To make coconut milk the juice inside the coconut is combined with the white flesh of the coconut. The result is a wonderful white milk that is full of super-healthy nutrients. Best of all, coconut milk is absolutely delicious and is non-fattening compared to cow’s milk.

Past research into coconut oil was usually based on hydrogenated coconut oil, rather than on the pure coconut oil squeezed from the white flesh. This gave the mistaken impression that coconut oil is saturated and is therefore bad for your health - but in fact this is not so. Also, in the past it was not realized that some saturated fats cause surplus body fat while others are used up as energy or broken down to unsaturated fats, depending on the atomic structure of the fat.

All the modern research shows coconuts to be a great source of healthy nutrition. Although about a third of the white coconut flesh is technically classed as saturated fat, most of this fat is made up of MCFA’s (fatty chains that are burnt up as energy rather than ending up as body fat). Because of this, coconuts are increasingly used in weight-loss regimes.

About 50% of these MCFA’s are made up of lauric acid. This is the most important essential fatty acid in building and maintaining the body’s immune system. The only other rich dietary source of lauric acid (apart from coconut oil) is human milk.

Coconut milk provides an excellent source of nutrition in any weight loss regime because the saturated fat is made up of short-and medium-chain fatty acids that are easily and quickly assimilated by the body - they are not stored as fat in the body like the long chain fatty acids in dairy products.

‘One of the remarkable things about coconut oil is that it can help you lose weight.’ Dr. Mary G. Enig, (Ph.D. in nutritional sciences), USA.

‘In tests, animals which ate just a little pure unsaturated oil were fat, and animals which ate a lot of coconut oil were lean. The anti-obesity effect of coconut oil is clear.’ Dr. Raymond Peat (scientist and biochemist), USA.

So although coconut milk may be high in so-called saturated fat, it is a good source of nutrition in any weight loss regime because most of the fat is used up as energy instead of being stored as fat. Coconut milk contains calcium and good for your bones, it is highly nutritious, and it helps build up a strong immune system to ward off disease and illness.

Much of the research and published studies is clearly showing that coconuts are super-rich in many vitamins, minerals, and health promoting oils.

Anybody can make coconut milk at home quickly and easily once you know how. No special equipment is required. When you experience the cool, luxurious, absolutely delicious flavor of coconut milk you will always want it again and again.

Milk consumers in the USA are waking up to the fact that most regular pasteurized milk comes from cows that have been given synthetic growth hormones. These hormones are known confusingly under three different names: rBGH, rBST and Posilac. All three names refer to exactly the same thing: synthetic growth hormones that are given to dairy cows to make them produce more milk than they otherwise would.

Research shows that synthetic growth hormones in milk can increase the risk of cancer in milk consumers. As a result, synthetic growth hormones for cows is banned in many countries (but not in the United States where the hormones are made).

The labels on regular pasteurized milk in the USA say nothing about the milk containing synthetic growth hormones. Yet over 95% of all pasteurized milk sold in the USA contain these growth hormones.

This is a matter of concern for many Americans, and consequently some companies such as the coffee chain Starbucks and Wal-Mart are switching to suppliers that provide milk free of synthetic growth hormones.

How does deceptive labelling fit into this?

When milk producers supply milk that is free of synthetic growth hormones, the milk is labelled as being “hormone free”. This is entirely deceptive because no milk can be “hormone free”. All types of dairy milk without exception contain bovine growth hormones known as IGF-1. Many studies show that these IGF-1 hormones can increase the risk of cancer in humans.

Organic milk producers are the biggest culprits when it comes to milk labelling. This is because a big selling point for organic milk in the USA is that it does not contain synthetic growth hormones. Organic milk labels typically state: “hormone, antibiotics and pesticide-free.” This is totally misleading because, as stated, no milk is hormone free.

Therefore, milk labelled “hormone free” is thoroughly misleading because it is implying the milk has no hormones, and nothing could be further from the truth. Instead of labelling the milk “hormone free” it should be labelled “rBGH free” or “rBST free” or even “free of synthetic growth hormones”.

To summarize, absolutely all kinds of dairy milk contain bovine growth hormones. Additionally, most U.S. milk also contains synthetic growth hormones. It is therefore deceiving and incorrect to label any kind of milk as being “hormone free”.

However, there is one major exception: milk made from plant-based ingredients contains no growth hormones at all. Non-dairy milk made from nuts, seeds, rice, and soybeans is completely free of harmful hormones. Apart from being truly delicious, non-dairy milk is super-nutritious. For a free ebook on how to make great-tasting nut & seed milk please see below.

A USA study shows that drinking dairy milk significantly increases the chances for women to have twin babies. The study was published in the ‘Journal of Reproductive Medicine’ and shows that milk-consuming mothers have a 13% higher chance of a multiple birth compared to mothers who avoid dairy milk. Women who avoid all kinds of dairy products were found to have a 20% less chance of having twins compared to milk-consuming women. (Mechanisms of Twinning: Effect of Diet and Heredity on the Human Twinning Rate, May 2006).

The study shows that this is due to IGF-1, a bovine growth hormone found all types of dairy milk. All recent studies show that IGF-1 is responsible several types of cancer and other diseases in regular milk consumers.

Dr. Gary Steinman of the ‘Long Island Jewish Medical Center’ in New Hyde Park, USA, conducted the study. He took samples from more than a thousand women who were avoiding meat and dairy products and observed that they had five times less chances of bearing twins compared to female milk consumers. Dr. Steinman thinks that animal-product foodstuffs, especially dairy foods, can increase the chance of releasing more than one egg during ovulation, leading to the fertilization of twin eggs.

This theory is also supported by other research into traditional dairy-consuming populations. The findings show that milk-farming communities have a higher rate of twin births. This adds weight to the many studies showing nothing less than a horror story when it comes to bovine IGF-1 and human health.

Anybody consuming dairy milk will ingest this harmful bovine growth hormone, and this plays havoc with the natural hormonal balance of the human body. Giving birth to twins or triplets is an aberration in the human species, not a sign of good health.

Worse still, the combination of IGF-1 and estrogen in dairy milk is known to greatly accelerate early puberty in young girls and boys. This in turn can make people more prone to getting a variety of cancers in adult life.

Early puberty in girls causes depression, aggressiveness, social withdrawal, moodiness, behavioural problems, and a greater tendency to smoke and take drugs. Also, it is known that early puberty in a girl increases the risk of osteoporosis later in life.

“There are several reasons why dairy products raise a woman’s hormone levels causing a variety of hormone-dependent problems from early onset of menstruation (menarche) to PMS and uterine fibroids - but one is unique to cow’s milk: cows are milked even while they are pregnant. As a result of the pregnancy, cows secrete high levels of estrogen into their milk.” (Janowski T., ‘Mammary Secretion Of Estrogens In The Cow’, Domest. Anim. Endocrinol. 2002 Jul; 23(1-2): 125-37).

Clearly, the way to avoid harmful IGF-1 hormones is to avoid dairy milk. You can easily switch to delicious and super-nutritious non-dairy milk. This can have a dramatic beneficial effect on health. Making non-dairy milk is quick and easy, plus you get the added bonus of saving money. See below for details of a free ebook showing how to make non-dairy milk.

Dioxins are man-made chemical by-products caused by factory waste, incineration, traffic pollution, industrial emissions, fires, and many other chemical and industrial processes. Dioxins are deadly and are known to be the most potent carcinogen ever tested.

Research clearly shows that dioxins cause many serious diseases such as a kidney disease, birth defects, premature death, and a whole range of cancers.

Unfortunately, dioxins are just about everywhere in nature because they get carried by weather patterns, rain, ocean currents, and wind to all parts of the globe. Dioxins settle on pastures, and on plants and grains that form part of the food chain for animals and humans.

Although there is little we can do to escape dioxins altogether, we can minimize the amount that goes into our body by avoiding certain foods. Dioxins are found in equal measure in both organic and non-organic food. Dioxins do not come from pesticides or fertilizers - they come from the environment at large and even from the water supply.

On the whole, our bodies can deal with a low level of dioxins. Some will get excreted instead of being absorbed into the body to cause illness. To some extent we can reduce the level of dioxins we absorb by avoiding foods high in dioxins.

The question is: which food is highest in dioxins? Weight for weight, dairy milk has by far the highest amount of dioxins than any other food or drink. All mammals produce milk for feeding to their babies (including humans). The dioxins in the mother’s body get concentrated in her breast milk. This occurs, because all nutrients (including dioxins) get concentrated in breast milk as a way of providing good rich nourishment to the new born.

This means human babies get concentrated dioxins from their mother’s milk. Mercifully, a baby stops breastfeeding after a few months so the level of dioxins received by the baby drops off. Also, human milk has a lower concentration of dioxins compared to dairy milk.

But for a milk consumer it’s a different story. Over time, the daily consumption of dairy milk results in a dangerous build up of dioxins in the body, causing below-par health, serious disease, and premature death.

There are plenty of studies showing that dairy milk has the highest concentration of dioxins compared to any other food product:

‘Dioxins penetrate the environment via air, water and soil and are then incorporated in food chains. The major source of human exposure to dioxins (90%) is consumption of .dairy products.’ (Professor Rocz Panstw, Zakl Hig, 1999, 50:3).

‘The primary source of dioxins is food, especially .dairy products.’ (Chemosphere, 1998 Oct, 37:9).

‘The lipophilic nature of dioxins.may result in relatively high concentrations of dioxin contamination in dairy products.’ (Journal of Animal Science, 1998 Jan, 76:1).

‘Cows’ milk is ideal for assessing levels because these compounds adhere to fat and are transferred to and eliminated in the milk of the lactating animal.’ (Linda Fitzpatrick, Cork Harbour Alliance for a Safe Environment, 2005).

All types of dairy milk contain dioxins in varying amounts, including organic milk. But over eighty percent of organic milk sold in the world is UHT milk (Long Life milk). In the Americas and most of Europe just about all organic milk is UHT milk.

You get far more dioxins with UHT milk than you do with regular pasteurized milk because more dioxins gets digested instead of being flushed out of the body. This occurs because the micronized fat globules in UHT milk are much smaller. As a result, significantly more dioxins from organic UHT milk get into the bloodstream. See below to find out more.

Brain disease can be caused by factors such as alcoholism, accumulation of heavy metals in the brain, the genes you inherit, malnutrition, and even lifestyle factors. But a new discovery shows that UHT milk (also known as ‘Ultra Heat Treated’ milk or Long Life milk) is one of the biggest dietary causes of brain disease.

It has been estimated that the diet (i.e. what goes into your mouth) is responsible for most brain disease. Genes and smoking are also responsible for brain disease, but to a smaller extent.

We are talking about serious neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Lou Gehrig’s and Huntington’s Disease. These diseases have one thing in common: they are all caused by damaged proteins.

Brain disease is caused when damaged proteins accumulate in the brain over time. Virtually all the scientific research into this subject and the many published studies support this view.

How does UHT milk come into this? Up until now few people realized that UHT milk is very high in damaged proteins. Even fewer people have ‘put two and two together’ to realize that as a consequence, UHT milk is one of the biggest dietary causes of brain disease.

This hasn’t come to light before because it can take many years for brain disease to develop, and the growth in UHT milk is a relatively recent development.

UHT milk and regular pasteurized milk are two different products because of the way they are processed. UHT milk is pasteurized at about twice the temperature of regular milk (and 57 percent higher homogenization pressure). This changes the molecular structure of UHT milk, making it very high in damaged proteins.

In the USA and Canada about 10 percent of all milk sold is UHT, but the market for UHT is growing rapidly. About 80 percent of all organic milk sold in the USA and Canada is UHT. In many other countries such as Belgium, France and Spain virtually all types of milk are UHT.

Lactose is found in all animal milks. Goat’s milk, for example, has 5% to 10% more lactose than dairy milk. It was assumed that only a minority of people suffered from lactose intolerant, but the latest research dispels this myth. The reality is that virtually everybody is lactose intolerant - it’s just a matter of degree.

With lactose intolerance the body cannot digest lactose properly, causing varying degrees of nausea, cramps, gas, bloating and diarrhea. Typically, this happens about 30 minutes to 2 hours after milk consumption.

The symptoms vary depending on the amount of lactose consumed and the tolerance of the consumer. Lactose intolerance usually gets worse as you get older (you don’t outgrow it), with men and women suffering equally.

Lactose is the main sugar in milk. When it is consumed it gets broken down by lactase bacteria into glucose and galactose. But if, like most people, you don’t have enough lactase you will not be able to break the lactose down and this then causes the symptoms of lactose intolerance.

Human babies have enough lactase to digest the lactose in human milk. But in the first few months or years of life the baby gradually loses the capacity to breakdown and digest lactose.

For example, in the USA the medical profession regards over 50 million people as being clinically lactose-intolerant. Some racial and ethnic populations are more widely affected than others. As many as 75 percent of African-Americans and American-Indians (and 90 percent of Asian-Americans) are said to be lactose-intolerant. The condition is known to be least common among people of northern European descent.

Even people who do not regard themselves as being lactose intolerant do in fact feel the effects whenever dairy milk is consumed. However, the effects for some people can be so mild as to be hardly noticeable. Slight feelings of bloating or indigestion will typically be associated with overindulgence or a rushed meal rather than with lactose intolerance.

There is plenty of research showing how lactose in milk causes human illness (too many studies to quote here). But a quick search on Internet will reveal the research on this subject.

Government dietary guidelines for people wanting to avoid lactose in milk recommend eating other calcium-containing foods like fish, broccoli and fortified orange juice. But this is poor advice because what people need is information on milk alternatives.

You can, of course, buy ‘lactose reduced’ or ‘lactose free’ milk. For example in the USA you can buy ‘Lactaid’ which is lactose free. The drawback is that lactose-free milks are generally not so widely available, and tend to be more expensive.

But the biggest drawback is that lactose-free milk is usually ultra-pasteurized (also known as UHT or ‘Long Life’ milk). This is a major drawback because all the research is showing that UHT milk is much worse for health compared to regular pasteurized milk. For example, the research is showing that UHT milk may be the biggest dietary cause of a variety of serous brain diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Huntingdon’s and others.

How then can you best avoid lactose in milk? Quite simply, switch to milk made from a variety of nuts, seeds, or soybeans. These non-dairy milks are super-nutritious and they offer a wonderful variety of delicious creamy flavours.

There is a growing trend to consume less dairy milk as more people are discovering the benefits of non-dairy milk. Many stores and supermarkets are now selling soy (soya) milk, rice milk and even almond milk. People find that switching to non-dairy milk is better for health in two principal ways:

Firstly, you avoid all the unhealthy aspects of cow’s milk (too numerous to mention in this article). Secondly, you will greatly benefit from the truly delicious and highly nutritious aspects of plant-based milks.

Don’t just think ’soy’ when it comes to non-dairy milk. There are many kinds of plant-based milks offering a wide range of mouth-watering flavours such as the various nut milks, seed-based milks, grain milks, and soy milk. Once you taste two or three kinds of non-dairy milk, and experience the sheer cool delicious taste you will never want to go back to dairy milk.

Many people think that making non-dairy milk is complicated and requires special milk-making equipment. But in fact, a new and easy method makes it quick and simple to make non-dairy milk whenever you like.

Soy milk-makers have been marketed vigorously and this has generated the belief that making milk without a special machine is difficult and time-consuming. The concept of a dedicated milk-maker is that all you have to do is put the ingredients into the machine, then come back later and your milk is ready.

In reality, a milk-maker increases the workload, reduces the nutritional value, and is more time consuming. This is why:

More work: the same preparatory work applies, whether or not using a special milk-maker. With a milk-making appliance you have the additional burden of having to take apart and thoroughly clean all the components afterwards.

Less effective at extracting milk (nothing can beat the human hand and a strainer when it comes to extracting the milk!). With a milk-maker you are left with a soggy mess of left-over residue.

Most milk recipes cannot be made using a milk-making machine, and very often a blender is much more effective than the limited mixing capability of a milk-making machine.

The okara (i.e. the highly nutritious left-over residue) usually ends up being too soggy when using a milk-making machine. Soggy okara is more difficult to keep, or freeze, or use with other food preparations.

If adding condiments such as vanilla extract, maple syrup, etc. you cannot check the taste of the mixture while you are making it in the machine.

A milk-maker produces milk with inferior nutritional value. This is so because it is difficult to control the heating/boiling process, and consequently the nutritional value of the milk is affected. Valuable plant oils, enzymes and vitamins are easily destroyed with heat. The bottom line is that you get over-boiled milk with inferior nutritional value.

Clearly, you may if you wish, simply buy non-dairy milk from a health-food store or supermarket. You are likely to have a limited choice (usually just soy or rice milk) and it can be quite expensive compared to making your own milk at home. Also, some commercial non-dairy milks can be high in added sugars and they may contain preservatives.

When you discover the wonderful variety of flavours of home made milk you will never want to go back to buying any kind of milk, whether dairy or non-dairy. Non-dairy milk is quick and easy to make, is highly nutritious, and is super delicious, and everybody in the family will always want it.

Several recent studies have continued to support the link between Vitamin D and positive health issues ranging from lung health and new asthma treatments to the prevention of breast and colon cancer. For example, the research shows that daily intake of 1,000 units of Vitamin D cuts the odds of getting colon cancer by about half, and the chances of breast and ovarian cancer by about one third.

It is well known that sensible, regular exposure to ultraviolet sunlight helps the body produce Vitamin D. You cannot “overdose” on Vitamin D that is produced through UV exposure (but of course you might get badly sunburn so never over-expose your body to sunlight!). What is less well known is that vitamin D supplements can be very harmful in certain circumstances.

Vitamin D has many important functions, one of which is the absorption of calcium. This vitamin greatly increases absorption of calcium (from the food you eat) and puts it into the blood stream so that it can be used by the body.

The big danger is that if milk is consumed on the same day that vitamin D supplements are taken, the bloodstream is overwhelmed with calcium, and this can cause harmful calcification just about anywhere in the body. Calcification of the body is known to be at the root of much illness such as stroke, cancer and heart disease, to name but a few of the conditions.

When dairy milk is consumed, the casein protein in milk makes the bloodstream go acidic. This happens before all the calcium in milk gets to the bloodstream. The body reacts by pulling calcium from the bones into the bloodstream (calcium is very alkaline and this helps to neutralize the blood).

As the milk is gradually digested, calcium from the milk enters the bloodstream. As this happens, calcium levels in the blood become too high. In a kind of “knee-jerk” reaction hormones in the body get rid of the excess calcium in the bloodstream by ’storing it’ it in different parts of the body, leading to harmful calcification and illness.

Problems are made worse if vitamin D supplements are taken on days that dairy milk is consumed. This will increase further the amount of excess calcium that accumulates in the bloodstream. Doctors call this ‘hypercalcemia’, a known medical condition that can result in a variety of health problems. It is important, therefore, to avoid consuming dairy milk and vitamin D on the same day.

To protect your health you should avoid taking vitamin D supplements on days that dairy milk is consumed (or vice-versa). Better still, switch to non-dairy milk which is far more nutritious and delicious than cow’s milk. If non-dairy milk is difficult to obtain, you can easily make your own milk from ingredients that can be stored at home.

Affordable health insurance is something we all want for our families. However finding good quality health care and affordable family health insurance is not always straightforward Clearly a good first step is to get free health insurance quotations.

Your Options for Family Health Insurance

Usually the most affordable method of purchasing family health insurance is through employer-provided coverage. Because the costs of coverage are shared by the employee and the employer, your family ends up paying lower premiums. Of course, you’ll also face limitations because most employers only offer one or two plans to choose from.

Another possibility is to purchase your own family health insurance plan. It may cost a little more (the average family premium is over $400 per month) but you will be able to choose from a network of doctors and you will be able to select your own deductible.

Here’s a great tip: enter “The Consumer’s Guide to Health Insurance” in a search engine like Google and you will get dozens of results that offer you free guides to family health insurance. Then choose two or three and request them. This will give you comprehensive information on the subject.

Medical Insurance Issues for Families

When choosing affordable health insurance tread carefully. Some health plans offer cheaper premiums or deductibles but may not cover the kind of preventative medicine that a family needs. For example, preventative medicine should include annual screenings, physicals, and immunizations, so as to prevent problems from developing, such as measles or polio, or detect early signs of health problems, such as cancer. Even though preventative medicine is usually recommended by doctors, not all insurance plans will cover them. For example, if a doctor requires tests to be done, this may not be covered. You need to carefully review your policy regarding the types of preventative medicine your family needs so that you can take these medical precautions.

Another important issue is prescription charges. Many insurance plans are no longer paying all the costs of prescriptions. Of those that do, you’ll still be expected to pay a co-payment ranging from $5 to $35 per prescription. These costs can add up, but they are still much less than the $100 plus price-tag on the most common prescriptions your family may need. Therefore, it’s a good idea to search for a plan that covers some of the more common prescription expenses.

Buying the Right Family Health Insurance Plan

If you are going to buy a private family health insurance plan, it’s wise to shop around. Many insurance providers are willing to provide you with a health insurance quote based on your requirements. These health insurance quotes will make it much easier to compare plans.

Another great tip: go to www.ncqa.org (The National Committee for Quality Assurance), a non-profit organization. Then click on ‘Site Map’. Then scroll down and click on ‘Resource Library’ where you will find lots of good background information relating to family health care. If you are in-between jobs you may also consider doing a Google search for “Short Term Health Insurance.”