The Hemp Connection [Search results for fat] 

My clients' food diaries tell me a whole lot about current trends in diets in general, as well as what's being said about PCOS. More and more, I'm seeing women report eating coconut oil by the tablespoonful. So I thought I'd dissect the information and evaluate whether or not this is advisable.

Overall, the recommendations for a heart healthy, low glycemic diet, are to eat 30-35% of your calories as fat, equally distributed between saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated. Here is how that works out for most calorie levels you're likely to be on. First row is 30% of calories, second is 35% of calories.

1200 360 fat calories, 40 grams of fat, 120 calories/13.3 grams each, S-P-M
1200 420 fat calories, 47 grams of fat, 140 calories/15.5 grams each, S-P-M

1300 390 fat calories, 43.3 grams of fat, 130 calories/14.4 grams each, S-P-M
1300 455 fat calories, 50.6 grams of fat, 152 calories/17.0 grams each, S-P-M

1400 420 fat calories, 46.7 grams of fat, 126 calories/14.0 grams each, S-P-M
1400 490 fat calories, 54.4 grams of fat, 163 calories/18.1 grams each, S-P-M

1500 450 fat calories, 50.0 grams of fat, 150 calories/16.7 grams each, S-P-M
1500 525 fat calories, 58.3 grams of fat, 175 calories/19.4 grams each, S-P-M

1600 480 fat calories, 53.0 grams of fat, 160 calories/17.8 grams each, S-P-M
1600 560 fat calories, 62.2 grams of fat, 187 calories/20.7 grams each, S-P-M

1700 510 fat calories, 56.7 grams of fat, 170 calories/18.9 grams each, S-P-M
1700 595 fat calories, 66.1 grams of fat, 198 calories/22.0 grams each, S-P-M

1800 540 fat calories, 60.0 grams of fat, 180 calories/20.0 grams each, S-P-M
1800 630 fat calories, 70.0 grams of fat, 210 calories/23.3 grams each, S-P-M

1900 570 fat calories, 63.3 grams of fat, 190 calories/21.1 grams each, S-P-M
1900 665 fat calories, 73.9 grams of fat, 222 calories/24.6 grams each, S-P-M

2000 600 fat calories, 66.7 grams of fat, 200 calories/22.2 grams each, S-P-M
2000 700 fat calories, 77.8 grams of fat, 233 calories/25.9 grams each, S-P-M

One teaspoon of coconut oil contains 5 grams of saturated fat. Assuming that most fat that is found in milk and dairy is also saturated, let's work backwards and see on each of these calorie levels, at the two percentages, at any calorie level, you would not have any saturated fat left to allocate to your major sources of protein, calcium, and vitamin D. Keep in mind, women who consume at least one serving of fat-containing dairy a day are significantly more fertile than those who do not.

In the other direction, if you are eating entirely lean sources of protein (fish, poultry, lean red meat), and one serving of dairy a day, you should assume that about 23 grams of saturated fat will come from those sources. Again, even if you are aiming for 2000 calories a day, that leaves you room for 2.9 grams, or half a teaspoon of coconut oil per day.

Let's say you choose to switch out your unsaturated fat (where your pro-inflammatory omega-6 oils are found), for coconut oil. If, and only if, you had absolutely no other fats from these oils, you could include this much coconut oil in your diet.

1200 2.6 tsp/3.1 tsp
1300 2.7 tsp/3.4 tsp
1400 2.8 tsp/3.6 tsp
1500 3.3 tsp/3.9 tsp
1600 3.6 tsp/4.1 tsp
1700 3.8 tsp/4.4 tsp
1800 4.0 tsp/4.6 tsp
1900 4.2 tsp/4.9 tsp
2000 4.4 tsp/5.2 tsp

Even at the highest level I calculated, there is not enough room for 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in your diet. The excess calories will eventually set you up to gain weight. All oils, even healthy oils, in excess, promote weight gain.

There is some evidence to suggest that this proportion of saturated fat to monounsaturated fat may be too high, because fluidity of neuron membranes is important for healthy brain and nervous system function…and too much saturated fat of any kind, is correlated with rigid (undesirable) membranes.

I double checked peer-reviewed references in Pub Med and was not able to find any articles describing studies that would have been the source for this dose. I did find some cautionary information, however.

A high-fat diet, when the fat is coconut oil, in one study, was associated with lower bone density than high-fat diets based on either flaxseed (omega-3) or safflower oil (omega-6).

Yes, a diet that is 10% coconut oil, as described above, has been reported to improve metabolic parameters. However, when the amount of fat is increased, to 25%, increased blood free fatty levels, insulin resistance, and hypertension, all increase as well. The incidence of atherosclerosis in this study also doubled.

It looks to me like what may be going on here, is that one study was taken out of context and used as a promotional piece of information by companies with much to gain if their sales of coconut oil increase. When you're looking for good information, go to the source. Websites primarily intended to sell a product, even if they provide references, are not"the source". Chances are, they will omit any references that encourage any kind of limitation of use of their product.

I have more information on coconut oil in future posts. I don't think it's bad, I just think it's being over-hyped and misused, in a way that can be especially problematic for women highly at risk of metabolic and hormonal disorders.

Lau BY, Fajardo VA, McMeekin L, Sacco SM, Ward WE, Roy BD, Peters SJ, Leblanc PJ. Influence of high-fat diet from differential dietary sources on bone mineral density, bone strength, and bone fatty acid composition in rats. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2010 Oct;35(5):598-606.

Waqar AB, Koike T, Yu Y, Inoue T, Aoki T, Liu E, Fan J. High-fat diet without excess calories induces metabolic disorders and enhances atherosclerosis in rabbits. Atherosclerosis. 2010 Nov;213(1):148-55. Epub 2010 Aug 11.

We all throw the word"fat" around as if we really know what it is. If I were to stand at the mall and take a survey, I'd likely get the following answers to the question,"What is fat?"

"Gross"

"Something I have too much of."

"Saturated and unsaturated."

"Something that unfortunately makes food taste good."

Have you ever thought about why we even make and store fat in the first place? Just a few decades ago, nutrition students like me were taught that the primary source of fat was as a storage tissue for excessive calories eaten. Oh! And it helps to insulate you and keep you warm. That was that.

That paradigm is what the vast majority of nutrition advice is based on…that fat is an inactive mass that has little value, really, so when we have too much of it we should do whatever it takes to get rid of it. Diet. Exercise. Liposuction. Bariatric surgery.

In recent years, scientists have been studying fat and learning some really interesting things. Fat is actually an endocrine organ! Just like the pancreas and the liver, our fat tissue manufactures and secretes hormones and chemicals of communication that are used by other parts of the body in other locations. Fat tissue can make estrogen, and it can also even make cortisol! Other hormones that fat tissue can make include leptin, resistin, and adiponectin.

The fact that fat has functions suggests that we should be much more respectful of its existence. Apparently it is created when we need what it does. Simply removing it, without figuring out what conditions triggered it to appear in the first place, is likely why drastic, imbalanced methods of reducing fat don't have long-term success.

I read long ago that insulin has a mild-antidepressant activity. It occurred to me, that when a person is not living their life in balance, and the nervous system is having a hard time doing its job, that we may have been programmed to have back up plans to ensure our survival. Such as not allowing insulin to be used by muscle and fat, rather rendered available to be used by the brain to keep doing what it does. After all, if our brains aren't working, we aren't working…right?

So instead of thinking we are depressed because we are fat…maybe we should consider that we are fat becasue we are depressed.

The type of fat that is found in our abdomens is commonly written about as dangerous to have. Yes, it is associated with a lot of expensive and deadly illnesses. However, it is also where a lot of omega-3 fatty acids are stored. So if we're eating the kind of fat that overpowers the ability of the body to do its job, and not eating enough omega-3 fatty acids in the first place, it's actually pretty amazing, if you think about it, that our bodies have a way to make sure that despite these somewhat self-destructive choices, the fats our brains desperately need, stay in the body and get to where they are most needed?

I stopped thinking of fat as a bad thing a long time ago. When I see someone whose adipose organ is overdeveloped, it makes me stop and think about how far out of balance they must be. If you exercise and train and work your muscles routinely over time, they become big and strong, right? If your life is imbalanced, your fat tissue will be worked out in similar fashion. If you don't need the fat, it is not likely to stick around.

When I see someone with an overdeveloped fat organ, my very first thought is,"That body is having to work sooo hard to stay in balance. That must be an exhausting job."

When you are diligent with self-care, that is you make food choices that promote better balance, you move your body regularly, you don't take on unnecessary stress, and you practice good sleep hygiene, your body won't have to be so dependent on its fat tissue to do all that work. The responsibility is better divided between other body parts.

It's a bit of a shift to wrap your brain around, I know…but I encourage you to think about it. The very fact that you're able to make fat may have been lifesaving, up to this point. But since extra fat was more designed as a backup plan, and not the primary way to stay in balance, perhaps you can think of your choices from this point forward as ways to give that organ a break and not wear it out…not wear YOU out…before your time.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15195692

Continuing on with yesterday's theme, I wanted to summarize options for anyone who, for whatever reason, chooses to drink milk alternatives instead of cow's milk.

The primary problems with these alternatives are:

1. They almost, without question, do not provide equivalent amounts of protein and raise your diet's carbohydrate to protein ratio.

2. They are often sweetened, increasing your simple carbohydrate to complex carbohydrate ratio.

3. Most of the alternatives, except for coconut milk, do contain vitamin D. However, check your label just to be sure.

If you choose to use these, in general, you are not substituting milk alternatives for milk. You are drinking a beverage that creates a need for you to increase your protein, vitamin D, and complex carbohydrates in the foods you also choose, in order to make up the deficiencies this switch inevitably creates. If you do not know how to do that, a consultation with one of our inCYSTers might be helpful. Many of them offer Skype consultations if you do not see on our list below and to the right who lives near you.

Here's the rundown. For comparison, per 8 ounces, 1% milk contains:
110 calories
8 grams protein
5 grams fat
12 grams carbohydrate
0% added sugar

One bias I do have which is reflected below, is toward soy milk. Too many women with PCOS have thyroid problems, for me to feel responsible presenting it as an option. So I have omitted it.

All information is for an 8 ounce serving.

ALMOND MILK
This one appears to be the most popular. One benefit to almond milk is that since almonds are naturally sweet, there is not as much of a need to add sugar in order to make them palatable. The disadvantage to almond milk is that, consumed in large enough quantities, it may increase your omega-6 intake enough that you promote, rather than reduce, inflammation (almonds, while beneficial in moderation, are the only nut that contain absolutely no omega-3's and for that reason should not be the only nut you exclusively eat).

Almond Breeze Brand
45 calories
2 grams protein
3.5 grams fat
3 grams carbohydrate
0% of carbohydrate is added sugar
Pacific Foods Vanilla Almond

45 calories
1 gram protein
2.5 grams fat
3 grams carbohydrate
0% of carbohydrate is added sugar

FLAX MILK

I do like flax milk's omega-3 fatty acid content. It's sweetened, but not to the same degree as many of the other milks. I could see using this in cooking, in any recipe that called for cream, or as coffee creamer, as a way to enhance your diet's overall omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. It still comes up short in the protein department.

Flax USA Flax Milk

50 calories
0 grams protein
2.5 grams fat
7 grams carbohydrate
100% of carbohydrate is added sugar

HEMP MILK
One benefit to hemp milk is its omega-3 content. However, it is sweetened pretty significantly so consumers will drink it.

Living Harvest Hemp Milk

130 calories
4 grams protein
3 grams fat
240 grams carbohydrate
75% of carbohydrate is added sugar
Manitoba Harvest Hemp Bliss

110 calories
5 grams protein
7 grams fat
7 grams carbohydrate
86% of carbohydrate is added sugar

OATMEAL MILK

Highest in calories, partially because it's sweetened. Eating the real oatmeal will give you better benefits.

Pacific Foods Oatmeal
130 calories
4 grams protein
2.5 grams fat
24 grams carbohydrate
79% of carbohydrate is added sugar

HAZELNUT MILK

The fat in hazelnuts is primarily monounsaturated, making the fat here healthy, but again, low protein and high added sugar are problematic

Pacific Foods Hazelnut Milk

110 calories
2 grams protein
3.5 grams fat
18 grams carbohydrate
78% of carbohydrate is added sugar

COCONUT MILK

I love this milk, but consumed in place of milk, the saturated calories will add up. Yes, the fat in coconut milk is different than the fat in meat, but even so, your overall intake of saturated fat, regardless of the source, should be no more than 10% of total calories. So I say save this one for cooking (as in Thai curries) or used sparingly on breakfast oatmeal or quinoa. It's not really the best choice for drinking by the glass.

Regular Canned Coconut Milk

445 calories
5 grams protein
48 grams fat
6 grams carbohydrate
0% of carbohydrate is added sugar
Trader Joe's Light Coconut Milk

150 calories
0 grams protein
12 grams fat
12 grams carbohydrate
0% of carbohydrate is added sugar

So Delicious Coconut Milk (carton)
50 calories
1 gram protein
5 grams fat
6 grams carbohydrate
86% of carbohydrate is added sugar

Silk Coconut Milk (carton)
90 calories
1 gram protein
5 grams fat
10 grams carbohydrate
90% of carbohydrate is added sugar

RICE MILK

Until recently, rice milk was also an option that fell short in protein and in which sugar was added to sweeten and flavor. The first example here illustrates that point. The second option, which has recently come on the market, is a great advancement as far as milk alternative options go.

Both brands are made with brown rice, and both contain vitamins D and B12. However, safflower oil, one of the pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids we encourage you to limit, is also listed as a Rice Dream ingredient. Just wanted to cover that base.

For women with PCOS, the addition of stevia by Growing Naturals is an added plus, as research is suggesting that regular consumption of stevia may help to improve pancreatic function, reduce cravings for sweets, and improve memory. All of those are chronic issues which make it hard to make the choices promoting hormone balance. In addition, Growing Naturals DOES contain vitamin D (in the vegan D2 form), and vitamin B12, often deficient in vegans.

Rice Dream Rice Milk

120 calories
1 gram protein
2.5 grams fat
23 grams carbohydrate
43% of carbohydrate is added sugar
Growing Naturals Brown Rice Milk

110 calories
8 grams protein
1 grams fat
17 grams carbohydrate
0% of carbohydrate is added sugar
So by now you know my bias, but now you also know why it exists. I use all of these milks in my kitchen. But I do so in different ways. Some as condiments and even coffee creamers, as I do enjoy their flavors, but not as a beverage choice I drink by the glass. The two I drink by the glass are cow's milk and Growing Naturals. Hopefully I've provided you with enough information to de what combinations are most hormone-friendly for you.

If you're interested in trying/using Growing Naturals yourself, and it hasn't arrived at your local store, here is information for ordering.

I'm not surprised at the number of people who choose the"healthy" versions of things they know are normally not so healthy, based solely on an eye-catching blurb on the front of a package. Things like “trans-fat-free” flavored non-dairy creamer, or chocolate chip cookies “made with whole grains.” And are they really trans-fat-free or made with whole grains? Most of us won't even turn the package around to read the ingredients and find out what that means.

If there's a big graphic on the front with the words"0 grams trans fat per serving" most people will see that and think,"Perfect. I know trans fats are a bad thing, not sure what it is but I'm glad my favorite hazelnut flavored creamer doesn't have it!" And off they go. What they didn’t notice is that the second ingredient on the back was “partially hygrogenated oil” which is – you guessed it – trans fat. The serving size is a teaspoon. Can most of you who use flavored creamers honestly say that you take out a measuring teaspoon and put just that much into your coffee? If you’re like most people I know, you either pour some into your coffee until the color is right (definitely more than a teaspoon), or you use multiple single-serve packets wherever you get your coffee. The loophole is that if it’s less than 0.5g per serving, they can claim it’s got 0 trans fat. So the serving is tiny, not true to what most people actually use.

Same goes with other things like Goldfish crackers. Ooooh! It peeves me so! I was at Target doing some shopping and they have monster-sized bags of Goldfish crackers on sale. And not just any Goldfish crackers. The ones that are"made with whole grains". So here you are, trying to make small changes, since that is what you keep hearing is the easiest to do. A small change might be to find a healthier alternative to the little Goldfish you snack on mindlessly after work every evening. And holy crap! Here’s a “whole grain” version – that’s healthy! Right? Wrong.

Yes. the ingredient panel on the back lists"100% whole grain flour" as the first ingredient, but I took one down the aisle to where the regular Goldfish crackers were to compare. There really wasn't much of a difference – marginal at best. The “healthier” version has about 10 calories less per serving (1 serving is 55 Goldfish for both kinds). It also has 1 gram more of fiber per serving, so from 1 gram in the original, up to a whopping 2 grams in the healthier version. Though it has less fat, it has more saturated fat. And the “healthier” version also has more sodium. So really, is it any better, cumulatively? Not really, though I can hear Goldfish fanatics justifying that extra gram of fiber and 10 less calories to death. It’s still a highly-processed junky food, trying to weasel its way back into your home since chances are if you’re like many Americans, you’re trying to eat healthier.

Food labels are a tricky little business, and if you think the label is there to help you, the consumer, you’re in for a rude awakening. That's just what the food companies want you to believe. At the end of the day, everything they put on a label is carefully thought out, with their bottom line at the top of the priority list. International Delights and Pepperidge Farms (and soooo many others) don’t want to lose you as a customer so they figure, if you’re wising (wisening?) up about nutrition, they’ll play to your new level of nutrition knowledge and keep you around with misleading serving size loopholes and a trivial amount of whole grains in some of their junk products.

Here are some terms to keep in mind when you’re at the store:

• “Zero Grams Trans Fat Per Serving” – hydrogenated and partially-hydrogenated oils – of any kind – are trans fats. If these words appear on an ingredient list, feel free to call B.S. on the “zero grams” claim. Also look at your serving size and see if that is truly what you use.

  This goes for “Fat Free” as well. Remember if it’s less than 0.5 gram of fat per serving they can get away with saying it’s fat free. But if you use multiple times what the recommended serving size is, you’re gonna have to accept that it’s not truly fat-free – this is huge for people trying to lose weight, as the calories will add up faster than you think!

• “Made with Whole Grains” – First ask yourself is it really made with 100% whole grains? Then compare to the original and see if they’re BS-ing you with trivial differences that add up to nothing other than money in the bank for the company.
• “All Natural” – this is not a regulated claim, and any company can use this phrase and interpret their own meaning of what is “natural”. If you find ingredients on the nutrition panel that sure as heck don’t sound natural, well then…
• “No added sugar” – look for other sources of sugar that aren’t literally “sugar” like brown rice syrup, evaporated cane juice, fruit juice concentrate, and also keep an eye out for artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols (aspartame, sucralose, sorbitol, maltitol, lactitol… etc.
• “Made with natural sugar” – Hey, that’s great. But you know what? Sugar is sugar, and too much of it, “natural” or otherwise is not going to add up to anything good in the long run. All your body knows when you put the food in your mouth is, “HEY!!!! Sugar!!! Now it’s a party!” Sugar in moderation won’t kill most people, but somehow, telling someone that it’s “natural” sugar or “raw” sugar, suddenly makes it ok to eat more. And that won’t necessarily save lives, either. Be smart about it.
• “Zero Calories / Calorie-Free” – Like with fats, if it has less than 5 calories per serving, the food company can get away with saying it has zero calories per serving. Rule of thumb is to consider all those zero-calorie items to have 4 calories. And as you might have heard, calories can add up rather quickly. Knowing that, if you’re drinking quite a bit of these zero-calorie beverages, or using multiple servings of zero-calorie salad dressing, you may be motivated to change your ways, if you’re actively counting calories (which I would hope would be the only reason you’re eating and drinking those kinds of things!).

  A special note about Splenda – “The Zero Calorie Sweetener” It’s about 2 calories per little yellow packet. And they can add up very quickly if you’re putting Splenda into everything.

This blog post is a guest post written by inCYST Network member Christine Marquette, RD, LD, CLT, HFS. Chris is especially well-informed about healthy eating for vegetarians with PCOS.

Chris has just finished writing three great e-books about PCOS: (1) The Quick Start Guide to PCOS, (2) The Nutrition Guide to PCOS, and (3) The Supplement Guide to PCOS, which you can get for a 20% discount with the code INCYST20 at checkout.

Chris' private practice is located in Austin, TX. If you're farther away, you can keep up with her at her blog and on Twitter, at @ChrisMarquette, and on her Facebook fan page.

The Truth About Canola Oil

By Christine E. Marquette

Have you read somewhere on the internet, or better yet, gotten an email from a friend, that says canola oil is not healthy, and worse, is down right dangerous? I’ve gotten these emails myself, and have seen some of the websites disparaging canola oil. In an effort to set the record straight, I first looked up the nutritional profile of canola oil on the USDA’s Nutrient Data Library, and compared it to Olive Oil. Keep in mind that virtually every website that provides nutrient analysis information gets their data from this website.

What I found was that canola oil contains about 1 gram (g) of saturated fat, 8.86 g of monounsaturated fat, and 3.94 total grams of polyunsaturated fat per tablespoon.1 The polyunsaturated fat includes 1.28 g of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA omega 3) and 2.6 g of omega 6 fatty acids. Olive oil contains 1.86 g of saturated fat, 9.85 g of monounsaturated fat, and 1.42 total g of polyunsaturated fat per tablespoon.1 The total polyunsaturated fat includes 1.32 g of linoleic fat and 0.103 g of linolenic fat; it does not contain any ALA omega 3 fatty acids (or EPA or DHA omega 3). As you can see, canola oil actually has more omega 3 fatty acids in the form of alpha-linolenic acid than olive oil. This is one positive regarding canola oil.

But a lot of the fear mongers will say that even if this is true, canola oil has high levels of erucic acid, which is dangerous. Originally canola oil did come from the rapeseed plant, which is a member of the mustard family, and did have high levels of erucic acid, but newer “breeds” of rapeseed plant used to make canola oil now have very low levels of erucic acid.2 I did not find any studies showing that the level of erucic acid in canola today causes any health problems.

Others will go on to say that even if the erucic acids are low, it is still bad for you because the polyunsaturated fats in it are unstable and can become inflammatory. If canola oil was truly inflammatory, the various clinical studies on canola oil would have shown it. Instead, there have been several studies in humans showing canola oil “produces hypolipidemic, anti-inflammatory, and antithrombotic effects,” which means it is indeed heart healthy. 3, 4

I did not find a single scientific study that showed any detrimental effects on humans from conventional canola oil. It is true that 80% of canola oil in North American is genetically modified to make it resistant to herbicides, which has not had an effect on its fatty acid profile. 5 There have also been some websites claiming that it has been banned in Europe. I have not found this to be the case either. It is true that in Europe there is a ban on genetically modified organisms (GMOs), so canola oil produced there comes from non-GMO rapeseed plants and is called “oil seed rape” rather than canola oil, but as far as its nutrient profile (percentage of omega 3s, monounsaturated fats, etc.) it is the same as conventional canola oil produced in North America.6

I can understand the fear in using GMOs, as some studies have shown certain foods that have undergone this process have gone on to cause problems in rats. The exact effect in humans is still under investigation. To allay that fear, I would suggest sticking with organic, non-GMO canola oil. Also make sure that no matter what type of oil you choose, if it is unrefined, avoid cooking at temperatures higher than about 355 F as high heat can cause chemicals to be released from unrefined oils that may increase the risk of cancer.7,8

1 USDA Agricultural Research Service Nutrient Data Laboratory/USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference; accessed online June 16, 2011 at http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

2 Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease. Accessed online June 15, 2011 at http://dictionary.infoplease.com/canola

3 Indu M and Ghafoorunissa. N-3 Fatty acids in Indian Diets – Comparison of the effects of precursor (alpha-linolenic acid) Vs product (long chaing n-3 poly unsaturated fatty acids). Nutrition Research, Vol 12 Issues 4-5 April-May 1992, pp. 569-582.

4 Ghafoorunissa. Fats in Indian diets and their nutritional and health implications. Lipids. 1996 Mar;31 Suppl:S287-91.

5 Canola Quick Facts: Why Growers Choose GM Canola. Accessed online June 17, 2011 at http://web.archive.org/web/20071026034326/http://www.canola-council.org/facts_gmo.html

6 Canola Oil: The Myths Debunked. Accessed online June 17, 2011 at http://www.canolacouncil.org/canola_oil_the_truth.aspx

7 Canola Oil. Accessed online June 15, 2011 at http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/canola.asp

8 Is Canola Oil Hazardous to Your Health? Accessed online June 16, 2011 at http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blcanola3.htm

Used with permission. Copyright  2011 Christine E. Marquette

I was recently graciously shipped a jar of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Standard Virgin coconut oil for review. First of all, thank you to Tropical Traditions for their generosity! I use coconut oil twice a day on my skin and I love the noticeable difference it makes. I'm also learning to cook with it, and am happy to have this to work with.

This is a long, drawn out post. I'm putting my conclusion at the very beginning so you can decide if you want to sit through the rest:

I love coconut oil, I use it myself, both in cooking and on my skin. I love this particular brand and product, and it's clear that the company is very proud of the attention they devote to quality and sustainable practices. If you choose to incorporate coconut oil into your cooking, and I hope that you do, please consider supporting a company that works so hard on behalf of integrity.

My intention is to encourage more people to use coconut oil than currently do. It wasn't long ago that we discouraged coconut oil consumption and I still encounter people who think it's unhealthy. I'd also like to encourage those who may be creating problems with excessive use, to understand why that may not be a good choice.

My only reservation is that there is somewhat of a health halo hanging over coconut oil that encourages its use in quantities that potentially do not support improved health.

I'll be addressing those issues in this post.
A little bit of feedback on the coconut oil information I found on the website.

In the FAQ section, there is no peer-reviewed reference provided to support the following statement:

The benefits of coconut oil are mainly from the nutrient value of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs). The best comparison in nature as to the percentage of MCFAs being consumed in a diet is human breast milk. To equal the amount of MCFAs a nursing infant would receive in one day, an adult would need to consume about 3.5 tablespoons of coconut oil a day according to researchers.

1. With regards to fat, what an infant needs, nutritionally, is far different from what an adult needs.

For example, nutrition experts recommend 2% milk for children up to to years of age, then a drop to 1% or skim. The reason for this recommendation is that the extra fat is needed during the first 2 years of life to help fuel the rapid growth occurring during that time. As growth and development slow, so do needs for dietary fat.

Arachidonic acid (ARA) is an essential fatty acid for infants. The only place they can get it is milk, so if an infant is formula fed, ARA needs to be added to that formula. When that infant is weaned, however, and can get this fatty acid elsewhere, it no longer needs to be added to the diet.

It simply has not been proven that nutritional needs for infants are the same as nutritional needs for adults. Or that what you would feed an infant is even healthy for an adult. So I'm not entirely convinced that the extrapolation from an infant's saturated fat intake in breast milk, to a recommendation for adults of 3.5 tablespoons per day is a logical or healthy leap. (I am happy to adjust my stance if peer-reviewed research supporting the higher level becomes available. Our readers are in large part pursuing fertility and possibly in the midst of infertility treatment. I owe it to these high-risk situations to lean toward the skeptical and conservative. I don't want to heap more expense, stress, and/or disappointment on women who take our advice so seriously.)

Fat is fat, no matter where it comes from, it still contains calories, and the recommendations are still to keep saturated fat intake to about 10% of total calories. Regardless of the source of the saturated fat.

I did a long blog post calculating dietary amounts for different calorie levels that this translates to not too long ago if you want more specifics. I do think that when possible, saturated fat from coconut oil is better than saturated fat from meat, so the focus needs to be learning how to make that switch. (See the recipes I posted below.)

2. In moderate quantities, coconut oil can definitely be beneficial. A 2009 Brazilian study providing 1 tbsp per day of coconut oil to a group of women with abdominal obesity found that compared to 1 tbsp of soybean oil, the coconut oil group had higher HDL, a lower LDL/HDL ratio, and a reduced waist circumference. It cannot be determined from this study design if the change was due to the absence of soybean oil, the presence of coconut oil, or a little of both, but it does illustrate that when used in moderation, coconut oil can be part of a hormone-friendly eating program.

3. What IS showing up in the literature is that too much coconut oil can be metabolically deleterious. Individuals at risk for diabetes (and if you have PCOS that means you) need to use coconut oil with care. One recent study in particular (done with calves) compared coconut oil to a non-medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) diet as well as to another MCT, caprylate oil. The coconut oil-fed calves weighed pretty much the same at the end of the study, contradicting claims that coconut oil promotes weight loss. In addition, the coconut oil calves had heavier, fattier livers and contained 15% more fat than the livers of the other calves.

Bottom line, used respectfully, coconut oil has many health benefits and I do encourage its use. What I DO discourage, is using this product indiscriminately with the belief that it has any kind of magical quality that counteracts dietary indiscretions or which somehow allows you to ignore other important rules of nutritional balance.

4. I spent a long time on the company's companion website, http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/ to see how others were using coconut oil in cooking. Most of the recipes were for baked goods and sweets, the use of which, due to the insulin resistance issue the readers of this blog deal with, should be limited. Cakes, cookies, etc., are not nutritionally dense and cannot be eaten in large quantities just because of the oil they were made with.

I did find a great recipe for coconut oil vinaigrette coleslaw, which nicely combines the concept I've been writing about recently, consuming a bit of vinegar before meals, with a nice, moderate use of coconut oil. I would so love to see more savory recipes like this, as it would help the readers inCYST most often works with, to use this oil to their benefit.

I did my best to walk the walk, as well, and asked the members of our Facebook fan page to share any savory recipes they might have using coconut oil. Here are a few provided by culinary school graduate Alyssa Fritts.

Coconut Green Beans
Blanch fresh green beans by dumping them in boiling water for about 20-30 seconds. Strain them out and put them in ice water to s top the cooking. Melt a tsp or less of coconut oil in a pan. Add 1/2 clove of garlic and the strained green beans, toss around a few times. Add chopped almonds and salt and pepper to taste.

Coconut Pork Chops
Put a little bit of coconut oil in a pan, salt and pepper pork chop with all fat trimmed Brown on both sides. Remove chop, add garlic, and chopped onion. Saute until garlic is fragrant. Add veggie or chicken stock and a LITTLE bit of apple jui ce. Put chop back in and let it reduce down by about half. Remove chop and place on plate. Add a scoop of stone ground mustard, and a sprig of fresh rosemary. Let it thicken. Finish with a swirl of coconut oil to give it the smooth fullness butter would. Pour over your chop.

Miso-Ginger Salmon
1/2 tsp coconut oil
1 clove minced garlic
1/8 in piece peeled ginger in matchsticks
1 tbs chopped onion
1 tsp miso paste
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup veggie stock or water
1/4 tsp coconut oil

Melt 1/2 tsp coconut oil in pan. Salt and pepper salmon. Place in pan skin side up. Brown on both sides. Set aside on a plate. If needed as a tiny bit more coconut oil. Add ginger and garlic. Add onion and sautee for a few seconds. Add wine and stock. Add salmon back to pan and cook for about 5 min. Remove salmon and turn heat up to high. Add miso and reduce down until thick. Swirl in a tiny bit (up to 1/4 tsp) of coconut oil and pour over salmon.

What Alyssa is illustrating, beautifully, is that one of the best ways to use coconut oil is to switch out other oils for coconut oil in your regular cooking, being careful with quantities just as you would any other fat. It adds a nice flavor while it helps your metabolism.

If any of you use Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil, and you've developed some savory, hormone-friendly recipes you'd like to share with our friends at Tropical Traditions, I would love if you would do that. I'd like their customers to see just how much potential this oil can have in the kitchen. I'd really love to see this company, which clearly has a heart for wanting to do something good, succeed at that goal. I'm in love with the creativity of inCYST fans, and encourage you all to step up and share it in a way that can have benefit far outside of this blog post.

Bottom line: Used intelligently and respectfully, Tropical Traditions gets a thumbs up. Stay tuned, as tomorrow we're going to announce a giveaway encouraging you to think about and incorporate the concepts presented in this blog post!

Assunção ML, Ferreira HS, dos Santos AF, Cabral CR Jr, Florêncio TM. Effects of dietary coconut oil on the biochemical and anthropometric profiles of women presenting abdominal obesity. Lipids. 2009 Jul;44(7):593-601. Epub 2009 May 13.
Talbott, Shawn M. and Kerry Hughes. (2006). The Health Professional's Guide to Dietary Supplements. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 60–63. ISBN 9780781746724.

Mills JK, Ross DA, Van Amburgh ME. The effects of feeding medium-chain triglycerides on the growth, insulin responsiveness, and body composition of Holstein calves from birth to 85 kg of body weight. J Dairy Sci. 2010 Sep;93(9):4262-73.

Normally I wouldn't promote a show like this on a blog like this, but a recent client shared that last season a woman was diagnosed with PCOS after competing. She happens to be someone who really struggled with weight loss during the competition. My client shared with me, that she remembered thinking when hearing about the PCOS diagnosis,"Wow, if a show of experts can't even help someone like me, I don't have much hope."

Until that conversation, I'd kept my thoughts about this show primarily to myself, but realizing it may be important to provide hope to a segment of the population for whom this show may not be entirely productive…I've decided to make it a regular blog entry throughout this season of Biggest Loser.

And, I have a team of experts to help! The contributors to this blog will be taking turns sharing their thoughts, expertise, and insights. We'll be so much better at this with all of these viewpoints than if it was just me. I hope you enjoy our little series.

Now, about Episode One.

I'm going to use my turn to talk about something that has bothered me since the show's inception--how"progress" is described. Weight loss is the only measurement used in this competition. And it is never mentioned, anywhere, anytime, that weight consists of several things: fat, muscle, water, glycogen (how carbohydrate is stored) and bone, primarily.

At one point in the show, Jillian was showing how the Body Bugg works. She stated that the calories burned in a typical day are about 3,000. One pound of fat equals 3,500 calories. So if we use her statement and calculate out a week, the average Biggest Loser contestant burns 21,000 calories in one week. That works out to about 6 pounds. Any loss over that is coming primarily from water and possibly even muscle.

In my exercise physiology program, we learned that different fuels are burned at different intensities. The more intense the exercise, the more likely it is that fat is not being burned. At high exercise intensities, the body switches to burning carbohydrate, which it gets from breaking down glycogen. Each gram of glycogen is stored with 3 grams of water. So at the intensities I saw in this episode (which involved working so hard that some people literally fell off of treadmills while others retreated to corners to vomit), my guess is that fat is not what was burned.

Remember, this is a commercial television show that depends on ratings. Higher weight losses draw in bigger audiences and more advertising dollars, so what are you going to do to get there if time only permits a"measly" 6 pounds a week of weight loss? You're going to do what it takes to purge as much water and glycogen out of the body as you possibly can. I realize purging is a bad pun given the fact that people were throwing up, but it leaves me wondering if the trainers are truly aiming for health, or if they are focused on goals outside of the welfare of the contestants.

It seems to me, especially since two contestants this season aren't even cleared to fully exercise because of medical risk, that there would be some sort of attention paid to calculating target heart rates and staying in the AEROBIC range in order to maximize loss of body FAT. But then my goal would be the long term health of the person I'm working with, not my professional reputation in a televised weight loss competition.

When working with women with PCOS, I always have to keep in mind that they hit the top of their aerobic range at lower levels of exercise intensity than other women. They tend to be those clients who exercise harder and longer than anyone else…only to gain weight. It is one of the hardest things I do in this kind of work, to convince my clients to trust that if they drop the intensity, it will help to facilitate the right kind of weight loss. Especially when competitions like this one push for the exact opposite mentality.

But the wall these contestants always hit a few weeks into the season? It's about having completely run out of glycogen to purge, muscle weight gain that is occurring at the same time fat is lost, and more rapidly if target exercise heart rates are not respected.

If the measurements used to calculate progress were a combination of weight AND a body fat measurement from which total muscle gained and total fat lost were factored in, you'd see very different results. You'd probably also see a lot higher self-esteem in the contestants and fewer contestants trying to throw the weigh-ins with water loading when they start to panic about whether or not their hard work will show up on the scale.

If you're one of those people who tends to lose weight slowly or even gain weight when you feel like you've really worked hard, try this.

1. Calculate your target heart rate as follows.
-Subtract your current age from 220. This is your maximum heart rate.
-Multiply your maximum heart rate by.6, and then by.8.
-The numbers you get when you do that are the lower and upper heart rates
you need to be in, in order to be most efficiently burning fat.

2. The next time you exercise, stop a few times and take your pulse. If your heart rate is exceeding the upper limit of your target heart range, you need to drop your exercise intensity.

Many women I've challenged to do this are very surprised at how less intensely they need to exercise. And how much more pleasant exercising can be when it doesn't have to entail losing your lunch in front of a crowd of people.

I enjoy a lot of physical activities. One that I particularly enjoy, likely because I have spent so much of my life in a hot climate, is swimming. Since junior high, one of my very favorite things to do, is get into the pool and swim a mile.

It has always bothered me that fitness experts give this form of exercise such a thumbs down. It's not weight bearing. It doesn't burn fat. Yadayadayada.

Tell me, does this look like the body of an out-of-shape woman to you?!?!?

Of course Dara Torres is genetically blessed, and of course, she lifts weights. But you can't argue that she spends a whole lot of time in the pool. It's not working against HER from what I see!

I wish fitness experts would stop talking about swimming as if it's a useless exercise.

The other night when I was swimming, there were a couple of people in the pool who were clearly getting back into fitness after significant time away. They would never have survived a half hour on the treadmill, or an afternoon hike, or a round of tennis. But they were in the pool and they were working hard. That is what was important.

Here are some reasons I love water fitness and why I encourage you to try it for yourself.

1. Swimming is gentle on your joints. If arthritis keeps you from a lot of activities, swimming might be an answer. You can move your body without pounding the parts of you that hurt.

2. Swimming is a great body image equalizer. Once you're in the pool, no one can really see what you look like. I think that's what keeps a lot of people out of the gym, fear that those in great shape are looking at them and judging them, rather than appreciating the tremendous effort it took to get there.

3. Swimming uses upper and lower body parts. I know I should probably lift more weights. But weights, to me, are incredibly boring. I am getting ready to take tennis lessons, but that's going to use one side of my body more than the other. I could equalize that with.you guessed it…weights…but I'd rather balance it with swimming, which works my upper body in an equalized way that is enjoyable to me.

4. Swimming is meditative. I cannot tell you how many times, after being stuck on a project or writing assignment, I've gone to the pool, started moving, and the perfect idea just popped into my head. It seems to foster brain blood flow in a way that enhances cognitive function.

5. Swimming is relaxing. I ALWAYS sleep well when I swim. In fact, I often have to force myself to stay awake past 8:30 on days that I swim, so that I don't wake up at 4 am ready to go! You all know that poor sleep encourages insulin resistance. If you're sleeping well because you're swimming, the benefit you get may not directly be from how many calories you burn in the pool, but from the improved insulin function that encourages weight loss long after you've been in the water.

6. Swimming doesn't remind you of your body size with every move you make. I agonize for Biggest Loser contestants sweating away on the treadmill. Every step they take, every breath they take, they're reminded of how out of shape they are and how far they have to go. Swimming is the great body size evaporator. You can exert yourself within reason without feeling like you have to punish yourself. The water is one environment where you can, at least temporarily, not have a constant reminder of your size. You're weightless, you can glide, you can float, you can propel yourself. It's a completely size acceptant and encouraging environment.

7. What I've never seen studied, and I've looked for it a lot, is an analysis of what happens to body fat in swimming. It may not drop, but I have a hunch it migrates, toward the skin, where it is needed to help insulate against the water temperature. But if you think about that, it may help you to look a little younger, to have a small layer of fat just underneath the skin to support its structure. I actually kind of like that my body is a little more rounded and not so gaunt and"ripped" when I swim. I think I look more feminine. It's the internal fat, the fat around the middle, that causes problems you don't want. If you're noticing that your waist inches are decreasing, your body fat may be a little higher as a swimmer, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's BAD fat. (I kind of think the reason a lot of my athlete/fitness expert/weight lifting friends don't enjoy swimming is because their body fat is so low they don't have flotation on their side and they have to work too hard to enjoy it. So they justify why you shouldn't pursue it to fit their own physiological bias!)

So there you have it. I've hopefully removed some of the excuses and barriers that keep you out of the pool. If it gets you moving, if it helps you to sleep, if it improves your insulin function…why are you listening to the people who contradict your truth? What matters is what works for YOU. Not what some lean, cut person who has sunk to the bottom of the deep end is trying to tell you.: )

Why aren't these contestants losing weight?

I wish, when plateaus hit, that there would be a little more education. My counseling experience has taught me that plateaus, if not fully understood, can be demoralizing and demotivating. It can tempt a person pursuing weight loss to give up altogether.

Some of the things I wish you all had heard last night:

1. One of the training effects of exercise is that your body gets better at storing fuel to use during exercise. One of those fuels is glycogen. Every gram of glycogen is stored with 3 grams of water. Glycogen is not fat, it's a form of carbohydrate. If you're starting to store more glycogen at the same time you're losing fat, the weight gain can offset the weight loss.

2. The more obvious training effect is that you are also gaining muscle. Gaining muscle while losing fat can negate what the scale shows.

In other words, not all weight is fat. Not all weight loss is fat loss, and not all weight gain is fat gain.

One of the contestants, after seeing her weekly results, stated that she believed that her body was not accepting the exercise.

Au contraire, madame!

If you're gaining muscle and developing a capacity to store more fuel, which ultimately allows you to be more active, your body is alive and well and responding to your hard work in a very healthy way.

The goal of this show is to lose fat and gain muscle, is it not? Then why do they only focus on one when it comes to measuring?

These days it seems that all a product has to do is contain something from a coconut…and the immediate assumption is that it is healthy, no matter how much of it is consumed.

I'm not sure where this false idea comes from, given the statistics of diabetes prevalance in Pacific Island peoples:
--Native Hawaiians, in Hawaii, have higher diabetes mortality rates than any other ethnic group, and Hawaiians with diabetes are more likely to be eating at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables than any other ethnic group.
--Indonesia has the second highest prevalence of diabetes of all of the countries in the world.

Of course, modernization of all cultures has significantly affected these statistics. However, as you can see in these historical photos of King Kamehameha and Queen Liliuokalani, native Pacific Islanders weren't skinny minnies when they first met the missionaries, when white rice and SPAM were not even concepts in the islands.

By no means am I intending to insult my friends in Hawaii. I'm simply trying to illustrate the potential harm that can occur when nutrition misinformation is parroted, repeated, and distributed without checking facts.

Coconut products definitely have their place in healthy diets; however, only if used with knowledge and respect and without the concept that somehow coconut products have magical, supernatural, and/or anti-caloric properties. I put together a summary of the coconut products currently in vogue, as a reference for those of you with questions about whether or how you should be using them.

Shredded Coconut Meat
1 cup contains 466 calories, 33 grams fat, 44 grams carbohydrate
Inflammatory rating: Strongly inflammatory

Coconut Flour
1 cup contains 480 calories, 12 grams of fat, 80 grams of carbohydrate (32 net, 48 dietary fiber), 16 grams protein

This product is a byproduct of the coconut oil industry, so provided you've purchased your flour from an origin where the coconuts are sustainably produced (not making coconut sugar), it is sustainable. You can see however, it is not smart to assume that because coconut oil has been pressed out of coconut meat…that it does not contain fat or calories. It is gluten-free. Not listed in the Nutrition Data database so inflammatory index is unknown.

Coconut Sugar
1 cup contains 160 calories, 40 grams of carbohydrate, lower glycemic index than regular sugar.

According to Tropical Traditions, coconut sugar is obtained by collecting sap from the trees that produce coconuts, rendering them incapable of producing those coconuts. Because Americans have such a sweet tooth and the demand for the ultimate alternative sweetener seems to have no upper price point, coconut farmers are sacrificing their coconut crops to cash in on this craze while they can. Coconut sugar is NOT a sustainable product and if supported, may reduce the availability of coconut oil.

Coconut Milk, canned
1 cup contains 445 calories, 48 grams of fat, 6 grams of carbohydrate
Rated as strongly inflammatory

Coconut Milk, raw
1 cup contains 552 calories, 57 grams of fat, 13 grams of carbohydrate
Rated as strongy inflammatory

Coconut Water
1 cup contains 46 calories, 9 grams of carbohydrate (6 net, 3 fiber)
Rated as mildly inflammatory

Ahem…inflammatory? Aren't sports recovery drinks supposed to be ANTI-inflammatory?

Coconut Oil
1 cup contains 1879 calories, 218 grams of fat
Rated as strongly inflammatory

Lauric acid content is high in coconut oil, but there is absolutely no research to prove that it erases the calorie content. Use as your cooking oil in healthy proportions and you should benefit. Eat by the tablespoon and you could be causing more problems than you solve.

As long as we don't eat too much coconut sugar, this industry can be sustainable.

Coconut vinegar
1 cup contains 80 calories

Used wisely, coconut products are a great way to vary your diet, especially if you're gluten-free. However, in excess, as with any food, they lose their health benefit. It is not a magic, calorie-free food, by any stretch of the imagination.

If coconut is your food religion, it's likely these numbers won't matter. But I wanted to write about them nevertheless. In order for your choices regarding coconut products to be informed, you need more information than that which comes from people who also practice coconut-ism or want to profit from your lack of adequate information.

http://hawaii.gov/health/family-child-health/chronic-disease/diabetes/pdf/diabetesreport.pdf
http://www.who.int/diabetes/facts/en/diabcare0504.pdf
http://www.nutritiondata.com/

I am a regular exerciser. I'm not super buff, but I am pretty active. Over the last year I have been working out on weights to try to add weight to my (rather wimpy) upper body.

So when I was told at my gym that I had an opportunity to be analyzed for free by a personal trainer, I thought I would take advantage and see what the measurements were.

I'm not obsessive about things like this, in fact, I had to go back to the locker room to weigh myself because it had been so long since I'd been on a scale I didn't know how much I weighed. But I've been the same size for so long I know I have not been a victim of weight creep.

So when the trainer told me that my body fat percentage was 33%, I was floored. I work out 4 times a week, I run, lift, swim, rollerblade…and my clothes still fit.

What gives?

I had the presence of mind to say to the trainer…"Did I mention to you that I have a master's degree in exercise science and I am a registered dietitian?" I've done lots and lots of body composition measurements on other people and I would like to understand just how you got that reading on a person such as myself when I know how much I exercise and what I eat."

At which point he quickly said,"Well, I was just going to shave a few points off of that number and tell you that you're probably more like 27% fat."

Interesting. According to his machine I was in desperate need of his services until I asked him for some science to back up his claim, at which point I suddenly didn't look so bad.

I left the gym thinking how fortunate I was to (1) have enough knowledge to know when I was being scammed and (2) to have enough self-esteem to not be devastated by this poor attempt at marketing a service to me I didn't really need. But…I continued to think about how many women reading this blog might not have either, and who might be driven into some pretty dysfunctional and dangerous behaviors when delivered this kind of news.

A word of caution: any apparatus that claims to measure your body fat using a technique called"bioelectrical impedance" is likely to be grossly inaccurate. Those are the handy little machines you hold for a few seconds while they estimate your body water and work backwards to figure out how much of what is left, is fat. If you are at all dehydrated…you'll look fatter on those machines than you really are.

If it's really important to you to get a body fat measurement, the most accurate way to get them done is using a very inconvenient, high-maintenance technique called underwater weighing. If you can get this done, go for it! If you can't, make sure you find a trained exercise professional who can do a caliper reading. Good caliper technicians can come pretty close to underwater weighing.

You can also measure inches--waist circumference, hip circumference, thigh, arm, etc. It can be really helpful on those weeks when you may be plateauing on the scales to see that your waist is continuing to shrink.

In my case, it turned out that I'd gained 3 pounds of weight since I'd last weighed, but all my pants and skirts were fitting exactly the same, likely meaning I'd gained some muscle in my upper body. I chose to be excited about that rather than let the used car salesman…er…personal trainer…ruin my day.

Be sure you focus on the right reasons for exercising and do it for the fact that you sleep better, have more energy, and are helping to balance your hormones, not because you're making money for someone else who doesn't deserve to have it.

We get many questions about hemp, and its value as a protein and omega-3 source. Time to learn some more.

Here are the basic nutrition facts about hemp, calculated for a 1 tbsp serving.

Calories: 80
Fat: 5 grams
Carbohydrate: 3.5 grams
Protein 5.5 grams

POSITIVE: To put that into perspective, a tablespoon of hemp seed has about the same amount of fat as a teaspoon of butter or oil, plus slightly less protein than an ounce of meat. So as far as fat choices, it's going to give you more nutritional bang for your buck than a pure fat source. That protein is also a complete protein, too!

WARNING: Beware of those calories, though! Someone who commented on the Livestrong.com website where I got this information shared that he puts 3 tablespoons of hemp seeds on his cereal every morning. That is 240 calories, which if not removed from elsewhere in the diet, is the equivalent, over a year, of 25 pounds' worth of calories. If you ADD hemp to your diet, be sure you've accounted for it by REMOVING less calorically dense/nutritious food choices.

POSITIVE: With respect to fatty acid profile, the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of hemp averages 3:1. This is favorable, as it is lower than the recommended total dietary ratio of 4:1.

WARNING: As hemp is a vegetarian source of omega-3, it provides ALA. It does not contain EPA or DHA, which are primarily found in seafood. Some of the ALA found in hemp will be converted into EPA and DHA, but not in the quantities we have found to be of therapeutic value for PCOS. If you want to use hemp in your diet, it is certainly beneficial, but it does not replace the need for the other omega-3's.

POSITIVE: Hemp contains gamma-linoleic acid (GLA), which can be helpful for some skin conditions, including atopic dermatitis.

WARNING: GLA tends to work best when it is not overwhelmed with omega-6 fatty acids. In other words, if you have a skin condition, and you want to try GLA as a remedy, you are most likely to achieve good results if you cut back on your total omega-6 fatty acid intake (safflower, sunflower, soybean, sesame, corn, and cottonseed oil).

You could say the bottom line with hemp, as with any other food, is that if it is used judiciously and respectfully and not layered onto an unhealthy diet that needs some tuning up, it can be a tool toward better hormone balance.

But it is not a miracle food that will allow you to continue with unhealthy dietary indiscretions without consequence.

For those who are concerned about the THC content of hemp: in order to ingest enough industrial hemp to get 'a buzz', you would have to consume the the equivalent of 2-3 doses of a high-fiber laxative. Thanks to the North American Industrial Hemp Council for that little tidbit!

For starters, here is a recipe for hemp pancakes. As you can see, the oil has been removed and replaced with hemp seed. That is the way hemp should be used; as a fat alternative, not as an additional fat. It could probably be used in many recipes where you are using ground flax seed, with similar results.

Here are some sample hemp food products available at amazon.com

For more information about the history, politics, and nutritional analysis of hemp, beyond the direct pertinence of hemp to PCOS, try this article on Dr. Bronner's website.

Yup, you heard it here.
Nope, I’m not telling you to ditch the exercise.
I’m encouraging you to be sure you’re balancing exercise with rest, and not overtraining.
If you’re trying to lose weight, your focus is likely on losing fat. That’s a nice goal, and I’m guessing you’ll feel better about what you see when you look in the mirror if that results from your exercise, but it’s not really the main reason you’re exercising for PCOS.
You need to gain muscle. The more muscle mass you have, the harder it is to be insulin resistant. The act of exercise actually breaks muscle down. It rebuilds during periods of rest. It’s the balance of exercise and rest that matters, way more, than how many hours of exercise you’re actually doing.
It can be a vicious cycle to break out of, because insulin resistance itself actually breaks down muscle. So if it’s been awhile since you’ve actively exercised, and you’re not losing weight the way you’d hoped you would when you committed to the gym, consider that your ratio of muscle to fat is not high enough. Your priority, first and foremost, is to build and maintain that muscle.
Focusing too much on losing fat and overtraining in the process… will undermine your progress.
Exercising too late in the evening, getting up too early in the morning to get to the gym (it’s not uncommon to hear women say they’re up at 3 am to fit in the workout), or simply working out so much and so hard that you’re not sleeping well… are all easy ways to sabotage your success.
Things you need to keep in mind:
You need to eat enough protein so that your body builds muscle mass while you're not active.
2. You need to sleep enough so that you don’t promote insulin resistance.
3. You need to not push yourself so hard that you’ve stopped burning fat—monitor your heart rate!
4. You need to vary the workouts so all muscle groups are involved and have a chance to build up. Also, you need to develop the confidence to trust that PROACTIVE exercising, as opposed to REACTIVE exercising, is your path to success. Too often women with PCOS weigh themselves in the morning and if the weight is not what they want to see, react by doubling, even tripling their scheduled workout time in order to “get control” of the situation.
When you’re exercising with the goal of building muscles to reduce insulin resistance, you understand that overtraining is your enemy. You create an exercise plan that perhaps you even map out on your calendar, that you commit to regardless of how you’re feeling or what the scales says. For example, I just mapped out my spring training schedule. One of my friends and I have decided we’re going to take tennis lessons. We both own businesses, and committing to this ensure that we actually get out and move. I also love to swim, and it’s one way I can stay active as the weather in Arizona gets warm. And, I’ve been wanting to bump up my elliptical workouts and try spin classes. So, for the next three months, on my calendar, every fourth day, I’ve written “tennis”, every fourth day “spin”, every fourth day “swim”… and then I schedule a day off. It’s right there in my planner so when I start scheduling meetings and accepting social invitations, I only schedule in a way that does not take away from that commitment to myself. I varied the exercise to give my different muscle groups a rest, and to give me enough variety to not get bored.
And don’t get me wrong… I do relish the day off! We all need a little bit of laziness, sleeping in, and getting caught up. I find, personally, if I don’t have the day off, I have trouble sleeping and I have trouble keeping up with the appetite. I have designed this program to fit with the way I’ve learned my body works. If I like spin, I’ll keep it, or I may prioritize swimming during the heat of the summer. We’ll see. I kind of need to mix it up over time to stay interested.
The point of this post is, the reactive and self-punitive approach many of you have toward exercise, because of your focus on reducing body fat, is your absolute biggest enemy. Focus on building muscle, even though it may mean seeing your weight increase on occasion. It’s reflecting muscle, not fat, and it’s a good sign.
Muscle, muscle, muscle!

We all know them. The people you can't go out to eat with. The ones who can go through an entire menu of options and find something wrong with each one. The ones who, on sipping a glass of wine, will tell you that this vintage, woodsy with a hint of vanilla, has come from the Bordeaux region, Francois Fancy's vineyard to be exact, and the grapes were most likely picked during the record rainy week of August 7, 1997. And you order what they order instead of the house wine because you feel like such an oenologic imbecile in their presence. They're the ones who want their ice cream slightly microwaved before eating it. The ones you have to call in advance of a dinner party to be sure what you're fixing will be something they will eat.

Picky eaters? Food snobs? Pains in the butt? Or supertasters?

I vote for the latter. Research in recent years has identified a type of eater who is naturally, genetically, more sensitive to the flavors and textures of foods. I experienced this phenomenon in person a few years ago at a nutrition conference. One of my college friends and now nutrition researcher, Valerie Duffy, studies supertasting. At her booth, she handed me and my coworker each a piece of paper and asked us to place it on our tongue. While I sat there for a few seconds wondering what the gimmick was, my friend immediately began to gag and cough, explaining that it was the most vile thing she had ever placed in her mouth. We learned that she is a supertaster and I…am a nontaster.

Supertasters are interesting people. I imagine they're the ones in medieval times called in to sample the king's food to be sure it wasn't poisoned. (I could use one of them in my home to let me know when I should be throwing things away.) We had a wine professor back at Cornell whose sense of taste was so keen he was flown to several vineyards each year to sample the harvest and, based on his response, the wine was priced.

The specifics of how this is determined are outlined nicely in this article. What is important to take away from this blog post, is that everyone experiences food differently, and that is important to account for. I try to use this information in my writing here. Rather than encourage you to eat only foods that I would like, I write about as many foods as I can in hopes that each of you develops your own"favorite" list with confidence. Without even doing the PROP test, I'm betting you can tell who you are by the kind of food blogs you enjoy. If you have cinnamon from 3 different countries in your custom-made spice cabinet (you know who you are!), love endless detail about ingredients, preparation, subtle characteristics of food…you're probably more of a supertaster. If that intimidates you and you're more of a"just tell me what to make for dinner and for heaven's sake use the five ingredients I have in the fridge and make it easy" kind of reader, you're more than likely a nontaster.

One of my dearest friends is a supertaster. It took awhile for this friend to relax around me with food, probably because this characteristic can make it hard to socialize with friends and you can begin to become self-conscious about how your tastebuds behave in public. You can be pegged as a pain, eyes roll, people wonder if you have an eating disorder. I eventually learned what the top ten list of"friendship favorite ingredients" was, to microwave the ice cream, and not to experiment too much in the kitchen (note to self: marinated smoked scallops--definitely not a supertaster's favorite), and we got along fine. I actually eat better when I'm with this friend, I believe, because whereas I am more of an eat to live person and can get by on pretty much anything that quaffs my hunger and gets me back to work, my friend tends to steer me toward food experiences that encourage me to sit, relax, taste, and enjoy food for the many other pleasures it provides.

What's interesting about nontasters is that they tend to like more fat. That makes sense, since flavors are more soluble in fat, and food for a nontaster is more enjoyable if you do anything to it to enhance the flavor. I definitely love my fat!

Taste perception outside of the food world is pretty interesting. Supertasters, for example, are less likely to experience depression. And middle-aged nontasting women are more prone to obesity. Well that makes sense…first of all, if you're eating more fat so you can taste your food, you're eating more calories…and if you're trying NOT to eat fat because you've been told it's unhealthy, you're walking around looking for something to nosh on that allows your tastebuds to tell you you're full and it's time to stop eating.

You apparently cannot fool your tastebuds the way some food companies would like you to believe.

Does that mean supertasters are destined to be happy and thin while nontasters are cursed to be depressed and fat? Absolutely not. Many factors contribute to your mood and your weight. The point here is that it's better to identify the foods you LIKE and learn how to eat those in healthy balance, rather than try to eat things you don't because some food expert wrote some diet du jour that half of Hollywood is following that has no foods you enjoy in the meal plans.

Be confident in what your taste buds tell you. Don't apologize for what you like and what you don't. Work with what you've got. Enjoy the flavor ride. Microwaved ice cream, nachos, and all.

Joiner TE Jr, Perez M. Phenylthiocarbamide tasting and family history of depression, revisited: low rates of depression in families of supertasters. Psychiatry Res. 2004 Apr 15;126(1):83-7.
Goldstein GL, Daun H, Tepper BJ. Adiposity in middle-aged women is associated with genetic taste blindness to 6-n-propylthiouracil. Obes Res. 2005 Jun;13(6):1017-23.

Last night I settled in to watch the evening news, in time to see an ad for Country Crock's Omega 3 Plus brand margarine. With my reputation as somewhat of an"omega 3 queen," I figured I'd better pay attention. And by the time the ad was over, I knew I had today's post.

This label is a perfect example of why consumers are confused, and why they can have a hard time achieving the benefits of good nutritional choices.

First, the good news.

The margarine has no trans fats, because it contains no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. For fertility, this is a huge plus--with as little as 2% of your total calories per day coming from trans fats (about 2/3 tsp for the average woman), fertility can drop by as much as 73%.

Secondly, one serving provides 500 mg of omega-3's in the form of ALA.

Now for the confusing and potentially detrimental news.

When the professionals on this blog talk about what we're doing to enhance fertility and reduce inflammation, and we refer to omega-3's, we are primarily referring to EPA and DHA, the omega-3's that, except for omega-3 eggs and foods supplemented with algal DHA, contain either fish or fish oil. (Menhaden oil, which is what is found in Smart Balance Omega 3 Margarine, is a type of fish oil.)

Any other type of omega-3 is likely to be ALA. This type of omega-3 is found in canola oil, and flaxseed oil, among other things. In this margarine, the ALA source is canola oil.

But there is no fish oil or marine algae to provide a similar nutritional feature.

There are some things that flax and canola can do, and there are some that flax and canola simply cannot do.

Many people, nutritionists included, operate on the assumption that since the omega-3 found in canola and flax can be converted into EPA and DHA, that you can get enough of the latter two without having to eat fish. Most respected omega-3 chemists will tell you this is highly unlikely.

On a good day, when your diet is as perfect as it can possibly be (which, even in the case of the person writing this post is never), only about 2-3% of your flax and canola can be converted into the other omega-3's.

Bottom line, it's pretty non-negotiable, you are highly unlikely to get the amount of omega-3's your body needs, especially if you are trying to conceive, if you are assuming you can do it without fish.

Secondly, the primary oil in the margarine appears to be liquid soybean oil. Remember the rule about"S" and"C" oils? Soybean is one of those"S" oils with a tendency to be pro-inflammatory. It was impossible to tell from the label what the ratio of soybean to canola oil was, and I would suspect that it was higher than you're going to want if you're trying to choose fertility-friendly foods.

I immediately became suspicious about this Country Crock product when I went to the website and nowhere, I mean absolutely nowhere, could I find a plainly stated ingredient list. Sure, there's a label to look at, but it's strategically posted in a way that all the nutritional information is there except for the ingredients. Hmmmm…

…so I went to the FAQ section. Couldn't find it there either. I found a lot of long-winded explanations of trans-fat labeling, and that was my second red flag.

Since I had to go to the grocery store anyway, I stopped in and looked at the label. Here, for the benefit of the rest of the people on the Internet, is the list of ingredients from the side of the container of this product:

Vegetable oil blend (liquid soybean oil, canola oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, water, whey, salt, vegetable mono and diglycerides, soy lecithin (potassium sorbate, calcium disodium EDTA), citric acid, artificial flavor, vitamin A (palmitate), and beta carotene.

For more information on healthy fats, go to http://www.zingbars.com/science-of-zing.html, where my Zing Bar friends describe why they did--and didn't--include certain fats in their new product.

Any fat that is going to be solid at room temperature is going to have to have some saturated fat in its formula. Otherwise, it would melt. So even though the total saturated fat content is low, the type of fat being used to provide the solid quality is not one you want to get much of in your diet.

I'm not really a butter or margarine person so giving those up was not an issue for me. But I did start my career in the Chicago area, and I remember how people used to look at me like I was purple-polka-dotted if I even hinted that dairy intake might need to be adjusted. So I know it's an issue for some of you.

Bottom line--if you choose to use the product, do so only once in awhile and sparingly. I'd rather see people use olive oil-based dipping sauces for breads and cook with either canola or olive oil.

If you're interested in learning more, the authors of the study below also wrote a recently released book in plain English entitled, The Fertility Diet. I'd check it out.

Chavarro JE, Rich-Edwards JW, Rosner BA, Willett WC. Diet and lifestyle in the prevention of ovulatory disorder infertility. Obstet Gynecol. 2007 Nov;110(5):1050-8.

I've had this conversation with two different clients recently and it occurred to me it's a phenomenon likely to be more common in women with PCOS, because of their focus on carbohydrates, than even the average dieter. Figured a blog post would be helpful to others.

Both of these clients shared with me that they went on low carbohydrate diets and did very well on them, until a few weeks into it, when, for whatever reason, they"fell off" the plan and started eating carbohydrates. And within a few days they'd gained a few pounds and felt more than a little discouraged…not to mention bloated.

Here's a little fact you don't often hear in weight loss advice or discussions. Not all weight that you gain, or lose, is fat. Some of it is water. Some of it can even be bone, if you severely restrict your intake for long periods of time, as with an eating disorder.

And some of that weight…can be your own body's carbohydrate stores.

When you are eating enough food to meet your daily needs, your body stores some of it as carbohydrate, in liver and in muscles. The function of this stored carbohydrate, is to help keep your blood sugar levels high at times when no food is directly coming into the system. Your brain relies almost entirely on carbohydrates to function, and the body has evolved with this"storage tank", so to speak, to be sure the brain never, ever runs out of energy.

Carbohydrate that is stored for this purpose is called glycogen. The body uses water to help store glycogen. And for every gram of carbohydrate you store, there are 3 grams of water alongside of it.

So what do you think happens when you suddenly switch to a low-to-non carbohydrate diet? All of the carbohydrate you've stored in your liver and muscles has to break down in order to keep your brain running. The weight loss is rapid, because you're losing 3 times as much water as you are other weight. It feels good when you look on the scales, because we're so cultured to believe that all weight shifts are coming from fat.

And what do you think happens when you eat carbohydrate again? The weight shift moves in the opposite direction, and 3/4 of what you gain is actually water. But again, because you're likely focused on fat if you're dieting…you visualize that what you've gained is more of that stuff.

Have you ever heard of carbohydrate loading, that athletes do before an endurance event? When you diet and bounce back with a high carb binge, that's exactly what you're doing! Here's a description off of the Internet that describes a carbohydrate loading protocol, from the Mayo Clinic website:
■Step 1. About a week before the event, reduce or maintain your carbohydrate intake at about 50 to 55 percent of your total calories. Increase protein and fat intake to compensate for any decrease in carbohydrates. Continue training at your normal level. This helps deplete your carbohydrate stores and make room for the loading that comes next.

■Step 2. Three to four days before the event, increase your carbohydrate intake to 70 percent of your daily calories — or about 4.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight. Cut back on foods higher in fat to compensate for the extra carbohydrate-rich foods. Also scale back your training to avoid depleting your glycogen stores. Rest completely for a day before the event. And…no big surprise…here, farther down the page, are the potential risks associated with this protocol:

■Weight gain. Much of this weight is extra water — but if it hampers your performance, you're probably better off skipping the extra carbs.

■Digestive discomfort. You may need to avoid or limit some high-fiber foods one or two days before your event. Beans, bran and broccoli can cause gassy cramps, bloating and loose stools when you're loading up on carbohydrates.

■Blood sugar changes. Carbohydrate loading can affect your blood sugar levels. It's a good idea to consult your doctor or a registered dietitian before you start carbohydrate loading, especially if you have diabetes I remember when I was working on my master's degree in exercise science, we were taught that the bloating and weight gain from carbohydrate loading could be so extreme and uncomfortable, that athletes should not even attempt to use it for a crucial race if they had not tested it out prior to know how their body would react.

So see, it's not your body, your PCOS, or anything weird about YOU that causes you to gain weight when you eat after restricting. It's exactly how ANYONE's body will react when pushed to extremes.

Try living somewhere in the middle, with a moderate, healthy carbohydrate intake…and see what it does for your weight, your body, and the bloating.

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.

Here's a great summary of the effects of a high-fat diet on your hormones. A diet containing greater than 35% of calories from fat, in overweight conditions, in this study, was found to:
--disrupt 24 hour rhythms of secretion of thyroid stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, testosterone, and to a small extent, progesterone.
--lower total levels of thyroid stimulating hormone and testosterone.
--increase cortisol levels and disrupt the normal 24 hour cycle of cortisol release.
--induce higher blood glucose in relationship to high cortisol levels.
--reduced the magnitude of melatonin release.

So if you've got thyroid problems, can't conceive, can't sleep, and/or feel anxious or overly stressed…or have unexplainable angry outbursts…

…maybe one of the very first and most important things you can do to start to feel better…

…is reduce the amount of fat in your diet. And when you DO choose to eat fat, be sure it's the kind you see consistently recommended in our blog--seafood, nuts, canola, avocado, flax, olives.

It's really pretty simple!

Cano P, Jiménez-Ortega V, Larrad A, Toso CF, Cardinali DP, Esquifino AI. Effect of a high-fat diet on 24-h pattern of circulating levels of prolactin, luteinizing hormone, testosterone, corticosterone, thyroid-stimulating hormone and glucose, and pineal melatonin content, in rats. Endocrine. 2008 Apr;33(2):118-25. Epub 2008 May 1.

We've been getting some inquiries about chia, given our love of omega-3's. Here are some basic facts that can help you decide for yourself if chia will work with your PCOS plan.

Chia (salvia hispanica), is a seed that originates from Southern Mexico and Guatemala. Way back when, it was a major staple food of the Aztec Indians. Other names you may see this seed sold under include: Cheela Brand, Sachia, Anutra, Chia Sage, Salba, Tresalbio, Purisalv, and Mila.

Nutritionally, chia is 20% protein, 34% oil, and 25% fiber. It is not a complete protein, as it lacks the essential amino acid taurine. Its fat is primarily ALA, the same type of fat found in flaxseed. Its omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is about 3 to 1, which is nice.

Two benefits to chia are that it does not need to be ground like flax does in order to gain its health benefits, and it does not go rancid as easily as flax. One major disadvantage is its cost. It's definitely not for those on a budget.

Especially, if you are Hispanic or living in the Southwest, this is a great source of omega-3's that is more locally available than flaxseed.

Be aware, however, that claims about its health benefits can be exaggerated.

1. Chia is not a complete omega-3. In other words, it can be used as a substitute for flaxseed oil, but not for fish oil. You still need a DHA source.

2. While they do have their health benefits, I could not find any peer-reviewed studies to support the hype that chia seeds have been given as an athletic performance superfood.

3. I did find one study, performed on chickens, (below) reporting that chia supplementation positively changed their fat content. However, chia was not compared to any other supplements or to a diet with a similar fatty acid composition from other grains. So it is impossible to assert that it was specifically something in the chia that had the effect.

Bottom line, it certainly won't hurt you to include chia in your diet, but just because you do, it does not give you license to eliminate other healthy eating. They can enhance, but they won't replace the benefits of the many good things you're already doing.

R Ayerza, W Coates, and M Lauria Chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.) as an omega-3 fatty acid source for broilers: influence on fatty acid composition, cholesterol and fat content of white and dark meats, growth performance, and sensory characteristics. Poultry Science, Vol 81, Issue 6, 826-837.

Last night's episode, as far as nutrition and exercise information, was actually pretty good.

But there is an ongoing issue that's been bothering me that, since the"meat" of the program was great, I'd like to use this post to address.

Waste.

While the contestants' waists are shrinking, the waste on the set seems to be accumulating!

NBC made a huge deal recently about promoting cleaner, greener living. They flew their Today Show people to the ends of the earth to report on global warming issues in Africa, Central America, and Australia.

While back at home, on the Biggest Loser set, they're concocting obsessive story lines that include putting the contestants in a room filled with donuts and sweets, which are likely to be pitched in the garbage once they've fulfilled their purpose as a prop.

Last night it was Thanksgiving dinner. An entire Thanksgiving dinner was cooked--and then not used--because it was unhealthy. What the…?!?!?!? You can't justify it by telling me it was later used to feed the crew, because then you're going to have to convince me that THAT double standard is ok?!?!?

A little plug for inCYST here: We focus on cleaner, greener living that turns around and helps you achieve a healthier weight. One participant in last month's class reported sleeping better within days of trying what she learned in class. Another wrote yesterday and shared within the 2 months since she's been coming…she's lost 10 pounds.

We haven't discussed calories once. In fact, we're not even focusing on food recommendations in class until this coming week.

It just really bothers me that all this wasteful living is being promoted as"healthy". But then we're also told that wasteful living makes the planet unhealthy.

So…what's the point of being healthy if it costs you the planet you live on?

I don't think it would be that hard to integrate the two concepts. In fact, I recently did some calculations for my newsletter to get YOU started on your own cleaner, greener program.

Did you know that walking one mile daily:

As one person
Burns about 10 1/2 pounds of fat
Saves 18 gallons of gasoline
Keeps 360 pounds of carbon out of the atmosphere
Keeps about $81 in your bank account

As a country
Burns about 1,199,286 tons of fat
Saves 4,140,000,000 gallons of gasoline
(that’s 98,571,429 barrels of oil!)
Keeps 41.4 million tons of carbon out of the atmosphere
Gives Americans $18,630,000,000 to spend on something other than gasoline.

Note: I did these calculations with the following assumptions, and I did them when gas was about $4.25 per gallon. So they will fluctuate based on the car you drive and the price of gas. But the calculations about how much fat is burned…stay the same.

230,000,000 adult Americans
100 calories burned per mile walked
3,500 calories per pound
20 miles per gallon fuel efficiency
42 gallons of gas per barrel of oil
20 pounds of carbon per gallon of gasoline

I think it's time we send the writers of Biggest Loser their own challenge:

Let's see how much budgetary"fat" you can cut and how much"green" living education you can integrate into your program. You won't just succeed in making healthier contestants and viewers, but the entire planet might breathe more easily as well.