up empty by searching for coconut kiefer but I suppose that refers to Kiefer Sutherland. Coconut Kefir references come up regularly in my search for healthy probiotic information and I’ve found some resources for making it yourself. I’ve been learning more and more about the benefits of coconut. Coconut oil is something I’m trying to incorporate into our regular diets and I’ve been doing a lot of candida research for a client and so have become fascinated with the positive and negative bacteria living in our bodies. I also know that today’s diet wreaks havoc on the digestive system and especially the colon.


What can coconut kefir do for you?

Coconut water and a kefir starter can produce some great results. Coconut kefir can:
-Cleanse the liver and endocrine system
-enhance the positive flora in your digestive system which can be great for fighting candida
-intestinal toning (great if you have loss of bowel tone)
-help with digestion problems
-help with various areas of your appearance including shinier hair, clearerskin and stronger nails
-reduce sugar cravings so can be great while on a diet
-coconut water is very hydrating so is perfect for thirst quenching. In fact, fresh and sterile coconut water has even been used intravenously for dehydration.
-can ward off or cure a hangover

It’s best to make this with young coconut and and purchase a Kefir starter along with it. I'll be sure to post my findings after making this drink myself.

Connections: Candida and Food

What you eat can directly impact your ability to have problems with Candida or yeast infections. Conversely, it can also help you by creating an environment where healthy flora flourish and bad bacteria perish. I wrote about this recently for a friend and business contact.

Our bodies house good bacterium and can have bad bacteria as well. Yeast infections or candida can happen when the bad bacteria levels get high. This can happen for many reasons and can result in unpleasant symptoms in the genital area or the mouth. In order to deal with this, you often need to have treatment that kills off the negative bacteria but the problem with this is that treatment can also kill the healthy flora living in your body.

Candida can happen frequently and it can become a pain. We don’t want to overdo it on antibiotics and risk developing a tolerance to them which makes getting well when we really need antibiotics difficult. We also want the positive bacteria in our bodies to thrive as they can help us in many ways. Candida doesn’t just cause yeast infections, oral thrush and diaper rash. It can impact your health in many ways including headaches, mood swings, and sinus problems and is reported as suspected of being linked to other problems as well.

There are foods you can eat to encourage healthy bacteria to flourish in your body and to keep unhealthy levels of yeast from rising. There are probiotic foods which encourage the healthy bacteria to grow and antibiotics which are intended to kill off harmful bacterium. The problem is that when we need to take antibiotics, the antibiotics cannot tell the difference between the good guys and the bad guys so they wipe out everything in sight! If your body has a tendency to produce too much yeast and you are prone to yeast infections, you should be cautious about what you eat and drink to help prevent the overgrowth of that yeast. In fact, your diet alone could be the culprit.

There are many types of flora living in our bodies and the culprits for the yeast infection occur when there’s a proliferation of albican yeast growth. Prevent albican yeast growth by eating healthful unprocessed foods. Probiotic yogurt and cheese can be very helpful. Eating junk food and refined carbohydrates is not helpful as it will feed the bad bacteria. Eliminating sugar and bleached white flour is a very good idea and you should avoid all fermented foods like alcohol, cheese and yeasts and fungi such as mushrooms. Instead, eat plenty of live cultures like yogurt and unsweetened kefir. Organic apple cider vinegar can also be helpful for restoring balance in the digestive system.

Opt for food with fast transit times for your food so that it won’t sit and rot in your intestines creating new bacteria. A special diet is typically used for two to four weeks so that symptoms can subside and people who have recurring problems with yeast may decide to stay on this diet as a regular rule. Use oils for cooking such as virgin coconut oil offers great antifungal properties.. Garlic, clove oil, oregano oil and spices like cinnamon, curry and cayenne can also be very beneficial.
If you want bread during your candida diet, opt for whole grain bread that isn’t leavened with yeast. Probiotic or lactose reduced cheese can be taken in lieu of regular cheese. Albican yeast free cookbooks or resource sites exist which help you find more recipes that incorporate great foods without harmful yeast.
Eating well, exercise and good digestive health are all factors for treating and preventing candida yeast infections.

This article was written for my colleague and friend Matthew Bredel. Matt owns the helpful website Candida Solutions.

Resource:
Yeast-Free Cookbook

Getting Benefits out of Lemons

When life gives you lemons you can make lemonade and you can also benefit from the lemons too. Lemons are a very important fruit and have some serious cleansing power. Not only can lemon bleach freckles, cleanse your skin and clean your house, it can also cleanse you internally. Lemons have a high amount of vitamin C and have potassium and magnesium too.

A glass of hot lemon water a day can do so much! Instead of artificial lemon flavour or lemon flavoured cold medicine when you’re ill, add some fresh lemon juice to a cup of tea or hot water. This can help fight off the bacteria in your body, soothe a sore throat and loosen phlegm in the chest. A lemon wedge in a glass of warm water is not only refreshing but cleansing for the body and good for the metabolism. Where I live lemons are three for a dollar and I use the rind for cooking and the lemons for baking, cooking and cleaning.

You can find a lot of information online about the vitamins, minerals and benefits of lemon. The master cleanse diet makes use of lemons as well. It can help detox your body, clean your digestive tract and boost your immune system. Those who suffer from heart burn and palpitations may find that having a glass of lemon water in the evenings can dramatically decrease their discomfort and even ward it off before it begins. Citric acid is also great for heart health. So if life gives you lemons make the most of them and use them for your good health!

Boost Your Immune System This Winter

Many people feel they should avoid the flu shot unless there’s a very specific reason for it I’m one of those people. I’ve sat through many debates on the subject but it’s how I feel. IF you want to read some more about it, stop by www.mercola.com and you can read some compelling stuff.

Anyway, instead of my family marching off to get flu shots, we try to boost our systems naturally. Here are a few of the things we do and some links in the document that explain a bit about some of these ideas.

-Take greens plus. It’s filled with LOADS of good stuff. I always feel healthier & better when I take it.
-Use coconut oil in a lot of my cooking. Coconut oil contains good stuff like lauric acid which is what helps babies get a boost of immunity from their mother’s milk
-up our fruits and vegetables
-wash our hands well everytime we come in from outside. We don’t bother with antibacterial soap at home, we simply sing the tune of happy birthday or the abc’s while we wash to help us wash long enough. I do keep instant hand sanitizer in my purse and the car for when we’re out and feel like we’ve touched something questionable.
-apple cider vinegar helps boost immunity as well
-Drink white tea. It can help kill bacteria like strep and staph.
-Clean your ears with hydrogen peroxide if you think you’re coming down with a cold.
-Get some good flora in your gut by eating yogurt and probiotic cheese

Sometimes our doctor advises us to get a flu shot for a specific reason and if your doctor does, by all means! But, don’t just assume you need one every year if you’re perfectly healthy. I do believe we are harming our immune systems by stopping our bodies from fighting off mild viruses alone. Too many immunizations and antibiotics can do more harm than good!