The Hemp Connection:
calcium

I've been getting a lot of questions about juicing lately, so it's clearly a popular trend right now. I love the fact that juicing gets more vegetables into people who normally wouldn't get them. However, there are some important things to know about juicing if your intent is to use it for a healthier diet.

1. Juice contains calories! Ounce for ounce, juice and soda are similar calorie-wise. 8 ounces of either is about 120 calories. Some of the sweeter juices are even more calorically dense. Don't get caught up in the false assumption that because it's juice, it's lower in calories, or that unlimited quantities are permissible.

2. When you juice your vegetables, you remove the fiber. In researching this blog post, I learned that many juicer companies actually sell this point, claiming that without the fiber, the nutrients that are left are more easily absorbed. The fiber itself is an important nutrient! Especially if you're someone who has trouble regulating energy or blood glucose levels. If you're counting on your juice as your source of all of your vegetables, you could be cutting yourself short on fiber.

3. If carrots are what you're juicing, be aware that you can overdose on vitamin A. I've seen this actually happen, it's not just a myth. If the pads of your hands and feet start to get an orange-ish tinge, and you've recently fallen in love with juicing carrots, you might want to think about the connection. Be sure to vary your juice ingredients.

4. Spinach, another common vegetable to juice, eaten in high quantities, is high in oxalates. This compound can prevent the absorption of iron, calcium, and magnesium. It can also promote the development of kidney stones. Oxalates leach out of spinach when it is cooked, but if you're using the juicer for convenience, this extra step may not be useful. Other foods high in oxalates, in case you're using them in your juicer, include rhubarb, beets and sorrel.

5. Juice contains little to no protein. You may find that when you switch to a juice-heavy diet, your craving for sweets increases. What I recommend to people who ask about juicing, is to make a smaller amount of juice and blend it in with milk, yogurt, or protein powder. I actually like to use 1 cup of plain yogurt, a ripe banana, one other piece of a different fruit, plus a handful of veggies and some ground flaxseed. I always vary the fruit and the vegetable to be sure I don't overload on any one food. And I keep the fiber and protein in my breakfast.

If you make those simple adjustments, the possibilities and combinations are endless. Enjoy!

One of the things I love about doing demos at Whole Foods is that they always have great food to sample! This past weekend I learned about baby kiwis. (I am always surprised at how, just about the time I think, at my age, and with my profession, I've encountered every kind of fruit and vegetable there is to eat…that something new pops up in the produce section!)

If you like kiwi fruit, these are the mini version. They're about the size of grapes, but they taste like kiwi fruit. They are very high in vitamin C, and they have a bit of calcium, vitamin A, and iron as well.

They'd be a great snack food to have in the refrigerator--be sure to store them at eye level instead of in the produce bin so you don't forget you have them!

Photo courtesy of melissas.com

I just read some information over the weekend targeted at women with PCOS, in which they were advised to eat more almonds because of their omega-3 content.

Please note, almonds do NOT contain omega-3 fatty acids. The only nuts that do, are walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachio nuts, hazelnuts, and cashew nuts. If you wish to verify this for yourself, by visiting the USDA Nutrient Database. The compound you want to look for is called"18:3 undifferentiated fat".

Almonds are not bad for you, and in fact, they contain a lot of great things. In fact, according to the Almond Board of California, they are the tree nut highest in calcium, vitamin E, riboflavin, and niacin. All of these nutrients are important for total PCOS wellness.

It's just important to know that if you're looking for ways to boost your omega-3 intake (which we strongly encourage at inCYST), almonds are not going to be the nut that gets you there.

Greek yogurt is all the rage these days. Are you missing something by not eating it?

Yes…and no.

This dairy treat is popular with consumers because it's thicker and creamier than regular yogurt. Nutrition experts like it because it is higher in protein. That, for PCOS is something to look for in foods.

Before you jump on the bandwagon, however, consider a couple of things.

Greek yogurt is made by straining out the water to make it thicker. In the process of straining, calcium leaches out into the water that is strained and discarded. This means that its calcium content tends to be lower.

Greek yogurt also doesn't contain vitamin D, a vitamin that is increasingly being found to be deficient in women with PCOS. I personally checked all major brand labels (Fage, Oikos, Chobani, and several other lesser known options) in the store to verify this, and unfortunately, not a single one is fortified with vitamin D.

So if you're using Greek yogurt as your dairy choice for the day, and you're assuming it's a good source of calcium and vitamin D, you're selling yourself short.

Fortunately, if you love Greek yogurt and you have a few minutes of time, the problem can easily be solved. It turns out, it's fairly easy to make Greek-style yogurt from regular, vitamin-D fortified yogurt! All you need to do is strain the regular yogurt with a cheesecloth. Here are the directions, with pictures.

Here is a list of yogurts that DO contain vitamin D. My recommendation is to stick with plain in order to keep the sugar content low. Also, to consider a low-fat rather than a non-fat version. Researchers have found that if only one of your dairy choices a day contains fat, you tend to increase your fertility.

If you want to, you can even save the liquid you've drained off and include it in smoothies--thus recapturing the calcium and the whey protein that's been drained off in the straining process.

Bottom line--don't assume that because yogurt is a dairy product that it is the exact nutritional equivalent of milk. And don't get caught up in the hype, and assume that Greek yogurt is automatically your superior choice.

Hazelnuts have always been around my house. When I was a little girl we even had a dog who knew how to crack them open and enjoy the kernel inside! They're a common ingredient in holiday cooking, which has me thinking of hazelnuts a lot right now.

Hazelnuts are not as commonly known in the United States as other nuts, but they are a great PCOS-friendly food to become acquainted with. Hazelnuts are very high in monounsaturated fatty acids, putting them in a category similar to macadamia nuts, olives, and avocadoes.

In addition, they are a good source of iron, calcium, zinc, and potassium.

You can enjoy them the way Coco used to, simply cracking them open and eating them, or you can grind them into powder to use in baked goods, breading for fish and poultry, and salad dressings…anywhere you might use ground flaxseeds. (I like the way my coffee tastes after I've ground hazelnuts then coffee in my coffee grinder!)

Here's a great recipe for hazelnut pad thai from the Hazelnut Council. To make it even more PCOS friendly, try it with Shirataki Noodles and use either hazelnut oil or canola oil for cooking.

I love to promote kale in my Whole Foods classes. It has omega-3's, trytophan (building block for serotonin), magnesium, iron, calcium, copper, and zinc, to name a few. It's also a member of the Brassica family, that cancer-fighting clan with more popular cousins named garlic, broccoli, cabbage, and brussels sprouts.

But I always get the same response (see deer in the headlights graphic). I know what's pumping through those brains…"Kale? Isn't that the pretty curly stuff lining the fruit and veggie platter? You can eat that?"

Yes, you can…and should…eat kale.

Here's a trick for you kale virgins, if you're not quite up to the task. Next time you make a smoothie, of any flavor, throw in a handful of kale. You won't even taste it. You can also throw it into your juicer.

If you want to actually taste kale, your next best step is to head to your nearest Whole Foods and try the kale salad which is a staple in their ready-to-eat case. That's how kale is supposed to taste, and according to those who have been on my Whole Foods tours who are encouraged to try the salad, it's pretty good!

Here are some kale recipes for those of you who did so well with steps one and two that you're ready to strike out into the Adventurous World of Kale.

I got started on a series recently about agave nectar, and then had to put it down to attend to other business projects. Today I wanted to focus on an aspect of agave nectar that may be one of its most important nutritional contributions.

A disclaimer must be included before I continue. This information is only going to be helpful if the agave is consumed in conjunction with the guidelines as described in my earlier post. If your diet is high in sugar, it is NOT a license to simply switch to a different sweetener and use ad libitum.

Agave contains compounds known as fructans, which researchers in Mexico recently reported may help prevent osteoporosis by increasing intestinal calcium absorption. These same researchers, based at the National Polytechnic Institute, Guanajuato, Mexico, have suggested that these same fructans"may be beneficial in diabetes, obesity, stimulating the immune system of the body, decreasing levels of disease-causing bacteria in the intestine, relieving constipation, and reducing the risk of colon cancer".

Fructans do their job by functioning as"prebiotics"--they provide nutrition for the healthy bacteria in the colon.

These bacteria have been reported to change the way fat is absorbed, leading some researchers to suggest that agave may have some weight loss-enhancing qualities (again, when used according to the guidelines for upper limit of intake. A calorie is a calorie, regardless of where it comes from).

Fructans are simply long, non-digestible chains of fructose. It explains why the fructose content of agave nectar is so high. However, it appears to be in a different chemical form than that of simple fructose. If you're familiar with the differences between simple sugar, complex carbohydrate, and fiber…fructans, the way fructose is packaged in agave, is a soluble fiber. It's not digested or absorbed, and because it stays in the large intestine, it promotes the growth of beneficial, disease-fighting bacteria.

If you are still skeptical, and I don't blame you, given the plethora of conflicting information on the Internet, I would recommend measuring your own triglycerides before using any agave nectar. Then re-check those levels 3 months later to see if there is a difference.

It is important on this blog that we get it right…so if you take the challenge and you DO experience elevated triglycerides, I'd love to hear from you. That is important information to share.

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.