Coconutty

So I'm on a little bit of a coconut kick. I saw something on pinterest the other day that said something to the effect of "if you have issues with your hormones, coconut oil can help!" and it talked mostly about hormone issues with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), which is another crazy condition I have. That one is pretty common among women, though. It's no big deal for me, but it can be for some women. I thank God for that one. The person said to just drop a dollop of the oil in your coffee in the morning and you get the benefit without too much of a taste change. Also, coconut oil has natural fats that your body needs and it actually can help your body lose weight. Yeah. Fats that make you lose weight. Cool, right? Also, I really like coconut, so this is like candy for me!
Coconut oil has also been proven to help with memory (especially EVCO when taken on a daily basis) and while on Topamax I need all the memory boost I can get! It can get a little rough some days. 

So, I was at Kroger the other day and I grabbed some. I bought the brand pictured to the left. When I got home, I was SO EXCITED. I immediately opened it up to take a whiff! To my dismay, it did not smell like coconuts. I was really confused. I immediately pulled out my laptop and looked up different things about coconut oil and I kept seeing "extra virgin coconut oil," but this woman's article didn't mention the words "extra virgin" and what I bought just said "coconut oil." So, like any good researcher, I googled whether or not there was a difference between "coconut oil" and "extra virgin coconut oil" to see if there was a difference. Turns out, there's a big difference. Extra virgin coconut oil is made straight from fresh coconuts, while coconut oil is made from dried coconut. They are both still good for you, but EVCO actually tastes very good from what I hear and it is the one that the woman was saying you should put in your coffee and whatnot. So I think I'm going to get both and try them out and report back on my findings. Regular coconut oil can replace butter and oils in any recipe, though, without changing the taste. It's kind of the consistency of lard when it's below 76 degrees (store temp) but I discovered after having it in a hot kitchen for a few days, it turns to liquid like olive oil. Kind of weird! I'll keep you posted on how that little experiment goes...

Next on the weird coconut craze, I was over at Lauren's house the other day and I went to get a drink from their fridge, and I stumbled upon a thing of coconut milk. Since I had already (obviously) been thinking so much about coconut oil, I decided to give it a try. Now, I don't normally go raiding my friends' refrigerators. They are my second family, and it is my second home, so it is my second refrigerator :). And I was given permission! Anyway, I wasn't expecting to like it because I really don't like soy milk, and I really hate almond milk, but I LOVE COCONUT MILK! I just bought some today! It is delicious! I bought mine at Kroger, so I had to buy the Silk brand, but it's not bad. By not bad, I mean it's really good, but the brand I had at Lauren's house was better. If you don't like coconuts, you probably won't like this. It doesn't taste very super "coconutty," but it's just enough. It almost tastes like the filling of a coconut cream pie. It's really refreshing, though. I have really bad acid problems and it tames that for me. It also has about 1/2 the fat of "cow milk" and it's dairy and lactose free.
 

UPDATE: I have gotten some extra virgin coconut oil and it is awesome! It smells SO GOOD! I haven't used it as much as I would like, but it is good enough to eat by itself! Although I only recommend the 1 tablespoon that they say to eat daily as a dietary supplement. It's not good enough that I would sit down and eat it like peanut butter. I don't recommend using it on your face/skin in general - despite what other things will tell you. BUT I guess you can try that one for yourself.

Here's the brand I bought. I got it on amazon, but I saw it in a H-E-B the other day, too.

So, if you have any other coconut products you're aware of, send them my way! I love coconuts!

Also: Exciting times for Randy and I today! We have been married 7 months as of this morning! I love you, baby! You are the most amazing man ever! Thank you for putting up with my crazy!

In the world of medication, I have been on 100mg of Topamax for about a week now and only a few slight breakthrough moments. I'll see Dr. Salmon Friday and then I'll see Dr. P again in a few weeks. Other than that I'm feeling great as far as my physical body is concerned. I'm feeling really stressed and in a little bit of turmoil mentally and emotionally. God is still good.

Matthew 6:34