2 heads cauliflower, finely ground in a food processor 1/2 fresh cup lemon juice 1 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon black pepper pinch of sea salt 1 bunch fresh parsley, stems removed 1 bunch fresh mint, stems removed 1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed 1 13oz jar pitted Greek olives
In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix thoroughly
Marinated Bok Choy Salad
5 heads baby bok choy 1/3 cup olive oil 1/4 cup Nama Shoyu 4 cloves garlic, peeled
Starting from the bottom of the plant, chop the bok choy stalks into half-inch pieces, leaving the leaves whole. In a blender, combine the olive oil, Nama Shoyu and garlic and blend thoroughly. Add to the bok choy, mix well and serve.
Pesto Sauce
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled 1/2 fresh lemon juice pinch sea salt 1 cup raw pine nuts 1 cup fresh basil 2 tablespoons olive oil
In a high speed blender, combine all the ingredients, and blend until smooth. (can add 3/4 cup Thai cocunut water if desired) We served this last night over brown rice linguini pasta and it was delicious!!
I just tried all of these and they are so easy to prepare and absolutely yummy
Cucumber Watercress Soup 3 1/2 cups cucumber juice (4-6 cucumbers) 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice 1/2 bunch fresh watercress 3 cloves garlic, peeled 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tsp sea salt
Using a juicer, juice the cucumbers. In a high speed blender, combine all of the ingredients and blend until smooth *I added some fresh dill and parsley to this recipe and chose not to use salt, you can try either way
Not long ago, I stopped into Planet Raw, in Santa Monica. It's a very popular hangout for raw foodists, so I wanted to see what the buzz was about. I actually enjoyed perusing the shelves, and they did have some fun things to buy for the more adventurous cook. I'll probably eat there from time to time, as it's a stone's throw away from my office.
However…I had a most disturbing conversation with one of the employees. When she learned that I was a dietitian, she commented,"Cool, maybe you can help then. We're having trouble finding protein sources. Do you have any ideas?"
So I mentioned Growing Naturals, the rice protein powder that I wrote up last week.
"Oh, we don't do rice."
When I asked why, she responded by explaining that Planet Raw's owner"doesn't do rice".
So I suggested pea protein.
"Oh, we don't do peas, either."
When I asked why, she responded by explaining that Planet Raw's owner"doesn't do peas".
I could see I wasn't going to get anywhere because I was in a food religion debate, not an evidence-based scientific discussion, so I politely guided the conversation to its end.
I later went to the website (which you can Google for yourself, I won't provide free advertising for this place through linking), and could find absolutely nothing explaining this philosophy. I saw plenty of advertising for expensive certifications as raw chefs, and courses for raw foodists…which, in essence, kind of seemed like me to be expensive courses on how to promote malnutrition.
I do my best to be positive and inspiring rather than confrontational on this blog, but sometimes I get pushed past my limit of tolerance. This philosophy, especially for women with PCOS who need a decent amount of protein in their diet to reduce the influence of insulin resistance, is simply dangerous.
Of course, a diet that is heavy on the raw, is perfectly fine. It means you're eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts…all great sources of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. But a completely raw diet needs to be taken on with a lot of thought, not be a source of pride with regard to how many foods you can find an excuse not to eat. Here is why.
At the same time raw food diets have been studied and found to have benefit, they have also been associated with many problems women with PCOS already have.
lower bone density, amenorrhea and underweightness in women, dental erosion with a raw vegan diet,
elevated plasma homocysteine and low serum HDL cholesterol" and vitamin B12 deficiency.
Bottom line? Enjoy your occasional lunch at Planet Raw, and buy their coconut flour. But don't depend on them for advice when it comes to how to eat this diet in a way that allows you to reduce the influence PCOS has on your life.
For the record, I am NOT anti-raw. I am anti-malnutrition, and anti-inflammation. Be sure you know the difference if you choose to pursue a raw foodist lifestyle/food religion.
Fontana, L; Shew, JL; Holloszy, JO; Villareal, DT. Low bone mass in subjects on a long-term raw vegan diet." Archives of Internal Medicine 165 (6): 684–9, 2005.
Koebnick, C; Strassner, C; Hoffmann, I; Leitzmann, C. Consequences of a long-term raw vegan diet on body weight and menstruation: results of a questionnaire survey. Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism 43 (2): 69–79, 1999.
Ganss, C; Schlechtriemen, M; Klimek, J. Dental erosions in subjects living on a raw food diet. Caries Research 33 (1): 74–80, 1999.
Koebnick, Corinna; Garcia, Ada L; Dagnelie, Pieter C; Strassner, Carola; Lindemans, Jan; Katz, Norbert; Leitzmann, Claus; Hoffmann, Ingrid. Long-Term Consumption of a Raw Food Diet Is Associated with Favorable Serum LDL Cholesterol and Triglycerides but Also with Elevated Plasma Homocysteine and Low Serum HDL Cholesterol in Humans. Journal of Nutrition 135 (10): 2372, 2005.
Yesterday I reviewed a book entitled,"The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Living". I started with the negative part of the review because years of reviewing blog statistics has taught me that people don't stick through much of what I write to get the main idea. Because avoiding ketosis is such a crucial concept I felt like that point needed to be made before getting to something I really liked about the book.
What this book discussed that I did like, was the concept that human brains, even though we're taught that they depend on glucose, can learn to live on ketones for energy. I immediately thought of the many of you who comment here and elsewhere that you feel as though you're addicted to carbohydrates. It's certainly going to feel that way if your brain has become so used to using glucose as its only fuel source that when it's not there it feels as if it's run on empty.
I tend to think of an addiction as a chemical reliance on a nonessential substance. A dependence is a reliance on something we need. We're not addicted to oxygen, for example, we're dependent on it. So I prefer to think of the relationship many of you have to simple sugar as a dependence, not an addiction. You can teach your brain to use low-glycemic carbohydrates and protein as sources of low-glycemic sugar, and you can even learn to use ketones.
If you've tried to jump from a simple carbohydrate-dependent diet to a carbohydrate-deficient diet overnight, chances are it felt like you were going through withdrawal. It is possible to gradually learn to use ketones over time, but if your experience in getting there is so miserable, you're likely to not stick with it. There are a lot of options between all and nothing.
As I mentioned yesterday, the extreme carbohydrate restriction described in this book proved a point, but in the process it also created some other potential nutrition deficiencies.
Instead of jumping to that extreme, why not try gradually removing the simple carbohydrate from your life and replacing it with protein and low-glycemic carbs? It will help the carbohydrate you DO eat distribute itself more evenly over the course of a day (just like your carburetor does for your car), and you might potentially (and gently) teach your brain to be less dependent on one source of fuel, pure sugar.
Be scientific about it. Use an analysis program such as http://www.fitday.com/ to track what you're doing and plan how to experiment with other ways. Record how you feel. Feel what feels best. You'll know when you've hit that place because that next drop in carbs will leave you feeling hungry, moody, and low in energy.
Let us know what you learn about yourself! Everyone is different, and therefore everyone's carbohydrate needs are different. The concept underlying the book is not unsound, it's just likely not necessary for everyone to restrict carbohydrates to that extreme.
The beauty of nutrition is that there are many paths to the same destination. Be it raw, vegan, Paleo, low-carb, low-glycemic, we prefer to show you how, once you've decided which food philosophy best fits your personality, to make it work on your behalf.
Several years ago, I heard inCYSTer Karen Siegel speak about she treats PCOS. Karen is a registered dietitian with two master's degrees, and she is also a licensed acupuncturist. She taught in her presentation that many women with PCOS, in the language of Chinese medicine, have what is called"damp spleen" presentation. I am not an expert in Chinese medicine, but what I do wish to clarify here, is that this name really doesn't have much to do with your spleen…so don't get too caught up in that nomenclature.
What is important to note, is that if damp spleen is your presentation, you may not do well with all raw foods. I've heard this from several acupuncturists and it's pretty easily found on the Internet. Meaning your salads and primarily"raw" diet may be counterproductive to your wellness.
It is a little bit more complicated than that, it's not an all-or-nothing issue. I found a nice summary for anyone who is interested in more information.
If you haven't had much success with salads and raw foods, and it's been discouraging, perhaps you might benefit from visiting an acupuncturist for an evaluation and to learn how to best use raw foods in your diet. It may be the missing link!
I'm hearing more and more that many of you are switching to raw eating, and you're asking me if it's good for PCOS. It's not something that has been formally researched, so my answer is pulled together using what I do know about nutrition.
"Raw" refers to whether or not a food's temperature has exceeded a certain temperature during preparation. I actually tried to write a blog post about this several years ago and at the time could not find a specified temperature defining"raw" for a long time. I finally found something that suggested if it stayed below 124 degrees it would be considered raw. Then, last year, I ate lunch at the Whole Foods Venice, and decided to try a raw lunch for myself. The name of the restaurant that prepared my food was"118 Degrees," referring to the threshold raw temperature. This week, when researching it again, found everything from 104 to 118 degrees listed, without any scientific references for any of those values. It's one reason the diet can't be studied easily — those who follow it have yet to consistently define it.
One of the issues I have with any of those temperatures is that some of the foods popular in the raw community, by virtue of the fact that they grow in tropical climates, are regularly exposed to temperatures exceeding even the highest threshold. The mesquite trees growing in my backyard, yesterday alone, were exposed to an ambient temperature of 118 degrees the entire afternoon. The mesquite beans are dark, meaning they absorb heat and get even hotter. The flour made from them would not technically be raw, though mesquite flour is valued by the raw community. Coconuts, rice…both grow in tropical climates and therefore cannot be guaranteed to be"raw" if the benchmark is the definition above.
I'm assuming for the average person, for whom food is sustenance and not a religion,"raw" more likely means food that was not formally heated during preparation, and for the rest of this article that is the definition I will use.
Though raw eating has not been studied with regards to PCOS, it has been studied. It has been found to have both risks and benefits. The very first study of a raw food diet, published in 1985, found that after 7 months, subjects following this diet dropped their blood pressure, lost weight, and tended to spontaneously give up smoking and drinking.
One study found that raw foodists have lower cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations. However, a couple of other cardiovascular risk factors, serum homocysteine and HDL, were elevated, likely because a raw diet tends to be low in vitamin B12. It would be wise to take a multi-vitamin just to be safe.
Another study reported more dental caries in raw foodists. I'm assuming this is related to the increased carbohydrate and simple sugar content of the diet. So don't forget to brush and floss!
Here's what all you readers really need to pay attention to. One study specifically looked at menstrual function and raw food. It found that about 30% of women studied who were under 45 years of age had partial to complete amenorrhea, with subjects eating high amounts of raw food (>90%) being more affected than moderate raw food dieters. Ouch, ouch, OUCH.
A raw diet is also low in DHA and EPA, the omega-3 fatty acids primarily found in fish. If you're a raw foodist and also vegan, consider taking an omega-3 supplement derived from marine algae.
One benefit to a raw diet is that most people who consume it eat far more fruits and dark green leafy vegetables than they used to. Yay for antioxidants! Interestingly, however, one study found that though raw foodists had higher beta-carotene levels than average, their serum lycopene levels were low. Since lycopene is found in easily found fresh fruits and vegetables like tomatoes and watermelon, this suggests that even when eating raw, it's important to make conscious choices and not limit yourself to a few favorites. It can't just be about carrot juice!
The flip side of all those fruits and vegetables, however, is that protein is a difficult nutrient to get with this diet without soaking and sprouting legumes, in adequate quantities to balance out all of that carbohydrate. It may aggravate your insulin resistance. Be sure to add some protein powder to your cooking to prevent that from happening. Growing Naturals organic brown rice protein isolate powder has designed its product to be raw-compatible; be sure to check them out!
Another natural consequence of cutting out so much protein is that the fat content of the diet naturally increases. And even if it's raw fat, and good fat, it still has calories. I would recommend working out some menus on paper or running them through http://www.fitday.com/ just to be sure the diet doesn't push you in the wrong direction.
How your diet affects your health appears to be more determined by the proportions of carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that your diet contains. If you want to do that with raw foods, just be sure you do it right.
Douglass JM, Rasgon IM, Fleiss PM, Schmidt RD, Peters SN, Abelmann EA. Effects of a raw food diet on hypertension and obesity. South Med J. 1985 Jul;78(7):841-4.
Koebnick C, Garcia AL, Dagnelie PC, Strassner C, Lindemans J, Katz N, Leitzmann C, Hoffmann I. Long-term consumption of a raw food diet is associated with favorable serum LDL cholesterol and triglycerides but also with elevated plasma homocysteine and low serum HDL cholesterol in humans. J Nutr. 2005 Oct;135(10):2372-8.
Ganss C, Schlechtriemen M, Klimek J. Dental erosions in subjects living on a raw food diet. Caries Res. 1999;33(1):74-80.
Koebnick C, Strassner C, Hoffmann I, Leitzmann C. Consequences of a long-term raw food diet on body weight and menstruation: results of a questionnaire survey. Ann Nutr Metab. 1999;43(2):69-79.
Garcia AL, Koebnick C, Dagnelie PC, Strassner C, Elmadfa I, Katz N, Leitzmann C, Hoffmann I. Long-term strict raw food diet is associated with favourable plasma beta-carotene and low plasma lycopene concentrations in Germans. Br J Nutr. 2008 Jun;99(6):1293-300. Epub 2007 Nov 21.
