How does one help the body process the fats from nuts, seeds, & oils?
Consuming these every day I was told it could be the cause of hormone imbalances, candidia, & making you too acidy? I read in Kate woods book that she uses Lecithin to help the liver break down the fats, but I am unable to have this as I have to high oetrogen levels.

Any ideas all?

Ju!

Well coconut oil is supposed to be easy to digest, I know I keep mentioning coconut oil so much that I should change my login to coconut oil. But my son had really stinky poo, which is supposed to be a sign of having dificulty digesting oils. So I've done some research on oils and their digestion and so far I think that coconut oil the easiest. Here are some quotes about that.

[www.coconutresearchcenter.org]
The digestive health advantages of MCT, over LCT are due to the differences in the way our bodies metabolize these fats. Because the MCT molecules are smaller, they require less energy and fewer enzymes to break them down for digestion. They are digested and absorbed quickly and with minimal effort.

MCT are broken down almost immediately by enzymes in the saliva and gastric juices so that pancreatic fat-digesting enzymes are not even essential. Therefore, there is less strain on the pancreas and digestive system. This has important implications for patients who suffer from digestive and metabolic problems. Premature and ill infants especially whose digestive organs are underdeveloped, are able to absorb MCT with relative ease, while other fats pass through their systems pretty much undigested. People who suffer from malabsorption problems such as cystic fibrosis, and have difficulty digesting or absorbing fats and fat soluble vitamins, benefit greatly from MCT. They can also be of importance to people suffering from diabetes, obesity, gallbladder disease, pancreatitis Crohn's disease, pancreatic insufficiency, and some forms of cancer.

[www.mnwelldir.org]

Bruce tells us that 50% of coconut oil is lauric acid. The only other good source of lauric acid is mother’s milk. Dr Mary Enig, one of the leading authorities on fats, tells us

Approximately 50 percent of the fatty acids in coconut fat are lauric acid. Lauric acid is a medium chain fatty acid, which has the additional beneficial function of being formed into monolaurin in the human or animal body. Monolaurin is the antiviral, antibacterial, and antiprotozoal monoglyceride used by the human or animal to destroy lipid coated viruses such as HIV, herpes, cytomegalovirus, influenza, various pathogenic bacteria including listeria monocytogenes and heliobacter pylori, and protozoa such as giardia lamblia. Some studies have also shown some antimicrobial effects of the free lauric acid.

Medium chain fatty acid. That doesn’t mean much to most people, however, this gives coconut oil its unique qualities. It is not digested as other fats, but gives you quick energy. In the body it is broken down quickly, but on the shelf, it doesn’t break down as quickly as other fats. It is just plain better than other fats.

[www.macrobiotics.co.uk]

After years of research, western medicine has just recently confirmed the profound healing properties of coconut, dispelling decades of misleading information. According to the results of these findings, coconut's unique form of saturated fat actually helps prevent heart disease, stroke and hardening of the arteries. Unlike other oils and fats, coconut oil contains a large amount of the fatty acid known as lauric acid, which is the predominant fatty acid found in mother's milk.

The lauric acid makes breast milk easily digestible, it strengthens the immune system and protects against viral, bacterial and fungal infections. Studies have shown coconut oil's effectiveness with HIV, SARS, Crohn's Disease, as well as other chronic illnesses. It detoxifies the liver, helps to build lipoproteins, fats and hormones and bile, which is necessary for digestion. Coconut's amazing healing properties are also attributed to reducing the risk of other degenerative conditions such as cancer, osteoporosis, and diabetes.

The medium chain fatty acids help to create a healthy digestive tract, which in turn allows for better digestion and absorption of the nutrients in our foods. They also speed up metabolism providing an immediate source of energy while supplying fewer calories than other fats making it the oil of choice for weight loss and hypothyroidism. Coconut oil also helps protect against skin cancer and other blemishes, and helps prevent premature aging and wrinkling. As a cooking oil, it is highly resistant to heat and spoilage. In fact, coconut oil has been called "the healthiest dietary oil on earth".

You could soak the nuts first, even if only for 3-6 hours, drain and then eat. Chewing well, and afterwards you can eat a piece of pineapple and or papaya to aid with digestion.

Or eat freshly shelled nuts, chewing well, then have that small piece of pineapple and or papaya as aid for digestion.

Try not to eat overt oils, and if you do maybe use them for body oils instead of lotions. That's what I do, I use coconut oil for body and feet, almond and or avocado oil for face and chest area. Grapeseed oil is great also for face. If you do eat some overt oils try flax oil in your smoothies, adding in some of the nuts and seeds, that way they are also being broken down more with the blending process.

You could also make some nut and seed butters, any mixture you like, experiment with them. I like raw nut butter balls with raw oats, raisins, sunflower seeds, and powered flax seed. But you can add whatever you like, coat them with coconut and or cocoa or carob, ground nuts, etc.

Love,
Prism

Hi Bracken,

There's not a good reason to eat processed oils, IMO. They are highly concentrated sources of fat. You can easily get all the daily fat calories necessary from whole food sources. In fact, too easily.

I've been told by long term raw foodists that over-eating fat is a common reason why newcomers fail with raw. Doug Graham has a long list of health problems in his 80/10/10 book that begin to show up when high fat bloodstream levels are chronic. He also points out that a high percentage of raw foodists eat more fat calories than a lot of "Burger and Fries" cooked eaters. High bloodstream fat is a major cause of adrenal fatigue which is a precursor for a host of diseases, it reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of red blood cells which predisposes one to cancers, reduces brain function and impairs cellular function in general.

The scary stuff being said, one way to help digestion when eating fats is to eat them alone or with greens. Don't eat carbohydrates, i.e. sweet fruits, right after eating fats. Acid fruit like citrus is okay.

Lecithin is not raw and in some cases not vegan. It is a highly processed emulsifier commonly extracted from soy bean oil using toxic hexane (a hydrocarbon) or it can be extracted from eggs. Personally I wouldn't consider it a health food, cooked or not.

I find that regular exercise helps a lot. In addition to raising your metabolism, exercise makes your whole body stronger, including your insides, and that's probably one reason why it helps digestion.

For whatever reason, I find I sometimes have a hard time when I eat nuts and seeds at the same meal with greens. I have no problem at all when I eat nuts and seeds with fruit. I guess we're all a little different, so you might need to experiment to see what works best for you.