Primo Health Blog

Probably my favorite super food to talk about and recommend is the coconut! And when I say coconut, I mean in almost any form you can find it (save for candies and overly-sweetened treats). Coconut oil; coconut water; coconut milk; coconut vinegar; coconut flour; coconut sugar, coconut coconut!

This brown hairy nut is actually the seed of the fruit of the coconut palm tree. Coconuts grow in clusters of ten to twenty. Each tree will have from ten to twenty different clusters growing at one time, all in different stages of development. Once fully matured, the nuts reach a diameter of about 10-12 inches. Their hard outer shell is lined with a fleshy white meat, and the hollow center is filled with a mildly sweet juice often called "coconut water."

For those with gluten sensitivity or Celiac Disease, eliminating gluten from the diet sounds easy enough. However, upon learning the many hidden sources of gluten, it becomes clear that it takes some work and investigating to truly live a gluten-free life. For the highly gluten sensitive, even the smallest amount of gluten (about an 1/8 of a teaspoon) can trigger an autoimmune reaction that can last up to six months!

One of the most important lessons to learn when starting a gluten-free diet is that there are many hidden sources of gluten. There are many ingredients that may be derived from gluten containing sources. If you do not know what to look for you may miss some gluten containing foods and trigger a response by your body. For a gluten sensitive person it is important to eliminate ALL possible sources of gluten in order to improve the health and to restore the gut.

One of the keys to living a Primo Healthy life is having a healthy brain.  

We don't often think of our brain as being important in keeping the rest of our body healthy, but by learning the brain's role in maintaining all your vital functions and movement, it becomes clear that we must tend to this organ carefully.

The benefits of Vitamin A are numerous. My intention is to highlight some of the important blessings our bodies derive from consuming this nutrient. 

Vitamin A was the first nutrient recognized as fat soluble. Fat soluble vitamins do not easily dissolve in water. They are absorbed in the intestines with the help of fats. There are four fat soluble vitamins: Vitamins A, D, E and K. These vitamins tend to be stored in the body and accumulate in the liver and fatty tissues. Because of this, it is possible to over-consume Vitamin A. However, this is more common when taken in supplement form than from whole foods.

"A weed is just a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I live in a part of California where dandelion greens grow like weeds. In fact if I didn't keep my yard tended to, it would be full of these flowering plants. The name actually comes from a corruption of the French for "tooth of the lion" (dent de lion). The Latin name for dandelion is Taraxacum officinale, or remedy for disorders. While many consider this plant a nuisance, herbalists and nutritionists rever the dandelion as a valuable herb.

Much has been learned in recent years about the dangers of gluten for those with Celiac Disease. But more importantly scientists have been able to distinguish between the more commonly known Celiac Disease, and the now understand issue of Gluten Intolerance (in the absence of Celiac Disease).

Celiac Disease (CD) is one possible complication of being gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive. Celiac Disease is characterized by enteropathy (damage) to the intestinal villi. These are the small hairlike projections of the intestinal tract that help us to absorb nutrients from our foods. Those who develop CD appear to show genetic risk factor as well. The DQ2 and DQ8 gene have both been identified as being a high risk factor for developing CD. Those who carry either of these genes are at much greater risk of developing CD. It is believed that about 1 out of 133 people in the US have Celiac Disease.

It seems like everyone is concerned today with what is healthy to eat and what supplements to take. The problem is most of us have bad digestion and are polluted with toxins and/or pathogens. We would all do well to start off any nutrition program with a good cleanse and repair step to that plan.

Diabetes is a health condition where the blood sugar is constantly elevated. There are two types of Diabetes. Type One Diabetes is typically an autoimmune condition and results from the body not producing enough insulin. The islet cells of the pancreas that produce insulin are targeted by the immune system. Type Two Diabetes is typically caused by lifestyle and genetics, and results in the body not properly producing or using insulin.

I'll never forget being a young child in Costa Rica traveling with my grandfather. I remember him signaling the bus driver to stop the bus. He jumped off for a few minutes and returned with a bagful of "semillas de marañon." This literally translates to seeds of the marañon. The marañon is an unusual fruit that is native to the coastal areas of Northeastern Brazil. Although the fruit can be eaten and its juice enjoyed, our topic of discussion today is the seeds of the fruit that protrudes strangely from the bottom of the cashew fruit.