I Heart Fat! And a bit more local love…
March 2, 2010 by mrsgojigirl
Filed under Happenings, Nourishment
There I said it!!
Did you know that saturated fats and cholesterol are good for you? Like, really good for you and an extremely important part of your diet? Yes, I don’t lie!
I’ve been reading the book by Nora Gedgaudas – Primal Body-Primal Mind. Wow, it is an amazing read! Lucky for me, it is confirming a lot of amazing information that I was already on to, but in a huge way. I am also learning a ton of new information and am only 1/3 of the way through it so far!
Many of you already know, I am a huge proponent for Healthy Clean Saturated Fats.
Saturated fats help your body to synthesize Cholesterol, which is a precursor to many hormones. Without enough good saturated fats in the diet, our bodies cannot produce enough hormones. No steroidal hormone is produced without it. A steroid hormone is what produces all sex hormones and adrenal hormones in our body. This includes progesterone, estrogen, testosterone, adrenaline, cortisol, and DHEA.
Without real production of hormones, then where are we?
In a recent interview, I was asked what single food do I believe had the greatest effect on my health?
I answered “butter”.
Not just any butter, but raw organic grass-fed butter.
When animals are not grass-fed, the meat and/or dairy from that animal has a disrupting ratio of omega-6 fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids. They have way too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3, same goes for farmed seafood. This is what happens when an animal or fish is taken out of it’s natural environment and diet, and is placed somewhere completely unnatural to them. They end up adapting, and their bodies might mutate a bit, but they manage.
I’ve heard numerous people say that the original Human was a “vegan” and only had berries, nuts, and seeds. Well, I just don’t believe that is possible. A species could not have survived that. A species that also survived the Ice Age? No way… Humans during the Ice Age ate 100% protein and fat – from meat. Not to say that this is the ideal diet forever, for everyone, but that’s how they survived. I’ve even read numerous articles explaining how the human brain became much larger during the Ice Age, due to the amounts of fat eaten.
It makes sense to me… There are certain nutrients that are required for proper brain functioning and these are found in high abundance in animal fat.
Anyway, back to the cholesterol and saturated fats. Some people ask me why not just eat avocados and coconut oil? Not only do avocados not grow anywhere near me, but they have very little saturated fat. It is mostly monounsaturated. Which is great, but not if it’s your only fat source. I’ve also read that they have quite a bit of phytoestrogens. As for the coconut oil, this also does not grow anywhere near me, and is usually imported from the Philippines or somewhere in Indonesia. It has a bit of saturated fat, and is great to use for cooking, but it’s imported from over 10,000 miles away. That’s a bit too much for me to justify using as a key part of my diet. My husband and I try to strive more and more to use locally grown and produced products.
This month of March, until we leave for California, we have decided not to purchase anything that is not from the New England area. This is more of a test or challenge for us, to see how committed we will be to staying local.
We are lucky to have an awesome health food store in the area called The Local Grocer, who has lots of wonderful local products. We also have a major abundance of farms in the Northern New England area, which is great.
Even yesterday, we had to buy toilet paper and at first I thought it would be an exception to our pact. But then, at the store they had Seventh Generation which is from Burlington, Vermont! I had never been so excited to purchase toilet paper!!
Part of the local pact is that we won’t be ordering supplements from any other parts of the country or world. Although I’ve done a ton of experimenting with supplements, I do find that I feel the effects most from the food I’m eating, not so much the supplements. There are a few superfoods that I do enjoy every now and then – such as raw cacao and maca, but that’s really about it. For immunity we drink Chaga Mushroom tea, and when other mushrooms are in season, we’ll drink those as well. For minerals, we eat Maine Coast sea vegetables and wild fish from the ocean. For fat, minerals, nutrients, and protein, we eat locally raised grass-fed dairy, eggs, and meats.
Today’s blog is just food for thought 
I’d also like to let you know that I’ve put on a sale in my shop this week!
I’m giving 20% off all products, as well as free shipping on orders over $100.
Another exciting thing happening is the WISH program – Women’s International Summit for Health! It is an amazing program, and many of my inspirations and teachers are featured. You can still sign up free before March 8th, and more info is here:
Well, we’re off to the farm, so I’m out for now. They have colostrum this week, so we are super excited!
Please leave any questions, comments, suggestions, thoughts, inspirations, etc. below!
Blessings,
Camille Rose
Cool! Does Nora’s book go into detail on biochemistry at all? I’m intrigued by the idea of using more cholesterol and saturated fat in my diet but I want to know exactly how it works, since everything I currently know says the opposite :p
If not, do you know any other good sources for more info?
Great post! One thing though, I heard an interview with Jameth Sheridan (given by matt monarch a few days ago) and he alluded to the fact that phytoestrogens are in actuality good for us, and very different in the body than the estrogens that come from plastics and pollution. In general I am a truth seeker; it’s hard hearing so many differing opinions from so many people I admire. For instance I think dr. Sheridan is brilliant. But he is a devout vegan. I vibe with the nourishing traditions aspect of whole foods, an while I enjoy me some nice raw local goat cheese I can’t
imagine eating meat. Never did vibe with me. I was also following you through the point when you realized sugars were contributing to acne. I’ve had the same problem and figured it was a yeast-sugar thing too (as well as other systemic yeast symptoms) . There are 2 differing opinions on that…does sugar cause yeast, or is it fat coating the sugar and preventing proper simple carb digestion?
Well still searching…
Thanks for doing the work you do!
In light.
Ps can I powder Chaga in a vitamix or coffee grinder? I want to get the most from it.
Goji Girl,
I’ve been reading your articles on saturated fat and animal products and I have a question for you. I haven’t seen any mention about heating these products. Do you think cooking changes the fats and other nutrients?
Aaron
Zak – Yes, she is a scientist, so the book fully delves into all of the biochemistry stuff. It’s quite comprehensive, but I’m actually able to understand it all which is great! Her book is great, Dr. John Lee’s work is great, and there is a ton of information on the Weston Price website. Their website is http://www.westonaprice.org – click on Health Topics and you are sure to find a lot!
Christine – Dr. Sheridan is a bit biased in his work, because he is such a devout vegan. I also agree that phytoestrogens are good for us in minimal amounts. However, if you are dealing with an estrogen dominance or progesterone deficiency, like a ton of people are, you need to limit them for the time being. Also, most people are getting slammed with a massive amount of xenoestrogens from their lifestyle or environment – whether that be pesticides, parabens, plastics, etc. Besides parabens being used on the skin, there are many other substances that are quite estrogenic that people use a lot – such as lavender, tea tree oil, rosemary, sage, hops, and many more. Dairy is a great addition to the diet! Meat is not always necessary for everyone, especially if they are open to dairy as an option.
Mostly I think it’s just sugar in general that causes issues for me, whether or not it’s mixed with fat. It causes our insulin to go up, which is not helped with an estrogen dominance. So for me the sugar and hormonal imbalance went hand in hand.
As for the chaga, you can definitely grind it – works best in a VitaMix, and it surprisingly gets quite fine.
Aaron – I believe that cooking, heating changes the constitution of the dairy products for sure. It is not so much when you use a bit for cooking, but when it’s pasteurized and/or homogenized, those processes are basically destroying the nutrients in the milk. As we find out in raw food nutrition – most fats that are cooked are rancid. This is the same with milk products. You can leave raw milk out on the counter for days and it may taste a bit sour, but it’s really just fermenting and is completely drinkable. If you leave pasteurized milk out on the counter for even one night, and it is completely rotten and undrinkable the next morning. The other thing about raw dairy is that it’s a living culture. It is full of probiotics which just keep multiplying every day. The probiotics and healthy bacteria are also destroyed when cooked.
Hi Goji!
Great article.
I love the idea of raw organic dairy used in moderation (whatever moderation might mean to you).
My question is that I have always heard that our body makes all the cholesterol we need therefore we do not need any more from the diet.
Is this just not true or is it really about this precursor to cholesterol?
Thanks for clarifying.
xoxo
Adrienne
mmmmm fat!
I love fat too. Great post about sustainability as well. I do the same and I also like to support people like you and Frnaky, Daniel Vitalis, Vivapura, Ultimate Superfoods, Mountain Rose Herbs. etc. that make superior products available for us because I really believe in you guys and like the awareness your bring about out planet and I think supporting such businesses have an overall great effect sustainably as well. I am also happy to say that I get my grassfed dairy and meat from a lovely Amish farm in Pennsylvania and they ship right to my door in Baltimore, MD.
i without a doubt adore all your posting style, very attractive.
don’t quit and also keep posting for the reason that it just worth to read it.
excited to read way more of your content, have a good one
So that is why your skin now looks unhealthy: you no longer are eating a raw diet. I saw your old pictures when you ate raw. When you ate raw, your weight was perfect and your skin glowing. Now your face looks bloated and blotchy. So are you eating meat because some stupid doctor told you you need it to conceive? I hope not as I am a raw vegan and have been blessed with 3 healthy children. I am also at my ideal weight with glowing skin that makes me look 10 years younger.
@RawMommie
I am so impressed that you come to Camille’s website and add insults to somebody whom you do not know. I just love how you and other raw vegans feel the need to come and pass judgement for others who are on a health quest. Your comments are completely uncalled for, Shame on you! Clearly, your vegan diet lacks proper fats for you to make clear and rational thoughts. I wish you great success in life and hope your children do not grow up to be as judgmental as you. Oh, by the way, Camille looks totally hot naked! Blessings, Camille’s Husband!
RawMommie,
I was surprised to read such a rude comment on my blog post today. I happen to disagree with you about my skin. When I was “raw-vegan” my skin was in a constant state of breakout, with out taking breaks. If you have seen pictures of me during that time, there’s 99.9 percent chance that I was wearing makeup, as I did every day. I no longer wear makeup every day. I have some scars due to years of breakouts, but they are improving daily.
I did not start eating meat because any doctor told me to. Did you really need to put that “conceive” stab in there? That hurt. I am happy for you that you have been blessed with 3 great children. However, I can guess that you were not raised “raw-vegan” or “vegetarian-soy” so your fertility is probably still healthy at this point. I recently heard a story from Bahai families that tried a “raw-vegan” diet, but all of their women stopped having menstruation and being able to bear children, so they went back to their natural diet. I also was not at my ideal weight while I was “raw”. I was for a while during the first two years as I was cleansing constantly. But after that, it was very difficult to lose the extra weight. Or if I did a lot of cleansing, I would get addicted to the skinny body and create disorders around that.
It’s great that your diet is working for you and your kids so far, but I encourage you to do the research on the dangers of raising children completely raw and/or vegan. It can have long term effects which are quite dangerous.
I also want to encourage you to do more research on yourself being raw and/or vegan for long periods of time. It can cause a great amount of mental disturbances as well as other ailments.
Our brains need essential fatty acids to operate properly, as well as other essential nutrients that only come from animals.
Humans have been eating animal protein, fat, and cholesterol for all of time, and proves that it is essential for human development and for reproduction. If humans in the past had not been able to reproduce, none of us would be here.
Blessings on your journey.
Goji
Cami,
You are a beautiful, intelligent, and all around special Woman! You are following your path and doing an amazing job healing and taking care of yourself! The child(ren) you conceive in this life are going to be the most healthy, thriving, intelligent, beautiful children EVER! I am so proud of you and you are setting a wonderful example for Women in this community. I love you honey!
xo
~ A
I heart fat too! Butter has been much loved around here of late. We’ll have to try making our own, thanks for the great post and the great butter making video. Who knew it could be so easy!
Raw Mommie, your comment is so completely immature, unevolved, and uncalled for. Goji looks beautiful, not blotchy and bloated and the narcissism that imbues your words is despicable. If your mind frame is a reflection of your diet I wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. Way to represent raw veganism.
Hi Goji,
I was raised vegan too and had fertility issues~ when I added grass fed meat (this was way back in the late 80’s) along with the Chinese herbs prescribed my my acupuncturist is when I conceived. I was still dairy free. I went on to conceive more children for a total of 5 easy conceptions (one try each time) and fast labors/homebirth in water and healthy thriving babies. I credit this to Nourishing Traditions and Aajounus Vonderplanitz (my primal pregnancy was a one hour total labor and birth completely pain free). I then went back to raw veganism- enter infertility once again as I’d like to have another baby. Back on grass fed meats, butter, fermented cod liver oil etc; I read Nora’s book when it first came out (my friend ghost wrote it and is a colleague of Nora’s) and adapted that coming off raw veganism and introduced it to certain people in the RV community who were also having trouble with their health.
Everyone is on their own personal journey with health and there is never one way that works for everyone. However if one is not getting the results healthwise, it’s time to let go of dogma and experiment. The above comment from Raw Mommie is downright obnoxious and one reason why I don’t want anything much to do with the raw community as a whole.
Good luck on your health journey and happy eating (yummy grass fed butter)!
Hi Elaine, I love your comment and thank you so much for writing it.
It is wonderful to know that others go through similar experiences out there, as they are quite challenging and the support is appreciated.
The Raw Mommie comment above was totally obnoxious, and that was part of the reason I left it up there so that others could see it and decide for themselves!~
Thank you ~ have a blessed day!
For fertility issues, I highly suggest working with a good TCM practitioner who specializes in fertility. Some good books on the subject are The Infertility Cure and Making Babies- both are based on TCM. I was always a bit dumbfounded how some women can conceive on such deficient diets- but everyone is coming from different dietary/health backgrounds and some people’s bodies have more excess and are able to function much to my amazement!
I am quite sure you will have a healthy baby in the near future as you are laying a great foundation down dietary wise now. Sprinkles of baby dust to you (and me too)!
Goji,
I am so touched and inspired by your story – I feel like I am you a few years ago….
I have just been diagnosed with PCOS and hypothyroidism after being a vegetarian/vegan/raw vegan at different phases for 2 years (it worked quickly on me!). I couldn’t understand why I had developed severe acne, was gaining weight and why my periods had stopped, now all is clear.
I came across your blog after asking everyone I knew for advice as to why my health was fading fast, my friend Fran Kerr from High on Health referred me to you – it is so heartening to find a beautiful community of people who are on the path I am starting to embark on.
I’m not trying to conceive at the moment, but in the future I would like the option – I would also like to avoid diabetes, which is where I was heading with a *clean* wholefood vegan diet….sounds impossible after all the glorified ‘vegan’ research i’ve been brainwashed with…
Raw Mommie’s comment is hurtful, but for me, such a true reflection of the response I’ve had to my recent changes. Don’t feel like you are alone, this criticism is everywhere from the raw/vegan community for people who change back to an animal-protein diet. The community that once embraced me now has turned really cold!
In an ideal world I would love to not eat meat, but unfortunately I’m not willing to sacrifice my health and happiness to do so.
I have done a lot of reading around the Paleo diet and eating closer to nature – I think this is in line with your style of eating, emphasising local foods. This makes sense to me, I believe this is the way my body was designed to eat.
Sending so much love to you on your journey, you are doing such a wonderful job of sharing it with us all. Please remember there are people like me out there who really need to hear the stories you are sharing…I have been sharing my story on my blog also and find it very therapeutic – but it’s also great to help maybe one person who stumbles across it to feel like they are not a ‘bad person’ or alone in this journey…
By the way – You look incredibly beautiful, healthy and glowing – and as far as ‘ideal weight’ goes – you have a body to be envious of my dear!!
Jess xx