The survival of ancient civilizations has a lot to do with the types of food they live off. It's no wonder many ancient foods, like the coconut of the Pacific Islanders, have all the nutrients to sustain such robust societies. These foods are now called superfoods in today's society, in contrast to villainous fast foods. However, these superfoods were considered the norm by history's most productive civilizations.

Coconut is a superfood in a class by itself because it contains saturated fat – yes, the fat we've all been told to avoid like the plague! There was a time when this tropical fruit was shunned for being high in saturated fat, but research has vindicated the coconut revealing that it contains a type of saturated fat that is beneficial to health. How can that be? The answer lies in the length of the fatty acid chain.

Here's a lesson in chemistry 101. Fatty acids are composed of a long chain of carbon and hydrogen molecules. The number of carbons determines the length the fatty acid while the number of hydrogens determines the level of saturation. In the body, longer chain fatty acids have been found to have negative health effects while shorter chain ones may confer benefits. The saturated fat in coconuts and coconut oil is medium chain in length and easily absorbed into the body. This means that energy from coconut fat burned up faster with less accumulation of the fatty deposits we all want to avoid. The medium chain fat in coconut has actually been called “the world's only low-calorie fat” because it metabolizes much like carbohydrates, serving as a readily available, long-lasting energy source for the body. There's even evidence that eating a diet rich in coconut can aid weight loss.

It's not just its special type of fat that makes coconut a healthful superfood. The raw flesh of a coconut is high in fibre and, like other nuts, provides an excellent source of B vitamins, iron and zinc. Drying coconut concentrates these nutrients given them more nutritional impact per gram weight. Dried coconut is a versatile ingredient that is delicious in granola or trail mix or sprinkled onto a simple bowl of fruit. Coconut is naturally sweet so there's no need to use the sweetened dried coconut flakes. You can also obtain the wonderful nutrition of coconuts in coconut milk, coconut water and coconut oil.  When using coconut in recipes, beware that heat destroys its nutrients so avoid cooking them at high temperatures.

This post is part of a response to a letter that I received recently about how to deal with wrinkles and what I would suggest. I hope you enjoy it!

There are a number of ways to reduce wrinkles and prevent new ones from forming. What you put into your body is just as important as what you put on your skin.

Wrinkles form for a number of reasons:

• Oxidization of the cells from smoking and eating sugar or refined carbohydrates, trans fats and fried foods.
• Loss of collagen from the lack of a good quality protein, poor diet and the aging process.
• Lack of certain nutrients such as vitamins C, E, A, the minerals Zinc, Chromium, Selenium, Silica and the essential Omega 3 Fatty Acids.
• Lack of moderate exercise that keeps the body tone. (Note the word moderate: Extreme exercise such, as marathon running without high-powered, nutrient dense foods will cause extreme oxidation.)
• The spiking of blood sugar. Here is an excerpt from my book Meals that Heal Inflammation,

"It is very important not to spike your blood sugar as it causes AGE. AGE refers to advanced glycation endproducts. Glycation happens when sugar molecules floating around in the blood attach to the protein molecules on the surface of cells, causing those proteins to lose some of their function. Normally, proteins that are embedded within cell membranes and that protrude to the outer surface of the cell have numerous vital functions, such as hormone reception, communication between cells, and cell identification. However, when a surface protein becomes incapacitated by glycation, it is changed into an AGE. Instead of helping cells communicate, the affected protein becomes a problem. Once an AGE is produced, it can actually speed up a chain reaction that furthers the damage to tissues (for example by promoting the formation of free radicals, or by affecting gene expression). AGE-induced tissue damage is especially noticeable in the following areas:

Arteries: AGE can cause tears in the blood vessels that the body then repairs with cholesterol.

Eyes: Excess blood glucose attaches to proteins in the lens. This causes crystallization of the lens, which may lead to the formation of cataracts.

Skin and Joints: Glucose in the blood attaches to collagen, thus causing the loss of elasticity in these tissues.

The reason why some people age gracefully, while other have skin that withers like leather or joints that be come stiff and brittle comes down to how quickly the pancreas is able to produce the insulin necessary to shuttle sugar into the cells. Aging gracefully also depends on how sensitive your cells are to insulin (that is, how efficiently insulin can bind to your cells to escort glucose in), and how many minerals you have in storage, such as chromium and vanadium, which enhances insulin functions.

The longer blood sugar remains elevated, the more damage to tissues results."

Here is a list of suggestions:

Eat 7-10 servings of vegetables per day. Any vegetable can count towards your servings except white/red potato and corn, which really should be considered a grain. Remember you can have as many green vegetables such as kale, bok choy, cabbage, spinach, broccoli, asparagus, celery, etc. and never have to worry about the calories!

All of the fats and oils that I use are healing and important for a healthy immune system, brain function, hormone balance and skin regeneration. When all four of these areas of the body are fed the Essential Fatty Acids they require the body does not crave fatty foods the same way. I also focus on healthy ways of cooking with oils. If you stay way from frying and using margarine or commercial mayonnaise, your body will use the fats to feed the body instead of pollute it. Use organic olive, hemp, flax or coconut oil. Supplement with fish oil such as krill.

Include complex carbohydrates in your diet such as fruit, squash, brown/wild rice and quinoa. All of the carbohydrates are full of fiber and nutrients that help balance the blood sugar. Once again if the brain is fed the carbohydrates it requires to function well, the body will not crave the sweets the same way.

Include a protein from an organic source be it meat, fish, poultry, eggs, quinoa, hemp or spirulina at each meal. We all need protein to replenish our cells, repair our bodies and help balance our blood sugar. Be sure to eat protein in balance with your other foods, as too much can put undue stress on your kidneys. If eating an animal protein source, note that each person only requires a serving that is about the size of the palm of his or her hand.

Acupuncture facials are an excellent way to repair the skin and reduce wrinkles. Used in conjunction with a restorative diet and supplementation, you can receive dramatic results.