Eat Fat, Lose Fat (25 page)

The intestines are populated by many different organisms, all of which interact with each other and with your gut walls. Like all living things, these organisms need to consume and to excrete. When the bowel system shifts toward disease, both the population of organisms inside the bowel and the characteristics of the bowel wall itself undergo certain changes. The numbers of beneficial bacteria decline, while the amount of undigested or partially digested foodstuff increases. Pathogenic bacteria and fungi multiply, along with the toxic by-products that these abnormal microorganisms produce. In the small intestine, the villi are disturbed and deformed. The function of nerves in the intestinal walls becomes abnormal, and the absorption of food is compromised. These changes result in the distressing symptoms so familiar to the many sufferers of IBS.

By supporting the growth of beneficial bacteria, coconut oil can enormously benefit people with IBS. Cod-liver oil is also extremely helpful because it encourages the production of prostaglandins that the body uses to fight inflammation.

Colitis

Colitis, characterized by inflammation in the colon leading to diarrhea and bloody stools, actually responds better to the type of omega-3 fatty acids in cod-liver oil than to medication, according to studies carried out in Spain and published in 1990 and 1992. Thus, cod-liver oil should be the first thing you reach for to treat this condition.

A recent animal study carried out in Germany found that omega-3 fatty acids promoted the presence of beneficial lactobacilli in the gut. These fatty acids were especially effective when taken with probiotics (protective microorganisms), which are provided by fermented foods.

Consuming coconut oil strengthens the beneficial effect of omega-3 fatty acids. In fact, coconut oil provides the perfect fuel—medium-chain triglycerides—for beneficial microorganisms in the colon. Furthermore, coconut oil’s medium-chain fatty acids work with the vitamin A in cod-liver oil to enhance the immune system.

Crohn’s Disease

As doctors seek to find the causes of Crohn’s disease, one popular theory is that the body’s immune system reacts to a virus or a bacterium, causing ongoing inflammation of the intestine. People with Crohn’s disease tend to have immune system abnormalities, but clinicians don’t know whether these abnormalities are a cause or a result of the disease. Several studies have identified low-level measles virus as a major cause of chronic Crohn’s disease. The measles virus is a lipid-coated virus, a type known to be vulnerable to monolaurin, the antiviral substance derived from coconut oil.

Gas and Bloating

Even if you only have relatively mild intestinal problems, like gas and bloating, the antimicrobial properties of coconut oil will help you by fighting gas-producing bacteria in your intestines.

Making grains and legumes more digestible through proper preparation and eating gut-soothing, gelatin-rich broths will go still further to prevent gas and bloating.

How Our Diet Heals Intestinal Disorders

If you have intestinal problems, it’s important not only to take coconut oil and cod-liver oil, but also to modify your diet with the right food preparation techniques. In Chapter 10, you’ll learn to soak grains and legumes, prepare fermented foods, and make bone broths.

Soaking and fermenting
Unless grains and legumes are soaked and fermented as we recommend, the tannins (astringent, bitter-tasting substances in plants), enzyme inhibitors, mineral blockers, and difficult-to-digest proteins and carbohydrates in these foods can block nutrient absorption and irritate the gut lining.

If you have any intestinal disorders, avoid all cold breakfast cereals, granola, and other heavy whole-grain products. Instead, use our methods to soak and cook your grains for better absorption. You’ll then be able to consume grains and beans with much less strain on your digestive tract and fully benefit from the nutrients and fiber they contain.

Bone broths
Another feature of our traditional foods program that’s especially helpful for IBS and Crohn’s disease is gelatin-rich bone broths.

Broths help you digest food while also calming an inflamed digestive tract. Traditionally, gelatin (which is extracted by boiling bones) has a reputation as a health restorer that soothes the digestive tract and aids digestion. Furthermore, gelatin is rich in the amino acid glycine, which helps digestion by enhancing gastric acid secretion. A study published in 1982 in the
American Journal of Physiology
found that gelatin promoted digestion by boosting the secretion of gastric juices, bringing the amount of hydrochloric acid in the stomach to normal levels.

The amino acids in broth also act as a tonic for the bowel wall. So anyone who suffers from IBS should drink lots of broth made from bones, and use it in nourishing soups, stews, sauces, and gravies.

Skin Problems: Eczema, Dry Skin, Wrinkles,
Scaly Patches, Hair Loss

Topically applied, coconut oil helps wounds heal faster and improves skin quality. Take it orally to help keep skin soft, minimize wrinkles, and help heal eczema and similar skin problems.

The synergistic combination of saturated fatty acids in coconut oil and long-chain super unsaturated fatty acids in cod-liver oil contributes to beautiful skin by helping keep the right fatty acids in the cell membranes. Vitamins A and D in cod-liver oil are also important for healthy skin. Many people have reported that their skin tone improves when they consume coconut oil and also use it on their skin.

Coconut oil also helps prevent hair loss by supporting thyroid function. Hair loss is one of the first symptoms of low thyroid function. When thyroid function is restored, hair usually grows back.

Unsaturated Fats Make Wrinkles

While saturated fats help prevent wrinkles, unsaturated fats actually contribute to wrinkles. That’s because unsaturated fats are usually rancid and contain free radicals that do a lot of damage inside the body—including promoting wrinkles. Studies performed by several plastic surgeons during the 1980s found that women who consumed lots of vegetable oil had far more wrinkles and looked much older than women who consumed saturated fats.

Drinking Water Won’t Help

Many researchers tell people with dry skin to drink lots of water. Unfortunately, this doesn’t help much. That’s because the water in our cells actually comes from metabolizing fats. (The water we drink mostly goes into the bloodstream, rather than the cells, and then out via the kidneys.) So dry skin means there is a relative imbalance or deficiency of fats—especially in relation to the amount of carbohydrates in the diet. People with dry skin are often hypoglycemic and crave sugar because they are eating a diet that’s high in carbohydrates but deficient in good-quality fat.

Once you change this ratio—so that more calories come from fats than from carbohydrates—the body produces more water for the cells. What’s more, it will now have more fatty acids available for the oil-producing glands, which are our natural moisturizers.

Good fats for properly moist skin include butter, lard, coconut oil, olive oil, and small amounts of flax oil.

Thyroid Imbalance

All by itself, coconut oil improves thyroid function. When people with hypothyroidism (insufficient production of thyroid hormone) start taking coconut oil, they frequently report higher body temperature and increased energy due to improved thyroid function. Many thyroid sufferers are able to eliminate thyroid medication completely when they start taking coconut oil. (Of course, you should never go off thyroid medication without consulting your health-care practitioner.)

The combination of coconut oil with the vitamin A in cod-liver oil (which the thyroid gland needs in high amounts) can have even more dramatic effects on thyroid health because this combination gives the thyroid the basic components it needs to function properly. Unrefined salt and seafoods (particularly fish broth) also support thyroid function by providing iodine. Butter from grass-fed cows is an excellent source of both iodine and vitamin A.

You’ll also be eliminating soy foods, which inhibit thyroid function.

High thyroid
Coconut oil will also normalize thyroid function if you have an overactive thyroid.

Viral Infections: Epstein-Barr, Herpes, HIV/AIDS

The medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil kill the pathogenic lipid-coated viruses in the digestive tract that cause these viral infections. As for vitamin A, a 1994
Washington Post
article hailed it as “cheap and effective, with wonders still being (re) discovered,” noting that vitamin A supplements help prevent infant mortality in third-world countries caused by viruses and other pathogens, protect victims of measles (caused by a virus) from severe complications, and prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV virus. Consuming coconut oil along with cod-liver oil will give the body a double defense against these pathogenic viruses. In fact, monolaurin made from the lauric acid in coconut oil has been shown to knock out the measles virus and is the strongest anti-HIV substance ever studied.

The remarkable benefits of the coconut/cod-liver oil synergy in helping address health challenges are greatly enhanced by the use of time-honored foods, preparation methods, and natural supplements that have nurtured many traditional populations. So let’s get started on the Health Recovery Plan!

Health Recovery Plan

Lacto-Fermented Beverages for Health Recovery

Key to the success of the Health Recovery diet plan are lacto-fermented beverages. These beverages supply beneficial lactic acid and healthy flora for the digestive tract, as well as mineral ions that the body can readily use.

On this plan, you’ll be consuming lacto-fermented beverages at least three times a day. Use beet kvass, coconut kefir, ginger ale, and kombucha interchangeably, according to your preferences (for descriptions of these drinks.

Start-Up Week for Health Recovery

Day One: Order Products by Mail, Scout Out Raw Milk

Scout out and order coconut and other products that you are unlikely to find in stores.

• Coconut milk and coconut oil (although these usually are available in stores)
  
• Powdered kefir culture or grains to make fermented beverages
  
• Ready-made kombucha (if you don’t want to make your own)
  
• Basic supplements such as high-vitamin cod-liver oil, high-vitamin butter oil, desiccated liver, and amla-C or acerola powder
  
• Lacto-fermented condiments, such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles, if not available locally in stores
  
• Dolomite powder (a calcium source if raw milk is unavailable)
  
• Unrefined sea salt
  
• Scout out a source of raw milk in your area. Raw milk is particularly important on Health Recovery, so if you want optimal results, do your best to procure it. For sources, visit realmilk.com or contact your nearest Weston A. Price Foundation chapter leader. Chapter leader contact information is posted at westonaprice.org.
  

Day Two: Cupboard Cleanout

Go on a tour of your kitchen cupboards and throw out all processed foods, especially products containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (crackers, cookies, pastries, doughnuts, chips, snack foods, etc.), extruded breakfast cereals, and sauce mixes and other products likely to contain MSG. Remember that anything containing “spices,” “spice mixes,” “natural flavorings,” and anything “autolyzed” or “hydrolyzed” is likely to contain MSG.

Day Three: Fridge and Freezer Free-Up

Get rid of all processed foods, prepared dinners, and low-fat dairy products in your fridge or freezer.

Day Four: Shop

Take a trip to the market/health food store to purchase ingredients for your first week of meals. Consult the Resources section for our recommendations of optimal products and where to obtain them.