Sorry for the silence, I was in Boston for a sports nutrition conference, promoting the Nordic Naturals line of fish oils. I've been sidelined from my half marathon training with a cranky knee, and it was so nice to get off of the elliptical trainer, get outside, and walk along the Charles River to and from my hotel and the conference!
Something I was very happy to see, throughout the conference, was the emphasis on nuts in general as a healthy food. I've been frustrated for a long, long time that the walnut people seemed to be the only nut commodity board with media contacts. Not that I don't like walnuts, but there's nothing wrong with other nuts as well.
I did an analysis for an article a few years ago, in which I compared the ratios of beneficial fats (omega-3's and monounsaturated) to potentially detrimental fats (omega-6's and polyunsaturated). And when they were all lined up in terms of most beneficial to least beneficial…walnuts actually turned up at the bottom of the list. Macadamias came out on top!
I use that analysis in my trainings, and dietitians will always immediately say,"But macadamias are so high in fat." Precisely. But it's the kind of fat that keeps us healthy. Lucky for me…my very favorite way to have nuts is macadamia nuts roasted in coffee, the way they fix them in Hawaii.
Anyway…(I tend to get distracted in this blog, don't I?)…
…one of the presentations showed data for macadamias, pecans, and pistachios, suggesting that they, too, are good foods to include in an anti-inflammatory (aka anti-PCOS and pro-fertility) diet. Nuts, in addition to good fats, have a variety of antioxidants that can delay and prevent aging and help fight stress. I even learned that the green part of pistachios contains lutein, which makes them good for eye health. Who knew a food so fun to eat would also be so helpful to my health?
Of course, there's a limit to how many nuts can be healthy, and fat has calories, no matter where it comes from. But if you're reaching for a handful of pistachios instead of a bag of Fritos, it's nice to know you're also reaching for better health.
Organic Bean Soup Ingredients: 1 cup organic 13 bean soup mixture 2 cups organic chicken broth 4 carrots 4 celery sticks 2 cloves fresh garlic ½ sweet onion 3 Tblsp diced fresh parsley 2 Tblsp diced fresh dill 1 piece wild atlantic Kombu Kelp Directions:Soak beans overnightThe next day, place beans in 2 cups chicken broth and bring to a boil, chop all the vegetables and herbs and add to the soup, can place kelp in whole or shred and place in before cookingCover and simmer for 2 hoursMakes 3-4 servings
Organic Beet Salad Ingredients: One large Beet or 2 small Walnuts-handful fresh dill-2 -3 sprigs 1 lemon Wash beets and scrub with brush over running water Peel the beet and chop into small evenly cut cubes. Place in a steamer and boil for 7-10 minutes. Place beets in a bowl of ice water to cool. When cool remove and place in bowl. Add chopped walnuts,chopped dill and juice of one lemon, refrigerate until cold and eat when read
This is to address some great questions about fish oil that Katie sent in.
Katie asked: after reading about fish oil and its obvious benefits, I finally bought some Carlson Super Omega-3 Fish Oil Concentrate soft gels yesterday at Whole Foods.
I have several questions I have tried to get answered via this site and the Internet, but can't seem to find clear answers, so I am throwing them out here, in hopes you can help.
1. The bottle says"Each Carlson Super Omega — 3 soft gel contains 1000 mg (1 gram) of a special concentrate of fish body oils from deep, cold-water fish which are especially rich in the important Omega-3's EPA and DHA." However, the Supplemental Facts read EPA 300 mg DHA 200 mg Other Omega-3's 100mg. I believe that adds up to 600mg. Right? There is no mention of the other 400 mg. Where are they? I'm very confused about this. Can you explain this to me? There is also Natural Vitamin E — 10 IU…incase that means something.
2. How many pills/mg am I supposed to take? I read between 1000 mg and 3000 mg. Which makes me confused again because even though the bottle says 1000 mg in each pill I can only find 600 of them! I want to make sure that I am taking enough, but not taking too much! How much do you take? Also, do I work up to that or just dive in?
3. Last question…is there anything else I should be taking with the fish oil? I know that sometimes if you take something you need to supplement with something else. Is that the case here?
Thank you in advance for your advice and information!
My response: Katie, these are really great questions and something that I am often asked by my clients. Here's the scoop:
1. The dosage on the ingredient list can indeed be very confusing and frankly I believe it is a way in which some supplement companies try to give the impression that you are getting a better product with higher potency, but it can be misleading. When the label states something like…"contains 1000 mg marine oil", you are not getting the complete information.
The critical ingredients and the amounts you need to know about are — how much EPA (eicosapentanoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are contained in each capsule.
EPA and DHA have been shown to support healthy functioning of the cardiovascular, immune, gastrointestinal, and musculoskeletal systems. EPA is also an excellent anti-inflammatory and helpful in conditions such as insulin resistance, diabetes and auto-immune related inflammation.
DHA is an important factor for those with PCOS as it supports many aspects of health including pregnancy, fetal development, and healthy neurological function.
The other"marine lipids" are simply the total fat of the fish, where the EPA and DHA are the active portions of that fat. It is the"actives" that are providing the therapeutic value. The vitamin E in the capsules is for preservative purposes and helps prevent rancidity of the fat.
2. Regarding the dosage you should take, that is a harder question to answer because it will depend on what you are trying to target. Those with PCOS should be targeting anywhere from 500 — 1000 mg. DHA. So you need to know how much DHA is in each cap, for example if the capsule has only 200mg. of DHA, you'll need to take 3 of them to get approximately 500mg. You can then work up to a higher dose, always start with the lower dose and work your way up. Sometimes it is easier to get a liquid version that is high potency versus taking handfuls of pills to achieve the same dose.
I do not recommend that you take a liquid fish oil that is derived from Cod Liver Oil as the source as it usually has a high amount of Vitamin A and it is possible to get toxic doses of vitamin A. Another thing to note is that in a combination EPA/DHA cap, the dosage EPA will usually be higher than the amount of DHA, that is no problem. The EPA will only be of additional benefit.
Don't hesitate consulting with a registered dietitian knowledgeable both in PCOS and supplements in order to have your supplementation tailored to your specific health needs — remember we are all different, with unique physiology, medical history and requirements.
3. Fish Oil does not have to be taken with anything else to enhance its function. It can be taken all at once, with meals, between meals — it is very flexible this way.
Here are a couple of additional tips:
- if you tend to"burp" back fish oil, make sure to buy a brand that comes in an"enterically coated capsule", they might cost a few cents more, but it's worth it. - refrigerate your fish oil to protect it and this also can help reduce"burp back". - contributes to creating beautiful, healthy skin.
One last fun fact about fish oil. Most of it actually comes from the southern hemisphere not as you might think from the deep waters off Norway!
Here's to fish oil!
Carmina McGee, MS, RD, LE Ventura, California 805.816.2629 info@carminamcgee.com
We know you all love recipes and inspiration, so we are excited to be joining a group of bloggers that will provide you even more of what you're looking for!
Recipe Redux is a monthly blogfest showcasing the creativity of registered dietitians who love to cook. At the beginning of the month we are each given a theme to work with, and on the 21st of each month, our creation relating to that challenge is posted, along with links to all of the other recipes our colleagues have provided.
Dietitians participating in this club agree to focus on at least one of the following in their recipes.
reduction in overall calories and/or sugar
increase in fiber
lowering of saturated fat and/or increase in mono- or poly-unsaturated fats
reduction in sodium/salt from processed foods
showcases at least one food group mentioned by the Dietary Guidelines as the basis of a healthy diet: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free and low-fat dairy products, seafood and beans
I encourage you to peruse the links at the bottom of this post, learn, and collect…since all the recipes are from registered dietitians, you can be reasonably confident that most of them will be healthier than what you might find on other websites. (I say that because we dietitians love the occasional indulgence as well, so you will find some dreamy fun entries in the collection!)
Our challenge this month was to create something using either maple syrup or honey. I decided to use one of my favorite treats on a cold night, champurrado, as the basis for which to create Mexican Oatmeal. Champurrado is a hot drink traditionally made with masa (the cornmeal you use to make tortillas), flavored with all of the spices native to Mexico (chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, fennel seed, and some type of sweetener). All of these are beneficial for inflammation and insulin resistance, so adding them to oatmeal makes a perfect hormone-friendly breakfast! I simply took those spices, switched out the masa for oatmeal and created the following breakfast you can make in your microwave. Think Mexican Hot Chocolate and oatmeal all mixed together…yummy, healthy, and full of energy to get you through to lunch!
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove, stir until chocolate is completely dissoved, and microwave for one minute more.
*You can use any dark chocolate, really, I just chose this one because it's what I keep around to make Mexican hot chocolate. The darker the chocolate the better…vegan chocolates will give you more antioxidant power as milk tends to bind the beneficial compounds and render them metabolically unavailable.
We get questions all the time about whether or not a food or diet is good for PCOS…gluten free, low-glycemic, paleo, raw, yadayadayada…
…all I really care about is whether or not your diet is anti-inflammatory. Here is a great too that I use all the time to gauge how clients are doing.
The website www.nutritiondata.com has a diet analysis tool that tells you how strongly anti-inflammatory your diet is. The picture here is a screenshot from a sample food so you can see that this analysis gives you a whole lot more than just calories. You get the same kind of analysis if you analyze your diet…and it's free!
Last night I attended an increasingly popular event here in Phoenix, the Places, Spaces and Faces Community Dinner. Once a month, my friend, architect Taz Loomans, finds an architecturally and/or artistically interesting venue and arranges a potluck dinner there. Everyone votes on their favorite within 4 categories: sweet, savory, beverage, and overall presentation. And the winners have to plan the theme for the next month!
August's event was hosted by the Modified Arts gallery, to celebrate their new"Converging Trajectories" exhibit. In sync with the event, the dinner's theme was fusion.
My favorite dessert was an Indian dish, which I loved because it was not too sweet but still delicious. It was made with ricotta cheese, which you've seen in this blog before because of its whey protein, high calcium content, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Rita Harkins Dickinson, the creator, shared the recipe so I could share it all with you:
16oz Ricotta Cheese
Half a cup of dry carnation milk
3/4 cup sugar (I recommend a little less)
Bake at 350 for about 40 — 50 minutes and top with pistachios and/or fruit.
I was impressed with how many participants shopped for their ingredients at the farmer's market earlier in the day, and how healthy the recipes were, in general. It was nice to see that"celebration" doesn't necessarily need to be fattening, and how eating locally and healthfully a natural choice and a desirable habit.
If you live in Phoenix and you're interested in coming next month, look for the Facebook Page entitled,"Places, Spaces, and Faces Community Dinner," and join to receive the invitation.
It's the end of summer and the basil plant on my patio is huge. Time for pesto!
Pesto sauce is a great PCOS food. It's based on olive oil, the pine nuts have a healthy omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, garlic has its health benefits we have all heard of. Add some parmesan cheese for calcium and voila! You're there!
Who knew the basil was throwing in its own punch? The oils found in basil leaves have anti-inflammatory activity (remember, PCOS is an inflammatory condition). It's also high in beta-carotene, antioxidants, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, and vitamin C.
If you're trying to watch your glycemic index, try quinoa pasta. It's a high protein, low GI grain that is now sold in spaghetti and pasta forms. Pesto also makes a good sandwich spread, a topper for grilled meat, and you can put it on baked potatoes or portabella mushrooms if you're a veggie! I recently found some pesto turkey burgers at Trader Joe's--all they did was mix some pesto sauce in with the turkey meat before making patties…something you can easily replicate at home.
It's easy to find the ready made version in just about any store these days, but it's super easy to make at home. Here is one recipe I found online.
Way back in the early 80's when I was a brand-new dietitian, we were taught to teach our clients to avoid nuts because of their high fat content. Today, nuts are the new health food. But research is often written up in ways that place a specific nut in the spotlight, without a big-picture perspective.
For example: Walnuts are routinely listed as"the" nut to eat because of their high omega-3 content. Most people do not realize that the omega-6 content of walnuts is so high that it is mathematically impossible to improve your dietary omega-6 to omega-3 ratio by eating only walnuts and no other nuts. Does that mean you shouldn't eat walnuts? Absolutely not! In all honesty, it is mathematically impossible to improve your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio with any nut. It is, however, yet another example of the imbalances we create when we focus on a handful of"super foods" and don't pursue variety.
Being the statistics nerd that I am, I spent the other afternoon looking at 10 different nuts in several different ways. I came to some interesting conclusions. Let me work you through what I did. I don't mean to be tedious, I just want to be transparent so anyone else can work through the analysis just as I did. If you're just looking for what nuts are best to eat,simply skip to the bottom of this post.
1. Analysis one: Best anti-inflammatory index (potential for a food to prevent or promote inflammation, as indexed at http://www.nutritiondata.com/), ranked in order of best to worst: macadamia hazelnut almond cashew peanut pistachio Brazil pecan walnut pine 2. Analysis two: Omega-3 fatty acid content, ranked from highest to lowest per ounce of nuts: walnut pecan pine pistachio macadamia cashew hazelnut Brazil peanut almond Important point of interest: almonds are the only nut that contain absolutely NO omega-3 fatty acids. 3. Analysis 3: Omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, ranked from lowest (most beneficial) to highest (least beneficial) walnut macadamia Brazil pecan cashew pistachio hazelnut pine peanut almond 4. Analysis 4: Total omega-3 and monounsaturated fat content, ranked from highest (most beneficial) to lowest macadamia hazelnut pecan almond cashew brazil peanut pistachio pine walnut 5. Analysis 5: Total saturated fat content, ranked from lowest (most beneficial) to highest walnut almond hazelnut pine pistachio pecan peanut cashew macadamia Brazil SUMMARY ANALYSIS: In each list, I placed a number"1" next to the top item, and numbered each nut below it in numerical order. Then I added up the scores for each nut based on their rank in each category. The lowest score shows the overall rank. This helps nuts that many not have one outstanding quality still receive a decent ranking--it gets credit, in other words, for being all-around pretty good without being written off for having one quality that is considered"bad" striking it off as"unhealthy". It also keeps a nut with one outstanding quality for getting too much credit when there may be nutritional aspects that truly keep it from being a superfood. The final rankings, with the most potentially beneficial at the top: macadamia hazelnut walnut pecan cashew almond/pistachio (tied) Brazil/pine (tied) peanut I guess you could say…just like people, all nuts have their good and not-so-great qualities. By spending too much time with one, you'll miss out on the benefits of the others. Diversify your interests, and you'll get the best benefit.
Food item of the week-a perfect match for a meal idea Here is a perfect combination from once again our good old friend"Trader Joes"Trader Joes brand Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds-crunchy and salty, it contains 320 mg ALA Omega 3 Fatty Acids per serving (approx 2 tsps) and the ingredients are merely peanuts, roasted golden flaxseeds and saltplus…Trader Joe's Organic Superfruit Spread (a blend of morello cherrys, red grapes, blueberries and pomegranates) which is mostly from juices but only 8 grams of sugar per tsp and contains 60% DV of Vit C per servingThis combination is an anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and pro-nutrient dense match and might I add, on some whole grain full of seeds bread, it is a yummy sandwich!!!!!!!! you can enjoy as a meal or snack! Posted by Ellen Reiss-Goldfarb, R.D. at 5:34 PM 0 comments Labels: ala, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, Ellen Goldfarb, Ellen Reiss-Goldfarb, Food Item of the Week, omega 3, PCOS Monday, June 29, 2009
It's my absolute favorite time of year, when cherries are cheap. I wait all summer for July! Even though I usually eat all my cherries before I have a chance to do anything else with them, a few years ago I did find a cherry salsa recipe in a Costco cookbook that earns raves every time I take it to a party.
Cherries are a great anti-inflammatory, and they are also high in melatonin. So they do double duty in helping to balance hormones. Eat them plain…throw them in a smoothie…try this salsa…no matter how you pit 'em, you can't go wrong!
