Coconut Wonders

Coconut is another natural wonder food that can help save your life. It has only been recently that modern researchers have begun to fully discover the amazing health benefits of this amazing fruit.

Coconut looks like a large green American football and when you remove the outer covering it resembles a brown nut with two eyes and a mouth. You can pierce the "mouth" to get to the water inside. Usually, the browner the nut the older the coconut. In Jamaica we discard the water and use the hardened white meat inside the older brown coconuts in our baking and cooking, eg: custards, rice and peas, etc. The young coconut is the one best for drinking and has the green colouring.

Coconut water can aid in hydration – my vet recommended it along with glucose when my puppy was barely eating due to early pavo symptoms. It saved his life and increased his appetite. So, you know what? I gave it to my son to increase his appetite and now he loves to eat the jelly.

If I’m feeling tired it acts as a great pick-me-up drink (I like it cold or straight from the “nut”). My mother who had high blood pressure all her life, found out that any medication she took caused her life-threatening complications. For over 50 years she used one glass of water from a young jelly coconut with juice from one lime, two or three times per week to keep it under control. She lived to see her 90th birthday without blood pressure drugs. Last year my husband was diagnosed with elevated blood pressure and was placed on medication. He took one tablet, threw the rest away and started his regime of coconut water and lime. Now we don’t even need to add the lime as often, about once per month. He’s drug-free.

A friend who has won the battle with cancer has been researching and experimenting with the fruit says he uses the water and the jelly in most of his juices. I’ve recently changed my cooking oil to coconut oil because I found out that it’s much healthier than any other oil, even extra virgin olive oil!! Apparently it helps to increase thyroid function and boost metabolism which helps the body to lose the pounds. Also, I love the smell; it reminds me of cocoa butter :)

Again, get the young coconuts to drink because they give the best benefits, they contain the purest unsaturated fat and have the most rejuvenation properties that our body tissues need.

Check out more about coconuts at http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/

This is just another one of nature’s wonder foods to keep you off drugs. Drink up the jelly coconut!

Once again I am unable to post a pic for this blog. My apologies.

Mosquito Be Gone!

Living in the tropics, I am always battling mosquitoes. Sometimes when I have visitors over I offer to sell them some by the dozen. But seriously, when it comes to the rainy season these guys multiply to millions, I’m sure, and they can spread diseases like malaria, dengue fever, not to mention the itching and allergic reactions.

The aloe gel quickly takes care of the adverse reactions but how do we get rid of them? Or even get them back down to a manageable quantity?

Some of us use bug sprays, burn mosquito coils that can harm us as well as the mosquitoes, or we light “no mosquito” candles, some of us even burn “bush”, and lately others have been using mosquito zappers that resemble a tennis racquet with a button for basically shocking them.

Well I’ve received a great tip from a friend that truly works: Listerine!!! Yes, it works. Put some in a spray bottle and spray around the area you occupy like your floors, lawn, around your door and window jambs, etc. Don’t spray it directly on your furniture or appliances they may be damaged. Spray it in the air and like magic these little vampires disappear.

Now that I’ve discovered this new trick I can avoid the bug spray on my skin. Try this. It even last longer than the bug spray – I hear about 2 days. Let me know how long it last for you.

NB. Wanted to add a pic but something isn't working.

Got a Pill?

Imagine this:

You take a pill to relieve a headache, backache or whatever aches you.
You pop several to ensure a balanced vitamin and mineral intake.
A trip to the pharmacy gets you the medicated acne ointment you need.
Bad sunburn from a long day at the beach and you make another trip.
Oops! Another trip for something to treat your psoriasis, insect bite, whatever!
On to the health food store to get a health drink...

I eliminate all of the above and more just by taking a few minutes to visit my backyard to cut a leaf of good old aloe vera.

Here's to aloe vera. The best pill. The one pill. It surely rocks!

Aloe and You - Burns

Aloe is an excellent first aid treatment. It contains a unique blend of polysaccharides, and other compounds which accelerate the healing of the skin’s surface.

Ever been so busy in the kitchen, with four different things cooking and forget to use a pot-holder? How about using an oven mitt that’s just not thick enough? It’s happened to me.

First degree burns – that’s when you get a burn but the skin is not broken, light scorching, sunburn
Second degree burns – when you get a blister and broken skin, like bubbling skin

I have used the pure or raw extracted aloe vera gel to completely heal wounds like these. First I use the aloe as a cleansing/soothing agent, (tried using cold water to cool it first once and it left a scar so now I know to never use anything else). For aloe to work its miracle you must treat the burn immediately!!!

For a first degree burn simply keep rewetting the affected area and as aloe is absorbed quickly into the skin, the pain is eventually reduced to nothing. The skin becomes regenerated and in a day or two you wonder if you really got burned at all.

For second degree burns this works fine too but you may also cut a piece of the aloe pulp and strap or bandage it to the area – replace it when it dries out or scrape the pulp to make it wet once more and put it back on the wound. Usually after about two days the burn becomes like a first degree burn. What is also great is that there is never any infections and barely or never any scarring.

A nurse tells me that she has used the pure aloe gel to treat all kinds of burns, not just temperature burns, in her out-patient clinic and has seen remarkable results.

I’ve never had a third degree burn (when all layers of the skin is destroyed) but I hear it does an amazing job with it. If you have had this experience, please share.

Fighting is Life

I have come to a conclusion lately. Fighting is not a bad thing. Really. It can be difficult sometimes when your positivity is being undermined. What am I talking about? I’m not talking about a physical engagement here I’m talking about the mental fight. For example:

You made a decision to lose weight but then there is someone telling you that you don’t need to lose weight (even though the doctor says you need to lose 30 lbs) or you look ok, you look good. But looking good doesn’t mean that you are healthy! Heck, no!

Can you imagine what would happen if you just gave up because somebody told you that you cannot be who you want to be, you cannot be a success, you will never lose weight, you cannot love him/her, you can’t this, you can’t do that?

I mean you have to fight for what you really want, fight to be successful, fight to lose weight, fight for love, fight to be sane sometimes, fight for life, fight for it all!

You have to believe in yourself because once you stop believing it’s all over. Reggae Legend Bob Marley has a great song ‘Get Up Stand Up’. Listen to what he said “get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight”

I talk endlessly about my miracle plant but trust me, using aloe isn’t always convenient. I have to fight to maintain my convictions. Sometimes I can’t be bothered to peel and extract the juice but at least I make sure then that I have a cut leaf right by my kitchen sink.

Make no doubt about it, I’m not giving up the fight to lose weight....


“Keep away from small people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too can become great.” – Mark Twain

Positive Words

GOD HAS A POSITIVE ANSWER:

You say: 'It's impossible' God says: All things are possible

(Luke 18:27)

You say: 'I'm too tired' God says: I will give you rest

(Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: 'Nobody really loves me' God says: I love you

(John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )

You say: 'I can't go on' God says: My grace is sufficient

(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: 'I can't figure things out' God says: I will direct your steps

(Proverbs 3:5- 6)

You say: 'I can't do it' God says: You can do all things

( Phil ippians 4:13)

You say: 'I'm not able' God says: I am able

(II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: 'It's not worth it' God says: It will be worth it

(Roman 8:28 )

You say: 'I can't forgive my self' God says: I Forgive you

(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: 'I can't manage' God says: I will supply all your needs

( Phil ippians 4:19)

You say: 'I'm afraid' God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear

(II Timothy 1:7)

You say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated' God says: Cast all your cares on ME

(I Peter 5:7)

You say: 'I'm not smart enough' God says: I give you wisdom

(I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: 'I feel all alone' God says: I will never leave you or forsake you

(Hebrews 13:5)

I did not collate this so credits to the person who did. We should all be more positive.

Aloe for Constipation

Old people in Jamaica will tell you that these days we have too many different drugs messing up our bodies so they like their (old-time remedies) traditional herbal medicine. When it comes to constipation, what do you think the remedy is? Yes, aloe vera. Or as known by some of us “synkle bible” or “single bible”.

Aloin is in the yellow sap of the plant, somewhere between the green leaf and the gel. It is like a laxative, purgative medicine that causes the bowels to empty themselves. Each time you cut a leaf to prepare your juice or gel, a little of the sap drains into your preparation and for that reason persons should be cautious and start with small portions of the juice to determine what is right for them. Too much aloe containing the yellow sap will cause diarrhea.

One or two tablespoons several times a day seem to do the trick for some, while for others a glass twice for the day is sufficient to regulate their bowels. Also I see where a whole leaf is cut up and eaten to solve the problem. I have also seen many now put the cut leaf or the cut peels into a bottle or jar of water in the refrigerator to soak. They then drink it in moderation - a 1/2 glass two times for the week and each time they have a drink they replenish the water in the container.

Personally, I just like to have one or two tablespoons in my juice every other day like a tonic. I believe that because I make it a regular part of my diet I have never had any constipation problems.

Here’s to aloe keeping my digestive organs in check.