Have a fruitilicious summer! Week 8

Do you tend to think of salads as a place to use vegetables?  Or do you categorize salads as "those with vegetables" and "those with fruit"?  Start mixing things up!  In my kitchen, a salad is always started with veggies, but then I always add some type of seed or nut, and  some type of fruit. 

What's in your fruit bin?  Peaches, grapes, berries?  Toss them with the lettuce and tomatoes.  They'll add color, antioxidants, and flavor.

When is a food too high in sodium?

One of the things I notice about sodium, in people who are watching it, is that they often overdo what they restrict.  I think part of the problem has to do with the fact that sodim content is expressed in hundreds, and that sounds like a lot.  Here's my favorite rule for evaluating sodium content, which helps to put it into perspective.

Milligrams of sodium and total calories, over the course of a day, should be roughly about the same.  Here are some examples of foods that stand alone as being low sodium.

                                                           Calories                                                Mg sodium

Apple                                                                               65                                                               1
Carrot                                                                              52                                                             88
Rice                                                                               205                                                               2
Chicken breast, 3 oz.                                              231                                                           104
1% milk, 8 oz.                                                             102                                                           107
1 c avocado cubes                                                    240                                                             11
Peanuts, dry roasted, unsalted, 1 oz.               164                                                               2

Note that these are all foods that are pretty much occuring in their natural state, unadulterated.  Look what happens when you start to process food

Bread, 1 slice                                                                 120                                                            306
Salad dressing, commerical, Italian, 1 tsp          42                                                            240
Apple pie, 1 slice                                                          296                                                            332
Commercial chunky vegetable soup, 1 cup     108                                                            769
Peanuts, dry roasted, unsalted, 1 oz.                  164                                                            228
Lean Cuisine,chicken/vegetable, 1                      232                                                          633

And if you stop at a fast food restaurant for dinner!

Domino's thin crust 14" cheese pizza, 1 slice   123                                                            194
Papa John's, thin crust 14" pepperone 1 slice  270                                                          600
McDonald's Quarter Pounder                                  417                                                            730

You can see that the ratio between sodium and calories climbs up, the more processed the food.

You can also see that even a Quarter Pounder would fit into a day's sodium count, provided...and that's a very qualified provided (for those of you looking for someone like me to justify your fast food habit!)...the rest of the food you eat, the rest of the day, is pretty much unprocessed.  In my world, people either eat junk and fast food or they eat unprocessed food, and that kind of diligence simply isn't commonplace.

This is one of the reasons you hear so many nutrition experts advising to shop the perimeter of the store.  It's the sodium-poor region.             

Is your Internet health information credible? Be sure before you use it, retweet it, or repost it!

I've been researching agave nectar over the past few weeks.  I'm learning is that even though it is not a miracle food, and cannot be eaten in endless quantities without consequences, it's a viable option for a sweetener.

In order to get to that conclusion, I had to swim through quite a few websites, tweets, and Facebook posts.  Many of them sounded formidable.  However, what I discovered in the proccess, was that a few posts and tweets that were getting the most circulation, could be traced back to a few sources.

One of those sources was a very official looking website.  At first glance, it appears that this organization is accredited and connected to several credible organizations, including the American Diabetes Association, the American Dietetic Association, the US Department of Agriculture, and the US Food and Drug Administration.  Their logos all appear on the home page. 

However, when I decided to fact check, both ADA's responded to my inquiry by denying any official type of affiliation.  I'm pasting excerpts from the USDA's response below.

The website apparently has patents on its name, the lead researcher's name, among others, so I will oblige them and not mention them here.  Suffice it to say you'll find it pretty easily if you're researching agave nectar and/or glycemic index.

It's easy to find yourself swimming in all kinds of information from "experts" and organizations.  But because it takes a little bit of time to fact check, many people don't bother.

What I ask all of you to do in your own Internet activity, is to resist the impulse to tweet or hit the send button unless you are confident that what you're reading can be supported with facts.  All four of the organizations I contacted were more than expedient with their responses and willing to help me understand what was true and what was not.  I encourage you to use them in your own fact checking ventures.

********************************************************************************

Here is what the FDA said:

For your information, the linked articles that are...attributed to USDA, while apparently legitimate, may not have been properly cited as to the original source, and in one case, gives the appearance of being a USDA publication in error. The articles ...were originally published on the USDA/ARS’ Web site in 2005 and 2007.



The first article listed under the USDA logo, is not actually a “publication” ...posted on the USDA site (nor is this a USDA publication, as it may appear), but rather a comment made during the formation of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans and submitted to USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services. You can view the original comment in the comment database here (which is accessible to the public): http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/comments/ViewTopics.asp?TopicID=5&SubTopicID=22&submit1=Submit

We have a new radio program!

If you enjoy Internet radio, be sure to check out our new program, "Healthy Planet, Healthy Hormones". 

In our first broadcast, I interviewed Stacey Frattinger, dietitian and personal trainer, of Reno, Nevada.  Stacey shares her perspective as a dietitian with PCOS, working with women with PCOS.

Here is the interview in its entirety.  Stay tuned for more chats with inCYST Network members...and other interesting topics related to your hormones!

If you'd like to schedule a live or Internet consultation with Stacey, email her at formulafuel@hotmail.com.

PCOS for Healthcare Professionals: Training Opportunity

For any of you interested in the PCOS training leading to inCYST network membership, there is a limited opportunity to register at a discounted rate.

The discount applies to the webinar-only version of the training, as well as to the webinar plus onsite additional day in Boston in November.

Here is  the event information from our Facebook page:

A review of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and current treatment options. Focus will be on recent research pertinent to nutrition and behavioral counseling.
Four registration options are available:

1. inCYST Network Member $99. If your network membership expires this year, you may apply this registration fee to your network renewal.

2. One day only, non-network member. $199 ($150 if registered on or before July 31, 2010)

3. One day workshop and complete inCYST training/2 year network membership. $525 ($476 if registered on or before July 31, 2010).

4.  Web-based training only, which includes complete inCYST training/2 year network membership  $425 ($375 if registered on or before July 31, 2010).

Location is to be determined but will be convenient to FNCE headquarters.

You can register at this link: http://yhst-34497545168533.stores.yahoo.net/boston-pcos-event.html

Ch-ch-ch-checking out the facts about ch-ch-ch-chia

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.

Have a fruitilicious summer! Week 7 -- Fruit Gazpachos

It's that time of year when it just doesn't help things to use the stove or oven.  Anything cool--keeps your body temperature down, and keeps your kitchen from heating up the house.

That is why, in my home, this is gazpacho time of year.  Traditional gazpacho is a cold vegetable soup.  Have you tried any of the fruitier varieties? Here are some great fruity gazpacho recipes from around the Internet just waiting to be tried!

Blueberry gazpacho (pictured here)
Mango gazpacho
Watermelon gazpacho
White gazpacho (with grapes)
Peach gazpacho
Pineapple gazpacho

These recipes are not very high in protein, so be sure to add a cold bean, lowfat cheese, or bean salad to help temper the glycemic load.  Also, instead of topping with sour cream, try plain Greek yogurt.

Hope this helps you to stay deliciously cool!

A closer look at sugar and sweeteners

There has been a lot of information circulating around the Internet recently about the dangers of agave nectar.  It prompted me to take a little closer look.  And I'm glad I did.  What I've learned will be part of an ongoing series about the benefits and disadvantages of different types of sugar.  It's a complex issue, so to make it more understandable, I thought I'd break it into installments.  If you have comments about any of this, please feel free to post.  I do moderate comments and won't be putting any up until the series is finished, in case you get ahead of me.  I will take your comments into consideration as I proceed with this topic.  Thanks for understanding.

According to a 2010 report in the European Journal of Food Safety, a comprehensive review of studies evaluating the effects of various carbohydrates and sugars on metabolism, simple sugars begin to have negative effects on health when they exceed 20% of total calories.  That is simple sugars of all kinds--sucrose, fructose, and galactose.  Here is how that translates into diets of varying calorie levels, so you can put this information into perspective.

Calorie level                        Healthful limit for sugar intake, calories       Healthful limit for sugar intake, grams
1500                                                             300                                                           75
1600                                                             320                                                           80
1700                                                             340                                                           85
1800                                                             360                                                           90
1900                                                             380                                                           95
2000                                                             400                                                         100
2100                                                             420                                                         105
2200                                                             440                                                         110
2300                                                             460                                                         115

With fructose, the threshold is 7.5% of total calories; more than that, and negative health effects, such as elevated triglycerides, begin to appear.  In other words, fructose should be used judiciously, even though it has a lower glycemic index.

Calorie level              Healthful limit for fructose intake, calories         Healthful limit for fructose intake, grams
1500                                                    112                                                                 28
1600                                                    120                                                                 30
1700                                                    128                                                                 32
1800                                                    136                                                                 34
1900                                                    144                                                                 36
2000                                                    152                                                                 38
2100                                                    160                                                                 40
2200                                                    168                                                                 42
2300                                                    176                                                                 44

A can of soda would contain the following, based on the type of sweetener it contained.  It mathematically fits into the above guidelines, but in a way that makes it hard to consume fruits, which also contain fructose, and stay within the calculated limits.
                                                     Sugar calories      Sugar grams    Fructose calories       Fructose grams
Cane sugar                                          150                        38                   75                             19
Beet sugar                                           150                        38                   75                             19
High fructose corn syrup                      140                        35                   77                             19
Agave nectar*                                     102                        25                   87                             22

*Agave nectar was a little bit harder to figure out.  I did manage to find a Denver-based company called Oogave that makes sodas using agave nectar. Their Esteban's Root Beer is what I used for the above analysis.

My first find in a Google search brought me to Full Throttle, an energy drink manufactured by Coca Cola.  Unbelievably, the "blue agave" flavor of this product contains no agave nectar at all, is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, and contains 220 calories in a can!  They are definitely hoping the consumer would jump to conclusions about this product. 

Are you juicing at home? 

Here's how the same volume of a 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 mix of beet, carrot, and spinach juice compares.
                                              Sugar calories              Sugar grams      Fructose calories        Fructose grams
                                                    120                                24                          31                         7.8
Calories are not that much different, and total sugar, but the sugar type does.  If you were to add fruit, that value would go up.

To give you an idea of what happens when you switch from sugar to agave nectar in the same recipe, I analyzed the same amount of watermelon Arnold Palmer recipe from last week's post.  I adjusted the amount of agave nectar based on the fact that agave nectar is 72% sweeter than sugar.

                                              Sugar calories            Sugar grams              Fructose calories    Fructose grams
Made with sugar                            20                                 5                               9                          2.3
Made with agave                           18                                 4.5                           10                         2.5
Takeaway messages:
1.  Any sweetened beverage, "healthy", or homemade, soda or juice, regardless of how it is sweetened, is a significant source of sugar and fructose.  It is a dietary choice that should be made with respect, and sparingly.
2.  Soda made in Mexico, even though it doesn't have high fructose corn syrup in it, is still problematic in large quantities.
3.  The advantage to agave nectar is that it can help you to cut your total sugar intake, and reduce your glycemic load, but you still need to be aware of the quantity you consume.
European Food Safety Authority.  Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for carbohydrates and dietary fibre.  EFAS Journal 2010; 8(3): 1462.

http://www.nutritiondata.com/

http://www.livestrong.com/

Male infertility and male menopause

Even though this blog is primarily devoted to the kind of infertility found in women, it's important to not forget the men.  And...to remember that even if you are a male and aren't interested in having children, the same factors that can cause infertility in men who want to have children can be attributed to low testosterone and its associated symptoms:  less strength and endurance when working out, fatigue, low sex drive, feeling sad or grumpy, memory issues, trouble concentrating, and trouble enjoying activities you used to find pleasurable.  Reversing andropause is, essentially, restoring your fertility.

And, not surprisingly, all of the factors that exacerbate PCOS, are the same ones that exacerbate male infertility and low testosterone.  Everything you read in this blog has pertinence to men as well as women.

The top issues I have seen affect testosterone include:

1.  Being a night owl.  Not sleeping well interferes with insulin function and can cause weight gain. 
2.  Not enough exercise. 
3.  Not managing stress.  By this I mean ignoring it or leaning too heavily on things like exercise to manage it.  With regards to exercise, it's important to find that place of balance, rather than swing between extremes of too much and too little.
4.  Eating too much of the pro-inflammatory fats:  safflower, sunflower, soybean, corn, cottonseed
5.  Drinking too much alcohol, which interferes with sleep patterns.

Because obesity, overexercising and focus on being "buff", stress, and poor sleep habits are common issues in our culture, men are rendered susceptible to more problems with testosterone levels.  And to service this population, clinics offering testosterone replacement are becoming more common.  While this is certainly an option, I am struck when reading many of the advertisements for these clinics how they tend to play on mens' insecurities in order to motivate them to come in for treatment.  This type of treatment is commonly not reimbursed by insurance.  You can see where I'm going here.

"Natural" or bioidentical hormone replacement is truly a buyer beware choice.  These therapies are not currently FDA approved, which means adverse effects are not even being reported.  That means, no one really knows what the long term consequences of such treatments are.  Clinics making money off of this issue certainly aren't going to report problems with their product if they're not required to!

It is worth your time to work with a skilled inCYST practitioner to evaluate your diet, sleep, and stress patterns to see if a few tweaks can pull you back into balance, before taking the next, bigger step.

I'm pasting a link to a nice story done by the Today Show yesterday about male menopause to provide some more information.

We're a bunch of Twits! (We love to Tweet)

If you're a fan of Twitter, here are some inCYST Twitter handles to add to your list.  I have an inCYST list on my own handle (@inCYST) that will give you the most updated list and make it easier for you to add these names.



Danielle Omar @2eatwellRD
Christine Marquette @chrismarquette
Green Mountain at Fox Run Resort (Robyn Priebe's blog entries are tweeted here) @GreenMtnFoxRun
Laura Poland @TheRiteBite
Laura Lagano @LauraLagano
Janelle Fuchs @nellieRD
Michele Gorman @michelegorman
Gretchen Kubacky @AskDrGretchen
Ellen Reiss Goldfarb @EllengoldfarbRD
Susan Van Dyke, MD @drvandyke

See you in Twitterland!

Have a fruitilicious summer! Week 6 Fruity Arnold Palmers

It's been super hot around the country.  It's that time of year when hydration is extra important.  But water can get boring, and many of the options are just too full of sugar to be realistic in large quantities.  Here is a great beverage option that is lower in sugar but more interesting than plain water--the Arnold Palmer.

The classic Arnold Palmer is a half and half mix of lemonade and iced tea.  But with the many fruits in season and all of the great non-caffeinated teas on the market, there's no reason to stop there!  I spent the afternoon Google searching and found some great, creative lemonade recipes.  I've altered them a bit to cut the sugar even more, and asked Kerstin Wingert, a local tea purveyor and copfounder of Souvia Tea, to pair them with some of their offerings to get you thinking about what potential your own local farmer's market holds.  I got Kerstin's suggestions back and immediately wanted to head to my own kitchen!  Who would want to drink soda when you've got these incredible alternatives?

A think-ahead suggestion, when juicing your fruit, and making the tea, make a little extra for ice cubes to add to your final beverage!

Note:  In the lemonade recipes, I've cut the sugar by half from the original recipe, (except in the cucumber and ginger versions) and doubled the fruit.  I encourage you to start at this point and then sweeten to taste, rather than oversweetening.  Remember that even those these beverages are lower in sugar than soda and juice, they still contain sugar. They will be best tolerated when enjoyed with a meal, to help you tolerate the sugar.

Here is the general link to Souvia's online store.  For your convenience, I've also linked each of the individual teas below in case you'd like to try them.

Watermelon Arnold Palmer (lemonade recipe courtesy of Whole Foods Market)
  Lemonade:  10 cups 1-inch cubes seedless watermelon, 1 bottle (10-ounce) 365 Everyday Value®
    Organic Lemon Juice, 6 cups water.  If you use real sugar, start with 1/4 cup and increase to taste.
  Iced tea:  Honey-Do, a fruit blend of melon, apples and a touch of hibiscus

Raspberry Arnold Palmer
  Lemonade:  2 cups rinsed fresh raspberries, mashed with 1/3 cup sugar, 1 cup lemon juice, and 2 cups  
    water. Add more sugar if desired.
  Iced tea: Raspberry Honeybush – a naturally sweet tasting infusion that is caffeine free

Peach Arnold Palmer
  Lemonade:  4 peaches peeled and cubed , 4 C water, 1/2 C sugar, 3/4 C Fresh Lemon Juice
  Iced tea:  Black Peach – a blend of black teas with the taste of ripe peaches.  Or...Cranberry Peach – a
    black tea that combines flavors of sweet peaches with the tartness of cranberries.

Blueberry Arnold Palmer
  Lemonade:  6 cups blueberries, 1/3 cups sugar, 2 cups freshly squeezed lemon juice, 3 cups cold water
  Iced tea:  Blueberry Yoghurt – Rooibos from South Africa with blueberries. Freeze-dried yoghurt pieces
    add to the smooth flavor.

Pomegranate Arnold Palmer
  Lemonade:  3 tablespoons sugar, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 1 cup pomegranate juice, 2 1/2 cups water
  Iced tea:  Pomegrante/Grape – White and green tea blend with pomegranate and grapes – light and
    refreshing

Cucumber Arnold Palmer
  Lemonade:  1 cucumber, peeled and cubed, 1 lemon, 5 c water, sugar to taste
  Iced tea:  Lemon Souffle– Rooibos with a creamy lemon taste

Strawberry Arnold Palmer
  Lemonade: 2 pints mashed fresh strawberries, 1 cup fresh lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 cups water
  Iced tea:  Strawberry Fields – A mélange of black and green teas with strawberries and pineapple pieces

Basil Hibiscus Arnold Palmer
  Lemonade: 1/2 cup rinsed, lightly packed fresh basil leaves, chopped, 3 tablespoons sugar, 4 cups water,
    1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
  Iced tea:  Lemon Basil Oolong – Formosa Oolong combines the savory taste of basil with sweet citrus note

Mango Mint Arnold Palmer
  Lemonade:  4 large mangoes, 2 1/2 cup(s) water, juice from 6 medium lemons), 1/4 cup(s) sugar
  Iced tea: Moroccan Mint Organic

Lavender Arnold Palmer
  Lemonade: 1/4 cup dried lavender, 2 cups boiling water, 1/3 cup white sugar, 8 lemons, 5 cups cold water
  Iced tea: Quiet Mind – Rooibos with coconut and lavender

Green Apple Arnold Palmer
  Lemonade:  3 green apples, cored and juiced, juice from 2 lemons, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 cup cold water
  Iced tea:  Apple/Mango Rooibos

Ginger Arnold Palmer
  Lemonade:  1 1/2 cups white sugar, 4 quarts water, 14 slices fresh ginger root, 4 cups fresh lemon juice
    In an 8-quart saucepan combine sugar, water and ginger root. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. 
    Remove from heat.  Stir in lemon juice. Cool 15 minutes. Remove ginger. Refrigerate lemonade at least 1
    hour, or until chilled.
  Iced tea:  Georgia Peach – Black tea with ginger and peach pieces

Is Glycemic Index Really Your Best Way to Choose Foods?

Many of you are following the Low GI (Glycemic Index) diet, which sorts food based on their potential to raise blood glucose.  The approach I hear many on this diet use, is very black and white; in other words, if a food has a high GI, it's not to be eaten.  Unfortunately, this may be overly restrictive and not entirely reflective of how food acts in the body.  The glycemic load of a food is far more important.

Glycemic index for a given food is calculated when a food is eaten all alone, without any other foods.  We simply do not eat that way.  We eat foods in combinations, and what really matters is how the combinations of foods affect our metabolism.

The glycemic load of a food takes into account the amount of a food consumed as well as the amount of glycemic sugars (net carbs) it contains.  Nutritiondata.com has a nice explanation of the concept, and for each food in its database, the glycemic load is provided.

A really good example of the importance of looking at the whole food is to look at the glycemic loads for 4 ounces of fat free ice cream vs. 4 ounces of regular ice cream.  Four ounces of fat-free vanilla ice cream, the option many people would think would be best...has a glycemic load of 16, and four ounces of regular vanilla ice cream has a glycemic load of 8.  That is because the fat in the regular ice cream helps to slow down the rate at which the sugar in the ice cream is absorbed into the bloodstream.

If you were to assume that because the regular vanilla ice cream was a better choice, however, and overindulge, it would only take a double serving to erase the difference.

Bottom line:
--Variety in food choices is as important to your overall blood glucose as is types of foods
--Too much of any food will eventually affect your blood glucose...there is no such thing as healthy bingeing or low glycemic food comas!
--When you eat a food with a high "glycemic index", eat a small amount in conjunction with foods that make it  harder to have an immediate opportunity to raise your blood sugar.
--I have also found that "high glycemic" foods are best tolerated if eaten earlier in the day, so they have a better opportunity to be used in conjunction with your physical activity, rather than late in the day, when you're just not burning as many calories.

Nutritiondata.com recommends that glycemic load for a day be kept below 100.  I would add to that, that the more the total can be spread across the day, the better. 

Why salads and raw food may not be your best choices

Several years ago, I heard inCYSTer Karen Siegel speak about she treats PCOS.  Karen is a registered dietitian with two master's degrees, and she is also a licensed acupuncturist.  She taught in her presentation that many women with PCOS, in the language of Chinese medicine, have what is called "damp spleen" presentation.  I am not an expert in Chinese medicine, but what I do wish to clarify here, is that this name really doesn't have much to do with your spleen...so don't get too caught up in that nomenclature.

What is important to note, is that if damp spleen is your presentation, you may not do well with all raw foods.  I've heard this from several acupuncturists and it's pretty easily found on the Internet.  Meaning your salads and primarily "raw" diet may be counterproductive to your wellness.

It is a little bit more complicated than that, it's not an all-or-nothing issue.  I found a nice summary for anyone who is interested in more information.

If you haven't had much success with salads and raw foods, and it's been discouraging, perhaps you might benefit from visiting an acupuncturist for an evaluation and to learn how to best use raw foods in your diet.  It may be the missing link!

Is too much conflicting information driving you nutty?

Way back in the early 80's when I was a brand-new dietitian, we were taught to teach our clients to avoid nuts because of their high fat content.  Today, nuts are the new health food.  But research is often written up in ways that place a specific nut in the spotlight, without a big-picture perspective.

For example:  Walnuts are routinely listed as "the" nut to eat because of their high omega-3 content.  Most people do not realize that the omega-6 content of walnuts is so high that it is mathematically impossible to improve your dietary omega-6 to omega-3 ratio by eating only walnuts and no other nuts.  Does that mean you shouldn't eat walnuts?  Absolutely not!  In all honesty, it is mathematically impossible to improve your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio with any nut.  It is, however, yet another example of the imbalances we create when we focus on a handful of "super foods" and don't pursue variety.

Being the statistics nerd that I am, I spent the other afternoon looking at 10 different nuts in several different ways.  I came to some interesting conclusions.  Let me work you through what I did.  I don't mean to be tedious, I just want to be transparent so anyone else can work through the analysis just as I did.  If you're just looking for what nuts are best to eat,simply skip to the bottom of this post.

1.  Analysis one:  Best anti-inflammatory index (potential for a food to prevent or promote inflammation, as indexed at http://www.nutritiondata.com/), ranked in order of best to worst:

     macadamia

     hazelnut

     almond

     cashew

     peanut

     pistachio

     Brazil

     pecan

     walnut

     pine

2.  Analysis two:  Omega-3 fatty acid content, ranked from highest to lowest per ounce of nuts:

walnut

pecan

pine

pistachio

macadamia

cashew

hazelnut

Brazil

peanut

almond

Important point of interest:  almonds are the only nut that contain absolutely NO omega-3 fatty acids.

3.  Analysis 3:  Omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, ranked from lowest (most beneficial) to highest (least beneficial)

walnut

macadamia

Brazil

pecan

cashew

pistachio

hazelnut

pine

peanut

almond

4.  Analysis 4:  Total omega-3 and monounsaturated fat content, ranked from highest (most beneficial) to lowest

macadamia

hazelnut

pecan

almond

cashew

brazil

peanut

pistachio

pine

walnut

5. Analysis 5:  Total saturated fat content, ranked from lowest (most beneficial) to highest

walnut

almond

hazelnut

pine

pistachio

pecan

peanut

cashew

macadamia

Brazil

SUMMARY ANALYSIS:  In each list, I placed a number "1" next to the top item, and numbered each nut below it in numerical order.  Then I added up the scores for each nut based on their rank in each category.  The lowest score shows the overall rank.  This helps nuts that many not have one outstanding quality still receive a decent ranking--it gets credit, in other words, for being all-around pretty good without being written off for having one quality that is considered "bad" striking it off as "unhealthy".  It also keeps a nut with one outstanding quality for getting too much credit when there may be nutritional aspects that truly keep it from being a superfood.

The final rankings, with the most potentially beneficial at the top:

macadamia

hazelnut

walnut

pecan

cashew

almond/pistachio (tied)

Brazil/pine (tied)

peanut

I guess you could say...just like people, all nuts have their good and not-so-great qualities.  By spending too much time with one, you'll miss out on the benefits of the others.  Diversify your interests, and you'll get the best benefit.

    

Have a fruitilicious summer! Week 5: Grilled Fruit

Yesterday was our traditional grilling holiday.  Now that it's the heat of summer, you might as well take advantage and keep the heat outside of the kitchen!

Fruit is not something traditionally thought of as a grilling food, but it is a great accompaniment to grilled meats. 

I Googled "grilled fruit" recipes to get you started thinking.  Many of the recipes have some sort of sweetened glaze, but I think if you have fruit that is truly ripe, you can often get away without adding sweetener.

The photo in today's blog is of the Grilled Watermelon Tomato Salad that was featured in today's New York Times.  It's worth reading the blog post, which I've linked to with the recipe below. 

Whatever is in season, it gives grilling a reason!


Grilled Watermelon Tomato Salad

Grilled Pear and Hazelnut Packets

Grilled Pineapple Fruit Salad

Grilled Fruit Kabobs

Grilled Pluots

Grilled Oranges

Now that you know lake trout has more omega-3's than salmon...how do you cook it?

In a recent post I mentioned that lake trout has a higher omega-3 content than salmon...actually almost twice as much if you look at some charts!

So how are you going to cook it?  Think salmon recipes.  They're very similar and I've found that the recipes work well interchangeably.

With this on my mind as I was shopping yesterday, I found some Greek tzatziki (yogurt/dill/cucumber sauce) on sale and thought it would be great on some trout fillets.  I found this recipe online, so apparently someone else had the same idea!

Enjoy!

Our next Full Moon Couples Fertility Getaway is August 20-23

If you were interested in our first event but couldn't make it, have no fear...we've got 5 more in 2010!  Each one allows you the opportunity to participate for 1, 2, or 2 1/2 days, and you can come for the day or stay at the hotel.

Prices for August and September are a bit cheaper because here in Phoenix it is low season.

We'd love to have you come!

For more information visit www.afterthediet.com/fertileintentions.html

A follow up to the post on exercise and heart rate--answering questions

Thanks to all of you who wrote in response to the blog post on heart rate changes for women.  When we get questions we know we're being read!

The most frequent question we got was whether or not the target heart rates would change depending on whether or not you are physically conditioned.  The answer is no, and here is why.

Your heart is a muscle.  Its job is to pump blood through your body.  One of the reasons you should exercise is to make that muscle stronger.  When your heart is strong, it can pump the same amount of blood with fewer beats.  That is why, when you are in good physical shape, your resting heart rate usually drops...because your heart has become more efficient at doing its job. 

Simply reducing your heart rate by one beat per minute saves you 525,600 heart beats per year!

Another really good sign that you're in good condition is that after you finish that exercise, your heart rate drops back to resting fairly quickly.  In research times, you've improved your recovery rate.  When you're out of shape and you start to exercise, you may find that you have an elevated heart rate long after your workout.

So if your heart is able to pump the same amount of blood with fewer beats when it is in good condition, it is going to be more difficult to get it to speed up its pace when you are exercising.  The heart rate recommendations stay the same because your physical conditioning make it harder for you to stress your heart muscle.

One way you can challenge your heart is to switch out the kind of exercise you do, to use different muscle groups.  Like your heart, other muscles can become accustomed to the workload and not have to work as hard to carry the same load.

The heart rate guidelines are a percentage of the maximum rate your heart rate should ever reach.  So if you're having to work harder to max out your heart's capacity...you're in good shape.

The guidelines do NOT tell you what your maximum exercise rate should be.  What they do indicate, is that if you are exceeding those guidelines, you're likely not burning fat and finding it harder to lose weight.  You're also likely to be gaining weight in the form of muscle, glycogen, and water, to support that intensity of exercise.

You need to decide what your goal is.  If you want to build muscle (and that's not a bad thing at all), then work out harder.  If you want to burn fat, remember, more is not always better.

And keep that heart muscle pumping!

Who needs these salmon when there are so many other fish in the sea?

If you're a foodie...a New York Times lover...or a Twitter junkie, you likely saw the article last week about the strong possibility that genetically engineered salmon may soon make its way to our marketplace.  These salmon can grow twice as quickly as natural salmon, therefore making salmon more available to the growing market of people who have been educated to believe that this fish is the only one providing a significant source of omega-3 fatty acids.  (An important note:  These fish will not grow to humongous size, they will merely reach their mature size more quickly than natural salmon...a"body builder fish," so to speak.)

Essentially, this new type of salmon is an Atlantic salmon with genes spliced into its DNA from the Pacific Chinook salmon and the pout, another salmon-type of fish.  The genes allow the new fish to produce growth hormone year round, and therefore grow year round, instead of just during the summer.

Aqua Bounty, the company that created this fish, has to provide seven sets of data to the FDA, proving that this new fish is the traditional equivalent of natural salmon; they've already submitted five of those sets.

This is what happens when we get overly enthusiastic about one type of fish and recommend it to the exclusion of all other possibilities in the sea.  Greed sets in.

What is of concern to me is that these fish, according to current labeling laws, would not even be required to be labeled as genetically engineered.  (The FDA to date actually opposes mandatory labeling on a food "merely because it was genetically engineered").  The CEO of Aqua Bounty, Ronald Stotish, has already absolved himself of responsibility in this area, claiming that since his company would only be selling eggs to fish farms, and not fish to markets, they would not be the party in the production chain to regulate.  His take?  "If there's no material difference, then it would be misleading to require labeling."

It seems as though this would be a great way to tank the entire salmon industry, given the fact that people tend to be all-or-nothing in their consumer choices and would likely shift away from all salmon "just to be safe".

If this technology is approved, it will still take 2 to 3 years for these salmon to show up in your stores. 

For those of you reading this blog who know how much we love to recommend fish for your health, here are some questions to ask yourself and points to remember when making your own seafood choices.

1.  ALL seafood contains omega-3 fatty acids.  You don't have to eat just salmon!  The benefit is double, as every ounce of fish you eat replaces an ounce of a more saturated type of meat.  So whether it's bass, tuna, scallops, or shrimp, your choice is perfectly fine.

2.  The Monterey Bay Aquarium, the go-to place for fish recommendations, lists Atlantic salmon, farmed and wild, as a type of seafood to avoid in their seafood watch program.

3.  To help increase the total omega-3 supply, consider trout!  Farmed trout, which is genetically and nutritionally slightly higher in omega-3's than salmon*, is on the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Best Choices List.  You can buy it boned if that is a deterrent.  I've been experimenting with trout and many of my salmon recipes work very well.  It's a bit more fragile as far as cooking methods, but the flavors you cook with can work just fine.

4.  In addition to trout, there are numerous farmed fish options getting the Monterey Bay green light, including:  char, clams, cobia, mussels, oysters, striped bass, and tilapia.

4.  If you're an adventurous eater...why not just eat the pout?  It's plentiful and edible. 

5.  Speak up!  Don't let this issue fall through the cracks.  The only reason this kind of technology can even survive...is if consumers create a market for it.

*Trout contains 1.6 grams omega-3's per 100 grams
Salmon contains 1.4 grams omega-3's per 100 grams