Paleo Quick Tip of the Day 37 Save your teeth and skin naturally- with coconut oil!

pqtd 37 Save your Teeth and Skin Naturally- with Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is so good for you, internally, that to go for even a day without ingesting at least some coconut oil seems terrible to me- kind of like the old “a day without sunshine” quote! I mean, talk about a good, God made type of fat- one that nourishes every cell in your body by supplying them with lauric acid, for instance.  Lauric acid can help lower your cholesterol and blood pressure, keeps your arteries flexible and atherosclerosis free. Coconut oil is also a metabolism booster- I know when I first started adding coconut milk and oil to my Paleo smoothie, I immediately lost over 5 pounds I didn’t even know I had to lose- really!  It was all visceral fat, meaning around my internal organs, so it really didn’t show, but that is the most dangerous kind of fat for your health.  Thanks, coconut oil!

But, did you know that the external benefits of coconut oil are just as profound?

I always recommend having a jar of good, expeller pressed coconut oil in both the kitchen- and the bathroom. The one in the bathroom is a skin lotion par exellance!  If you whip it with a blender, and maybe put in a few drops of an herbal oil like peppermint or lavender, it will be airy,light and creamy- just put some on your hands when you get out of the shower, and coat your skin from face down to your toes!  NOTHING is better for your skin than this natural, coconut oil cream...AND the lauric acid and many other beneficial components of the oil will absorb into your bloodstream, right through your skin! (Makes you kind of leery of petroleum, chemical based skin lotions, doesn’t it?  It should- THEY are absorbed through your skin in the same way.)

Also, to shave with coconut oil is the best lubricant you can find- healthy and moisturizing, without feeling greasy in the slightest.  And, you can and should just leave the remainder on after shaving- men and women both! Coconut oil is both antifungal, and antibacterial...

It’s also great as a hair conditioner- just rub it into your hair and scalp, and leave in for a few hours, then shampoo.  Your hair will be soft, moisturized, and revitalized!

What about the TEETH?  Well, the antibacterial effect of a mouthful of coconut oil is amazing, not to mention that it de-acidifies your mouth, teeth and gums- this acidity is what really harms our teeth, encouraging the growth of harmful bacteria that erode our teeth and gums.  You can even brush your teeth with coconut oil... but, the very best thing you can do for your oral health period- I believe this even is more important than brushing or flossing- is coconut oil pulling!

Just take about a tablespoonful before you shower, and put it in your mouth.  Swish it around, or “pull” it through your teeth and around your mouth for the length of your shower, and shaving, and the rest of your morning routine- then, last thing before you leave the bathroom to get dressed- spit out the oil into the toilet.

That oil you just spit out is holding all of the bacteria, acidity, and just plain pollution that has accumulated inside your mouth. So now, you mouth, teeth, gums and entire oral cavity are rejuvenated, pristine, and on the way to perfect health.

And if you then take some more coconut oil in by way of your daily Paleo Smoothie, so is the rest of you on that same journey!


Check out this episode!

Whipped Coconut Oil for the Perfect Lotion!

Sometimes we run across an idea that is so simple, and yet so wonderful that we have to share it right away- 

That is how I feel about this Whipped Coconut Oil Lotion!!

Especially if you have a KitchenAid mixer, this recipe is so easy and effortless, it will change your life...

Just take a jar of coconut oil, I certainly hope you have at least one on hand- I always have at least TWO jars- one for the bathroom, and one for the kitchen.  From now on, the one in the kitchen will no longer be a jar full all Winter long with hardened, cement-like textured coconut oil, that has to be warmed between you palms for minutes at a time until it is melted enough to spread over your thankful dry skin and/or hair...

Take at least a cup or two of hard oil, (as I saw how fast and great it all whipped up into a beautiful, frothy cream-like texture, I kept adding in more and more)!  Heck, why not- what a great gift!

Just whip the oil on high for maybe a minute or so- 

It will become the loveliest, creamiest texture ever-

NO MORE DIGGING IT OUT WITH A KNIFE!

I had two jars available with larger lids, to dip my fingers into easily... I'll have to get more, prettier ones for gifts!

Also, I did add a little Spearmint herbal essence I had on hand, and some magnesium oil for added health benefits, but both of those are entirely optional- it works fine with plain coconut oil.

So Whip it- Whip it good!

J

Paleo diet and Dental Health

And skin, and hair health as well!  It is strange, but true, that the overall health of your teeth and gums, along with other "ancillary" markers of health, are all related to diet.

I know this is not what we've been taught, and led to believe by the authority figures in our lives since we were little children-

"Just keep you teeth clean!  Brush and floss, brush and floss, and all will be well!"


Well, I'm here to tell you-  "It just ain't so!"


Weston A. Price, back in the 1930's, traveled the world, and found examples of the healthiest teeth and actual jaw formations he had ever seen... among primitive tribespeople who had never even heard of a toothbrush.  (His organization is still alive and well- Weston A. Price foundation )


You can have the cleanest, most debris-free mouth and teeth in the world, and if your diet is lacking in vital nutrients, you will have horrible teeth.  And, in addition, even if you wash your face and hair religiously, both your hair and your skin, given a bad, nutrient poor diet, will be unhealthy and unattractive as well.  BUT- given a nutrient dense diet, your body can actually remineralize bones and teeth!  And rejuvenate your hair and skin- it works both ways.


The reason for this is common sense, from your bodies point of view:  It has a whole body, vital processes and all, to run!  It also needs to "rebuild" parts that are broken down, but overall it just needs to keep the whole thing going- this is the human organisms ultimate job- to keep on keeping' on!


If you are eating a S.A.D American diet of say, cereal with skimmed milk and banana for breakfast (sugar, with sugar and more sugar from the bodies point of view), have a sandwich from a fast food place and fries and a soft drink for lunch (more sugar, trans fats, industrial seed oils and chemicals) not to mention the anti-nutrients from the cereal and bread that are busy punching holes in your gut lining),  and wrap it all up with a nice big pizza (more grains/anti-nutrients that supply your starving body with more sugar, along with tiny little bits of quasi-meat and vegetables), well-

You are starving your body of the vital nutrients it needs !  Your body goes into "survival mode"-

Pull minerals from the teeth and bones, from the skin, and from the hair!  

Nice to have, but who cares about looking good when actual survival is at stake??

It's kind of a natural triage decision:  Save the vital processes, save life itself!  Throw the "pretty baubles" overboard, and save the ship!!

The moral of the story?  Rule #1- eat a nutrient rich, paleo type diet!

                                       Rule #2- don't eat non-foods, like grains, sugars, and industrial seed oils

#1 ensures that you will have all the nutrients your body needs to protect all of itself.

#2 saves your gut lining so it can actually really digest these great foods well, and extract all of their crucial nutrients to use!

So, the next time you fire up your Vitamix, and make your Paleo Smoothie loaded with the most nutrient-dense super foods you can find- 

Look in a mirror as you drink it!

Your teeth, skin, and hair will all thank you!

J

"Thank you, thank you, thank you"!