Health & Wellness

As a chef I have always been extremely intrigued about the make-up and composition of certain meats, fruits and vegetables for how they benefit the human body. The coconut is an amazingly versatile fruit that can be beneficial in an array of ways. Coconut is a high fat fruit that is very nutritious and is considered very valuable with a large range of health benefits. The fruit comes from the coconut tree which is a member of the palm tree family and botanically it is considered a drupe. The coconut is not an actual nut due to its fleshy skin and containing a seed similar to a plum, cherry or olive. The raw white, fleshy skin inside of the coconut is called the kernel, which has a very firm texture with a tasty semi-sweet flavor. This kernel being the centerpiece of the fruit is a liquid when the coconut is in its immature stage, but after time it solidifies and becomes fleshy. Once dried this flesh is normally grated and shaved for cooking and baking purposes. Coconut oil, which has become very popular in the US, is also extracted from the kernel as well as coconut milk when it’s pressed.

Coconut & Its' Nutritional Value

By Chef Jason R. Greene

The high fiber and antioxidant content of the coconut provides the human body with five main nutrients, which are iron, manganese, magnesium, selenium & phosphorus that all play a vital role in the overall health of a human being. Iron helps our muscles store and use oxygen. Manganese helps the body form connective tissue & bones while phosphorus helps make the protein for the growth and maintenance of cells and tissues. Magnesium helps with the support of nerve function and energy production. Selenium helps lower oxidative stress, reduces inflammation and enhances immunity. These five nutrients, though you only get trace amounts depending on the amount of coconut digested, still make a difference.

Other benefits of the coconut are that it can improve heart health, promote weight loss and improve digestion. Historically, coconut has been used as part of traditional medicine and is said to counteract some poisons, protect against disease, ease inflammation and kill bacteria. Coconut oil can be used externally on the skin to give it moisture, and, in a pinch fresh coconut water can even be used as an all-natural IV bag. The water is an intracellular fluid similar to what we have in our bodies due to its overall density, making it a well-suited source of rehydration.

Coconut is mostly found in sweet and savory culinary cuisines and dishes. Caribbean or Tropical cuisines incorporate coconut in a lot of their recipes. In my experience, coconut can be used to sauté vegetables, sweeten rice or corn dishes and even desserts. Using coconut oil to sauté dark green vegetables, such as spinach, Swiss chard or green beans does wonders for the body nutritiously. Baking a rice or corn casserole with coconut milk can bring an amazing flavor to those dishes. Shaved coconut can be used as the finishing touch on a delicious coconut cake, as well as a topper for other delicate desserts. Remember that coconut is loaded in calories and saturated fat, so you should eat it in moderation. Overall, unsweetened coconut meat makes a great addition to a balanced diet.

Health & Wellness

Beautiful-Gifted-Heavy

By Kyonna F. Brown

AAAHHHHHH, the loud voice screamed in my head. Continuing with these thoughts; if only I was pretty, smart, and not fat. Those were the taunting thoughts that played a recurring role in my head. As early as I can remember I’ ve always been the fat girl. It was confirmed by another student when I was in the 6th grade. He told me that I would be pretty if I wasn’t so fat. I believe that’s the exact moment I lost all of the little bit of love I had for myself. The reality was that it wasn’t just in my head. Everyone saw exactly what I saw when I looked in the mirror. A very dark overweight short black girl. As if it wasn’t bad enough that I had this image, I also had to wear old lady clothes because in my day there weren’t any cute clothes for chubby little girls.

Being that girl played a huge role in my state of mind. Childhood obesity affects each individual in their own unique way. I had some heavy friends in my youth that believed and behaved as if they were the skinniest girl in the room with a to die for figure. I didn’t understand their confidence and furthermore I couldn't understand why I couldn’t have it. I still can’t understand why I got hit with the fat gene and my brother struggles just to gain weight.

While growing up I dealt with the absence of my biological parents. My grandparents raised my brother and me. My parents, at that time, were battling with drug addiction which increased the domestic violence that was the starring role in my toddler years.

As a result of witnessing those scenes I became very withdrawn and that was the catalyst that helped my mother realize that we were much safer with my grandparents. Well, that and some other very serious encounters involving our safety. Becoming withdrawn has grown with me and is very much a part of who I am today. I wonder if I had different experiences would I be someone different. I guess we’ll never know. Dealing with childhood obesity I didn’t get to live a normal childhood. I always had to go to the doctor. I was constantly sick. I even had to go to what I call fat sessions, weekly, at Children's Hospital. The sessions were based around teaching us how to eat and exercising.

Those sessions did no service to me because it didn’t matter if I knew what to eat, I’d eat whatever I wanted to eat according to my emotions. I believe those classes would have been better if we learned how to identify why we are fat, so we could get a handle on our youthful emotions. Today I am a mother and I notice some of my overeating habits in my minor son. I talk with him to see if he understands why he’s eating and show him how to learn to put food in its proper place. Most often adults don’t try to tap into why children do what they do. It’s all about correction. In a math problem in order to get the correct answer, you must solve the equation.

In our lives if we want to get it right we have to work out the problems. Same thing right? I wish I could say that they didn’t send me to see a therapist, but they did. I just told them what they wanted to hear so the sessions would be over and I could go back to the eating. In my teenage years it wasn’t all about the food. It also became about drugs. As a person who stayed to herself I now wanted friends and some of those friends did what I thought was cool at that time. Now I’m pacifying my emotions with food and drugs and that was dangerous. By the time I was 16 years old I was 300+ pounds and things went downhill. As a 42 year old woman I’ve only truly loved myself for about 14 years. Today I learned to get to know myself. I now know why I do what I do, and encourage everyone in my life to do the same.

The dark, ugly fat black girl became someone who knows she’s beautiful, gifted and no longer heavy due to the mental baggage I carried around from place to place. If I could leave one thing with the little girl who sees herself like I did, it would be to get to know the real you. She’s hiding behind the laughs, the pointing of the fingers, and even the image you see in the mirror. My change happened when I realized who I was and the power I have to make any goal or dream I have come true. Childhood obesity could have held my death ticket, but digesting the real facts of my illness made me well. Well enough to want to live. Live Beautiful, Live Gifted, Live without the Heaviness of false perceptions. You are worth it!