Real Food Tips

Coconut Oil
Known as the "Healthiest Oil on Earth"!
I'm a coconut oil fanatic!! I truly use it for everything in my life from the kitchen to the bathroom!

Just some Benefit:

1.  Moisturizer - Full Body

2.  Eye cream – reduce puffiness, bags, and wrinkles.

3. Deep Treatment Hair Conditioner - 1tbs to scalp or 1tsp to ends (Leave in overnight... use shower cap)
4. Stretch Mark Cream - Great for per-venting stretch marks and great for already damaged skin!
5. Diaper Rash - soothing with no chemicals!
6. Body Scrub- Just mix with sugar and your set!
7. Healing - apply to scrapes, cuts, Rashes, Bug Bites... forms a protection layer from dust & bacteria. Also speeds up healing process!
8. Deodorant 
9. Massage Oil
10. Lubricant - All Natural (Don't use with Latex)
11. Nipple Cream - Works great for dry, cracked, sore nipples (apply between feedings). All natural!
12. Ear Infection - Mix coconut oil with garlic and put a few drops in ear and leave for 10 minutes! 2-3 times a day and should be good in 2 days!!
13.  PreShave & Aftershave - Protects from damage of shaving and also helps heal skin after shaving... without clogging pours!!
14. Defrizzer & Hair Gel - little on palm and work through hair
15.  Chapstick - softens and has SPF4 ... little protection!
16. Make Up Remover -Works wonders!
17. Skin Issues - helps heal skin!

Coconut Benefits for Fertility:
Maria's Nutritious and Delicious journal

1. DECREASE MISCARRIAGES: Fat is essential to make hormones. Some miscarriages are caused by a lack of progesterone to sustain the pregnancy. Eating coconut oil in addition to progesterone supplementation will provide a healthy fat that can be used to attain a healthy body weight and balance hormones.
2. HORMONE BALANCE: Overweight women may have problems conceiving due to too much estrogen (we have 3 types of estrogen: I'm talking about the one stored in our fat cells); this will inhibit ovulation from happening, and decrease the lining of the uterus for implantation, along with many other imbalances. Coconut oil is a medium-chained triglyceride, which aids in thyroid health and helps women lose weight while also balancing hormones.
3. MORNING SICKNESS: Coconut water is a natural remedy for nausea and has been traditionally used to calm malaria, typhoid, and other illness that include nausea as a side effect.
4. DECREASES GAS: It naturally calms and heals the stomach lining, which eventually decreases gas.
5. HYDRATION: Coconut water is nature's true "sports drink."

6. NUMBER 2: Most pregnant women struggle with going #2 in the third trimester. Coconut is a mild laxative. Coconut milk, water or eating coconut oil can assist to keep our intestinal system moving properly.  

7. GESTATIONAL DIABETES: Coconut assists with proper blood sugar balance. When our blood sugar goes too high (if you eat too many crackers or processed carbs with morning sickness:))), you blood sugar drops too low and this will not only lead to insulin issues, it also induces nausea! Coconut will help due to the high amounts of fiber and the healthy fats keep our insulin levels from rising too much.
8. URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS: No need for antibiotics that decrease the mother's and baby's probiotics (and cause food allergies). Coconut decreases UTI's because it cleans the kidneys.
9. IMMUNE SYSTEM: Coconut oil is 50% lauric acid (LA). LA has natural antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. Pregnant women have a weakened immune system and LA boosts immunity and protects her from harmful infections.
10. BODY TEMPERATURE: Coconut cools the body, which can be an issue with the high levels of progesterone and weight.
11. STRETCH MARKS: Coconut oil is AMAZING for the skin! It moisturizes itchy and dry skin. It also reduces the appearance of stretch marks. When applied to the perineum in the weeks leading up to labor, it can help reduce tearing during birth.  
12. ACNE: When applied to the skin and face, coconut water clears up acne and blackheads caused by the high levels of hormones during pregnancy.  
13. LACTATION: Lauric Acid (LA) is found in two sources: coconut and breast milk! It has been proven that breast feeding women who eat coconut products have higher levels of LA in their milk. This is important because as listed above, it boosts the immune system. Other awesome properties of LA is that it increases the baby's brain and bone development. Our bodies can store LA so start consuming coconut early on in pregnancy helps with milk production.
 
 

Grass-fed Meats & Dairy

As stated in EatWild,"Meat, Eggs, and Dairy products from pastured animals are ideal for your health. Compared with commercial products, they offer you more "good" fats, and fewer "bad" fats. They are richer in antioxidants and they do not contain traces of added hormones, antibiotics or other drugs."

When people talk about how meat is bad  for you,  you have to ask yourself are they talking about commercial meat or grass-fed organic meat? These are two completely different things! We were made to eat these foods...the REAL version of these foods and the original way they were created!

Here are just some great benefits of grass-fed Meat & Dairy:

1) Grass-fed meat is lower in total fat, Higher in vitamin E, Higher in the B-vitamins, Higher in the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium, Higher in total omega-3s, Lower in the saturated fats linked with heart disease... many more

2) A 6-ounce steak from a grass-finished steer has almost 100 fewer calories than a 6-ounce steak from a grainfed steer

3.) Cheese from grassfed cows are more than four times richer in conjugated linoleic acid—a cancer-fighting, fat-reducing fat

4.) Free Range Eggs have 1/3 less cholesterol than commercial eggs, 1/4 less saturated fat, 2/3 more vitaminA,  2 times more omega-3 fatty acids, 7 times more beta carotene, higher in folic acid

5.) Butter from grass-fed cows (Yes I said BUTTER) also has more cancer-fighting CLA, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and omega-3, and fatty acids. Remember grass-fed organic butter is very different from regular butter.

So, YES you can eat these things! All in the correct form it was created to be eaten in!! That's some good news!!

Much Love,

              Amber

                                                

                                                         Which one looks more appealing?

                                                               Photo from The Life of a Novice