It's barbecue season. I don't need to look at the calendar or feel the temperature to know that. I simply have to look outside and see my neighbor Brett making dinner. The other night I stopped to chat and see what he was cooking. He had some corn on the cob, the way I like it, wrapped in foil and set on the back of the coals.
Brett asked me what I knew about corn, because he had been told that it was a food with no nutritional value. I was surprised when I Googled for more information to learn that this is a commonly held belief.
Corn actually has many nutrients in reasonable quantities, including fiber, protein, thiamin, folate (yup, folate), vitamin C, and magnesium. All of these are important for your health!
Corn may get its bad reputation from its oil, which, as you've seen in previous writings here, is pro-inflammatory. However, an entire cob of corn only has 1.2 grams. The problem with corn fat is when it's extracted, concentrated, and used to cook/add fat to other foods (e.g., Fritos). A fresh cob of corn is a great type of carbohydrate to add to a summer barbecue. To change the fat makeup, try one of my grilling favorites: brush with olive oil instead of butter and sprinkle with a bit of rosemary and Parmesan cheese.
One word of advice when shopping for corn: if avoiding genetically modified foods is important to you, be sure you by your corn from a purveyor who can document that their product has not been so altered. That's what you'll find at stores like Whole Foods and farmer's markets. The more we ask for what's best, the less demand we create for these types of products and the more we encourage genetically modified foods to not be sold.
It has been brought to my attention that the Corn Refiners Association has launched an advertising campaign promoting high-fructose corn syrup. On their home page, there is a statement that reads, in part:
High fructose corn syrup provides many important characteristics, such as texture, flavor and freshness, to your favorite foods and beverages. It is nutritionally the same as table sugar and has the same number of calories, too. As many dietitians agree, sweeteners should be enjoyed in moderation.
In response to the advertising campaign and this statement, I would like to clarify:
1. I am a registered dietitian. 2. I do promote foods in moderation. 3. I do not promote the use of high fructose corn syrup. 4. I am not one of the dietitians this campaign or this web page is attempting to connect their product with. 5. Just as I am exercising my freedom of expression by posting this statement to this blog, I respect the right of the Corn Refiners Association to promote their product. I simply wish to clarify that I have no professional association with their statement or their association. 6. If anyone reading this blog chooses to consume high-fructose corn syrup, it is their personal choice and freedom of expression. It is not a choice based on any perceived endorsement related to the fact that I am a registered dietitian that may have been insinuated based on the wording of these advertisements and the Corn Refiners Association web page.
While working on another project this week, I ran across an eye-opening statistic.
The average American consumes 70 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in one year! That's the equivalent of a grade-school child!
Most arguments I have seen about high fructose corn syrup are limited to discussions about whether it is better or worse than sugar. Did you know, though, aside from that, our consumption of HFCS is potentially harmful to our ecosystem?
Corn is primarily grown in the Midwest. There has been growing concern that fertilizer runoff from corn farms, the source of the base ingredient for HFCS, travels down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. Fertilizer does to water plants what it does to corn…it promotes growth.
Algae overgrowth related to fertilizer promotes the growth of bacteria that decompose all of this algae as it dies. In the process, it consumes oxygen, which would normally be used by other sea life. Dead zones, therefore, are aquatic zones where no other seafood can live, because there is no oxygen for them to live on.
The Gulf of Mexico dead zone in 2009 is predicted to be the size of the state of New Jersey! That makes it one of the largest years on record.
You all know how much I value seafood for PCOS and hormone health. I thought I'd share this with you readers to help you understand the interconnectedness of all the seemingly independent choices we make.
The less HFCS we consume, the less corn needs to be grown. The less corn that is grown, the less polluted our rivers and waters. The less polluted our rivers and waters…the more seafood for your brains and your hormones. Plus, the less sugar and the more seafood we all consume…the healthier we are in the process!
One of the most important choices we might make, in order to insure that there are enough omega-3 fatty acids for all of our brains…is to reduce our consumption of HFCS.
If you're interested in learning more, I found a great bilingual interactive website that explains dead zones.
I'm hearing from some of you that you're having fun learning about new and different foods, so I thought I'd pass along an idea for the more adventurous readers!
My mom was just telling me that she and my dad went to a Peruvian restaurant recently, and they tried a traditional drink called chicha morada. It is made with purple corn and has a much higher resveratrol content than red wine. It's also high in anthocyanin, the powerhouse commonly associated with blueberries. I did some checking, and found that there is research suggesting that purple corn may help to fight insulin resistance (reference below).
I'm posting a link to a video that shows you how to make the drink. Note that it includes cinnamon, another ingredient many of you are already using for insulin resistance.
This has been a stellar week in the world of nutrition and food politics. Early in the week, word got out that there is a move to rename high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) (apparently because sales have hit an all-time low). If this marketing strategy works, this sweetener will appear in food labeling as"corn sugar".
American consumers responded rapidly and impressively. All over Twitter, Facebook, and the blogosphere, it was clear that people did not take kindly to this information. They were insulted that the industry attempting to score this change in nomenclature assumed they were so stupid. And the worst way to maintain brand loyalty is to insult the people who give you money.
It's not looking like a name switch is gonna do it for the struggling HCFS industry. People have decided to take charge of their own health.
Later in the week, a major food company that uses HCFS as its sweetener, despite having been petitioned by consumers not to, announced a partnership with a major association representing health professionals. I'm not naming or linking to either party, because that would be rewarding them for acollaboration which is dubious at best.
It seems that this food company has decided to show interest in consumer health by using some of the money they earned by selling food containing an ingredient, HFCS, that is increasingly being associated with obesity, insulin resistance, and liver problems, among others…to pay for nutrition counseling purchased by the customers who bought that food and are now in need of health advice regarding what to do about it.
HUH?!?!?!? I'm not a WTF kind of writer, but WTF?!?!?
I'm not sure what the expectation here is, for those who accept money for providing these subsidized counseling visits? Are they expected to edit their advice? Overlook the glaring reality that one thing that may need to be eliminated from the diet…is the food that paid for their time in the first place?
My advice? Skip the middle men. Either don't buy the product, and if you find you still need health advice, use the money you therefore saved, to pay for it. Or, if you must have the product, look around for a version that is HCFS free. They are there.
This will hopefully be the next marketing faux-pas on the list of historic blunders. The one that includes the American car manufacturers tried to sell cars with steering wheels on the wrong side rather than make cars that worked with their customers' traffic rules.
When you stop listening to your customers, and act as though you know better than those customers what they want and need, your customers stop patronizing you.
There has been a lot of information circulating around the Internet recently about the dangers of agave nectar. It prompted me to take a little closer look. And I'm glad I did. What I've learned will be part of an ongoing series about the benefits and disadvantages of different types of sugar. It's a complex issue, so to make it more understandable, I thought I'd break it into installments. If you have comments about any of this, please feel free to post. I do moderate comments and won't be putting any up until the series is finished, in case you get ahead of me. I will take your comments into consideration as I proceed with this topic. Thanks for understanding.
According to a 2010 report in the European Journal of Food Safety, a comprehensive review of studies evaluating the effects of various carbohydrates and sugars on metabolism, simple sugars begin to have negative effects on health when they exceed 20% of total calories. That is simple sugars of all kinds--sucrose, fructose, and galactose. Here is how that translates into diets of varying calorie levels, so you can put this information into perspective.
With fructose, the threshold is 7.5% of total calories; more than that, and negative health effects, such as elevated triglycerides, begin to appear. In other words, fructose should be used judiciously, even though it has a lower glycemic index.
A can of soda would contain the following, based on the type of sweetener it contained. It mathematically fits into the above guidelines, but in a way that makes it hard to consume fruits, which also contain fructose, and stay within the calculated limits. Sugar calories Sugar grams Fructose calories Fructose grams Cane sugar 150 38 75 19 Beet sugar 150 38 75 19 High fructose corn syrup 140 35 77 19 Agave nectar* 102 25 87 22
*Agave nectar was a little bit harder to figure out. I did manage to find a Denver-based company called Oogave that makes sodas using agave nectar. Their Esteban's Root Beer is what I used for the above analysis.
My first find in a Google search brought me to Full Throttle, an energy drink manufactured by Coca Cola. Unbelievably, the"blue agave" flavor of this product contains no agave nectar at all, is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, and contains 220 calories in a can! They are definitely hoping the consumer would jump to conclusions about this product.
Are you juicing at home?
Here's how the same volume of a 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 mix of beet, carrot, and spinach juice compares. Sugar calories Sugar grams Fructose calories Fructose grams 120 24 31 7.8 Calories are not that much different, and total sugar, but the sugar type does. If you were to add fruit, that value would go up.
To give you an idea of what happens when you switch from sugar to agave nectar in the same recipe, I analyzed the same amount of watermelon Arnold Palmer recipe from last week's post. I adjusted the amount of agave nectar based on the fact that agave nectar is 72% sweeter than sugar.
Sugar calories Sugar grams Fructose calories Fructose grams Made with sugar 20 5 9 2.3 Made with agave 18 4.5 10 2.5 Takeaway messages: 1. Any sweetened beverage,"healthy", or homemade, soda or juice, regardless of how it is sweetened, is a significant source of sugar and fructose. It is a dietary choice that should be made with respect, and sparingly. 2. Soda made in Mexico, even though it doesn't have high fructose corn syrup in it, is still problematic in large quantities. 3. The advantage to agave nectar is that it can help you to cut your total sugar intake, and reduce your glycemic load, but you still need to be aware of the quantity you consume. European Food Safety Authority. Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for carbohydrates and dietary fibre. EFAS Journal 2010; 8(3): 1462.
Most people tend to think of soup as a winter/comfort food. I love it year round, but especially in the summer. I use my slow cooker, which doesn't heat up the kitchen. I have a week's worth of lunches or dinners when I'm finished, which I can heat in the microwave. Neither of those appliances heat up my kitchen. Plus, it's a great way to take even more advantage of summer's bounty and all of the related antioxidants. For me, a pretty perfect meal is a fresh salad with a vinaigrette dressing, a bowl of soup, a piece of hearty whole grain bread, and some fresh fruit for dessert. Tonight I'm making a red pepper/cauliflower soup and enjoying some of this week's very cheap cherries for dessert. Here is the recipe. And I'm putting some of my other favorites below. If you want something cooler, I'm giving you recipes for gazpacho and cucumber soup.
Bon appetit!
Red Pepper-Cauliflower Soup (adapted from Sunset Magazine)
6 large red bell peppers,stemmed and cored, halved lengthwise, and pressed flat 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 shallots, peeled and choped 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 1 quart fat-skimmed chicken broth 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets 1 teaspoon sugar freshly ground pepper extra-virgin olive oils, chopped fresh chives, and lemon wedges (optional)
1. Preheat broiler to high. Arrange bell pepper skin side up on baking sheet. Broil, watching carefully, until skins are blackened,about 10 minutes. Remove peppers from oven and let cool. Peel over a bowl to collect juices; set peppers and juices aside.
2. In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm olive oil. Add shallots, salt, and cayenne and cook, stiorring until soft, 3 minutes. Add broth and cauliflower. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to as immer. Cover and cook 20 minutes. Add peppers with juices and cook, covered, until cauliflower is tender, 10 minutes. Puree in batches in a blender and add sugar. add pepper to taste.
3. Serve hot or cold, garnished with a drizzle of olive ol, some chives, and a squeeze of lemon juice of you like.
Chicken and Corn Summer Chowder (from Sunset Magazine)
2 slices turkey bacon, chopped (I used an apple-smoked ham hock) 1 onion, chopped 3 tbsp flour 1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes, chopped 6 cups reduced-sodium or homemade chicken broth 4 cups shredded cooked chicken (you can get this pre-cooked to make it easy) kernels cut from 3 ears corn 1/4 to 1/2 cup Greek yogurt 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped 1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and chopped 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves 2 limes cut into wedges freshly ground black pepper
1. In a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat, cook bacon until fat renders and meat starts to brown. (Alternately, place ham hock into soup at last stage). Add onion, reduce heat to medium, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring, until flour smells cooked (like baked pie crust) but hasn't started to brown, about 3 minutes.
2. Add potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to keep mixture simmering and cook until potatoes are barely tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken and corn and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and stir inyogurt to taste. Heat through, about 2 minutes. Serve in soup bowls, garnished with tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, a squirt or two of lime juice, and pepper to taste.
Summer Gazpacho (from Sunset Magazine)
4 lbs. tomatoes, cored 1 1/2 lbs. cucumbers, washed and scrubbed tomato juice base: 3 cups tomato juice, 3/4 cup red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon pepper 2 large bell peppers, 1 yellow and 1 green, stemmed and seeded 1/2 cup diced onion 1 large firm-ripe avocado 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 cup Greek yogurt
Chop 3 tomatoes and 1 cucumber. Fill a blendor or food processor with vegetables; with motor running add enough of the tomato juice base to smoothly puree mixture. Pour mixture into a large bowl or tureen. If needed, puree any remaining chopped vegetables. Add to tureen with any remaining tomato base.
Cut remaining tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers into about 3/8 inch cubes. Add to bowl along with onion; mix.cover, and chill until cold, about 2 hours, or up to 1 day.
Peel, pit, and slice avocado into 10 to 12 wedges; coat wedges with lemon juice. Stir gazpacho and ladle into wide soup bowls; top with avocado slices and spoonfuls of yogurt. Offer olive oil to drizzle into portions to taste; season to taste with salt. Makes 9 or 10 servings.
Cold Cucumber Soup (adapted from Emeril Lagasse) 6 pounds cucumbers (about 6 cucumbers), peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped (12 cups) 2 yellow bell peppers, stem and seeds removed, coarsely chopped 4 green onions, chopped 2 jalapeno peppers, minced 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill 3 to 4 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste with 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 6 cups plain Greek yogurt 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
Directions
Combine the cucumbers, bell peppers, green onions, jalapenos, cilantro, mint, dill, garlic, Essence, salt, cayenne, yogurt, 2 cups sour cream, olive oil, and white wine vinegar in a large bowl. Working in batches, puree the ingredients in a blender until very smooth. Transfer the soup to the refrigerator until well chilled, at least 2 hours. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve the soup, with each bowl garnished with a dollop of the remaining sour cream and some of the minced chives.
Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
I dedicate this post to Susan Dopart and Jeffrey Batchelor. Susan is a contributor to this blog…her post about the power of fish oil and flaxseed oil combination has been pretty widely read around the Internet.
Susan and Jeffrey e-mailed me from a recent trip to Switzerland where they were going ga-ga over the wonderful food. I mentioned that Emmenthaler Swiss cheese has been found to have a higher content of omega-3's than the average cheese, and Susan recently mentioned that she's found a store at home in Santa Monica, where she can special order the stuff she loved so much in Switzerland.
So today I walked over to the grocery store to get my lunch and it turned out it was cheese sampling day. Kara, the local Cheese Goddess, happened to be there and since she is so knowledgeable about cheese I call her the Human Cheese Rolodex, I pulled her aside and picked her brain about what might be some fun options for healthy cheese.
Her recommendations were based on the following criteria I gave her: --grass fed (corn fed cows turn out like corn fed people, too much inflammatory fat in their tissue) --organic (hormones are very chemically similar to estrogen and can disrupt hormone balance
She gave me a list of some options. She told me that artisan cheeses, made by smaller dairies, tend to grass feed over grain feeding, but that is not always so. You need to ask.
Point Reyes Bleu Cheese Cypress Grove Winchester Dairy Sierra Nevada Organic Dairy Rouge et Noir Bravo Farms Fiscalini Cheese Rumiano Gioia Bellwether Farms Maytag Dairy Carr Valley Black Goat Dairy Beecher's Cheese
Most of these come from California, hence the Happy California Cow picture.
The most interesting cheese Kara told me about was Beemster cheese from Holland. These cows graze on pesticide-free grass in pastures that lie below sea level. These pastures are located on top of a former sea lagoon, and their soil is made of a blue sea clay, and the combination of how this clay nourishes the grass these cows eat, produces cheese with 20% less sodium than the average cheese. I am curious whether this pasture history means somehow there are some omega-3's getting into this cheese…but I couldn't find anything online to answer that question.
If you are a true cheese aficionado and must have Beemster cheese…there is a little bad news…only 2000 wheels are made each year, in the springtime. The good news is, that could be an extremely fun pilgrimage.
http://www.beemster.us/the-cheeses/the-taste/
Now some science to round out Kara's trivia.
Cheese has its good qualities, when eaten in moderation. --It's high in protein and calcium --It contains CLA, an omega-3 intermediate which may help with weight control --It's convenient --If it's the right kind, it contains omega-3's --If you are like me, whose first language was German, there is no life without cheese.
Moderation is the key, for several reasons --Cheese is a good source of saturated fat --Cheese is one of the few nonprocessed foods that contains trans fats --Cheese has calories
Susan and Jeffrey and I will be at the first Fertile Intentions Couples Infertility Day Spa on October 25, 2008. Along with our co-hosts, we will be discussing cheese as well as many other great things about food, health, stress management, and environmental awareness as they pertain to balancing hormones and fertility.
And what the heck is smoke point in the first place? If you're a well-intended but not always great chef like me, you've heated oil in the pan to the point where it starts to create a smoke that really excites your smoke alarm. This is the point where the oil has started to break down nutritionally. It is also thought that at this point, more free radicals are present in the oil, and the cancer-causing potential of that oil increases.
When you're using oil to fry a food, it's best to use oils with higher smoke points. You can get a nice flavor on the outside, more quickly, with a higher temperature, while the oil is hot but not past its prime.
Here is a list of smoke points for oils, from least desirable for frying to most desirable. (e.g., the ones least likely to drive your downstairs neighbor batty when you're making dinner.) Note that two of the best 3 oils for frying, soybean and safflower oil, are also two of the oils we encourage you to decrease your intake of because they are pro-inflammatory and high in omega-6 fatty acids. Oils with lower smoke points are good choices for preparation methods not requiring heating.
All of these numbers, except for camellia oil, were obtained from the website, Cooking for Engineers. Camellia oil information was provided by Steven Frenzl of Bien Padre Foods.
So when you fry, consider avocado and camellia oil. I've started to see more avocado oil in stores and markets, so keep your eye out. Camellia oil is relatively new to the market and for now a little challenging to find. If you'd like to try it for yourself, here's a website where you can order it.
So you've been told you need to clean up your nutrition act, and you've stopped eating the Fritos. You've decided to stop being the reason the stock price of your local fast food restaurant has weathered the Wall Street willies. Your salad dressing shelf in your refrigerator is now half of what's in your refrigerator.
Still no luck.
Hey, isn't eating better supposed to be the answer?
Depends on how you define eating better.
I'm noticing with my inCYST classes that a disproportionate percentage of women coming for information have adopted vegetarian practices. And I'm beginning to wonder if it isn't part of the problem.
No, the problem isn't that you're vegetarian. It's how you're defining vegetarian, and it's how you go about being one that matters. Here are my simple rules for being the healthiest (potentially fertile) vegetarian you can be.
1. Define your vegetarianism by what you DO eat.
Most people I know who become vegetarian after eating meat, define that practice in terms of what they DON'T eat. They DON'T do red meat. They DON'T do dairy. They DON'T do fish. DON'T, DON'T, DON'T.
Therein lies the problem.
A most important rule of nutrition is, when you eliminate an entire category of food, for whatever reason, be it meat or wheat, you are also eliminating crucial nutrients that this category contains.
My definition of vegetarian is someone who meets all of their complete nutritional needs without using animal products.
Do you know what fertility-related nutrients you're likely short on if all you've done is cut out meat? If not, read on!
2. Zap yourself with zinc!
Zinc is needed for oodles of reactions that keep your body running, from your brain to your ovaries. Are you eating whole grains? Beans? Pumpkin and sunflower seeds? Nuts? Oops…go get your shopping list, right now, and put them down!
3. Forgetting folate can be fatal
You likely know about this nutrient since there has been so much publicity about its role in pregnancy. Put spinach on your sandwich instead of lettuce…make sure your morning cereal is fortified…eat more beans and split peas…and become savvy with sunflower seeds!
4. Cultivate a copper attitude
It's not as famous as folate, but it still is important to remember. Outside of red meat, its vegan sources are rather random: molasses, green olives, cocoa, nuts, avocadoes, black pepper, sunflower seeds…hopefully at least one of these sounds tasty!
5. Try to remember tryptophan
Tryptophan is a building block for serotonin, one of the major neurotransmitters regulating the brain's hormone center. For vegetarians, there are still a lot of options even if you're not using dairy products or eating turkey. Does your pantry have…cocoa, mangoes, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, oats, dates, chickpeas, peanuts, bananas, and sunflower seeds? It needs to.
6. Allow for algae
If you're vegan, chances are you're not getting enough DHA and EPA, the omega-3 fatty acids primarily found in fish. Become friendly with an ingredient known as Life's DHA, a marine algae source of DHA (unfortunately not EPA), that is being added to vegan-friendly foods. The link I'm providing gets you to the most recent list of foods containing this ingredient that you may want to become proficient at finding.
7. Not all vegan products are created equally healthy. Be sure if you've gone vegan, that you are aware of oils that can interfere with healthy balance. These oils are all vegan, but tend to be pro-inflammatory: safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn, cottonseed, sesame. (Remember my"S and C" rule from previous posts. If you're eating absolutely no meat at all, but you're eating a salad doused with soybean oil-based dressing…that could be a problem. Become familiar with brands that are made with olive or canola oils, or learn to make vinaigrettes. (Canola is the"C" oil exception, by the way.
8. Be happy without hydrogenated.
Hydrogenated = trans fat. Enough said.
9. Forget the fructose…high fructose corn syrup, that is.
It's been connected to insulin resistance in more than one study. And despite what marketers would really like you to believe, more than one nutrition expert does not endorse its use.
10. Be pro-protein
This is the most obvious one…know your complementary proteins and be sure your diet includes them. One caveat…soy may be hard on your thyroid function and is not a good choice if you have a family history of breast cancer. Be sure you are reading labels, as soy is a filler in many, many foods.
I like to look for patterns that make nutrition recommendations easy to recommend. In this post, it didn't work out that way. A lot of these foods are random. If I'm not giving you ideas that seem easy to work into your food plan…think of consulting with one of our experts! That's what we excel at, and that's what we're waiting to help you with.
After all, you became vegan to be healthy, let's work together to do it correctly.
Network member Dori Zerlin posted this as a comment to a post and I wanted to be sure readers didn't miss it. Thanks for taking the time to write, Dori!
I also would love to share my daily eating habits and recipes since I feel that my diet is pretty tasty even though it is quite healthy too. However, I do practice what I preach quite closely. And what I mean by that is as a dietitian working at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, consulting with pre-and post-op lapband and gastric bypass patients, I teach them the importance of planning their meals ahead of time and eating balanced meals that contain a lean source of protein, a complex carbohydrate, and some heart-healthy fats. I do plan out most of my meals ahead of time and prepare them over the weekend or the night before since my weekly work schedule is tight and I have very little time for preparation let alone petty cash to spend on eating out. Therefore, this meal plan is what works for me and my lifestyle and my body type. I would not expect everyone to follow it or to enjoy it. My menu varies from day to day as well, but I am going to give 2 variations of what I might eat on any given day. I also take the following supplements with my meals spread out over the day: Krill Oil (contains omega 3-fatty acids), Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin D (2000 IU), Basic Multivitamin, and Vitamin C.
Here is a sample with a variation for each meal or snack:
Breakfast 1 cup of nonfat plain sugar-free Greek Yogurt (by Trader Joe’s brand) 1/2 cup high fiber cereal (Organic Heritage Heirloom whole grains) or 1/3 cup of Trader Joe’s High Fiber Cereal. 1/2 cup frozen organic blueberries or strawberries Cinnamon and stevia to taste 1 tablespoon of Salba seeds ground
or
1/2 cup yogurt (same brand as above) 1/2 cup organic non-fat cottage cheese (by Nancy’s) 1/4 cup of raw oat bran hot cereal + a little bit of water to moisten it 1 Tbl. Salba 1/2 cup strawberries I use liquid stevia vanilla flavor to add a natural sweet vanilla flavor (Let this chill in the fridge over night and it is delicious the next day!)
Lunch 2 slices Turkey Bacon on 2 slices of Ezekial bread 2 slices of tomato or roasted red peppers spinach mustard With a salad on the side
or
Egg-white omelet w/ spinach, onions, and mushrooms, hot sauce I cook it with 1/2 cup of wild rice or two corn tortillas and salsa and a ranchero sauce
Snack A sugar-free dark chocolate protein bar called a Paleobar/or 10 raw nuts (almonds, pistachios, brazil nuts, etc.) with an apple or 1 cup of strawberries
Pre-workout snack 1 cup of the greek yogurt with 1/2 cup of cereal or fruit
Dinner (I don’t measure that much during dinner since I always end up taking double or more of the serving size on days I workout, so I go with my hunger here) Usually is a large stew made up of the following ingredients: Steamed veggies (asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms, cabbage, etc.) Some sort of protein (fish, chicken, turkey, etc.) Either Corn tortillas, wild rice, brown rice, or ezekial bread I use marinara sauce a lot to season my stews or salsa or other spices for variation I also have a large salad with it and use some store bought salad dressings from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.
Snack 1 cup yogurt 1/2 cup of frozen berries 1 oz. of raw nuts Sometimes I will also have a cup of unsweetened non-fat almond milk (vanilla or chocolate) and mix in some stevia, cereal, fruit, and nuts.
I generally do weight training 4 days a week and use the elliptical machine at the gym for about 30 minutes as well. I do a pilates class once a week if I can make it. Staying active and physically fit help me to stay in shape and is very important to me. I schedule it into my days the same way that I schedule my meals ahead of time. Therefore it goes to show you that it does take consistent hard work for even myself to get the results that I have achieved thus far. (Although it does become second nature after awhile: ).)
I received notice yesterday that a new omega-3 product has hit the market. It's called"New Harvest", and it caught my eye because it is a vegetarian source of essential fatty acids. We have a lot of vegetarians reading our blog so I wanted to know more. This is what I learned by going to their website.
1. The manufacturer is Dupont Chemical. 2. The omega-3's are produced by using a specific type of yeast, Yarrowia lipolytica, to turn corn sugar into fat.
I do like the fact that companies are working to find alternatives for humans that do not involve depleting the world's fish supplies. And I do like the fact that this has potential to help vegetarians.
My problem with this product is that it appears to be a product of genetic engineering. I'm not convinced that this is a completely risk-free technology. And, given the fact that a very high percentage of our readers are either trying to conceive or are pregnant, I have to remember that any food or supplement choice we encourage here has the potential to affect at least two lives, only one of which has a choice in what they are exposed to.
I'm in the process of deciding for myself about genetic engineering. It is a relatively new technology and I don't believe it's been around long enough for us to be 100% confident that it is 100% safe. Each of you has your own opinion about whether or not you wish to incorporate these foods into your diets. It took enough work for me to find the answers to simple questions I had about this product, that I decided to simplify the process for anyone else who might have similar questions.
I also wish, instead of marketing their product as"yeast-based", DuPont had been more forthcoming about the fact that it's more accurately positioned as"corn-based".
I'm all for local eating. But another endeavor I enjoy is helping other cultures find worthwhile products to produce that encourage preservation of the rainforest and farming of products other than coca. So I was excited to see the country of Peru have such a beautiful and informational pavilion at Expo West.
We all know about quinoa and I've written about purple corn…here are some other foods you might be seeing more of that could be fun to try!
Maca Most of us think of maca as a supplement to enhance sexual prowess. It's actually been studied in the laboratory and been found to enhance libido and semen quality. It may also help alleviate sexual dysfunction related to antidepressant use. It may also help reduce enlarged prostate glands.
That being said, Americans have a really bad habit of taking something they think is"good", grinding it up, concentrating it, and using it in larger quantities than would be possible in nature. In this case, there is some thought that excessive maca consumption may negatively affect thyroid function. In addition, there are several varieties of maca, and only the red was found to have significant hormonal effect. Labeling on supplements may not contain this information and you may be wasting your money.
Bottom line, if you see it on a restaurant menu or a fun international market, take it home and cook it like a turnip! Be careful, however, about the supplement version.
Amaranth Gluten-free enthusiasts love this grain, but like quinoa, it's not actually a grain…it's a seed. It can be toasted and eaten like popcorn, or cooked like a grain. Here is more information on how to use amaranth in your kitchen. In other parts of the world, such as Asia and Africa, amaranth leaves and roots are also culinary specialties.
Regular consumption of amaranth seed may help regulate hypertension and cholesterol, and the leaves and roots are very high in vitamins and minerals, including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, copper, and manganese.
Both Bob's Red Mill and Arrowhead Mills sell amaranth flour, but if you can't find it in your store, here are amaranth options on amazon.com.
Aguaymanto This fruit is related to one of my local favorites, the tomatillo (you can see the similar husks in the photo). It is currently being researched for its potential as an antioxidant source, and it has been found to contain melatonin.
Locals like to use it in jams, syrups, and pastries, but it is also seen in fruit salads and salsas.
Lucuma, or eggfruit, if you Google it, will pop up quite frequently as the next big superfood, and ground powders are available online. (As with maca, I am not providing links, as I am not telling you about these foods to encourage a superfood or supplement mentality.) This fruit tree can grow in warmer US climates such as Florida or Arizona. It's a Peruvian favorite, as illustrated by the blog Peru Food. It is described as tasting a little bit like maple syrup ice cream.
It is a favorite of raw food enthusiasts. They promote it as low-glycemic, though I was not able to find the actual scientific reference for it in my search; most references circle back to the same video. If anyone out there can direct me to that, I'm happy to post for everyone.
Nutritionally, lucuma is high in fiber, iron, and as you might guess from its beautiful color, beta carotene.
Sacha Inchi, or the Peruvian peanut, comes from the rainforest. I actually tried this at Expo West; it was prepared like corn nuts and there was also a version coated with fair-trade chocolate (isn't that the best way to get Americans to try anything new and different?) It's pretty high protein, and it contains ALA, the vegan omega-3 fatty acid. (With respect to the omega-3's it's an option to flaxseed.) In Peru, its oil is used for cooking so I imagine some day it will show up in US markets as well.
Again, American marketing reps are trying to capitalize on the superfood craze when selling this food. It's fine to eat, and its nutritional value is nice, but no need to abandon everything else you're doing for it. Try it when you can, enjoy it when you find it, and know it fits well into a hormone-friendly lifestyle.
One of the reasons I put this blog post together is to illustrate why closing out food choices can deny you some food fun, not to mention nutrition! If you're locked into a top ten list of foods, you may miss some great culinary experiences…that can be healthy as well! Sometimes when you're focused on"fixing" a disease it can take the fun out of food. The more enjoyable it is, the more likely it is you'll have a healthy relationship with it. Every culture has its gems, even if they're not salmon, blueberries, and broccoli!
I admit, I had a personal reason for writing this blog post. My Peruvian friend Denise has told me she wants to share her favorite local Peruvian restaurant with me sometime soon. I wanted to be sure I knew what I would be seeing when I looked at the menu. Now that I've done my homework, I'm hungry and looking forward to what the menu has in store.
Gonzales GF, Miranda S, Nieto J, Fernández G, Yucra S, Rubio J, Yi P, and Gasco M. Red maca (Lepidium meyenii) reduced prostate size in rats. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2005; 3: 5.
Dording CM. Fisher L. Papakostas G. Farabaugh A. Sonawalla S. Fava M. Mischoulon D. A double-blind, randomized, pilot dose-finding study of maca root (L. meyenii) for the management of SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction.
Czerwiński J, Bartnikowska E, Leontowicz H, et al. Oat (Avena sativa L.) and amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) meals positively affect plasma lipid profile in rats fed cholesterol-containing diets". J. Nutr. Biochem. 15 (10): 622–9, 2004.
Wu, SJ; Tsai JY, Chang SP, Lin DL, Wang SS, Huang SN, Ng LT (2006). Supercritical carbon dioxide extract exhibits enhanced antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of Pysalis peruviana. J Ethnopharmacol 108 (3): 407–13
Kolar J., Malbeck J. Levels of the antioxidant melatonin in fruits of edible berry species. Planta Medica 2009 75:9
There has been a lot of attention paid recently to BPA's, a kind of plastic found in beverage bottles, that has been associated with hormone disruption.
Naturally, when this is what you read in the news, you're going to gravitate toward non-plastic options. Even if it's natural, and biodegradable, there are things you may want to know before buying disposable cups, plates, and utensils.
Three types of bio-materials predominate in the dinnerware market.
Sugarcane, or bagasse, is made from the fibers left over from processing sugarcane stalks for their juice. Bagasse can also be made from sorghum or agave fibers. To the consumer, it's a benign and reasonable substitute. It may come at a price, however, as workers in the factories that produce bagasse are at greater risk of lung disease. It can hold materials up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Corn, or polylactic acid (PLA), is another common source for biodegradable dinnerware. One of the problems with PLA is that it begins to degrade at around 190 degrees Fahrenheit. This may render leaching into the beverage or liquid the container is holding. Since up to 86 percent of corn is genetically modified, and we've discussed a few potential health risks related to consuming genetically modified organisms, this may not be the number one choice. Note the heat disclaimer on this vendor's website.
Potatoes, or taterware, may hold the best promise. Its materials are 100% non-GMO. Of the three choices, it is the most heat stable, tolerating temperatures up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
I know this may seem a little off topic, but I know many of you readers are doing pretty well with your diets and still looking for PCOS relief. When I find this kind of information I like to post it, as little things do add up, and it's important to be aware of how seemingly neutral choices may in fact be influencing your biochemistry.
Last week I was at the farmer's market, admiring a beautiful box of greens. I noticed a woman looking longingly at the same box. So I asked her if she liked kale.
"Oh, I do!" she answered."But I had to give it up when my husband went on Coumadin."
Coumadin is a blood-thinning agent that is being prescribed more frequently than it used to be, as blood that clots too easily is one consequence of inflammation. Since leafy greens are high in vitamin K, a nutrient that promotes blood clotting, patients prescribed Coumadin are advised to limit their intake to a level they can consistently commit to eating. That commitment factor intimidates many people out of eating them at all.
What is ironic about the Coumadin dilemma, is that leafy greens are packed with omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants, both of which hold potential to fight the very inflammatory process that is likely creating the need for Coumadin in the first place.
So how does one back themselves out of this corner once their previous lifestyle has backed them into it?
Here are a few things to try. Note, Coumadin is NOT a drug to mess with, so if you choose to make these suggested changes, it is essential that you communicate with the physician in charge of managing your blood clotting issues. If your condition is improving, medications will have to be adjusted to maintain clotting balance. It is best to make these shifts one at a time and wait 6 to 8 weeks to see how your body responds, rather than make too many changes at once, which can make it challenging for your physician to keep up with what is happening.
1. Shift your fat consumption, as much as possible, away from omega-6 fatty acid-dominant fats. They are easy to remember, they primarily begin with the letters"s" and"c"--soybean, safflower, sunflower, sesame, corn, and cottonseed. (Canola is the exception to this rule). They are primarily found in processed foods and in restaurant cooking, places where the price, not the quality, of the oil, is determining recipe makeup.
Check in with your physician to see how you are doing.
2. Add more vegetarian, non-leafy omega-3 foods into your diet. Flax is one of my favorites. You can add ground flaxseed into your smoothies, oatmeal, homemade vinaigrettes…and you may want to try a relatively new product on the market, flax milk, as a substitute for coffee creamer. If you are adventurous, try some chia seeds on your salad!
Check in with your physician to see how you are doing.
3. Try a protein-containing snack at night. It can help to stabilize blood sugar and cravings for sweets throughout the day, which keep you from being tempted by baked goods containing those oils.
Check in with your physician to see how you are doing.
4. Work on getting your seafood omega-3's. Note: ALL seafood, not just salmon, contain omega-3 fatty acids. If salmon is too fishy for your taste, spend some time at a knowledgeable seller such as Santa Monica Seafood, and try some of the recommendations they have. One of my favorites, which is available at Santa Monica Seafood, as well as Safeway, is barramundi, a sustainably farmed, mild-flavored whitefish that has a lot of versatility with regards to cooking technique.
Check in with your physician to see how you are doing.
5. If you are not a fish eater, consider a fish oil supplement. Despite what the supplement companies tell you, fish is fish; I've seen great changes in clients using Costco's Kirkland brand. The most important thing about using fish oil when you are taking Coumadin, is that you take it consistently. If remembering it is a challenge, program your smart phone to send you a daily reminder.
Check in with your physician to see how you are doing. If your clotting times have improved enough to get the greens-eating go ahead, good for you!
Later this week I will share some ideas for getting greens in your diet consistently without burning out on them.
OK! We've cruised past the candy corn…mastered the Thanksgiving pie…what is it about these nasty carbohydrate cravings that make it so darn hard to keep a respectful distance from all of these holiday sweets?!?!?
You may not be imagining things. And you may not be a nutrition wimp. Your body chemistry actually changes with the seasons.
Did you know, for example, cholesterol is actually higher on average midwinter than it is midsummer? Yup, so if you have your annual physical midwinter, get a high reading, and go on medications, the drop in your followup may not be entirely due to medication. It's just how nature does things.
One of the toughest seasonal changes is mood. Back in the days when we were more exposed to the elements, it probably made sense to want to be more sluggish and a little heavier. No need to waste body heat on exercise when we need it for warmth. And a little extra fat for insulation was more than welcome.
Nowadays, we prefer to have our weight be as stable as possible, and this time of year it can be hard to achieve that. About 20% of the population (and 4 times more women than men) experience such a radical shift in mood, hormones, and biochemistry, that they qualify for an official diagnosis of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Symptoms include: tiredness, depression, crying spells, irritability, trouble concentrating, physical aches, decreased sex drive, trouble sleeping, less desire to be physically active, increased appetite (especially for carbohydrates), and weight gain.
I'm guessing that a pretty high percentage of the audience reading this is thinking,"But this is how I feel all the time!". If you have PCOS, that may be true, but it may become more intense…progressing to out of control…in the dark of winter. Here are some strategies to try to help you get through the winter solstice. Remember, from December 22 on…it's all uphill!
1. Check your vitamin D levels. Low vitamin D may be part of the problem. If it is, be sure to supplement.
2. Do your best to get outside. It's hard with short days and cold temperatures, but even a few minutes a day can make a difference. Even on a cloudy day! Ultraviolet rays are present even with cloud cover. Take advantage of them.
3. Consider phototherapy. I have recommended light devices for clients living in places like Seattle and Alaska, and they can work wonders. All they do is bring sunshine indoors. Working, studying, or reading the mail in the presence of one on a regular basis can help to promote a biochemistry similar to what you naturally experience in the summer.
4. If your SAD progresses to where the symptoms are incapacitating or dangerous, antidepressant therapy has also been found to be helpful. Ask your physician for a discussion about your options.
5. Of course, you know I'm going to say this…prioritize diet. Take advantage of comfort foody crockpot meals like chili, and lentil soup, to help keep your blood glucose stable. Don't forget the protein. It's easy to forget about protein in the mountain of Christmas candy and cookies we're about to tread through, but a little packet of Justin's Nut Butter or string cheese stashed in your purse or briefcase can work wonders for staving off those carbohydrate demons.
6. Don't panic. If you've noticed over the years that your weight naturally fluctuates 5, even 10 pounds between winter and summer, and it naturally self-corrects without radical dieting, you are simply in tune with Mother Nature. Appreciate the fact that you can get by with fewer bulky sweaters and scarves to stay warm, and don't get caught up in unhealthy eating and exercise habits to try and"fix" what is likely a completely natural phenomenon.
Golden, R.N., B.N. Gaynes, R.D. Ekstrom, et al."The Efficacy of Light Therapy in the Treatment of Mood Disorders: A Review and Meta-analysis of the Evidence." Am J Psychiatry 162 (2005): 656-662.
We seem to have this mentality that if it's an antioxidant worth our attention, that it had to come from a faraway place. If it wasn't handpicked by a silent monk, or floated miles down a rainforest river, it couldn't possibly be good, right?
I've never believed that. Mother Nature is far smarter, and it always seemed to me that she'd be sure to put antioxidant gifts in many places. I recently blogged about purple corn, which grows at altitude in Peru, where there is a need for extra protection from the sun's radiation. But closer to home, we have resveratrol in California grapes. Even here in the Southwest, we have hibiscus, also rich in anthcyanins. (For that reason, I've come to call it the Mexican blueberry!)
My theory was further strengthened at the Natural Products Expo, where I learned about a gem from the plains of Saskatchewan. Originally known as Saskatoon berries, and now being marketed as Prairie Berries, these Canadian fruits have a higher oxygen radical absorbence capacity (ORAC) score than blueberries, the fruit most often making the top ten lists of foods you should have on a regular basis.
Prairie berries have been eaten for generations by Native Americans and early settlers. They were often pounded into dried meat to make pemmican, which is similar to beef jerky.
Prairie berries are very similar to blueberries in taste. We were able to try the dried as well as thawed frozen berries. I really liked the flavor.
These berries are not widely available as I write this. The representatives we met were at the Expo to generate interest in them as a food ingredient. They do have a few products for sale on their website. I'm hoping that future Expos will be showcasing food bars, granolas, trail mixes, etc., using these North American superfruits.
Remember, an antioxidant doesn't hold its power based on how many miles it had to travel to get to you. It's about what it does to those free radicals!
My post a few days ago about the effects of PCOS on the brain seems to have created some discomfort. We lost a few Facebook fans, and those who did respond, said that learning that PCOS was taking its toll on brain tissue and function was somewhat depressing to take. Theories of behavioral change state that until you know a problem exists, you will not act to change. So while the news can be uncomfortable to live with, the good news is, now you know why you need to make changes. You can't talk yourself out of those changes by convincing yourself that you're at peace with your body type, or that maybe you can live without having a baby. You're fighting for your cognitive life, and only you can make the changes that can make a difference. Here is a list of things you can do to help preserve brain and nervous system function. 1. Get sleep. You may think it's a badge of honor to cut yourself short in the sleep department. But it takes its toll. It is when you sleep, that your brain cleans out all the crud from the day before…spit shining neurons, so to speak. If you go too long without sleep, it's like you're letting rust accumulate all throughout your brain. Make it a habit to get to bed at an hour that allows you to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. 2. Reduce stress. Every little thought, behavior, chemical reaction, that gets you through a day, requires a series of neurons to coordinate that activity. Every time a neuron is asked to work, it uses glucose to do so. Every time a neuron burns a molecule of glucose, it uses oxygen to do so. More neurons = more glucose = more oxidation. Make it a priority to give up the small stuff…and if you can't completely give it up…learn how not to sweat it so much. 3. Manage mental health issues. Most mental health diagnoses affecting PCOS (anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, OCD, ADHD), involve processes that overwork the brain and nervous system. People with these disorders are fairly high energy, and that means they are using more neurons, more often, with far more intensity, than people who don't have to live with these conditions. Get counseling. If you need medication, take it. Health means MENTAL as well as PHYSICAL conditioning. Take it seriously. Do what you need to do. Slow down those neurons in any (legal) way available to you. 4. Exercise. Research is showing that regular physical activity slows down the development of brain diseases like Alzheimer's and helps to maintain brain tissue. How many times have you struggled with a problem at your desk, put it down, walked over to the post office, and had an inspiration while moving your body? Muscles and neurons are best friends. Be sure to give them plenty of play dates.
5. Eat less carbohydrate. Because your brain uses glucose, and because it's going to want more glucose when it is stressed, you're going to want to eat more carbs when under pressure. Remember what I said in number 2. The more carbs you eat, the more oxidative stress you impose on your brain. The more easily your brain rusts out and breaks down. I want you to think of this picture every time from this point forward you see a donut, order of french fries, or bottle of soda. Look less appetizing? Good. That was my point. 6. Eat antioxidants Antioxidants, those chemicals with the funny names nutrition experts love to impress people with in their blogs…hate oxidation. Eat them. Don't worry if you can pronounce their names, just know if the food in your hand (1) doesn't have an ingredient label, (2) has color, (3) and rots if left too long in your fridge, it's good for you. Put it on your plate and into your body. 7. Use fish oil. Fifteen percent of the dry weight of a healthy human brain is DHA, one of the primary omega-3's found in fish oil. It has to be fish, it can't be nuts, or flax, or greens. Eat the fish or take the capsules. I don't care if they come up a little bit. You have a choice…burps or brains. Just do it. 8. Reduce omega-6's. All those oils beginning with the letters"s" and"c"…break down brain tissue. Read labels. Get them out of your diet. Two exceptions. Organic canola is fine and coconut oil is fine, provided you're not eating it by the tablespoonful. 9. Yoga. Yoga tones the nervous system. It chills you out. It improves circulation in your spinal column. It improves your flexibility. It helps to manage mental health issues. It pretty much takes items 1 through 8 and makes them work even more effectively for you. It's worth the time. 10. Cut the high-fructose corn syrup. Recent research suggests that HFCS affects memory. Get it out of your diet!
Our network is pretty busy in the media! Today I thought I'd give you some links to some of the great things you'll find in print, online, and on television. As you can see, they love their stuff and they know their stuff. If you are in search of someone to hep you with your nutrition goals, please consider one of these professionals.
From Sally Hara, MS, RD, CSSD, CDE, Kirkland, Washington: Carb-Loading Tips (and other nutrition hints) For Endurance Events
From Sarah Jones, RYT, Phoenix, Arizona: Free yoga class featuring Sarah Jones, RYT, at Lululemon Athletic, Biltmore
From Meri Raffetto, RD, Temecula, California Grilled Corn and Avocado Salad
From Danielle Omar, MS, RD, Fairfax, Virginia Brazilian Passion Fruit Mousse
From Debra Benfield, MS, RD, Winston-Salem, North Carolina How Developing Awareness (and Eating Lunch Away from Your Desk) Can Change Your Body and Life
From Linda Caley, MS, RD, Colchester, Connecticut Review of beverages on Better Connecticut
From Hana Feeney, MS, RD, CSSD, Tucson, Arizona Keeping Hydrated During the Heat on KVOA-TV
From Monika Woolsey, MS, RD, Phoenix, Arizona Explosion of Interest in Eating Locally and Veganism Embrace the slime! Juice, roast, grill okra for health benefits That's just peachy: stone fruits plum good for diabetes, heart disease, obesity California's senators vote for open GMO labeling, other states not so fortunate
I am an animal lover, and it turns my stomach every time I turn on the news and see an oil-coated pelican, or a rescued baby turtle, innocently affected by the BP oil spill. I have committed to never buy another BP brand as long as I live.
I am very concerned about what this spill poses personally for all of the readers of this blog. You all need omega-3 fatty acids, the kind that come from seafood, for your brain health and hormone balance. Without healthy oceans, there simply cannot be healthy humans. Menhaden, a huge source of fish oil, has been significantly affected. Its season opened just as the oil spill started. Omega Protein Corporation, the world's largest manufacturer of fish oil, fishes largely out of the Gulf. They've stated that they'll simply move their boats and there isn't a short term issue, but as the problem persists…the long term impact of such a disaster begins to become more and more frightening.
I encourage all of you to take this issue personally. The obvious boycott would be BP products for your car.
There's another one, a pretty big one, directly related to each and every one of us. Cans. Aluminum cans. The kind we crack open when we Jones for a soda. The primary manufacturer of these sodas is a division of BP.
Maybe, if you haven't been able to stop drinking the sodas, even when we've blogged about the caffeine and the sugar and the high fructose corn syrup and the artificial sweeteners…you can do it if you know the company who makes the cans they come in is chipping away at the integrity of the fragile environment your hormones need to live in.
It's a smple act, but with 1 in 10 women on the planet living with PCOS, if they banded together and collectively put the cans down, imagine what message that could send.
The pelican who's watching over this post…on behalf of his endangered pals, thanks you for your consideration.
Click here for a link to a list of products and services related to BP.
