It's little things that add up to big changes. And it's the canister of little pumpkin seeds in my kitchen cabinet that reminded me it was time for a new food of the week!
One of the things I think people miss most when eating healthier is the perception that they are sacrificing the"crunch". I'm not sure where that perception comes from, with most produce providing a great crunchy alternative…but for those of you who just don't think carrots are a fair crunchy trade for potato chips, think about seeds and nuts.
I used to hate pumpkin seeds as a kid, but it's probably because we scooped them out of the gooey Halloween aftermath and had to take the shell off to eat them. These days, shelled roasted pumpkin seeds are available in the bulk food sections of most grocery stores.
I like pumpkin seeds because they contain omega-3 fatty acids. Not the kind you'll get in fish, but still a healthy fat. I also like their versatility. You can sprinkle them on a salad or soups. You can add them to a tuna or chicken salad. Crushed or ground, you can add them to any flour you're using for a baking recipe. Mix them into your bread crumbs and crust your chicken or fish. Or…just have a handful when you walk in the door while you wait for dinner to be ready.
I like to store all my seeds and nuts in glass canisters so that I'm reminded that I have them. And if I remember they are there, I'm challenged to think of ways to put them into my other foods.
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.
I've been reading a lot about inflammation recently, and thought the next few posts I would focus on foods that can reduce inflammation, which is the driving process behind PCOS. One of the most important nutrients you can get in your diet is magnesium. I thought for the next few weeks I'd highlight a food high in magnesium to help drive home the fact that these foods are crucial for everything from preserving fertility to keeping cholesterol low to protecting your mental health.
Several of my Facebook friends mentioned in their status reports that they were cooking pumpkin seeds from their Halloween pumpkins, so I thought I would take advantage of the fact that this food is a little plentiful in some households, and perhaps I can convince some of you procrastinators to not pitch a wonderful nutrient into the garbage! (Here you see my friend Tracey's daughter Reese creating her own stash.)
One-quarter cup of pumpkins seeds (AKA pepitas) contains almost half of your daily magnesium requirement. That's not shabby. Except…how the heck are you going to include that much on a regular basis? Here are some ideas:
1. Make your own trail mix for snacks and include them. 2. Sprinkle them on a sandwich. 3. Sprinkle them on salads. 4. If you're ever breading meat, grind some and add them to the flour. 5. Add them to your baking. 6. Buy them already shelled so they're handy for snacking. 7. Go to this website and look at some of their tasty recipes.
I just received an email from a client who noticed that every time she added flaxseed oil to her diet, she started to wheeze. We checked online, and sure enough, some people can be allergic to flaxseed. Here are some of the common symptoms of flaxseed allergy.
For anyone who is trying to increase their omega-3's, this can pose a challenge, since the vast majority of foods in the grocery store labeled as omega-3 supplemented contain flaxseed as the omega-3 source. If it turns out you are a flax-allergic person, be extra sure you read those labels!
ALA, the primary omega-3 in flaxseed oil, is not a substitute for fish oil; it has completely different and essential functions. A good way to think of it is that EPA and DHA from fish oil provide the"meat" of the structure of your brain and nerve cells, while ALA acts kind of like"rustproofing", keeping all that DHA and EPA in place that you worked so hard to get in the diet. They both need each other present in order for maximum effectiveness.
Here are some ideas for getting more omega-3's in the diet.
1. Other foods containing ALA include
Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Canola oil Edamame Kale Parsley Pecans Pumpkin seeds Spinach Spring greens Tempeh Tofu
One reason I have not included walnuts, which are typically the first vegetarian food recommended to increase omega-3 intake, is that the omega-6 content is so high that it is mathematically impossible to improve an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio when using them. I love walnuts and think they have some great nutritional benefits for PCOS, but in the rare and special case of a flaxseed allergy, it may not be a food that you would want to eat in large quantities. (I'm working on a pro-walnut post for a later date for you curious types!) Here are some practical ways to incorporate the foods above into your diet.
1. Know your nuts! The nuts with (a) the best omega-3 levels and (2) the best overall ratios of healthy to unhealthy fats include: macadamia, hazelnut, pecan, pine, and pistachio. Those are the nuts you should be using with the most frequency in your snacking and cooking. If you like nut-encrusted fish and pesto sauce…you're in luck! You can also throw nuts in your coffee grinder to make nut powders, which can be added to waffles, pancakes, baked goods, smoothies, and salad dressings. They'll give your creations a little bit of a gourmet twist!
2. Use shredded cabbage in your tacos instead of shredded lettuce. That's how they do it in Mexico…and it's the perfect topping for a fish taco!
3. Get in the habit of throwing a handful of dark greens--kale, spinach, parsley--into your smoothies. You won't even taste them.
4. Pumpkin seeds, like nuts, are easily added to trail mix, thrown on salads, soups, and hot cereals, and ground to include in your encrustings.
5. Cook with canola oil.
6. I've included the three types of soybean that are not tough on thyroid--edamame, tofu, and tempeh. Edamame is a fun snack when popped out of the shell, tofu and tempeh can be the basis for a meatless meal.
7. If you like pesto, you may want to try chimichurri, another parsley-based sauce that I call"South American pesto". It is wonderful on grilled meats and easy to make! I've seen ready made varieties in the grocery store.
8. Be extra careful about omega-6 fatty acids. The less of those in your diet, the less omega-3 you will need to counter their inflammatory influence. For review, except for canola, which is ok, minimize your use of oils beginning with the letters"s" and"c"…safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn, cottonseed. (The reason soy as a food is ok while soybean oil is not, is because the ratio of omega-6 jumps up when you extract and use only the fat and do not buffer it with the meat of the soybean.)
Here are a couple of recipes for you, one for chimicurri sauce, and one for a tasty squash/kale/whole wheat lasagna I tested out this week.
It just takes a little creative thinking to find ways around a flaxseed allergy. Hopefully some of the suggesstions I'm providing turn out to be favorites in your home!
Spinach Kale Whole Wheat Lasagna (from Sunset Magazine, February 2008)
Note: I couldn't find whole wheat lasagna noodles in my store so I bought whole wheat egg noodles and layered them with the other ingredients to make a casserole. It was great! Prep and Cook Time: about 2 hours. Notes: You can assemble and chill the lasagna a day ahead, but add 10 to 15 minutes to the baking time. You can also freeze the lasagna, wrapped well in plastic wrap, for up to 1 month and bake it frozen (add 1 1/4 hours to the oven time).
Yield Makes 8 servings
Ingredients 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced 3 peeled garlic cloves (1 minced, 2 left whole) 2 cans (14 oz. each) crushed tomatoes 1 teaspoon dried oregano About 1 tsp. each salt and freshly ground black pepper, divided 6 cups (about 2 lbs.) butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-in. cubes 1/2 tsp. dried thyme 1 pound Lacinato kale (often sold as dinosaur or Tuscan kale) 9 whole-wheat lasagna noodles (about 8 oz.) (Often, whole wheat pastas are made with flax…be sure to read your labels!)1 container (15 oz.) part-skim-milk ricotta cheese 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Preparation 1. Preheat oven to 400°. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a 2- to 3-qt. pot over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent, 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, oregano, and 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until thick and flavors are combined, about 30 minutes. Set aside.
2. While sauce is cooking, in a 12- by 15-in. baking pan, sprinkle squash with thyme, remaining olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Add garlic cloves and toss squash mixture to coat with oil. Bake until soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring 3 qts. salted water to a boil in a large pot.
3. Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Transfer squash and garlic to a food processor and purée until smooth.
4. Tear kale leaves from center ribs and discard ribs. Boil leaves until soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain; let cool. Squeeze out as much water as possible and chop finely.
5. In the same pot, bring another 3 qts. salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook until tender to the bite, about 10 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water.
6. In a bowl, mix ricotta, nutmeg, 1 cup mozzarella, and remaining 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper.
7. Coat the bottom of a 9- by 13-in. pan with 1/3 of tomato sauce (about 1 1/2 cups). Lay 3 noodles in a single layer over sauce. Top noodles with squash, spreading evenly. Sprinkle 1/2 of kale evenly over squash. Arrange 3 more noodles on kale and top with ricotta, spreading evenly. Top with remaining kale and noodles. Cover noodles with remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella.
8. Bake lasagna until juices are bubbling and cheese is melted, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
Grilled Halibut with Chimichurri Sauce from Epicurious.com
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon water 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon minced shallot 3/4 teaaspoon hot red-pepper flakes 3/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 4 (6- to 8-ounce) halibut steaks (3/4 to 1 inch thick) 1 tablespoon vegetable oil print a shopping list for this recipe
Preparation
Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, water, garlic, shallot, red-pepper flakes, and 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper until salt has dissolved. Stir in parsley. Let chimichurri stand 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium heat for gas).
Pat fish dry, then brush with vegetable oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper (total).
Oil grill rack, then grill fish, covered only if using a gas grill, turning once, until just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes total.
Serve fish drizzled with some of chimichurri; serve remainder on the side.
Cooks' notes: ·Halibut can be cooked in a hot oiled large (2-burner) ridged grill pan over medium heat. ·Chimichurri can be made 1 hour ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature.
I tried these delicious new bars and they are really nutty, crunchy and tasty as a quick breakfast addition or a snack these bars contain 300 mg Omega-3's from whole flax seeds Fiber is 4 grams per serving there are 7 types of whole grains, canola oil, pumpkin seeds and wheat germ and 2 bars equals one serving
While shopping at Trader Joes the other day, I stumbled upon an amazing product! Trader Joes Five Seed Almond Bars They are made with flax, poppy, sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds and combined with almonds, cinnamon, vanilla, brown sugar and honey to create these soft, chewy and delicious cookie bars They taste amazing, but what is so wonderful is that each 110 calorie bar has 53mg EPA and DHA. The omega 3 sources seem to be from the flax as well as Omega-3 refined menhaden fish oil (with tocoperols) If you live by a Trader Joes you just have to try it!
Gotta love the Fresh and Easy demos. Yesterday Steven had a great sample of individually packed Mountain Mix.
As you can see, it contains pumpkin seeds (pepitas), dried cranberries, almonds, cashews, peanuts, raisins, and a few chocolate chips.
The mix comes in individually packaged 210 calorie portions.
I know, I know, you're reading this thinking,"I can make that myself, no need to buy!" Yes, you can, and I encourage you to get in the habit. This is one of those items you might want to consider having on hand for those times when your day is busy, you need to throw something in your purse or daypack, and time in the kitchen simply isn't going to go on the list. It's great for traveling, to pull out of your gym bag after a workout, or to get in on a morning when you just didn't get around to eating breakfast.
And…if you're someone for whom portion sizes with foods like trail mix are an issue, the prepackaged presentation is a subtle mindfulness reminder that you're done with the portion you aim to respect.
The more you prepare yourself for success, the more likely success is what will come knocking at your door.
In my quest to get more omega-3 fatty acids into the people I meet, one of the most common comments I hear is,"I'm taking my omega 3-6-9 supplement."
I have learned from this, that sometimes the more popular concept is the one that is best marketed, not necessarily the one that is the best choice.
Here's why this supplement deserves reconsideration.
Omega-6 fatty acids are essential fatty acids. However, the problem with our diet is that we already have an oversupply of those in our food. Essential as they are, they are so prevalent we do not need to supplement with them. We actually need to dial back on the amount we consume. One of the reasons you see on this blog, and you hear me say when I speak, to minimize your intake of oils beginning with the letters"S" and"C" (corn, cottonseed, soy, safflower, sunflower, sesame), is because it's an easy memory trick to use when you're grocery shopping. If you can move away from these oils and focus more on avocado oil, olives, olive oils, nuts…and the only exception to that rule, canola oil, it is very effective at reducing an oversupply of omega-6 fatty acids within your body.
Omega-9 fatty acids are not essential. Meaning, we can make them from other compounds in our body and we do not need to supplement with them. They are a major component of olive oil, which, if you're reducing omega-6 intake and focusing more on the fats I just mentioned, should provide you with sufficient omega-9 in your diet. You should not need supplementation.
The fatty acid we have a lot of trouble getting, is omega-3. It's primarily found in fish, but is also, in varying forms, found in marine algae and algal-supplemented products, flaxseed, nuts, edamame, dark green leafy vegetables, and pumpkin seeds, to name a few. The differences between the fish-based and vegetarian-based omega-3's are discussed elsewhere in this blog. The important thing to take away from THIS post, is that if there's anything you need to focus on getting in your diet, it's omega-3's, not omega-6's.
I'm hoping someday that my"S and C" mnemonic will be more memorable than the"3-6-9" version that appears to be causing confusion.
If you're a frequent traveler, chances are you have already had an opportunity to experience the new security measures at the airport, which include the new full body scanner.
One of the biggest concerns about this scanner has been the radiation exposure these scanners emit. Because radiation can affect fertility, a concern of many readers of this blog, I did some fact checking.
What is interesting to note is that before these scanners were even in existence, anyone stepping on an airplane was already increasing their exposure to radiation! In a 1998 study published in Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, scientists concluded that an airline captain is exposed to 37% more radiation per year (219 millirem) than a nuclear power plant worker in the same period of time (160 millirem). For the pilot, that is the equivalent to 22 chest x-rays, for the power plant worker, 16 chest x-rays.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, in an independent study, reported that the average scan with the TSA backscatter x-ray scanner provides 0.0024 millirem of radiation exposure. Meaning, you would have to have 4,000 TSA scans to equal one x-ray. The people at greatest risk for increased radiation exposure from these machines is most likely the TSA workers themselves, who conduct their work in the presence of the scanners for hours at a time.
Bottom line:
1. Your biggest dose of radiation exposure is actually coming from the time you spend on the airplane at altitude, not the short amount of time in the scanner. 2. If you are a pilot, flight attendant, or frequent flyer with concerns about fertility, it certainly is a good strategy to start being more diligent about your intake of antioxidants. I've listed the important ones below that are consistently recommended as cancer fighters. 3. If you are a reporter researching the scanner issue, instead of scaring travelers, perhaps the more relevant issue is why TSA is not requiring its employees to wear dosimeters to be sure their own exposure over time is not an occupational risk. It might also be a very quick way to identify a machine that is malfunctioning and exposing flyers to unnecessary additional radiation. 4. Flight crews and TSA employees might want to consider packing their bags with more fruits and vegetables. Especially since these are not items commonly available in airport food courts. 5. In addition to the standard security questions TSA members should ask for your 24 hour diet recall to be sure you're sufficiently protected for your flight. (Couldn't resist that one…just KIDDING!) 6. For our specific population most likely reading this post, I strongly recommend you discuss your travel strategy with the appropriate caregiver if you have a history of cancer, are in the middle of infertility treatment, or have a history of sexual abuse. It's best to know what choices are most appropriate for your personal situation before standing in the TSA line.
So if you're heading home at altitude for Thanksgiving, consider that the broccoli, cranberries, and sweet potatoes (even a small extra sliver of pumpkin pie) aren't all that bad if you're going to have seconds. Enjoy them, as well as your family.
BEST ANTIOXIDANTS FOR COUNTERING RADIATION
Vitamin C parsley, broccoli, bell pepper, strawberries, oranges, lemon juice, papaya, cauliflower, kale, mustard greens, and Brussels sprouts.
Vitamin E mustard greens, chard, sunflower seeds, turnip greens
