by M.Cokas on March 5, 2010
About 4 weeks ago I embarked on a new journey in my life. Never having been on a diet before, my husband and I were looking for one that we could use to quickly shed a few pounds before walking in the Re-Vamp Fashion Show. After a couple days of research we finally decided on the anti-candida diet. If I was going to make this sacrifice and actually deny myself certain foods, I wanted it to be the most beneficial for our health at the same time.
I have done a lot of research on candida overgrowth over the past 4 weeks and it has been really enlightening. It has sent me on a completely different path nutritionally and I have changed my family’s diet in many ways for life. The best resource I have found for info is The Whole Approach . I personally did not buy any of the supplements that they sell on the website, however, I am taking a high quality probiotic and rotating using oil of oregano, coconut oil, grapefruit seed extract, garlic and pau d’arco tea to fight the candida. These are all available at natural food stores.
The gist of the diet is you want to re-balance your digestive flora (which takes time) by starving the candida (an opportunistic naturally occurring yeast that is normally a part of digestion). Nearly 80% of the population suffer from an overgrowth due to widely prescribed antibiotics, birth controls and the Standard American Diet (SAD). Within this population, range dozens of related health problems including allergies to environmental stimuli and food, behavioral disorders, learning disabilities, sinus and bronchial infections, skin conditions, digestive problems, brain fog, indecisiveness, joint pain etc. In most cases doctors do not recognize candida overgrowth as the disorder and will attempt to treat symptoms only. I really think that we are in the midst of an epidemic. The rates of childhood illness, allergies and behavioral disorders is climbing at an alarming rate. Most people have no idea that the majority of the food they consume is harmful and of little to no nutritional value, especially because of the way it is prepared.
Candida thrive on sugar and simple carbohydrates – so the first phase of the diet is eliminating those almost completely. No sugars of any kind including fruit, honey and agave (we’ve still been eating a VERY small amount of green apple and berries from time to time), no refined flours or gluten – which means no bread, pasta, ect… No milk (it has lactose, which is a sugar) and no alcohol. The first phase is 3 – 4 months and then you move on to add more things back in in the 2nd phase. The third phase is probably one that we will base more on The Weston Price Foundation and continue for life, after a couple months in this way of eating having some things that aren’t in the diet here or there don’t impact you as negatively as they do when you still have overgrowth, so it is ok at that point.
Another important factor in this new realm of nutrition is knowing where your food is coming from and how it is raised, treated and grown. I highly recommend watching Food Inc and Future of Food (this one is free on hulu). The state of our nations food industry is absolutely appalling and it has really opened my eyes. I now try to source as much of my food through organic and local sources as possible. There are many excellent local farms in the area, many organic and even some that are biodynamic.
Chris and I have both lost more than 15lbs (and any trace of cellulite) in the past 4 weeks and it was not by starving ourselves. It has been through consuming healthy, natural (responsibly produced) fats, such as grassfed raw milk, butter, meats and eggs, eating lots of veggies and preparing everything from scratch (no more packaged foods). We’ve discovered lots of ways to create the tastes we used to love even within the somewhat strict boundaries of phase one. In the process I have developed a new love for cooking and am really embracing domestic goddess-hood.
Beyond the weight loss, I have experienced a tremendous increase in energy and clarity, the dark circles under my eyes are diminishing and I’m more driven and optimistic. I’m looking forward to seeing what other benefits the diet brings me in the future.
by M.Cokas on January 11, 2010
I spent some time researching the current controversy over the fluoridation of public water supplies. When you think about the practice it for a minute, it doesn’t really add up. How many millions of dollars are we spending every year to add fluoride to our water supplies in hopes that it might help to make our teeth stronger? And if you think about it for another minute it seems more like forced mass medication more than a public health service. Shouldn’t we all have the right to choose whether or not we want to ingest this chemical additive, without having it quietly injected into our drinking water? And I’m talking about when you think that there is actually a health benefit. Then, when science and research comes out showing that not only is it NOT improving dental health for the masses as we were originally coerced, but it’s actually causing health problems to boot – isn’t it then time to slowly back away from the sauce? Well apparently not. A quick check of your local Consumer Confidence Report will show that the majority of towns in the US are still Fluoridating. Whatever the reasons actually are, I think the recommended mediation should begin with dissolution of the practice. Stop putting s**t in our water. For more information on why you should oppose fluoride in your drinking water check out what these folks have to say here:
50 Reasons to Oppose Fluoride in Drinking Water
To find out the levels of Fluorine in your own town’s drinking water call town hall (or go to their website) and ask for a copy of the Consumer Confidence Report.
by J.English on January 5, 2010
Dr. Atul Gawande on Democracy Now
Everyone has been talking about health care reform and it seems most have a strong opinion about which way things should go. Personally I have felt very in the dark about the real details of the situation. All I hear is the catch phrases, mandatory health coverage, private coverage, single payer. I am one of the many uninsured, the only thing these catch phrases mean to me is $$$ dollar signs and how I may or may not be forced to pay out money I don’t have and still may not be covered for the care I may need or want.
Luckily I live with a well informed man who has taught me you need to research many sources and then look at where each receives their funding from before you can have a clear picture of what is really going on.
Today on Democracy Now, they had an informative discussion with Dr. Atul Gawande that I would like to share. It gave me a sense of what was going on in the day to day beyond the basic catch phrases and front line politics.
I would love to hear what you all are feeling about this topic.
Oh! the solitary confinement/torture topic… I had no idea this was happening. I am very disturbed that I didn’t know and more disturbed about the true extent of the of what’s entailed in the practice. I feel this issue needs a blog of it’s own.
by M.Cokas on January 3, 2010
So, I’ve recently become enamored with fractals, the mathematics of nature. I’ve always been a bit of a closet mathie, a decorated mathlete in my formative years, but how did fractals evade my radar for so long. And as an Environmental Engineer, how did this not show up at least somewhere along my course of study? It seems like it would belong at the foundation of required knowledge. Well, the good news for me is that the journey has now officially begun.
So, what am I all worked up about? Monsters, pathological curves, measuring the CO2 absorption of an entire rain forest using data from just one leaf and the branch pattern of one tree. Think about this one dilemma for a moment, in trying to measure the length of a coastline, the number is inversely proportional to the size of the ruler you use. The coastline becomes longer if you employ a smaller ruler to measure it. Fractal math seems to be what will propel us forward in technology and understanding of our universe. Already at play in some key locations such as cell phone antennas, african village structures and 3d video modeling of natural and organic shapes and textures; pondering the possible future applications is a whole hobby in and of itself.
If you’re feeling at all fractally frisky check out this video on Nova:
Hunting the Hidden Dimension
by M.Cokas on January 2, 2010
by J.English on December 30, 2009
Many people have been feeling the financial pinch this season, myself included. We had many grand ideas of how we should spend our New Years. In the end we all decided we would feel less stress by staying close to home. It will be just as magical if not more so and we will be sharing instead of spending.
Missy and I love to throw parties. Sometimes we make advanced plans that we don’t follow, most of the time we scramble up something awesome the day before. Seeing as this is the day before it’s definitely scramble time.
The Setting:
We have a 4 bed room house, 10-12 guests including hosts, 4 kiddies to tend to and lots of random items to attempt to decorate and create a theme with. We want to make it magical. I also want Missy and Chris to feel like they aren’t just having another low key dinner party.
Supplies:
1. Everyone’s bringing food or wine
2. Lots of random left over booze
3. Missy’s craft room (crafting and herb central, this will be a big help)
4. Lots of luck
We still need a theme. It will help us transform the space. We are thinking 50’s pot luck and martini party, or Mad Hatter’s style with fancy treats and hidden treasures.
I will keep you posted on our progress. If anyone has ideas please share!
by admin on December 20, 2009
We love to party at the Cokas house and find ourselves there most Saturdays. It has evolved into a food and wine tasting extravaganza. Last night I believe we found one of our all time favorite wines. We headed down to Divine Wine Emporium in Niantic, CT, our go to wine shop. Ken Turcotte, the owner, has a great and ever changing inventory and extensive knowledge of everything we decide to try. I’m a sucker for shiny things, so the red foil label grabbed me right away. Then as we poured our first round of the Pinot Noir Cava, the rich ruby color made me want to change into an outfit that would complement it. There’s nothing better than a drink that makes you feel fancy *insert cheesy grin*.
Segura Viudas ARIA Pinot Noir Brut Cava is full of light fruit flavors such as strawberry, watermelon and elderberry with a very smooth finish. It doesn’t sit on the back of your pallet the way many other sparkling wines do. This Cava is a brut wine so it has no added sugar, though on first taste you would never believe it. This wine hits your tongue like a watermelon jolly rancher but as it rolls to the back of your pallet its crispy dryness takes over and finishes with an adult complexity and smoothness.
A note on wine terms:
Sparkling wines are categorized by the region where they are produced. Champagne for example, is a sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region of France. Cava is Spain’s version of sparkling wine. One of the nice benefits of Cava is that you can purchase a delicious bottle for $10-$15, a real value compared to it’s pricey French counterpart.
So pick up a bottle of Aria’s Pinot Noir and shift your party into full gear.
by J.English on December 20, 2009
by J.English on December 18, 2009
1st Model Call
It has begun. I have thrown myself into another world-wind adventure. I will be creating new fashions for my clothing line Raw Culture, to be shown at the closing event for the Hygienic Art Gallery’s annual No Judge, No Jury show.
[click to continue…]
by J.English on December 17, 2009
It’s 1:30 in the morning. I am pumped up! Mahray (Mikey Golembeski – Bass guitar, Matt Dean – djembe, Ed Briones – vocals and guitar and Me on lead vocals)had our first gig in a long while. It’s official, we are back on the scene. Despite missing Ian Kelly our amazing drummer who was out sick, we had a blast playing.
We played at Hot Rod’s in New London, CT. Awesome! Rod has a great space, as well as the best wings in the area. The venue is a restaurant which means all ages are welcome. I enjoyed playing an earlier gig, it’s nice to play before everybody gets drunk, then the night is more about the music. As a bonus the drinks are good the staff are sweethearts. Oh ya, and lots of connect 4.
“Rod we’ll come out and play for you any time. Thank you”
Music is truly my passion. It’s what really makes me happy. It feels so good to be performing again.
That’s my shout out for tonight.
