Greetings,

first i wanted to thank all of you for being here. i have been reading the messages and threads and have felt so NOT lonely in my new journey, and so very encouraged and inspired. cheers to cavemen!

well my question actually was brought to light by my friend who was wondering if it is okay that she is eating a spoonful or two of coconut oil, raw. we both love the stuff and i love cooking with it, but never had it (nor necessarily want to...) raw. she likes it and was wondering if this is harmful or prevents any of the *good* stuff in it from getting in her system.

also, any suggestions or foods to avoid/eat for someone who has a sluggish thyroid? i know little about this, but felt that since i've discovered this place, i have an endless source of advice and knowledgable friends.

one more thing, i have tried the principles of 'food combining' from the book "fit for life" by the Diamonds, and though that was a few years ago, this paleolithic way reminds me of it in a way. i guess they all advocate the reduction/elimination of sugar and processed carbs/foods, but that especially mentioned not using prepackaged stuff - which was nice. (hard at first, but good) now i'm just happy to have fruit, as my first few days of this toxic-free journey i was only eating meat and veggies, period. this is so much better and i am beginning to regain my energy back - thanks

This is a great question! I don't know the answer and hopefully somebody will be along shortly to answer it.

I almost bought some coconut oil yesterday but decided to keep trying the flax seed oil and then do that one later.

I also saw some green tea or maybe it was just tea oil.

Which is oil from the actual tea seeds that Republic of tea puts out. I wanted to get some of that too. LOL

Right now I am using flax and olive.

Okay somebody else on coconut!

I'm a big believer in coconut oil--without a doubt one of the healthiest oils you can eat/drink/cook with. Aside from being anti-bacterial and anti-fungal it promotes good health all around, and being saturated, promotes weight loss. (That's the only problem I have with olive oil and the reason I'm going easy on it until I'm at my goal weight.)

Be careful, though--the coconut oil you are likely to encounter at the store has probably been heat treated which nullifies much of the health benefit. There are several available online that are minimally processed--the one I like is Tropical Traditions. It's not cheap, but they often have sales, and the stuff tends to last a long time.

Below is the URL for Dr. Mercola's site where he discusses coconut oil and provides a link for this particular brand.

http://www.mercola.com/2001/mar/24/coconut_oil.htm

Howard

thanks howard!
i just read his article and that was soooo helpful and enlightening. i'm going to get some extra coconut oil and give it to my friend with the sluggish thyroid, as now i've discovered from the article that coconut oil can really help - thanks!

danielle

Danielle: An excellent site for your friend to visit on thyroid information is Dr. Mary Shomon's site at:

http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles.htm

She has written books on the subject and has written articles about what foods really affect the thyroid such as Soy (very bad for thyroid), and no she's not affiliated with the Weston Price Foundation (soy lovers always pooh-pooh the Weston Price Foundation). Coconut oil is very good for the thyroid besides many other things. I use it exclusively for cooking.

I just bought a bottle of pure Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs), the active ingredient in coconut oil. It was $30 from my healthfood store. I firmly believe this is the product I've been looking for. The health benefits are endless. I even canceled my order for Oil of oregano once I found out how much better MCT would be for me. MCT contains properties that can kill bacteria, especially those causing yeast over growth. One of the most potent non-drug or natural yeast-fighting substances is caprylic acid, a medium-chain fatty acid derived from coconut oil. It is very effective against Candida and other forms of fungi. more info on Candida ~ Tropical Traditions.com

Plus, the metobolic benebits are great. Taking MCT like putting high octane fuel into your car. The car will run smoother and get better gas mileage. Likewise, with medium chain fatty acids, your body will perform better because it has more energy and greater endurance. Because MCFAs are funneled directly to the liver and converted into energy, the body gets a boost of energy. And because MCFAs are easily absorbed by the energy-producing organelles of the cells, metabolism increases. This burst of energy has a stimulating effect on the entire body. Many people, those with relatively good health, those with significant health problems, and those who are overweight notice a speeding up of their heart rate, their metabolism and their body temperature when they add coconut oil to their diet.
more info can be found at Tropical Traditions

I will try it for a week, at the advice of my herbalist. She is great at this stuff. She even says if I don't get the energy boost and get rid of the yeast in 1 or 2 weeks. I could bring it back. Now that's someone who believes in a product.

I'll keep ya'll posted.

I did take my MCT this morning. I didn't experience a raise in temperture, but I do have energy out this world! I also don't have an appetite. I get full on a minimal amout of food. And another benefit, if you want to call it that, is that I have been a regular visitor to the bathroom. I do not have cramping. It is very gentle and of a normal consistancy. So this is only day one and I can't wait to see what other benefits MCT have.

Wow that was fast! Keep us posted!

thanks everyone for all the super-helpful information and resources. i have looked at all the websites and articles and am learning so much - in fact, there is so much information out there that my brain (and eyes) started hurting after reading for 2 hours.
i guess it get overwhelming when there IS so much to learn and so MANY theories out there that all don't totally agree. what i mean, is it's just so frustrating every now and then to know which one is right. i guess for me, i am learning that the one thing that every diet/woe have in common is that they cut the sugar and funky-junky carbs. i guess that only makes sense as they are just empty calories. the rest of the diets and guides lead me to agree and disagree with practically everything on various levels. all in all, i think i have to try to find something that works with my self, and my history - and my life.
i love the concepts behind the hunters and gatherers, but i have to be real with myself: i eat out more than once a year! plus, unless i didn't have a busy job and active life, i would love to stay home and prepare meals all day. but that's not realistic for me. however, i am learning to work around this and do my best to make it work as best i can. i really do love the way this feels, and i guess that's what's important for anyone, right? i want to stick to this sugar/junk food free WOE and live life to the fullest. i'm behind anyone and everyone else on this trip, too

so with that, cheers and bravo to you all!

danni

hello again,
sorry if it seemed like i blew up previosly. i guess i read a part of Ray's book, Neanderthin, that mentioned that eating out was not a good idea or just next to impossible. i really thought that it was easy: just order your protein grilled or simply prepared(no sauce) and a large salad with just lemon juice and olive oil as dressing. is that so bad? well if it is than i guess i'll make up for it by eating 'neanderthin' at home
i should probably start a new thread, but if anyone has some suggestions for eating 'neanderthin' when you're on the go or out with friends, please let me know. so far when i'm out i just try to stick to simply prepared foods, like grilled meats and then some grilled veggies and salad.
thanks again!

I think if you stay away from places that offer small menus with hardly any choices and who prepare everything in advance you should be ok. Eating out can be simple if you stick to the following:
Find restaurants that
1. have a salad bar, that way you can pick and choose what you want, including the dressings. Most places like that will supply you with olive oil, lemon juice and/or vinegar if you ask.
2. have a grill for hamburgers, steaks, fish
3. serve vegetables other than baked pototoes and corn
4. are family run restaurants rather than chain because they will be more eager to make substitutions (within reason)
5. serve breakfast all day (in a pinch when nothing else on the menu works a mushroom, bacon, olive, zucchini, green pepper, italian sausage, jalapeno pepper, ham or whatever else you want to throw in omelet is divine).
6. are customer friendly in that they will try and please you as opposed to you pleasing them.

I do not find it difficult to eat in restaurants now that I am familiar with this plan.

I think at the time he wrote the book it was a lot harder to eat out.
Certainly now it is a lot easier.

thanks! i feel much better now about dining out and eating on the run. even when you are pretty much on the right track, confirmation and outside opinions/feedback sure do make a WORLD of difference.

funny thing - i was in england a couple of times recently and you wouldn't believe the 'atkins mania' that is going on over there! practically every restaraunt was boasting their new 'atkin's friendly' menu. i just thought that was interesting and though i wasn't doing the atkins diet at the time, i thought that if i was it would sure be easy. plus it seemed like it was more popular there to do atkins than where i live in the states. well i'm just glad it's being accepted universally that white sugar is not good for anyone, however you look at it. at least, that's what i gather.

Cucu: We recommend olive oil for salads and coconut oil for cooking as a basic rule of thumb. Coconut oil is solid at room temperature so it would be difficult to put in a salad anyway.