Saturated Fat is Back!

Welcome back, Fat!  I’m so happy to see you again…  

My days were incomplete without you.  Each morning now I look forward to drinking a bulletproof coffee with butter from grass-fed cows, or blending up my green tea with nourishing coconut oil.  I can confidently snack on some good ol’ fashioned potato chips because they are made by Jackson’s Honest— a company who slow-cooks their chips in coconut oil (the queen of saturated fats).  I stayed away from fats for so long and, now that I’m embracing them again, my mind and body are shouting “Thank you!”.  These saturated fats are giving me satiation, brain power, and fuel for my day.  What a relief it is to finally realize that much of what we thought about fat was WRONG!  

Coconut Oil Photo
Photo Cred Flickr: Meal Makeover Moms

 

Coconut oil is making a huge comeback now for this very reason.  It’s one of the most stable, nourishing, saturated fats on Earth!  Just 2 Tablespoons of coconut oil a day provides the short chain fats needed to protect our gut health, our liver, nerves, brain, and cardiovascular system .  

Brands like Jackson’s Honest (JH) are taking the reigns, bringing back these healthy fats, and preparing foods in ways that maximize their benefits.  Once I got my hands on these chips, I knew I’d found a treasure.  JH cares about every ingredient they use.  Not only do they care about sourcing the right ingredients, but they understand that ingredients must be treated in a way that maximizes their nutrients, AND in a way that minimizes any potential toxins.  Some companies use coconut oil, but they fry foods at temperatures way beyond the coconut oil smoke point (350 degrees F).  The issue here is that when fats are damaged by heat (or oxidation), they unleash dangerous free radicals in the body.  To avoid these cancer-causing free radicals, we must be mindful and use cooking methods that bring out the best in fats!  JH uses a low and slow cooking method, carefully sustaining a temperature that keeps coconut oil happy and chips crunchy.  That’s reason enough right there for me to dig on some JH chips.  But there’s more!

Sea Salt & Vinegar Chips by Jackson's Honest

 

Low temperature cooking actually cuts the glycemic index in HALF!  What’s glycemic index?  The glycemic index of a food is a number that tells us how quickly our body converts that food into sugar.  Potatoes are known for having a higher glycemic index, but when you boil or slow cook, instead of frying or roasting, the glycemic index of potatoes reduces drastically!  Another amazing fact is that fats, and acids like vinegar, reduce the glycemic index even more.  This is because fats and acids slow down the speed at which we digest the starchy foods.  I keep this in mind when I’m munching down on some Jackson’s Honest chips because all of the varieties are slow-cooked in coconut oil, and they even have a sea salt and vinegar version…win win all around!

Did you know that our bodies need fat to convert certain plant nutrients into vitamins?  Like the beta-carotene in sweet potatoes or red heirloom potatoes; We can only convert that beta-carotene if we have the food with fat!  Sweet Potatoes + Coconut Oil = Vitamin Central!

Jackson's Honest Sweet Potato Chips Purple Heirloom Chips


After reading this you may still be pondering how much fat is really safe. 

Are you wondering how we got so far off the fat track in the first place?  
Think about a time when you saw a black and white photo of your great, great grandparents, or photos of people from the early 1900’s…people were looking pretty thin, right?  They didn’t go to gyms, or count calories, or even think about calories Continue reading

Coconut Green Tea Dairy-Free, Paleo, Sugar-Free

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I’d hardly call this a recipe because it is so simple!  But indeed it is a recipe for greatness, and it’s time to share it with you!  It tastes like a warm and creamy vanilla milkshake, for real!  It’s so frothy and delicious.

I am a Bulletproof Coffee fan, for life.  But I am also trying to figure out what my brain needs to function optimally and stay focused throughout the day.

After reading the famous book “Healing ADD” by Daniel Amen, I understand that coffee may not be the best choice for my morning routine.  Here and there yes, but not daily. Sooooo, I had to start toying with my green tea and make it “Bulletproof” too!..

I use coconut oil for the satisfying fats and MCT’s (medium chain fats that are good for the brain and metabolism), protein powder because most distracted brains thrive on higher protein and lower carbs (this is especially important earlier in the day to boost your focus and concentration skills), and often add in Bulletproof Brain Octane Oil for added brain boosting power.   This combo of healthy fats and protein provides you with a power breakfast that’ll hold you over for hours into your day!  And I still get to keep my morning routine.  I don’t miss the coffee one bit!

Caffeine makes you feel more focused but unfortunately it also decreases blood flow to the brain–and over time can make ADD symptoms worse.  Green tea is a better choice than coffee because it contains less caffeine, and more importantly, green tea contains Theanine and EGCG which both benefit the brain in many ways. Green tea is known to have healthy bioactive compounds that can help treat various diseases. Besides improving brain function, it may also help in fat burning and preventing type 2 diabetes. Additionally, drinking green tea can reduce bad breath and help in losing weight. So, if you are concerned about your health, you might as well consider consuming green tea instead of any other beverages. Green tea flavors like cardamom or earl grey can be sourced online. They could be available from Ahmad Tea USA sellers and similar web shops.

Coconut Green Tea made with coconut oil, cinnamon, and grass-fed vanilla whey protein. By Marisa Moon of My Longevity Kitchen

Scroll down for the recipe…

Looking for some high quality vanilla protein powders? Here are some brands that I recommend:

Primal Fuel Vanilla Coconut Whey Protein Isolate with Prebiotic Fiber

Reserveage Grass-fed Vanilla Minimally Processed Whey Protein 
 

Tera’s Whey Grass-fed Organic Bourbon Vanilla Protein 

Garden Of Life Raw Vegan Organic Protein, Vanilla, with Sprouted Foods & Pea Protein

 

Disclaimer: Marisa Moon of My Longevity Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to awesome products they recommend from amazon.com


Coconut Green Tea
Serves 1
Blend together hot organic green tea with nourishing coconut oil, and vanilla protein powder for a nutritious and brain-boosting breakfast alternative.
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Total Time
5 min
Total Time
5 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 serving of prepared Hot GREEN TEA (organic)
  2. 1-2 Tbsp Virgin COCONUT OIL
  3. VANILLA Grass-Fed Whey PROTEIN POWDER (see notes for brands and measurements)
  4. A generous dash of CINNAMON
Optional
  1. Up to 1 Tbsp MCT oil or Brain Octane Oil
Instructions
  1. Using a blender, BLEND together the HOT GREEN TEA and the COCONUT OIL first.
  2. Touch the mixture with your finger to test the temperature. If its too hot to touch then it needs to cool a little longer before you add the whey protein powder (to avoid damaging the nutrients).
  3. Once it's at a temperature you can touch comfortably, add the protein powder and cinnamon. Blend again. Enjoy!
Notes
  1. Whey Protein Powders: All protein powders have different measurements and different levels of sweetness. I use Reserveage Vanilla or Primal Fuel Whey Protein and put 2 Tablespoons in my coconut green tea recipe. Terra's Grass-Fed Vanilla Bourbon Whey is also great, but you will have to double the quantity (4 Tablespoons). Do you have another brand? If so, start with 2 Tablespoons, and taste to decide if you need more. See my full list of recommended protein powders above. Happy sipping!
My Longevity Kitchen https://mylongevitykitchen.com/