I was a little uninspired for this weekly feature until I made breakfast. Oatmeal is such a staple for me, it hadn't even occurred to me that I could talk about it here. It's not fancy, it's not expensive, it's not glamorous…it's just oatmeal. But it's filling, and it can be dressed up in so many different ways that, at least for me, it never feels like the same breakfast twice.
I like to put nuts, raisins, and dried fruit on my oatmeal. I also add my Omega 3 Brain Booster powder as a way to boost the nutritional content. I bought a bunch of glass canisters at IKEA, and I use them to store/display my oatmeal and all my different fixins'. They look so pretty and healthy it makes me want to use them, which is exactly the point!
Oatmeal has a great glycemic index, meaning it won't wreak havoc on your blood sugar. And that means you're less likely to be hungry in the morning because your blood sugar dropped at a time when lunch was still a ways away and there were donuts sitting in the break room.
A special oatmeal note for you frequent flyers. The international terminal at JFK airport (New York) has a wonderful oatmeal bar! You can fix it with just about anything you would want. I was so thrilled to find this, since much airport food can't even really be thought of as food. Check it out and enjoy!
One of the most frequently asked questions we get at inCYST, is whether or not a specific food raises blood glucose. It is understandable, given the fact that women with PCOS are insulin resistant and highly likely to develop diabetes, that this would be a concern.
And in response to that concern, it is understandable that nutrition and wellness experts often quote a list of foods to avoid in order to maintain a low-glycemic diet.
Did you know, this"low glycemic" list is highly variable? That even though there are trends, certain foods may affect one person more than another? and that a food that has a tendency to be"high glycemic" on its own…may be perfectly fine when eaten with a mixed meal?
Those high glycemic lists floating around the Internet tend to report the response of your body to a food when it is eaten by itself. So all of those people telling you not to eat carrots or bananas are not telling you the entire story. We rarely eat that way. If you dip carrots in hummus, or eat a banana in a smoothie with Greek yogurt, for example, your body will respond completely differently to that nutrient mix than it would eating either of those foods by themselves.
So when you ask us if a food raises blood sugar and whether or not you should eat it, unless someone has measured YOUR blood sugar two hours after you have eaten it, any advice they give you is pure surmising and not based on relevant factual information.
You can do these tests yourself, you know. All you have to do, is buy a glucose meter at your nearest drug store and test your blood sugar a couple of hours after eating a meal. And before you conclude whether or not a food doesn't work for you, you need to try it alone, in a mixed meal, and at different times of day in order to determine how your body interacts with it.
My point here is, a nutrition, fitness, or wellness expert who is merely parroting information he or she has read on another website and is not customizing that advice to YOU is doing you a disservice. You may be cutting out perfectly healthy foods that you could eat in the right situation. You may be dealing with a food sensitivity that is not going to respond to a low glycemic diet.
Why waste time on information anyone can Google when you can tailor information to your own personal situation?
We love to do this kind of detective work at inCYST, and our network members have taken a lot of time to learn how to interpret that kind of data and make specific recommendations based on how YOUR body works.
Listen to someone who doesn't know you and who may be misguiding you, for free…or get evidence-based, customized information with personal relevance. It may cost you in the short term but save you a lot of trouble in the end.
I recently received a review copy of the Glycemic Index Cookbook for Dummies, by Meri Raffetto, RD, and Rosanne Rust, MS, RD, LDN. Meri's name may sound familiar to some of you, as she also wrote the Glycemic Index Diet for Dummies.
This followup book is a nice practical guide to putting the principles of the glycemic index into action. I like this. I can't tell you how many times I've spoken to groups of women with PCOS who can repeat the many sound principles of diet for PCOS, as if they have more education than I do on the topic, but look at me like a deer in the headlights at the end of the presentation when I ask,"OK, now what are you all cooking for dinner?"
What really matters is not how much you KNOW about what to eat, but how often you EAT based on what you know. This book transitions you from theory into practice.
This book is not lacking in theory, however. It nicely distinguishes between low-glycemic foods and a low-glycemic diet, for example. You don't always get both with the same food choice.
The authors are also very good about discussing in detail the many factors besides diet (like stress, binge eating, not attending to portion sizes, for example), that can interfere with good blood glucose control.
Once they make sure you're on board with the principles of low-glycemic eating as they were intended to be used, they proceed to what to eat. Even there, they're entirely practical, reminding readers that if you haven't taken the time to stock your kitchen with the right items, you're not going to eat the way you say you want to. From planning your menus, and making your shopping list, to organizing your kitchen to navigating the grocery store, Meri and Rosanne work you through setting yourself up for success.
And then…about 2/3 of the book is actual recipes to use. If the recipes don't make you wonder why it took you so long to try this way of eating, the beautiful food photography in the middle of the book will certainly start you thinking!
Trust me, I saw chocolate, cream cheese cake, asparagus and goat cheese and toasted walnuts, cheesy quinoa with spinach, and even spaghetti, yes spaghetti!
If you're done with the theorizing and ready to get in the kitchen and get your eating plan off on the right foot, consider adding this book to your library.
Click here to order the Glycemic Index for Dummies Click here to order the Glycemic Index Cookbook for Dummies — paperback version Click here to order the Glycemic Index Cookbook for Dummies — Kindle version
Disclaimer: I do want to add that Meri is a personal friend and she did mention inCYST in her book as a PCOS resource. Because of this I do have a bias that cannot be avoided. However, I have declined to promote friends with other books, products and services on the blog that were not the right fit for our audience. I do my best to stay 100% fair, but I want you to know it's not a perfect world. Just wanted to be sure you know where I stand on the issue.
One of the most frustrating things for me, when working with people who want to eat healthier…is their focus on wanting me to tell them what NOT to eat. The fact is…when you're eating healthfully, you're likely to be eating many more foods than you do when you're out of balance. Most people get into ruts and eat the same few foods over and over, because it's easy and convenient.
I always like to tell clients that my job is to get them eating a whole lot more variety, and to make eating FUN, not about deprivation. That way, if there ARE foods you need to cut back on, it will be a little bit easier because you're adding new and fun foods in their place.
So…I thought that challenging blog readers to incorporate a new food a week might be a fun way to move them (that means YOU) gradually toward more balanced eating.
This week I chose hummous. Way back when I was in college, this was pretty much a food that you could only find in esoteric vegetarian restaurants and middle Eastern grocers. Now, I see it in my local grocery store. And I see it in many new and different flavors…garlic, black bean, jalapeno/cilantro, sun-dried tomato…I know I'm leaving out some good ones, but you get the point.
From a medical/nutritional standpoint, I like hummous, because it shows up low on the glycemic index scale (means your blood sugar will like this food!). It's also typically made with olive oil, which is a better fat than the fats you'll find in some other processed foods. From a practical standpoint, it's cheap and it's ready made. On baked pita chips or with vegetables, it makes a great snack.
Last weekend I was doing a demo for a client at Whole Foods and the local hummous guy was down the aisle. His samples were flying off the table faster than he could serve them up, and practically everyone walking by MY demo had a box of pita chips and a package of hummous in their cart. So I'm not just pushing something because of my personal taste. I know that if you've never tried this gem, it's worth being curious to see what the buzz is about.
You can make hummous yourself if you plan ahead and have the ingredients on hand. There are a gazillion recipes to Google, so I'll let you do that legwork.
But for the next 7 days, I challenge you to try hummous. And if you think of it, share your comments. They might make it easier for another blog reader to try something new. What's your favorite brand? How do you like to eat it?
Why would I pick such an esoteric fruit for this blog? I've got several reasons.
1. I have been asked to be part of a committee here in Phoenix that organizes Get Your PHX, monthly events promoting local businesses. Because my specialty is nutrition, I've been assigned the task of finding food for these parties. It's a great opportunity to give my fellow Phoenicians a chance to try some of the principles promoted on this blog--eat a variety of foods, organic and locally grown when possible--and to see that it actually tastes great!
The restaurant I am working with for next week's event is called The Breadfruit. It's a small but very popular joint in downtown Phoenix that obtains quite a few of its ingredients from the farmer's market around the corner. I joined The Breadfruit's Facebook fan page, and Sasha Ottey of PCOS Challenge, who is originally from Jamaica, commented that the breadfruit is a staple of Jamaica. So, for Sasha, I'm highlighting this food.
2. Women with PCOS often cut back what they are eating to just a small list of foods that they've culled from the Internet, at the expense of their dietary variety. I worked with eating disorders before specializing in PCOS, and my observation is that there is a lot more fear about food with PCOS than with eating disorders. I would guess, it has to do with wanting so badly to conceive, or lose weight, or whatever, that (unrealistic) magical powers to help or hurt PCOS start to be attached to certain food. There is no such top ten list of PCOS cure foods. In fact, the more varied your diet, the more nutrients you can get. So I wanted to pick a food that challenged all of you to think outside of that top ten list.
3. Dietary regimens for PCOS take all the fun out of food. It becomes a chore, eating the same foods over and over becomes boring, and eventually the backlash is likely to become a binge on foods that are counterproductive to PCOS. I encourage you all to have fun with food! Even if you're not coming to Get Your PHX next week, if you have an opportunity to try Jamaican food, or Korean food, or Bolivian food…don't pass it up! You might find something you like that you can add to your routine.
Back to breadfruit. What is it? It's a starchy staple of tropical nations around the world. It is typically cooked before eating, and it gets its name from its bread-like flavor. It can also be stored, fermented, and turned into a paste.
In economically disadvanted countries, breadfruit is consumed in large quantities that would not be appropriate for someone trying to balance their carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake. As a side dish, in moderation, it does provide vitamin C, choline, thiamine, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, and a lot of dietary fiber--11 grams per serving! And even though it is starchy, its glycemic index is not high, likely due to its fiber content.
So if you're out having fun, and the menu includes something exotic, don't pass it up just because it's not salmon, broccoli, walnuts, or blueberries. Mother Earth has a bounty of options that are good for you, fun to try, and pleasing to your palate.
Many of you already know you're insulin resistant, and are receiving medical attention for that. Here are the basic nutrition and lifestyle actions you can take to further help minimize the impact of that issue on your pregnancy success.
1. Move! I'm a distance runner. As much as I love running, however, I have a lot of other activities I love to do. Having a variety of activities to rotate through prevents boredom, and it involves different muscle groups in exercise. I learned to vary after a ski injury that sidelined my running for a year. You don't want that to happen, to become so dependent on one activity that you set yourself up to lose activity completely. These days I run, but I also walk, rollerblade, garden, hike, golf, swim and do yoga. (Ivonne recently talked me into trying a tango class. I think dancing is my new favorite!) Any little thing you can do that tells your body it needs to get better at moving glucose into muscle cells…is what you need to do.
2. Commit yourself to better sleeping habits. Poor sleep, either few hours or bad quality, interferes with insulin function. The clients I work with who prioritize better sleep are the ones who notice feeling better the soonest. It can be a hard one if you love the late night shows, easily get lost in the Internet, or don't set good boundaries with others. But good sleep is one of the most important things you can give yourself. If you search"sleep" in this blog there is a lot of information about how to achieve this.
3. Watch the caffeine. This goes hand in hand with #2. Caffeine in coffee, tea (it's in green tea, too, so be aware), chocolate…it all challenges healthy sleep. It's something you are best to live without during pregnancy anyway, so why not get used to decaffeinated life now if that's where you want to be?
4. Be aware of glycemic index. Foods with a low glycemic index are foods that don't challenge your insulin function as much as other foods. It's not that high glycemic foods are"bad", it's just that they should not be eaten as often. In order to make a MEAL lower-glycemic, be sure you have a good balance of carbs, fats, and proteins. People eating on the run tend to challenge glycemic function either by eating large quantities of fast food or nibbling all day long on carbs without making time for protein.
5. Pay attention to your fats. One reason I push the fish oil so much is that it really helps to improve insulin function."S" and"C" oils--safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn, cottonseed…tend to worsen glycemic function. They're found in processed foods, baked goods, and salad dressings. One reason I love teaching my classes at Whole Foods is that their entire deli uses only olive and canola (the only"C" exception) and you can literally choose what you want without ingredient anxiety.
6. Add a little cinnamon to your low-glycemic oatmeal. It has been found to improve insulin function…and it's tasty!
A word about metformin. Some women complain about digestive disturbances with this medication. A physician once shared that if you eat a lot of carbs (particularly sweets) while on the medication, it can cause diarrhea. So be forewarned, taking the medication is not a license to eat what you want, assuming metformin is going to do all the work. Metformin is most effective if you use it in conjunction with the guidelines in this post.
Next progesterone post we'll talk about poor nutrition. It is very important!
“Gretchen, oh Gretchen! It’s Halloween, come on, I’m so tiny, just eat me. You deserve a treat. I’m only here once a year.” Sound familiar when you substitute your own name?
A few M&Ms, an itty-bitty Butterfinger, those adorable little packets of candy corn, or whatever form of cheap sugar it is that you favor are probably calling your name – LOUDLY – right about now. If you haven’t already succumbed repeatedly to the bowls scattered throughout many offices, or sneaking some out of the stash you intend to distribute tonight, or if you didn’t full-on snag an entire bag of your favorites for yourself, which is even now lurking in your desk drawer. I know the drill. You’ve got that guilty laugh, don’t you?
It’s darn near impossible to be perfect around the issue of refined sugar. It’s in everything from the obvious baked goods and candy to the less obvious prepared salad dressings and sauces – even a Chinese stir-fry or some other meat dishes. Many of us set abstinence from sugars as a goal, and/or adhering to a low-glycemic diet. This is a great idea generally speaking. But we’re entering the time of year when treats abound (I’d say treat season pretty well spans Halloween through Valentine’s Day, which is a long time to be totally out of control), and it’s time to get a grip on yourself, and implement a strategy that works. Here are some of my favorite self-protection strategies:
• Don’t buy the stuff – DUH!? If you don’t have it in your house, you can’t eat it. Or at least you’d have to go make a special trip to buy it, which gives you enough time to re-think that idea. Refusal to participate in self-destruction is empowering.
• If you must buy it, buy something you don’t like – personally, there’s no way on earth I’m going to eat gumballs, Twizzlers, or Skittles. If that’s what I’m handing out, it’s ALL leaving the house. Saved!
• Turn down offers quickly – when you’re standing at the receptionist’s counter staring at that giant bowl of toxic sugar, and she pushes some on you like a perfect hostess, quickly excuse yourself by saying you’re diabetic, you’re allergic to chocolate, or whatever else you need to say. This is one occasion where you should feel free to lie. It’s highly likely the embarrassment and potential questioning (“Um, I’m not trying to tell you what to do, but didn’t you say you were diabetic?!) will prevent you from sticking your hand in that very public bowl.
• Buy yourself a real treat – if I’m going to do chocolate, I want it to be European, very dark, very smooth, and preferably kind of expensive. That doesn’t sound like any of the usual Halloween treats, does it? Better yet, buy yourself a non-food item as a reward for your good behavior. Make your calories and your glycemic bumps meaningful, for cryin’ out loud!
I’m all for self-indulgence, but I believe it is best practiced with thoughtfulness and, frankly, dedication. We should PLAN for indulgence, actually. It shouldn’t be random, stupid, or designed to give you a sugar rush followed by a sugar crash, wildly fluctuating insulin levels, and a bad mood (because yes, the sugar crash causes headaches, stomach aches, insomnia, and contributes to anxiety and depression).
In the world of PCOS, you need to make smart choices. I don’t think choosing cheap Halloween candy is a good choice for your mind or your body because it doesn’t make you feel better, bottom line, and I’m all about feeling better, not throwing things out of balance.
Gretchen Kubacky, Psy.D. is a Health Psychologist in private practice in West Los Angeles, California. She specializes in counseling women and couples who are coping with infertility, PCOS, and related endocrine disorders and chronic illnesses.
If you would like to learn more about Dr. HOUSE or her practice, or obtain referrals in the Los Angeles area, please visit her website at www.drhousemd.com, or e-mail her at Gretchen@drhousemd.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @askdrhousemd.
I'm glad you stopped by the blog. I thought I would answer your question since it's likely one that others have. It's a little more complicated of an answer than you might have anticipated.
SCENARIO ONE: Empowered Use of Ice Cream
If you're eating well in general, and you'd like to have a little bit of ice cream once in awhile, good for you! It turns out that ice cream, because of its fat content, has a lower glycemic index than many people would anticipate. And…women who eat at least one fat-containing serving of dairy are more fertile than women who do not. The best way to capitalize on this, is to eat ice cream in conjunction with a meal, so that the protein and the fat from that meal further modulate blood glucose levels. The fewer ingredients, preservatives, additives, and stablizers your ice cream has, the better. Eat it at the table, not standing in the kitchen, not out of the carton, not sitting in front of the TV. Savor every delicious spoonful.
SCENARIO TWO: Ice Cream's Calling the Shots
The worst way you can ever eat ice cream, is by the bowlful, right before bedtime. Raising your blood sugar around bedtime increases the risk of precipitous drops in blood glucose during sleep. In response, your body will secrete cortisol to bring the blood sugar back up, so that when you wake up, you've got a high fasting blood sugar. It is why you may not be hungry for breakfast. Start to take notice — what was going on in your food world the 12 hours before you woke up not hungry? If you can identify either a long stretch of not eating, or eating something high in sugar, not balanced with protein…figure out a way to change it.
The most important question I might ask you here, is why you're looking for PCOS-friendly ice cream. If the answer is, you're not quite ready to make true PCOS-friendly changes, and hoping there is a way for you to continue along your path that, while comfortable, is heading you down a serious path of medical complications, you're in denial. It simply doesn't work that way.
There is no ice cream, no ice cream at all, that is PCOS-friendly when eaten as an emotional outlet for loneliness, stress, anger, frustration, or any other emotion you're struggling with. You're only fueling your PCOS fire and making it worse by using food to cope with the emotions the disease is intensifying. Perhaps your PCOS diagnosis is your invitation to learn to use other outlets for those emotions, rather than hiding from them or self-medicating. If that is what you want, you need to be honest with yourself. You're looking for binge-friendly foods, not PCOS friendly foods. That's NOT what we write about or support.
Last week I posted a quote on my Facebook page that came across my Twitterfeed:"Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die". I got more than a dozen"likes" for that one. If you're bingeing on ice cream because you're angry at your spouse, your doctor, me, your diagnosis, your body, whatever…all of us walk away unscathed. The only person you're hurting is you.
Make this the day that ice cream becomes something you have a little taste of after a satisfying meal, and stops being the thing you turn to when something is feeling out of control.
Marissa Kent of Mission Viejo, California wrote a wonderful article about watermelon for her August newsletter. Be sure to check out the watermelon salad recipe at the bottom of the post!
In addition to being a dietitian specializing in eating disorders and a certified diabetes educator, Marissa loves food, cooking, and hanging out at her local farmer's market.
You can learn more about Marissa and her nutrition counseling services at http://www.marissakentnutrition.com/.
One of the most enjoyed fruits during the hot season is the watermelon (Citrullus lanatus), which originated from Africa. Did you know a watermelon is 95% water, and there are more than 200 to 300 varieties grown in the United States alone? Only about half a dozen of those varieties make it into your supermarket. There is even a square shaped watermelon grown in Japan, so that it will fit into refrigerator shelves nicely and not take up too much space.
Watermelons do grow from a vine, but the melon is on top of the ground. Growing a watermelon can be very demanding. They require a lot of sunlight, space, water, and nutrients.It takes about 90 days for a full mature watermelon. California’s peak season for watermelon is May – October, but in general you can buy watermelon throughout the year.
Picking a watermelon requires both talent and skill, or just pure luck. Ideally you want a firm, smooth melon with a yellowish creamy-white underside where it touched ground. Ripe watermelons should have a healthy sheen and a melon smell. One popular way of picking a watermelon is by knocking on the melon with your knuckles and listening for a dull, hollow sound. The unripe melons have a higher pitched sound.
Most people prefer watermelons for the cool sweet refreshing taste, but little do they know a watermelon is filled with nutrition.
Nutrition values:
1 cup of diced watermelon: 50 calories 11 grams of carbohydrate 0.6 grams of fiber 9 grams of sugar 1 gram protein– (can you believe it!) 11 mg calcium 170 mg potassium– (helps you stay hydrated) 12.5 mg Vit. C 875 IU (International Units) Vit. A 6900 mcg (micrograms) lycopene — Wow!
Watermelon (as defined by its name) mostly consists of water. It’s a great source for keeping your body hydrated during this hot season. Most of the water will come out of your body through sweat or urination. This does not mean it is low in nutritional value!
The top 2 benefits of eating a watermelon are: 1) the values of vitamin A and 2) lycopene. Both of these are antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect the body from damage caused by free radicals (highly reactive and unstable molecules). Vitamin A aids in the building and strengthening of bones, soft tissue, skin, and mucous membranes. Lycopene is in the subcategory of Vitamin A, and has been shown in recent studies to have potential health benefits to reduce the risk of cancer! Watermelon contains potassium. Potassium helps trigger your heart’s squeeze of blood through your body. It also helps with reducing the amount of muscle cramps.
People with diabetes may be concerned with the sugar content of watermelon. However, other foods you eat with watermelon will reduce the impact on your blood sugar.
Glycemic index refers to how fast a specific carbohydrate (bread, rice, potato, fruits, etc… ) food raises the blood sugar within a given time. The glycemic index of a food can change when you eat a combination of nutrients (carbohydrate, protein, fat). Watermelon (as defined by its name) mostly consists of water. It’s a great source for keeping your body hydrated during this hot season. Most of the water will come out of your body through sweat or urination. This does not mean it is low in nutritional value!
The top 2 benefits of eating a watermelon are: 1) the values of vitamin A and 2) lycopene. Both of these are antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect the body from damage caused by free radicals (highly reactive and unstable molecules). Vitamin A aids in the building and strengthening of bones, soft tissue, skin, and mucous membranes. Lycopene is in the subcategory of Vitamin A, and has been shown in recent studies to have potential health benefits to reduce the risk of cancer! Watermelon contains potassium. Potassium helps trigger your heart’s squeeze of blood through your body. It also helps with reducing the amount of muscle cramps.
People with diabetes may be concerned with the sugar content of watermelon. However, other foods you eat with watermelon will reduce the impact on your blood sugar.
Glycemic index refers to how fast a specific carbohydrate (bread, rice, potato, fruits, etc… ) food raises the blood sugar within a given time. The glycemic index of a food can change when you eat a combination of nutrients (carbohydrate, protein, fat).
For example, if you are eating a hamburger and then a slice of watermelon, that will decrease the time it takes to rise the sugar level. You may want to work with a dietitian to learn more about combining and preparing foods to achieve the lowest glycemic index levels in your meals.
The glycemic index of a watermelon is 72, which is high compared to the chart below. Most nonstarchy vegetables, legumes, high fiber fruits and grains, have a low glycemic index.
Here is a chart of the levels of the glycemic index:
Low (good) glycemic index levels: 55 or less
Medium glycemic index levels: 56–69
High (bad) glycemic index levels: 70 or higher
In conclusion, the glycemic index of watermelon is high. If you stay within the recommended portion size (1 cup diced), your blood sugar will not be significantly affected. In addition, if you enjoy watermelon with a meal this will further balance blood sugar.
Enjoy picking out and eating your watermelon while we are still in summer!!!
Watermelon Summer Salad
Dressing:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons) 1/4 cup minced shallots (1 large) 1 T honey 1/2 cup olive oil 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Salad:
6 cups of baby arugula, washed 1/8 of a seedless watermelon, rind removed and cut into 1 inch cubes 12 oz of feta cheese, 1/2 inch diced 1/2 cup whole fresh mint leaves, julienned
Directions
Whisk together the orange juice, lemon juice and shallots, honey, salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking constantly to form an emulsion. If not using within an hour, store the vinaigrette covered in the refrigerator.
Place arugula, watermelon, feta, and mint in a large bowl. Drizzle with enough vinaigrette to coat the greens lightly and toss well. Taste and serve immediately
A few years ago I stumbled on a website that is a great resource for people wanting to learn about the relative health benefits of individual foods.
This website, www.nutritiondata.com, provides some PCOS-pertinent information in addition to the the traditional calories/carbs/vitamin content most other websites provide:
1. Fullness Factor: An indication of how physiologically full a food is likely to leave you feeling. For those of you who are trying to lose weight, the closer to the upper right hand corner you get, the more supportive of your weight loss goal that food is likely to be.
2. Caloric Ratio Pyramid: If you've been advised to eat a certain percentage of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, this section will tell you how closely you are meeting that goal.
3. Estimated Glycemic Load: Gives you an idea how your food choices are promoting…or discouraging…good insulin function.
4. Inflammation Factor: Since PCOS is a disease of inflammation, your goal is to have as anti-inflammatory of an eating pattern as possible.
You can keep your food diary here and see how a daily total adds up.
It's important to remember when using a tool such as this, there is no perfect way of eating, and no good or bad food. A food that is more inflammatory or less filling isn't bad, it's just one that needs to be eaten in smaller quantities in order to not throw your daily nutritional value in the pro-inflammatory direction.
I italicized the word physiological above because this tool does not work with emotional hunger. If you're using food to cope with depression, in response to negative pregnancy tests, or as an outlet for feelings you may have about PCOS-induced appearance issues…it's important to ask for help in learning outlets with less potential to be self-destructive.
Our"Food of the Week" feature is designed to help encourage a variety of foods, since many women dealing with PCOS have been on so many restrictive diets and yo-yoed back to an even higher weight, they often find themselves in a place where they don't even know how to get started on truly healthy eating. We can't possibly tell you every single food that will work, but we can trigger some ideas. With a tool such as this website, you can hopefully take the information you've learned here and apply it to your entire daily intake.
Many of you are following the Low GI (Glycemic Index) diet, which sorts food based on their potential to raise blood glucose. The approach I hear many on this diet use, is very black and white; in other words, if a food has a high GI, it's not to be eaten. Unfortunately, this may be overly restrictive and not entirely reflective of how food acts in the body. The glycemic load of a food is far more important.
Glycemic index for a given food is calculated when a food is eaten all alone, without any other foods. We simply do not eat that way. We eat foods in combinations, and what really matters is how the combinations of foods affect our metabolism.
The glycemic load of a food takes into account the amount of a food consumed as well as the amount of glycemic sugars (net carbs) it contains. Nutritiondata.com has a nice explanation of the concept, and for each food in its database, the glycemic load is provided.
A really good example of the importance of looking at the whole food is to look at the glycemic loads for 4 ounces of fat free ice cream vs. 4 ounces of regular ice cream. Four ounces of fat-free vanilla ice cream, the option many people would think would be best…has a glycemic load of 16, and four ounces of regular vanilla ice cream has a glycemic load of 8. That is because the fat in the regular ice cream helps to slow down the rate at which the sugar in the ice cream is absorbed into the bloodstream.
If you were to assume that because the regular vanilla ice cream was a better choice, however, and overindulge, it would only take a double serving to erase the difference.
Bottom line: --Variety in food choices is as important to your overall blood glucose as is types of foods --Too much of any food will eventually affect your blood glucose…there is no such thing as healthy bingeing or low glycemic food comas! --When you eat a food with a high"glycemic index", eat a small amount in conjunction with foods that make it harder to have an immediate opportunity to raise your blood sugar. --I have also found that"high glycemic" foods are best tolerated if eaten earlier in the day, so they have a better opportunity to be used in conjunction with your physical activity, rather than late in the day, when you're just not burning as many calories.
Nutritiondata.com recommends that glycemic load for a day be kept below 100. I would add to that, that the more the total can be spread across the day, the better.
I love fruit. All fruit. I could survive on it if it was nutritionally complete.
I am also surprised at how many women with PCOS avoid fruit, because they've been told it's too high in carbohydrates. And then they tell me about what they binged on late at night after a full day of avoiding fruit.
Fruit isn't just carbs. It's fiber. And vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants! Lots and lots of antioxidants! This word should be tattooed backward on all of your foreheads so that every time you look in the mirror you are reminded that PCOS is oxidizing you faster than your body normally would allow itself to be…and your best defense is…fruits and vegetables!
Fruit is best eaten with a protein, so that its glycemic effect is lessened. I thought, while fruit was in high season, I'd post a weekly fruit idea and see how it gets you started.
I'm really in love with this tea and fruit idea I recently wrote about. It's really just decaffeinated tea with sliced fruit in the bottom, like you'd see in sangria. This really adds so little sugar to the batch that you can have it without worrying too much about the carbs. The tea itself has antioxidants, especially if you use decaffeinated green tea, which gives you a potent double whammy that is far better for your body than any soda ever canned.
You can make tee-gria with any kind of fruit that's cheap. So I've just been going to the store, buying a bunch of fruit on sale, and making decaffeinated tea. It's just sweet enough, without being too sweet, and a nice change from water. Right now I have peaches in my tea. I am curious how the cherries are going to taste!
The combinations of fruits and teas out there, could keep you busy experimenting for years! If you came up with a great combination in your own kitchen…please share with us!
