Coconut Oil Protective against H1N1

All of you who know us at Integra, know we are coconut oil's biggest fans! As the hype surrounding swine flu escalates, rest assured there are amazing immune boosting foods right under our noses! Coconut oil is particularly protective against swine flu. H1N1 is a lipid coated virus, and thus is inactivated by sufficient amounts of monolaurin. Lauric acid, found in coconut oil is converted to monolaurin - very cool!

Two to three tablespoons of coconut oil per day appears to be an adequate dosage to fight infection, even from virulent antibiotic-resistant organisms such as MSRA. I know that is a lot of oil, so just start by adding to your diet in a variety of ways. Remember that coconut oil is used for energy in the body, it aids in weight loss - it is not stored as fat.

Another great source of lauric acid? Breast milk - another incentive to breast feed your baby! They don't need a flu shot, they just need mama's milk!

Hummus, anyone?

A great hummus recipe is hard to come by, so I am really excited to pass this along! I served it at a BBQ we had last weekend, and everyone enjoyed it, even the toddlers.

Ingredients:
1 cup dry or 19 oz can chickpeas
1 tbsp tahini
2 tsp toasted sesame oil (this adds incredible flavour!)
2-3 tbsp garlic, minced (I used 2 tbsp and it was powerful!)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/3- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Cook chickpeas until soft. In a food processor, mix all ingredients - add olive oil slowly until well blended. If there is remaining olive oil, mix until desired consistency is reached.

Yields 2 cups (quite a bit.)

Hummus is a great source of fibre (helps to manage blood sugar) and protein. Kids love it on crackers or celery.

Enjoy :)