Coco for Coconut Oil

I am seriously OBSESSED with coconut oil. It has so many uses, I can't even begin to go into all of them here. Google search "101 uses for coconut oil" and let your mind be blown.

Awhile back, I blogged that I was going to take a tablespoon of coconut oil a day, with a drop of oregano essential oil.

That lasted exactly one day.

The texture of cold coconut oil (if you have never used it, it turns solid at room temperature) was just too gross for me. No, thanks, I thought.

I did continue taking the oregano oil in a shot of water instead of the coconut oil and it worked wonders. Completely cleared up the congestion I had in my chest and I think brought up some gunk left over from finally quitting smoking last year. I highly recommend it as a natural antibiotic BUT ONLY USE THERAPEUTIC GRADE OILS! You cannot ingest any old oil. I use Young Living essential oils and love them. 

I still use coconut oil all the time. I make toothpaste out of it, I use it in place of conditioner and lotion, and I try to cook with it.

After reading this article, I will be cooking with a lot more of it! Incorporating just one tablespoon of coconut oil in your diet can help you lose weight and help with cardiovascular health. That's a big win-win for me, and a lot of folks with Addison's, who struggle with weight loss and heart issues.

Speaking of heart issues, I just bought a used FitBit Charge HR. It records my heart rate day and night! I'm thinking everyone with Addison's should have one of these! I just got it yesterday evening so I am looking forward to seeing today's results, but as of yesterday it looks like I am still tachycardic through much of the day. Looks like I get to see my doctor this week ;)

More on the Fitbit in my next post. In the meanwhile, go get yourself some cold-pressed, virgin (unrefined) coconut oil!

Love,

an Addison alien

who isn't getting paid by the coconut people, promise

I Reserve the Right to Eat Bacon

To ring in the new year, I became a baconarian aka a vegetarian who eats bacon (copyright ME).

Why?

Because bacon is delicious! I think bacon may be my all time favorite food and I'm not giving it up. Besides the bacon, I try to eat a plant-based diet.

I've read a ton of the diet books and for my money, the best ones are by Dr. Mark Hyman. I especially like his Ultra Simple Diet. Dr. Hyman specializes in functional medicine, or treating the body as a whole, instead of individual symptoms. It's not Paleo, or South Beach, or Atkins, or any of the other hundreds of diet plans out there. It's really just common sense.

If your great-great grandmother would not recognize it as food, don't eat it!

If you can't pronounce the ingredients, or the ingredient list is more than a few items long, don't eat it!

Or, at least, don't eat very much of it.

This basically means lots of fruits and vegetables. I shop at our local outdoor market and the prices are ridiculously cheap. I love it! I stock up on kilos of carrots and cucumbers for juicing, fruits for snacks, and vegetables for dinner or salads. My fridge is stuffed and it cost less than $20.

That leaves me extra money to spend on high quality protein. I buy local, organic, free-range eggs and locally made Greek yogurt straight from the cow without any sugar added. I live on a lake so I have access to fish and seafood but I rarely eat any besides salmon.

A typical day's meals for me are ;

- Breakfast: hot water with ginger and lemon essential oil (maybe a green juice or a smoothie too but I am not much of a morning eater.) This ginger lemon tea is supposed to combat swelling and support weight loss. You can read more here. It is also in line with Ayurveda, which recommends drinking a similar tea each morning.

- Lunch:  Either Greek yogurt with honey, chia seeds, and fresh fruit OR a salad OR scrambled eggs with veggies

- Dinner: Roasted veggies with fish OR salad and soup OR beans and rice OR quesadillas if I'm wanting a treat.

I try not to snack often and when I do, I try to chose fruit or nuts. But sometimes I need Doritos.

Of course, I don't stick to this diet every single day, but I do my best. When I eat out, I splurge and let myself get whatever I want. I only let myself buy quesadilla ingredients and bacon about once a month. I usually buy a couple pieces of candy and hide them in the freezer. But besides those little treats, I do my best to make my home meat-free, dairy-free, gluten-free, soy-free, and processed food-free (I am also caffeine and alcohol free. I know, soooo lame.)

Just real, whole foods that grow in the ground or on trees and you have to prepare to eat. The way nature intended. It's working well for me. I have no idea how much weight I have actually lost because I refuse to weigh myself, but my clothes are fitting better, my body looks better, and I feel better about myself.

Now if only I could delete the food delivery places from my phone. It's far too tempting after a long day to order a pizza instead of making a salad! I read once that you should shoot to eat well 90 percent of the time and let yourself splurge the other 10. That's what I'm aiming for. I think I'm closer to 70/30 now though! It seems like every social interaction involves food around here and I find myself eating out at least once a week.

Besides eating well, I supplement with lots of vitamins. Check back tomorrow for my full list of pills per day! I think I'm up to at least 15.

Love,

an Addison alien

The Kittens Are Coming!

It is cold and rainy outside and actually feels a bit like fall. Or winter. Whichever season it's supposed to be. Generally, we have two seasons: rainy and dry. The blustery weather gave me a chance to pull on a pair of knee-high boots that haven't zipped since I started on steroids and the wonderful swelling began.

Guess what?!?!?

They ZIPPED UP!!! All the way! 

I tried to wear these boots just a few weeks ago and I couldn't get them to zip over tights. Today, they zipped over thermal leggings. It appears the steroid swelling is starting to go down! I am thrilled but not terribly surprised, since I have cut my Prednisone back from 25mg/day to 10mg/day. Just one more reduction to go and then I think I will switch to HC, since that is what so many others feel best on. 

Oh, what's that? You don't care about my boots and just want to hear about the kittens? Ok, fine. 

A friend of mine fosters animals since there is such a pet over-population problem where I live in Mexico. The shelters are always full and there are always animals in need. He generally has about 20 animals in his home! He is incredible. And deserves a vacation. So he is heading to the beach for a few days and asked me to take care of two tiny kittens he recently rescued. I jumped at the chance (hello ticking ovaries)!

The kittens were burned in a fire that killed the rest of their litter mates and their mama. They are only about a week old, eyes just opened and bright blue. They were singed a bit but their mama managed to get them out of the fire. My friend came across them about that time and waited and watched for the mother cat to return for the two babies but when she did not, and he could not find her, he had to assume that she died in the fire. So he scooped them up and took them home, as he does with every animal he sees in need. 

We are enjoying bottle-feeding them and marveling at how tiny they are. Their heads are no bigger than a ping pong ball. If they ever stop squirming, I'll try to get more pictures. 

They both need names. Let me know if you have any ideas. 

In the meanwhile, we are calling them the white one, and the black one, which honestly sounds a bit racist and I'd like to stop calling them that as soon as possible. 

Love, 

an Addison alien

Good Morning

Since I promised to record all the treatments I am trying, I had to add this. I am taking a tablespoon of coconut oil every day, with a drop of oregano essential oil.

Supposedly, eating coconut oil will actually help you lose weight, help your hair grow, and give you healthier looking skin. I'll let you know if any of that happens.

I think it will for sure affect my hair. I foster puppies and I always add coconut oil to their food to get the coats nice and shiny. Not sure why I never thought of doing it for myself.

The oregano is for a cough I've had off and on for the last couple of weeks. I also have not been putting Thieves blend essential oils on my feet every night like I usually do. Shame on me!

If you think you want to try this at home, there are two things you must know. I only use Young Living essential oils because they are 100% pure so you can ingest them. Other essential oils are cut with chemicals you do not want to be swallowing. And unrefined, virgin coconut oil is the best.

I used to catch every cold I came near but since I started using essential oils, I haven't been truly sick once. I might get a headache or a bit of a cough or sore throat, but it never turns into a full blown head cold. And it almost always happens when I forget to use my oils for a few days.  I'm usually better as soon as I start using my oils again. It's pretty awesome.

Granted, my quitting smoking coincided with my starting essential oils, so I guess it's probably the combo of both that should get the credit.

If you want to quit smoking, I highly recommend the book "The Easy Way to Quit Smoking" by Allen Carr. Also hypnotherapy. And prayer.

Lots and lots of prayer.

Love,

an Addison alien