Coconut Oil: Beyond Baking

Trader Joe's is now selling coconut oil and using it instead of butter in their cooking demo stations. Within the "crunchy" mommy circles, coconut oil has been such a hot topic. Using coconut oil for more than baking and for skin is something I keep hearing more and more about.

I started up on the coconut oil train after reading about it on Dr. Mercola's blog several years ago. I bought a tub from Whole Foods and used it primarily for baking or high temp cooking. I use coconut oil for making muffins or stir fry dishes. Ava's favorite right now is a vegan recipe with coconut oil, egg-free Maple Brown Sugar Oat Muffins. I make a batch and keep them in the freezer afternoon snacks at school.

Then I discovered homemade deodorant last year! The deodorant is a mix of coconut oil, arrowroot powder, and baking soda and it really eliminates stinky pits! Coconut oil is solid until about 76 degrees. It works well for deodorant because of the solid paste. And the antibacterial properties help eliminate any funky smells.

Coconut oil is also great for diaper rashes on baby's bottoms. If you're cloth diapering, you need to be careful about using traditional diaper rash creams because they cause the cloth to not absorb as much. I remember one of my daughter's care givers slathering diaper cream innocently and then it clung to our cloth diaper like crazy. You can use a diaper liner if you use a barrier cream, or simply use a small amount of coconut oil on the baby's bottom to heal her skin.

This week, Ava had I have had nasty colds and instead of using petroleum-based Vaseline on our noses and face, I used coconut oil. It's so soothing! I have noticed it's much more healing than any other lotion that I've used on a sensitive skin during a cold. And believe me, we have used loads of tissues on our noses this week.

I keep a very small container in the bathroom of coconut oil so it's convenient for skin applications and it won't be contaminated in our larger jar.

I really like the Nutiva brand (available at Whole Foods and Amazon). I also recently bought a giant 54oz tub from Costco that was about $15. A great value!

Have you tried coconut oil either in cooking or on your skin? What do you think?

Homemade, All-Natural Deodorant

It was very easy to mix with a spoon in this small bowl.

We recently had an interesting thread discussion in my La Leche League Facebook group about using deodorant without aluminum, which can be especially harmful for women since it's linked to cancer. When I was pregnant, I was diligent about using all natural deodorant, but then I got lazy. Most of the ones that I tried had to be reapplied very often. If you use a traditional commercial deodorant, it's also combined with an antiperspirant to reduce sweating. I had best success when I applied a crystal stick (antiperspirant) first, and then the natural deodorant. One of the moms shared a "recipe" to make your own deodorant. In fact, she's been making it for several years for herself, husband and even her family members. So, I decided to give it a try!

I mixed this batch of deodorant this afternoon. It has three major ingredients: equal parts baking soda, arrowroot starch, and coconut oil. I've started to use coconut oil for more than just cooking. Because of it's in a solid state and contains antibacterial and healing properties, you can use it on a baby's bum to fight diaper rash or on a cut or scrape.

Store the deodorant in a wide, small glass jar that will be easy to put your hand into to apply. The blog post that I found has a tutorial for putting your homemade deodorant in your commercial container.

Baking soda can irritate your skin if you use a lot of it so it's recommended to use a thin layer. I'm going to experiment with using the crystal stick first and then applying a very thin layer of the deodorant to see how it works for me.

Since Aaron is going to try it as well, I decided to add a neutral scent using Tea Tree Oil. We have that oil on hand because we use it on our dog as a natural mosquito repellant. It smells fantastic!

After my shower tonight, I applied the deodorant mix and it rubs into your skin very easily. I'll let you know how we like it!

Here's the link to the original post with the recipe and tutorial. I also posted it to my Pinterest "For the Home" board. Have you tried your own deodorant?

UPDATE: May 6, 2012
I don't think I can ever go back to commercial deodorant! I LOVE this stuff. It rubs into your skin so well without the annoying white flakes from commercial deodorant. It works for both me and Aaron and no funky body odor to report! Aaron was skeptical, but he was really impressed. We went on a hike and I sweat like crazy, but I wasn't smelly at all! That never would have happened with my old Secret. The one thing to watch in the warmer weather is the coconut oil will melt to liquid at 76 degrees. So you can put in the refrigerator and then bring it to room temperature before you apply it. Coming out of the fridge it's rock hard. You should try it!

'Tis the Season for Tea: Yerba Mate

A couple years ago, I discovered Yerba Mate tea. I love brewing tea in the Fall and Winter seasons and it's fun to try different varieties. I stock wide varieties in the pantry in case I have a craving for chamomile, green tea, or mint and it's great for guests to choose their favorites. Then, I spotted Yerba Mate one day and I was intrigued by smoky flavor and the health advantages like antioxidants, improving digestion, aiding mental clarity, and boosting your natural energy. Maybe that energy comes from the natural caffeine, but I do enjoy the flavor!

Yerba Mate is grown in South America and enjoyed by the people of Argentina, Uraguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Brazil.

I buy the Guayaki brand pictured on the right because it's a fair-trade product and it supports the native people to grow and harvest the plant.

To brew, I warm the water in a tea kettle on the stove. I use an average size tea pot and place 2 tea bags at the bottom. Pour the hot water in the tea pot with the bags and brew for 3-5 minutes.

Try it with sweetener (sugar, honey, stevia extract) and even a splash of vanilla soymilk or milk. The smoky flavor is very soothing and rich.

You can buy it in the natural foods section of your local store, Trader Joe's, or Whole Foods.

Top Natural Immunity Boosters to Get You Through the Cold and Flu Season

The weather has changed and it's cold and flu season. At the office people are either getting sick or trying to stay healthy with antibacterial cleaners and sprays. The media and healthcare professionals are pushing the seasonal and H1N1 flu shots on the public as a way to lessen the effects of the flu virus. One of my favorite health blogs by Dr. Mercola, a Chicago medical physician and health researcher, strongly recommends to avoid both flu vaccines in his blog post "Flu Vaccine Exposed."

Mercola writes, "According to the CDC, the majority of flu vaccines contain thimerosal. Some contain as much as 25 mcg of mercury per dose. This means that it may contain more than 250 times the Environmental Protection Agency’s safety limit for mercury." He later writes in the story about other toxins found in most flu shots. And the virus strains in the seasonal flu shot are made before the flu season hits so taking the vaccine does not always prevent that you won't get sick. It depends on the virus strains that you are exposed to in the real world.

What are the flu symptoms? Most people suffering from the flu are experiencing: fever, chills, cough, fatigue, diarrhea, runny nose, decreased appetite, and sore throat. Taking acetaminophen or ibprophen can help break your fever and reduce your symptoms.

My friends in major cities such as the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago have been able to get thimerosal-free flu vaccines, but in Indianapolis, I'm hard pressed to find them. In fact, most people I speak to here have never heard of mercury in the flu shots. They are taking them blindly!

I'm 19 weeks pregnant and during my recent doctor visit, the nurse recommended that I take both flu shots since pregnant women are consider high risk for more severe flu symptoms. I told the nurse that I don't want to expose myself or my baby to mercury and I plan to use natural immunity boosting methods to avoid getting sick or lessen the symptoms. I told her that after limiting my mercury exposure with fish in my diet and ensuring that I'm taking mercury-free fish oil for my DHA supplement that I don't see how I can expose myself to that much mercury. The nurse had nothing to say to that, other than suggesting that I find a mercury-free flu shot.

And this week, Aaron is sick with the flu. It's possible he has the H1N1 flu for all we know, but that's not preventing me from eating dinner with him, kissing him, or being near him. So far What I am doing is boosting my own immunities naturally.

Natural Immunity Boosters:

• Adequate sleep - 8 hrs
  
• Hydrate with pure water
• Exercise
• Vitamin D (using supplements or sun exposure) - see my post
• Whole food nutrition-rich diet - avoid processed foods
• Washing hands with soap and warm water
  

Natural Digestive Aid: Papaya Enzyme Tablets

When I was a kid, my mom gave me chewable papaya enzymes if I ate a big meal to help me with digestion. I never thought a thing about it until 2 weeks ago when I started to get heart burn. Indigestion is common with pregnancy. Many people suffer from heart burn or indigestion, without being pregnant. "Heart burn" gives you a painful burning sensation at the bottom of your throat and it is most likely a symptom of acid reflux.

Instead of popping antacids (Tums) all the time, I wanted to find a natural, holistic solution. I turned to my favorite Whole Foods when Aaron and I were back in Chicago spending time at our condo and visiting friends. The helpful worker in the vitamins and health supplements section showed me a entire shelf of digestive aids and I remembered my mom's wisdom when I spotted this Tropical Papaya Enzyme.

Papayas are native fruits to Mexico and Central America. The enzymes are made from under-ripe papayas. When I was a kid in California, I remember my family eating papaya with a meal. I had no idea why. Now, I know that it helps with digestion.

The bottle suggests taking up to 2 chewable tablets after you eat. I only use them when I eat a heavier meal with meat and lots of spices, for example. It really helps relieve the burning sensation and tones down the uncomfortable effects.

I found these tablets at Whole Foods, but if you don't live near a store, you can also purchase them online at vitamin and health supplement providers.