The Hemp Connection:
power

My friend Steven recently returned from a vacation to Australia. He shared this photo of vegemite ice cream! It reminded me that our friends Down Under have a culinary love affair with a food our vegan readers should become better acquainted with. That is, brewer's yeast.

Vegemite (also known as Marmite if it is produced in the UK, New Zealand, or South Africa, and Cenovis if made in Switzerland) is a dark paste made from brewer's yeast leftover after the brewing process. It's most commonly eaten as a spread on bread, as shown in this photo.

Some of the more common descriptions of Vegemite's taste include: salty, bitter, like beef bouillon. One friend described as"Australian miso". It's never really taken off in the United States, but my friends from places where it is common do seem to"Jones" for it when they've gone awhile without a fix.

Nutritionally, Vegemite is an incredible powerhouse! It is very high in thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and folic acid, all vitamins which women with PCOS need more of. Kraft, maker of Vegemite, has a website with some interesting recipes for the adventurous reader, including this one for a roast pumpkin and leek risotto. I may have to buy some myself just in the name of trying that one!

One of the things I like about Vegemite is that it is actually made from the leftovers of the beer-making process. In short, leftover yeast cells are processed and combined with salt, celery extract, and onion extract to make the popular black paste. So it's green as well as nutritious, meaning everyone wins!

If you happen to be reading this from Vegemite's home turf, be on the lookout for a new product released just last month. My First Vegemite, actually designed for children, is 50% lower in sodium. It's also fortified with vitamins B6 and B12, which makes it even more attractive to vegans, who have a hard time finding sources of vitamin B12 that are compatible with their food philosophy.

While nutrition purists may insist that Vegemite is too salty, I maintain that in moderation, and used in other recipes, it has its benefits. Amazon.com has not yet picked up this new product but I did find it on eBay.

I'm not an expert on this food, but I'm told Vegemite's cousin Marmite, which is actually available at the local Fresh and Easy, is milder in flavor and also contains vitamin B12 which the original Vegemite does not. That IS available on amazon.com if you're not close to Australia, Fresh and Easy, or other store catering to expat Aussies.

I'm still wrapping my head around vegemite ice cream…though my adventures with jalapeno beer (local), reindeer sausage (on a trip to Alaska), and elk steak (on a ski trip to Steamboat Springs) were far from disappointing. Hmmmm…may I'll have to scheme a business trip to Australia and do some in-depth journalism…

To our many Aussie readers, thank you for your visits! I see you on our stats and I appreciate your visits. I've actually been timing new posts to show in concert with YOUR early evenings, not ours. I hope you find us helpful, mates…be sure to ask questions when you have them! And if you have ideas for how to use your food that we newbies might appreciate, please share!

To our vegan readers, stay tuned. More on brewer's yeast tomorrow. You REALLY need to become friendly with this nutritional gem.

Last month I was part of a team of 16 speakers invited to present at the very first Ignite Food. I am pasting the link that gets you to all of the presentations so you can enjoy the evening vicariously. It was a great time, I met a lot of new people with similar interests, and look forward to meeting and collaborating with at least a few of them on similar projects. We had everything from chefs to gardeners to ranchers on stage, which offered a perfect variety of viewpoints of food and where it comes from.

Click here if you'd like to see more!

I noticed on watching the video that I was so intent on not moving from the tape line on the floor so as not to move out of camera range…all the energy I normally put into moving around more on stage was channeled into a little bit of bobbing. So sorry about that! This was a new experience for me. Note to self, practice that part next time around!

If you have trouble hearing what I was saying, and you are interested, please let me know. I am considering re-recording the presentation using the same slides. The experience helped me to refine a message about food and health that I have been working on for a long time, and I'd be happy to put something together. I was appealing to the audience to consider how much we might be able to lower our health care budgets, personally and nationally, if we started respecting the healing powers of foods growing all around us.

Just a few weeks ago, I was talking with my husband about the amount of money I spend buying healthy food every month. I often wonder why the foods that are the most damaging to our nutrition are so much less expensive than foods that protect and nourish our bodies in so many different beneficial ways. Then again, when I wander through specialty organic grocery stores, I wonder why some of the prices are so outrageous; however, every once in a while you stumble upon a food item that you just can’t resist trying, even if it more than you usually spend on good nutrition.

Since watching my weight is my third “full time job,” I’m always looking for foods to add to my list of staples, as well as adding some variety to my vegetable and protein intake. I’ve never been one to experiment with exotic foods, but in the last two months, I’ve found myself drawn to organic nut, seed, and coconut oil based products. With this new quest, I came across a wonderful product, Pistachio Pesto, made by Living Tree Community Foods. You’ve probably read on this very blog about the health benefits of pistachios, a powerful and protective nut that is a great addition to your diet. Check out the following link if you want to read up on the pistachio. http://www.incyst.com/2009/04/food-of-week-pistachio-nuts.html

While I’ve never been a fan of pesto, I couldn’t resist giving the Pistachio Pesto a try, particularly after reading the list of all organic ingredients, which includes sun-dried tomatoes, sun-dried black olives, raw sesame, and olive oil. So far I have tried the pesto on a high fiber cracker, which was delicious, and I’m sure I’ll experiment with this as a topping for vegetables very soon. If you would like more information on this product, you can visit http://www.livingtreecommunity.com/.

Stacey Frattinger, RD, CHFS
Owner of Formula FUEL
http://www.formulafitt.com/
Contact me @ formulafuel@hotmail.com

If you're not here in Phoenix, you likely aren't aware that I have a good friend, Ken Clark, who is all about making our world here a better place. For the past year, I've worked with Ken and his hand-picked committee to create monthly events celebrating new small businesses taking a risk on downtown Phoenix. (Here we like to call it CenPho.)

Ken recently decided to take his vision one step further and create a referral network, the CenPho Charity Referral Network, in which anyone who participates, who receives a business referral through this network, will donate a percentage of that business to a charity. I was very flattered when he asked me to be part of this network, not to mention excited, because giving back and paying forward are always what inCYST has been about.

Businesses belonging to this network are listed below. If you patronize any of them, and you tell them that I referred you, they will donate to a local charity. Details for each individual's offer, as well as information on members (there are more coming on board) can be found on our new Facebook page.

Ken Clark, local REALTOR® and dog owner (really) works all over the valley, but specializes in Central Phoenix, historic properties and urban living. If you send Ken a referral for a home sale or purchase, and that transaction closes, he will make a personal donation to the charity of your choice. It is as simple as that!

Matthew Fritz of SuTRA Midtown (we interviewed his wife Rebecca about their SuTRA Mum yoga program awhile back) will make a 5% donation for referrals on yoga packages and massage therapy.

Marshall Shore, named a best of Phoenix by Phoenix New Times, takes armchair tourists on a rollicking illustrated ride through Arizona and the valley during its heyday, after the car arrived. His live presentation celebrates unique people and architecture in a theatrical blend of images and storytelling. The Arizona Centennial is rapidly approaching, and Marshall is looking forward to creating presentations for events along this theme.

Dallas Gold with the Funds Transfer Alliance will help your business with any and all credit card processing needs. Dallas will make a contribution to a referrer's favorite charity equal to 5% of the gross contract.

Jenny Poondingo of CO+HOOTS, Phoenix's biggest co-work space will make a contribution to a referrer's favorite charity equal to 5% of the gross co-work space contract. If you're not in Phoenix but happen to be here in need of workspace for the day, Janeny has a drop-in option, and is conveniently located to the major downtown business area.

Local Artist & Graphic Designer, Christine Cassano will make a contribution to a referrer's favorite charity equal to 5% of the gross contract. If you don't have a choice of charities, she will make a contribution to behalf of the person[s] / organization to Free Arts of Arizona: http://www.freeartsaz.org/ Free Arts of Arizona is a nonprofit organization that brings the healing powers of the creative arts to abused, neglected and homeless children by partnering with over 100 group homes, treatment centers and shelters in Maricopa County. (BTW, Christine shared her PCOS story with us on the radio show awhile back. Please tune in to the recording to learn more about her!)

As for my part, I'd like to combine this effort with the research foundation I mentioned last week. So here's what I'm willing to do.

From this point forward,

--5% of any sale (counseling, professional training, or restaurant menu/recipe consulting) will be donated to the inCYST research foundation.
--if a referral comes in to inCYST through the CenPho Charity Referral Network, I'll donate an additional 5% to the charity of your choice. If you don't designate a charity, I'll donate to the St. Mary's Food Bank.

Be sure to mention that you were referred by me so others may benefit from your purchase!

I just finished reading a list of new research on the hormone melatonin. This is the hormone that helps you feel sleepy at night. It is also one of the most powerful anti-aging compounds in the body. I've got quite a few things to share over the next few posts, hopefully to reinforce the importance of getting enough sleep. When you don't, your body is out of balance and hormones start to act wacky!

Today I'd like to talk about endometriosis, something I've had myself since a teen and something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

Researchers created an artificial state of endometriosis by implanting endometrial tissue on the abdominal walls of a group of rats. After 4 weeks, a portion of these rats were given a daily dose of melatonin. At the end of the study, the volume of the artificially implanted tissue was measured, and the melatonin/no melatonin groups were compared. Tissue volume actually shrunk in the melatonin-treated rats. Anti-oxidant activity also increased in the rats receiving melatonin.

The risk in presenting information like this is that the first thing most people ask when reading studies like this, is how much melatonin they should be taking. That's not my point. If you're struggling with disorders related to melatonin imbalance…the very first thing you should be asking yourself is how much attention you pay to sleep hygiene.

Are you getting enough sleep?

Do you recognize the importance of adequate sleep for overall health, or do you tend to consider the little amount of sleep you get as an indication that you're harder working/better than others?

Do you minimize your alcohol intake? Are you judicious with your caffeine intake?

Do you get physical activity on a regular basis?

If you can answer"yes" to all of these questions, a melatonin supplement is something you may want to consider…used judiciously. If you can't, these are the lifestyle areas you should work on first.

We have a difficult time respecting the importance of balance, but it's pretty much a non-negotiable thing. We either work toward achieving it, and improve our health, or we ignore it, and we stay stuck in a place where we just don't feel the absolute best that we can.

Güney M, Oral B, Karahan N, Mungan T. Regression of endometrial explants in a rat model of endometriosis treated with melatonin. Fertil Steril. 2008 Apr;89(4):934-42. Epub 2007 Jun 19.

I don't normally refer back and forth between the several places I write, I figure you're subscribed to the places you want to receive updates. But something very special happened this week, and it started with one of you. I wanted to be sure that wherever you stay in touch with us, you know about it.

Monday, one of you sent me this photo, which by now has gone viral. It was taken in a store on the East Coast, Green Grocer, that had pulled Kashi Cereal off of its shelves. I did some research and found there was a story worth writing, and published one on my Examiner column. It didn't take long for it to get spread around; in two days, my Examiner archives had recieved more views than they did all last year!

This morning I was checking my statistics and noticed that the article had been linked to in the second paragraph of a Huffington Post article. And if you read that article, it seems as though all the attention this incident has been getting has Kashi doing some PR work.

The audience this article reached was far greater than my immediate network, so I know in large part what happened had to do with people like you, reading and forwarding to inform your own networks. It is exactly what I have been advocating for all of you to believe all along, that your opinion matters, your voice is important to use, and your wallets have a vote.

I'm not the kind of person who jumps from publicity opp to publicity opp, lighting my hair on fire for a few extra hits on my website, at all. But I do believe that together, with a common purpose, and belief that we have the power to create positive change, that is exactly what can happen.

I hope this inspires all of you to speak out more in the future, and to believe that your voice is important in the big scheme of things!

We believe strongly at inCYST, that one of the most important things you can do to gain a healthy perspective about any situation you might be in, is to step outside of that situation and give a little bit of yourself to others. Of course, because I run a nonprofit, I have something to gain from you acting on that in this direction. But there is far more to it than that. Nonprofits do a lot of the work that falls between the business and legislative cracks. They are about making the world a better place. In that spirit, I'd like to share the work of some other nonprofits inCYST has associations with that I'd like you to consider supporting.

Share Our Strength This national organization is devoted to fighting childhood hunger. In this country, 1 in 5 children goes to bed hungry. At inCYST, we deal with hunger in several ways. Many of you have found yourselves in places where the economy has seriously affected your food budget. Others reading this may be fine today, but their eating issues are haunted by past food insecurity. We believe it is important to support any effort that is about helping someone to eat better, regardless of what"better" may mean for them.

My friend Julie Zagars is one of the organizers of Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation event, which will be held in Scottsdale on May 18. One hundred percent of the proceeds from this event will be donated to the cause. I am donating a consultation/kitchen makeover session…so come bid!

There are many other Taste of the Nation Events coming to other cities; if you'd like to participate, here is the schedule. As busy as Julie is with this fundraiser, she has always been immensely helpful with inCYST, introducing me to people who might be able to help us achieve our goals. I'd really like to see some of us support her in return, either here in town or elsewhere. Thanks in advance!


Our latest newsletter is a sneak peek at inCYST's fall fundraiser, to be held at the Children's Museum of Phoenix. We will be co-hosting this with several other startups focused on women's well-being. We'll have details in future newsletters and here on the blog, for now we'd like you to save Monday, October 22, for something really fun. And in the meantime, get to know our co-hosts, Don't Be a Chump, Check for a Lump, and Attagirl, Inc.

Don't Be A Chump, by the way, has another really fun fundraiser coming up, called Wig Out. It will be on Friday, May 4, at 7:30 pm, at the Secret Garden, 2501 E. Baseline. This group seriously knows how to have fun while working hard for a cause! Check their website for more information.


Finally, Power Up for PCOS, which you hear a lot about here, has scheduled their second annual fundraiser event, a 5k walk, for Sunday, September 29. For more information visit their website.

I don't do much political commentary on this blog, but I do have to say the one thing that has really helped keep my head in the right place about women's health in my home state of Arizona these days…as been working with so many great women and organizations who are filling important needs. If you'd like to support them, as it's not easy to accomplish to do some of this work in our state, I'd really love it if you either spread the word, volunteered, or donated to one of the organizations if they caught your attention.

Thanks, and enjoy the rest of your week!

Every other Sunday morning, I pull out my “old lady pill boxes” and load them up with my current selection of supplements, some of which are for PCOS. At times, I confess, I’ve been known to take as many as 90 pills a day. If that sounds kind of crazy, I’m in full agreement with you. I often incorporate Chinese remedies prescribed by my acupuncturist, and those are typically dosed at three to five capsules, three to four times per day, which can quickly add up. I don’t do that anymore. But I routinely take a hearty little handful of things like fish oil, D-Chiro Inositol, Vitamin C, and alpha lipoic acid. I’m sure many of you do too – or you think you should be, if you’re not.

Some doctors want to know everything you’re on, and some don’t bother to ask beyond the fish oil or the Vitamin D3. I actually keep an Excel spreadsheet listing everything I currently take, both supplements and prescription medications. This is for my own tracking purposes (so I can see if there’s something I’ve tried in the past and deleted because it didn’t do anything for me – no point in trying those again), and for the doctors who want a comprehensive record. It’s too much to track on, and often doesn’t fit on the few lines given on a doctor’s intake form. “See attachment” is my favorite labor-saving phrase!

As I updated my spreadsheet today, I got to thinking about the lure of supplements. Americans spend $20.3 BILLION dollars (NIH, 2004) per year on supplements. That’s a staggering amount of money for something that isn’t guaranteed effective, may be irregularly dosed, and can be just as powerful as prescription medications. And yet, we continue to buy. PCOS patients in particular are prone to chasing the latest and greatest potential cure – or at least, anything that might offer some symptomatic relief. When you’ve got a condition that’s frustrating, complex, inconsistent, and impossible to permanently resolve, you’re vulnerable to the seduction of marketers, Twitter feed, and anecdotal reporting.

At this point, I try to limit my supplementation to things prescribed or recommended by my physician, dietician, and/or acupuncturist to treat the symptoms that most concern me, such as high blood sugars and inflammation. If I hear about something new that holds some promise for my PCOS, I research it independently and then make a decision about whether or not to add it to my repertoire. I’m mindful of the fact that there’s a great deal we don’t know about supplements, just as there’s a great deal we don’t know about prescription medications. My goal is to support my body in becoming as normal as possible.

Periodically, I get disgusted with the whole thing, decide it’s too many pills, too complicated, too much money, and too overwhelming. Then I take a supplement vacation. And in the meantime, I’m continuously researching and contemplating what I can delete, or if perhaps it’s best to eliminate supplements altogether. The supplement vacation usually lasts a couple of weeks, and then I go back into it a little more strategically, and with greater consciousness about my own need to be “fixed,” and how that can lead to bad decision-making.

If you take supplements, I encourage you to think about them consciously, and not just chase the promises. If you don’t, don’t feel bad about it, but consider what might actually be beneficial to your mental as well as physical health (fish oil comes to mind!). Be willing to experiment, monitor, and make adjustments. Be patient with your body and your brain. Seek consultation with experts. Do your own research. Treat yourself with the importance you deserve.

Gretchen Kubacky, Psy.D. is a Health Psychologist in private practice in West Los Angeles, California. She has completed the inCYST training. 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 AskDrHouseMD@gmail.com. You can also follow her on Twitter @askdrhousemd.

First of all…it's great to be back! I was traveling, and while it's kind of fun to say I saw both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in the period of a week, I do like my base camp and I really missed reading research. I'm looking forward to getting back into my daily groove.

Last week, I read an article in the New York Times about insurance companies, and how they are starting to ask consumers to absorb the cost of medications by asking that these medications be paid for not by flat copayment, but proportionate to the cost of the medication.

Nice. First we're convinced that we absolutely need all these drugs, and that we can get them for cheap, then once we're dependent on them…we're thrown under the financial bus.

Right now, the medications that are being sold under this new proportionate plan are not any of the medications that I focus on with this blog. However…since several of the medications you readers are on, are some of the most popular medications out there, I suspect it won't be long before these insurance companies start to see dollar signs in terms of the quantity of people they can expect to help finance this venture. Categories of medications like antidepressants…and insulin sensitizers and statins, which are commonly prescribed when the antidepressants start to mess with hormone balance.

That's the bad news.

The GOOD news is, I finally felt vindicated for having sat through this scenario for the last 25 years, wishing people would see what I have always seen…that when you take responsibility for your own health, and don't depend on people who make money off of you to help you, you have a good chance of getting better results. Think about it. Why would a drug company spend millions and millions of dollars to develop a product that you eventually wouldn't need once you started using it?

My goal, ever since I started what I do, is to put myself out of business. I started learning to play golf last year and it has been very frustrating to have to put it aside to attend to the demands of my growing business. I have a children's story I'd like to publish. And there are a couple of screenplays roaming around in my head that I'd love to get into theaters.

But the drug and insurance industries don't have that goal. Their goal, as is the goal of most corporations, is to increase market share and return on investment. Which means you can (1) increase the dosages of medications you sell to already existing customers, (2) find new customers for your medications by either creating new diagnoses or finding off-label uses for your already developed products, and/or (3) increase the price you charge for the product. Hmmmmm…nowhere in there do I see"helping the patient feel better".

Of course, I'm not naive. I know some medications are entirely necessary and even life-saving. But I also see so many conditions that could drastically improve with a few judicious lifestyle choices.

Last week I listened to the husband of a friend tell me what it was like to go through an in-vitro fertilization (IVF) procedure with his wife. He was near tears as he spoke about the trauma, the callousness of the providers, the emotional stress…the expense, and the feeling of failure as a human being when the entire investment of time, emotions and money did not produce the desired result.

He drove me to the bus stop, and I headed to the airport. As I was standing in line to board my plane, a colleague phoned me. She'd gone through my professional training and had been using my protocol on women with infertility. And she told me, that with just a few nutritional tweaks, these women were getting pregnant! Not only that, their depression was responding with equal profundity. Even the women who'd failed with the same IVF procedure as my other friend and who had given up on ever having children, were seeing results.

There's something very wrong with a system that promotes a $20,000 emotional and financial (mis)adventure over a $12 bottle of Coscto fish oil…but we as consumers need to shift our expectations for help from those who stand to make money off of our misfortunes and invest in choices, behaviors, and financial purchases that are empowering and affirming. You'll never get a company making money off of you to change how they do things if it means less money. But we can certainly get their attention if, collectively, we start to say"no" to some of their answers to our problems and"yes" to options that make more sense.

You bet the power of where you pull out your wallet is tremendous. And when groups of thousands of wallets get together…well, that's the vision I have that will finally get these screenplays out of my head!

Eating well. Physical activity. Adequate sleep. Less stress. It's that simple. It's incredible what prioritizing these four areas can do to your overall health. Not to mention your budget.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/15/opinion/15tues1.html?hp

I receive emails and comments from time to time, suggesting that my suggestions for PCOS management are unrealistic because they cost too much money.

Here is what I think about that.

I've offered expensive courses…no one came. I've offered free courses…no one came. I've tried every price on the scale…and learned that the resistance was not about price point. No matter what the price, people did not come. I am not the only person trying to help women with PCOS who experience this.

I recently spent a morning at a local food bank, with people who REALLY can't afford groceries. We are trying to figure out a way, at Chow Locally, to be sure that the wonderful foods we bring to our customers, in some way, also find their way to less fortunate people. We live in a city where 1 in 4 children goes to bed hungry, and improving access to quality food for everyone of our neighbors is important to us. I have donated a free consultation and kitchen makeover to Share Our Strength, a fundraiser devoted to wiping out hunger. I am acutely aware that hunger is a problem in this community. I am a nutrition professional who doesn't just tweet about it, she spends part of each day doing something to help solve the problem.

The picture above is from the Desert Mission Food Bank here in Phoenix. They have a chef who demonstrates how to make healthy food on a limited budget. All he has to cook with, are a toaster oven and a hot plate. And his food is tasty, nutritious…fabulous.

I was blown away. Here were people who really, truly, justifiably COULD use money as an excuse to not eat well…and they were doing everything in their power to get good, healthy food, and to learn how to use it well. It is hard for me when I see such a disconnect between people who really, truly don't have access to food, working so hard to have so little, and to know I can only help them a little bit, and then in my work day, negotiate with people who really truly do have breathing room that they either may not be able to or be willing to see, and not succeed in illuminating options.

If you need help getting food stamps, ask for that help. If you need help finding places where you can find healthy food within your budget, ask. But understand, no matter how much money you have or don't have, there are things you can do.

If you are eating well, by the way, you are likely spending less, not more money on food. Eating seasonally, eating less fast food, less packaged food, giving up the soda pop…usually adds up to money saved. I'm not asking anyone to eat like kings here. I certainly don't!

If Chef Ed can create what he does for his food bank patrons, given the restrictions he has, and his students can eat well on little to no money, so can you.

It is not your situation that is making you sick. It is how you are choosing to manage your situation that makes the difference.

I believe in you and I work on your behalf. But I can't invest in the changes that will make the difference. If you don't invest in yourself…who will?

If you like our blog, but would rather use your brain power for more important things than remembering to come back and see what might be new…take advantage of our"subscribe in a reader" box to the right. You'll be placed on our Feedburner list and receive e-mail notifications whenever there is a new post. You'll save time, while not missing information you might be looking for!

I was asked, in reference to my post on Sunday, what religion does not allow canola oil. To clarify, there is no religion I am aware of, that prohibits the use of canola oil.

What I meant in that post, is that people eat for a lot of reasons other than to obtain nutrients. Some people make food choices because of ethics--like vegans. Others choose to eat raw. Still others prefer paleo. These choices are equally as important, if not more important, than eating to be nutritionally complete.

Similarly, a lot of people in the business of giving nutrition and fitness advice, are health"evangelists". Their goal is to create a following for themselves, and most of the advice they are giving is about how you can be just like them. It may be good, it may not be good. Degrees and certifications do not separate out the good advice from the evangelists. I have seen some really horrible people with all kinds of degrees and certifications who I have felt did not deserve to be in business, and some of the best advice out there comes from people without all of the degrees.

When there are food choices in a person's lifestyle that do not have a scientific nutritional basis, dietitians often can jump to arguing about the validity of those beliefs. In the process, they alienate their clients before they have an opportunity to engage and help them.

I don't want to do that. I want to help you. The best way to do that is to empower you. If I know what your"food religion" is, I can live with that. All I care about is if you eat paleo, vegan, raw…that within the choices you make, you are getting enough vitamin A, protein, etc., and that the balance of all of the foods you eat, points you in an anti-inflammatory direction.

I mentioned canola and food religion in the same sentence because there are many people in the world who do not believe in eating canola oil. I respect that, and I can live with that. All I care about, is if you choose not to eat canola oil, that you know which oil alternatives are available to you to help reduce your overall omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. I did not want what I said to be interpreted by people who do not like canola oil, as a personal attack on their philosophy. The discussions that would have ensued would quite possibly have been counterproductive and I would have distracted them from learning some things about dietary fat that could have been beneficial within their world dietary view.

I have no need to have a tribe of people following me. I just share what I know and what I think, and for those who find it valuable, I am happy to have provided the service.

I hope that clarifies things!

Long ago, I had a client who needed me to help her stay on course in the grocery store. Most of the time she did well, but one day, as we were wrapping up the trip, she accidentally zeroed out her calculator (which was her indicator she was staying within budget), just as she had three items left to put in her cart. The next series of behaviors humbled me as her dietitian, because I saw just how useless it is for anyone helping someone with an eating disorder to assume that there is any kind of logical/rational thinking when a person encounters a stress.

My client broke out into a profuse sweat. She removed all of the planned menu items from her shopping list and proceeded to the frozen food section, where she loaded up on ice cream, pizza, chicken wings, you name it. She was in such a zone that I couldn't get her attention.

I learned from this, that waiting until you're stressed out, to implement stress management behaviors, doesn't work. By that time, too many hormones and too much momentum are headed in the wrong direction for there to be much of a chance to think your way out of the problem. The same thing happens with anxiety and sleep medications. If you're taking them on an"as needed" basis, by the time you realize you need them, you've got far more momentum to overcome than you would if you implemented proactive stress management behaviors.

One of my favorite proactive remedies is lavender. It's an herb whose essential oil has repeatedly been observed to have powerful anti-anxiety, antidepressive, sleep-enhancing qualities. I was reminded of lavender this morning when I ran across a new study suggesting that lavender essential oil has the potential to be as potent as lorazepam (Ativan) for anxiety management, without thhe addictive potential. The beauty of this essential oil is that you can apply it throughout the day on your wrists, helping to keep anxiety at bay before it becomes overwhelming. Lavender sprays and pot pourris can be helpful as well. Of course, they will be more useful when used regularly and proactively than if you wait until you're completely freaked out (when you may not remember to use it, anyway).

Lavender is also an herb that can be used in cooking! Here's a link with some interesting recipes, including lavender scrambled eggs and lavender oatmeal.

I think Mother Nature is the most incredible pharmacist. I hope this is an option with potential for at least some of you with anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders that intensify your PCOS.

Kritsidima M, Newton T, Asimakopoulou K. The effects of lavender scent on dental patient anxiety levels: a cluster randomised-controlled trial. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2010 Feb;38(1):83-7. Epub 2009 Nov 23.

Woelk H, Schläfke S. A multi-center, double-blind, randomised study of the Lavender oil preparation Silexan in comparison to Lorazepam for generalized anxiety disorder. Phytomedicine. 2010 Feb;17(2):94-9. Epub 2009 Dec 3.

Setzer WN. Essential oils and anxiolytic aromatherapy. Nat Prod Commun. 2009 Sep;4(9):1305-16.

I've been chatting with several of our network members the last few weeks about some really fun things they've been doing in the activity department. I'm hoping talking about my own activity this past week will encourage them to get something posted! (You guys know who you are…)

My car needed a major repair that resulted in my being without (gasoline-powered) transportation for a couple of days. And, the garage that did the work was about 10 miles away. I could have used the bus, and actually did for a major trip, but since the weather was so nice, I thought I would get out and enjoy it.

So…when I took the car to the garage, I packed my rollerblades and skated home. I checked out the route, and it turned out, the garage was just a couple blocks away from my favorite greenbelt; therefore, half of my trip was already familiar. Just a few different turns toward home, and voila! I had my workout in.

I used to cross country ski a lot when I lived in Colorado, and picked up rollerblading when I moved to California and didn't have such great access to snow. It is so fun! I actually had to check my heart rate when I first started because I didn't believe it was actually going anywhere.

Something I really love about rollerblading is the workout it gives my backside. Everytime you push off and lift your boot, it's like lifting a weight. One of those weights that really isn't fun to do in the gym, but you don't notice when you're skating.

I also love the meditative rhythm rollerblading creates. There is something about the back and forth repetition that calms the chaos in my head and allows my more creative thinking to predominate.

By the time I got home…I had a bunch of new ideas for my work, I was relaxed, and later on that night I fell right asleep.

I'm looking forward to what other network members share. It's not about how often you are in the gym, really, it's how much you move your body in general. They've got some great ideas!

This past Friday I attended the Binge Eating Disorder Association's annual conference, which was right down the street in Scottdale. It was informative and inspiring! Lots of great information about research and programs with potential to help with PCOS.

For example, did you know that practicing mindfulness can actually help reduce postprandial (postmeal) glucose and reduce insulin resistance?

The proceedings from this conference are available on a USB stick that you can buy directly from BEDA. Here are the presentations and the names of the people who gave them. And here is the link if you wish to order this USB stick!

An Internal Family Systems Approach to Binge Eating Disorder
Mark Schwartz, ScD, Theresa Chestnut, LCSW, and Dick Schwartz, PhD

You Are The One You've Been Waiting For: Sharing Your Story for Social Change
Jess Weiner

Binge Eating Disorder: Current Status and Looking Ahead
B. Tim Walsh, MD

The Neurochemistry of a Binge: Linking Psychotherapy to the Biology of the Brain
Ralph E. Carson, PhD, BHS

Mindfulness in the Treatment of Binge Eating: Lessons from Research and Practice
Janna L. Fikkan, PhD, Ruth Q. Wolever, PhD
Sofia Rydin-Gray, PhD

Emotional Triggers That Exacerbate Binge Eating
Debra Weinberg, MS

Nutrition Counseling Interventions for Patients with BED and Type II Diabetes or Insulin Resistance
Reba Sloan, MPH, LRD, FAED

Health as a Value versus Size as a Goal: Re-framing the"Right Size/Wrong-Size Paradigm to Promote Healthy Body Image, Eating, Fitness and Weight in Children, Teens and Adults
Kathy Kater, LICSW

Out of the Darkness: Suicide and BED
Mary Bartlet, PhD
Nichole Siegfried, PhD

Intuitive Movement: Exploring Movement and Motivation
Melissa McLain, PhD
Amanda Mellowspring, MS, RD, LD/N

The Conscious Cafe Weekend Intensive: Restoring Hope Through A Mindfulness-Based Model
Alice J. Rosen, LMHC

I'm Still Hungry: Helping Children with Emotional Eating
Dena Cabrera, PsyD, CEDS

Obesity and Binge Eating Disorder: Diagnosing and Treating with an Integrative Approach
Carolyn Coker-Ross, MD, MPH

Big Bodies Move Beautifully
Rochelle Rice, MA

Six Spiritual Pathways to Recovery from Binge Eating Disorder
Michael E. Berret, Ph.D.

Art of Soothing Yourself Without Food
Susan Albers, PsyD

No More Silence, No More Stigma! How Telling Our Stories Can Help Others
Sunny Gold, Chenese Lewis, Bronwyn Marmo, Amy Pershing, Chevese Turner

From Darkness into Light: Discovering Hope and Effective Change Through Eating Disorders Advocacy
Kitty Westin, MA, LP, Jeanine Cogan, PhD, Kathleen MacDonald

Damage Control! Finding Common Pathways to Addrress Obesity Concerns while Preventing Eating Disorders and Weight Bias: A Guide for Clinicians and Advocates.
Wendy Oliver-Pyatt, MD, FAED

Eating Disorders, Weight Bias, Self-Esteen, Shaming, Bullying, and"The War on Obesity." Where Do We Go From Here/
Deb Burgard, PhD, Jeanine Cogan, PhD, Sunny Gold, Wendy Oliver-Pyatt, MD, FAED, Bronwyn Marmo

Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat
Michelle May, MD

An Untapped Resource in the Treatment of Binge Eating Disorder
Stacy Saindon, MA, LMFT, Michelle Trumpy, MPH, RD, LD

What About Me? How to Take Care of Yourself While Caring for a Loved One with BED and Associated Conditions
Esther Kane, MSW

Countertransference, Transference, and the Therapeutic Alliance: Essential Dynamic Tools for the Treatment of BED
Judith Banker, MA, LLP, FAED

Eating Disorder Mentoring vs the"War on Obesity": Idenntifying and Supporting the Unique Voice of the BED Sufferer Within the Greater Recovery Community
Shannon Cutts

Maximizing Success: Using Twelve Step Recovery Programs to Enhance Recovery from Abusive Eating Behaviors
H. Theresa Wright, MS, RD, LDN

The Spark in Eating Disorders Outreach: Student Power
Mardie Burckes-Miller, EdD

"Resistance to Change" in BED Treatment: Understanding Entrenched Behavior as a Sign of Strength
Amy Pershing, LCSW, ACSW

Diets to Donuts to Discernment: Stages of Recovery in BED Using HAES
Deb Burgard, PhD

The Mindful Therapist
Carolyn Costin, MA, MEd, MFT

Binge Eating Disorder and the Primary Care Setting
Ramona Seidel, MD

Yesterday I wrote about Vegemite, an Australian yeast-based food with a whole lot of nutritional power.

Can't wrap your brain around that? Consider nutritional yeast, a cousin to this food that is more readily available and equally as nutritious.

This type of yeast is cultured with sugars for about a week, then packaged to sell.

What may interest many of you: it's gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free. Long-time vegans will tell you it also contains that vitamin so elusive to vegans, vitamin B12. Be careful, however, the only reason it appears in nutritional yeast is because it is fortified and not all brands include it. Read your label!

Interestingly, nutritional yeast also contains chromium, something that is thought to be deficient in PCOS and again, is not easy to find in food.

Nutritional yeast is also a complete protein. One ounce has 14 grams, 80 calories, and just 1 gram of fat.

It tastes a little bit like parmesan cheese; I've enjoyed it on popcorn and I can see it being used in a lot of ways where parmesan is traditionally used.

I found a great nutritional yeast product at Natural Products West that is perfect for you vegans who miss your cheese! It's called Queso, by Food for Lovers, and it's just like nacho cheese, only made with nutritional yeast. Two tablespoons contains 20 calories and 2 grams of protein. A great improvement on the old nacho stuff!

Heads up, however, this product DOES contain wheat so it is not gluten-free.

Food for Lovers is based in Texas, and can be found in quite a few stores there, as well as a few locations in other parts of the country. Here's an ordering link where you will soon be able to get it. Amazon has set up a signup so you can be notified when the product is ready to order.

I'm inspired to write this post as a result of having a handful of women follow our advice on their own, and once they discovered they were pregnant, they reached out and asked for help.

I am truly honored and flattered that these women have reached out. What is heartbreaking for me is, that in more than one case, by the time they reached out, there was not much I could do…and the story has not always had a happy ending.

I am not writing this to shame or scold anyone, or to suggest that I could have changed the course of anyone's pregnancy. I am not God and I do not aspire to be.

But when I read these posts collectively, it strikes me that while some of you really, really wish to have a child, you don't believe you can. Of course you don't. There is a whole industry out there needing you to believe that, because that belief on your part is what keeps them in business.

So you kind of sort of try what we offer, for a day here, a day there, and even if the changes are sporadic, they are enough to gently shift your hormones in the direction they should be going. For at least part of the journey. But not all of it. And when the journey abruptly ends, it is not just your heart that breaks. My heart breaks too.

My wish for all of you, is that before you embark on this journey, you commit to believing in it. You cannot have trepidation. You cannot just dip your toes in the water and run the minute it gets hard. You have to believe you can do this. All of it. The better sleep habits, the better eating habits, all of it. You have to do it without a"what if?" in your head. Because if you're kind of sort of doing this, and a pregnancy catches you off guard, you may have done a lot of what you need to do, but not enough.

Again, I'm not here to shame you. At all. It is far worse for me to see some of you nearly hit the finish line…only to have it snatched from you just as you thought you had it. I think it is worse than never seeing it at all.

The time to commit to this taking better care of yourself thing, is now. Not if and when you conceive. Nothing we ask you to do here is wacky, expensive, toxic. All we are doing is showing you how to self-nurture. It is doable, and should be done. Now. Not just because you want to conceive, but because you deserve to take care of yourself.

We cannot treat individual cases here on this blog, so while we give you an awful lot of information and some of it works really well for some of you, it is not sufficient for everyone.

I encourage you to either get involved in a Power Up for PCOS group where you can access more detailed information, or reach out and ask for an individual consultation. Yes, there is a lot of information to be had for free on the Internet. And yes, there are really expensive options you can buy. We aspire to be right in the middle, to be the best we can be with the information we are really good with. Sometimes it does require an investment.

We would love to invest in your learning how to invest the best possible self-care you can give yourself. Don't put it off until you conceive. Make it part of your conception plan.

Sorry, I couldn't resist that…the slogan"kale is the new beef" has always made me laugh, knowing as soon as the next superfood on the horizon…and its marketers…figure out a way to bump kale out of its current favored superfood slot, it will be pushed to the last word in that slogan!

I was so interested to read a new study this week about a favorite"diet" food, popcorn, that we sometimes think of as being pretty empty nutritionally but something to satisfy the need to crunch. Turns out, popcorn is more than a pretty face, it's got some great antioxidant power!

Some scientist, and I'm guessing someone who's not so fond of green food, decided to run popcorn through antioxidant testing and it scored pretty well! In fact, because the water in fruits and vegetables dilutes the concentration of polyphenols (the type of antioxidant popcorn contains), ounce for ounce, the antioxidant content of dryer popcorn is even higher.

Remember, however, that the way you fix popcorn can quickly detract from this nutritional potential. We're not talking kettle corn here, and we're not talking pre-prepared microwave envelopes, and we're certainly not talking movie popcorn. Here are three ways you can take advantage of popcorn and keep it focused on the good part.

1. Air pop it. Simple enough.

2. Make your own microwave popcorn. Here's a great set of instructions from the Snack Girl blog.

3. Trader Joe's sells a bagged popcorn cooked in olive oil, which I will go for in a pinch.

There you have it, a whole grain, low fat, high fiber, low glycemic, anti-oxidant snack. Enjoy!

American Chemical Society (ACS) (2012, March 25). Popcorn: The snack with even higher antioxidants levels than fruits and vegetables. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 26, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2012/03/120325173008.htm#.T3CJEqUT3-M.mailto

Sasha Ottey of PCOS Challenge posted this video on Facebook yesterday. It shows what happens to a man who accepted the challenge of trying to live without all of his electronic connections for a week. He didn't make it…and his reaction was pretty extreme.

I love how these techno tools, if used properly, can help to make life easier. I wouldn't be able to do what I do for a living without the Internet.

However…

…I have observed over time, that people seem to be more electronically connected than they are in real time.

I live near an intersection in Phoenix where a lot of law offices are clustered. It's not uncommon, on a sunny day, to see groups of attorneys on the corner, waiting for the green light to cross, all looking at their Blackberries and iPhones instead of up at the people next to them. They usually seem to be completely oblivious to their surroundings.

I am disturbed at the number of people I see on the canal (even the mountain trail) where I run, and at the gym where I lift, talking on their cell phones while they exercise. They cannot put their toys down for even a half hour to enjoy their workout.

I am learning to love the power of Twitter, as it is helping me to reach women I would not otherwise know, who can benefit from the wisdom of our network members.

However…

…I am noticing a troubling trend, that people seem to be more interested in telling people what they are doing, instead of just doing it! If you're sitting in a meeting, and you're telling people you're sitting in a meeting, you're not really paying attention to the speaker who has taken time to prepare the presentation you're supposed to be listening to. You're either participating in the meeting or you're Twittering/Facebooking about it…you cannot effectively simultaneously do both.

What does that have to do with PCOS, your weight, your health?

One of the most important tools you have to fight and manage PCOS…is your brain.

Your brain is an incredible tool. More powerful than any Internet service provider, communication tool, website. It receives and transmits billions and billions of pieces of information every day: the temperature outside, your mood, your fatigue level, your blood sugar, your hunger level, etc. 24/7, whether or not you consciously think about it.

When things are out of balance, your brain is programmed to let you know. It will tell you if you need to pee, eat, address a conflict, seek companionship, whatever it needs in order to stay in balance.

There is one important caveat. You have to be available to listen to what your brain is saying in order to take the action you need to. If you're jamming your life with toys that fill up your brain's time with information you don't really need (like what your Twitter buddy in Outer Mongolia had for lunch or what the results of your"where you should live" Facebook quiz are)…you're not making time to listen to the REALLY important messages--Are you tired? Hungry? Angry? Anxious? Lonely?

Those messages don't go away just because you ignore them. They pile up in your inbox and keep sending you message alerts until you open them. Kind of like that annoying little red box that pops up on Facebook until you check to see what it wants you to know.

The Perfect Storm often comes during the evening hours, when things finally start to quiet down, and all the messages we've put on the back burner all day long start popping up. If we've ignored hunger…we can binge. If we've ignored anger…we might not sleep well, which we pay the price for the next day. If we're lonely, and were too busy with electronic friends to do something social in real time…we can eat or drink alcohol to self-medicate.

We often don't like the messages that our brain sends us, so it's easy to fill our lives with Tweets and quizzes and status reports to ignore them. But it's only when we listen to them that we have a shot at being healthy.

I like to recommend yoga to clients as a stress management activity. Early into making that recommendation, my clients would routinely come back and complain that they hated it. I couldn't understand it, until I started asking why. Often they would complain that it made them feel"tired" (which I learned later was actually relaxed but it had been so long since they'd felt that way they couldn't recognize it).

What happens when you're new to yoga is that it tends to slow your body down very quickly. But if you're not working on the"head" part of yoga, you can find yourself in the corpse position, with a racing head, throwing all of your unpleasant thoughts and feelings back atcha, and you can't run away from them because your body is too relaxed to do its dysfunctional thang.

Many people give up on yoga at this stage because they simply cannot tolerate the reality of how they feel when they listen to their brain's truthful feedback.

I quickly learned to tell my clients experimenting with yoga there was a"Five Session Rule". They were not allowed to tell me they hated it until they'd been to five sessions. They don't tell me that anymore. They get hooked on the feeling.

If what comes up when you listen is too much to bear, a trained counselor (such as Stacy Korfist in our network) can be invaluable in helping you sort through the discomfort and figuring out what to do about it.

For those clients who are not at a point where an hour of direct communication with their brain is tolerable, I challenge them to start with five minutes of"disconnect". It's not really disconnecting, it's setting aside the barriers to TRULY connecting. Just long enough to think about how you're feeling. Away from the phone, the office, the Blackberry, the iPhone…just to see what comes up.

Once they've accomplished that, five becomes ten. Some people get into the challenge so much they…imagine this…don't read their e-mail or check their iPhone messages for an entire weekend!

Just think about it. Are you living a"virtual life", connected to"virtual friends" and"virtual activities"…or are you living a real-time life, with an occasional jaunt into the virtual world for a bit of fun?

I'll appreciate your feedback here, on Twitter, and on Facebook later on. But I've planned my day so I can quit work early and go for a long walk on the canal to enjoy the spring flowers. I hope you have some real-time connectivity planned in your day, too!

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

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!

Buen apetito!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Oatmeal

1/2 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup 1% milk
1 wedge Abuelita Mexican chocolate*
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

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.

Serves 1

Nutrition information 330 calories, 6 grams of fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 55 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams fiber, 13 grams protein, 7 mg cholesterol, 111 mg sodium

*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.