The Hemp Connection:
iron

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

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.

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.

It's that time of year again, asparagus time!

I just love this veggie. You can eat it raw, steam it to go with your favorite fish, saute it and add it to your breakfast omelet, or marinate it in your favorite vinaigrette. If you're grilling your fish, you can put the aspargus out there just before serving time and cook it that way. One of my good friends taught me to cook asparagus in the microwave--just cover it with a paper towel and zap it for a very short time. So easy you'll wonder why you ever thought vegetables are high maintenance.

If that doesn't inspire you, here are 230 more ideas that hopefully will! http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Everyday-Cooking/Spring/Asparagus/Main.aspx

And did you know asparagus is a decent source of folic acid…which you need lots of if you're even thinking of getting pregnant? It also contains iron, something women can have a hard time getting into their diet.

My mom loves white asparagus, which in her native Germany is called"Spargel". It's a little harder to find here in the United States…but if you have a chance to try it you won't be disappointed. It's essentially a"blond" or"albino" asparagus, grown covered in soil to prevent photosynthesis, resulting in a less bitter version.

Next time you're in the grocery store I hope you think of this post and bring some home for yourself!