PCOS Bites discusses the pillars of good nutrition offering tools and strategies to improve your daily eating. We do not prescribe diets for individuals who have PCOS. Always do your own research before consuming any food, supplement, or product.
Those of you who have been following PCOSbites for awhile know how important it is to move away from eating foods that have chemicals in them — that includes not only processed foods, but plant based foods as well that have been grown in depleted soils and sprayed with chemicals.
I want to encourage you to start growing some basic herbs and plants for making your own salads. If you don’t have land or a back yard, you can use pots on a deck. The important thing is to start small and to teach yourself as you go. This online event is a great starting point to inspire and educate yourself. Hope you check it out!
There will be over 40-hours of video presentations for you to enjoy, covering topics that include:
* How to grow veggies 3X FASTER than the typical garden.
* Farming in an urban setting — growing vegetables, fruit, nuts, eggs, milk, meat, and more!
* SUPER FAST compost — how to make compost in just 18 days!
* How to stop CRITTERS from eating your veggies!
* Grow 75% of your food in less than 10 hours per week!
… And that’s just the beginning!
This event takes place 100% online, so you can watch it all from home…
And it’s completely free for you to attend…
Reserve your spot HERE
It’s officially 2017 today. The first day of a brand new spank’n year! Hooray!
Our wish for you in the coming year…
• May you grow in knowledge and understanding about how your body works and in relationship to food.
• May you be encouraged to take one step each day to give your body food that nurtures it through good nutrition.
• May you commit to logging your food (write down or put in an app like Lose It) for accountability on portions, calories, and nutrients going into your body (or not).
• May you be inspired to make some food swaps this year where you choose to eat something healthy instead of something unhealthy. Not talking about diet food swaps … we are talking about permanent-I’m-never-going-back-to-that kind of food swaps. Real. Life. Change.
• May you grow a vegetable this year (in a pot or a garden) without any chemicals put on it that you have never grown before and then actually eat it.
PCOS bites. We get it, because we know first-hand what it feels like to get adult acne, to battle how hard it is to lose a pound, or to sigh as you see your hair thin on your head when you want lush thick hair instead. We know what it feels like to be judged by others in society who haven’t walked in our shoes. But we also know that just because we battle PCOS, we don’t have to let PCOS win. That’s why we created PCOSbites — a place where you can find recipes and inspiration and education on food nutrition specifically for helping PCOS.
If you make small incremental changes each day, day-by-day, over time, suddenly you will look up and realize you’ve turned a corner. You can do this. You’re not alone. We’re in this together!
Summer is here and it’s time to fire up your grill! Here are five PCOS-friendly burgers to enjoy! Remember, gluten-free is the best option. Put your burger on a full bed of lettuce and enjoy with a fork or spoon. If you need to have something for a bun experience, check out the sprouted grain version of the Ezekiel Bread Hamburger Buns!
There are so many things I love about this No-bake Chocolaty Protein Goji Berry Granola Bite recipe! You know all those seeds you can use in the Life Changing Cracker recipe and the Overnight Oats recipe we shared? Here’s another snack option you can make with them with a totally different taste! These power-punched bites are loaded with protein, natural fats, and anti-oxidants. Here are some highlights that make it so good for you:
Cacao: Touted as being even better for you than dark chocolate, cacao nibs and cacao powder found in this recipe are full of flavonoids and antioxidants that fight off free-radical damage which can cause DNA damage, premature aging and even cancers. Think of antioxidants as firefighters putting out a blaze — a blaze of inflammation in your body. And cacao is one of the highest sources of antioxidants. The best part is it will make this snack taste “chocolaty” to you and will fire up all those pleasure sensors in the brain and lower your cortisol levels (aka: destress). In addition, one ounce of cacao nibs has 9 grams of fiber! Fiber helps to control your blood pressure and blood glucose levels. This fiber can also help lower blood cholesterol. Last, but not least, cacao has magnesium and potassium. A one ounce serving of cacao nibs has 64 milligrams of magnesium making it one of the best dietary sources of it. Magnesium aids in protein synthesis within the body, helps muscle and nerves function properly (great if you are experiencing fibromaylgia symptoms), plus helps manage blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation.
Flax: Flax is full of healthy fats and fiber, but low in carbs, so it will help you feel satisfied longer so you will eat fewer calories overall which may lead to weight loss. ALA (another type of omega-3) fats found in flax may also help reduce inflammation. Studies have shown flax can help with weight loss and it will help to make healthy hair and clear skin. You’ll also get all the benefits of lowering blood cholesterol and managing blood glucose levels. Flax is also high in antioxidants, so just like cacao, flax will help to fight off free-radical damage which can cause DNA damage, premature agin, and even cancers. In fact, one study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that the lignans in flaxseeds may also reduce the risk of endometrial and ovarian cancer. And finally, the lignans in the flax have been shown to have benefits for menopausal women. Evidently, it can be used as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy because lignans have estrogenic properties.
Goji Berries: Goji berries are high in antioxidants, vitamin C, fiber, and are also low in calories. They are also a good source of iron and vitamin A. One serving of about four ounces of goji berries even provides nearly 10 percent of the suggested amount of dietary protein. Goji berries have a high Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) score of 3,290, showing that they contain much larger concentrations of antioxidants than most other fruits. They also raise blood sugars slowly — important for women with PCOS trying to manage insulin responses. Some studies also point to goji berries helping to lower arthritis symptoms. And these berries aren’t for everyone either — anyone who uses blood thinners or takes diabetic medication may have a negative reaction eating goji berries, according to WebMD. When in doubt, ask your doctor first. According to Paul Gross in his report, The Top 20 Superfruits, a quarter cup of goji berries contains 11 essential vitamins and 22 trace minerals, including 24 percent of our RDI of potassium, 18 percent of our RDI of zinc and a whopping 100 percent of our RDI of iron, copper and riboflavin. They also contain 8 polysaccharides, a primary source of dietary fiber. (Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/044316_goji_berries_superfoods_antioxidants.html#ixzz48q0wxCQ7)
Pumpkin Seeds: Pumpkin seeds are a great source of manganese (74%), phosphorus (57%), magnesium (48%), copper (48%), zinc (23%), protein (20%), and iron (16%). They also contain plant compounds known as phytosterols and free-radical scavenging antioxidants, which can give your health an added boost. Also promising, recent animal studies have shown pumpkin seeds to improve insulin regulation. (Learn more: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=82 )
Walnuts: Cannot say enough good things about Walnuts! The anti-inflammatory nutrients in walnuts are amazing! They are full of omega-3 fats (113%), copper (53%), manganese (51%), molybdenum (20%), and biotin (19%). They also have anti-cancer treating benefits as well as the ability to help lower the bad cholesterol. According to the World’s Healthiest Foods, “The form of vitamin E found in walnuts is somewhat unusual, and particularly beneficial. Instead of having most of its vitamin E present in the alpha-tocopherol form, walnuts provide an unusually high level of vitamin E in the form of gamma-tocopherol. Particularly in studies on the cardiovascular health of men, this gamma-tocopherol form of vitamin E has been found to provide significant protection from heart problems.” (Learn more: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=99 )
If you want to add even more protein punch, you can include any protein powder you’ve been using. Although, a short word on protein powders and PCOS… the thing that’s problematic for us cysters with these powders is that most contain dairy and sugar or terrible sugar substitutes (sorbitol, mannitol, aspartame etc.) that mess with our insulin sensitivity. Read your label carefully! There is a lot of natural protein in this recipe already — you could probably skip the protein powder if you don’t have any on hand, or if you are concerned about it affecting your hormones.
No-Bake Protein Goji Berry Granola Bites - Option 1
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. (Quick oats, pecans, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, cacao nibs, cacao powder, protein powder, salt, and goji berries. Stir well to incorporate all ingredients.
Drizzle honey evenly over the top of your dry ingredients.
Add almond butter and incorporate into ingredients until all ingredients are fully combined.
Take a 9″ x 13″ pan and spray with a non-stick spray. Spread your mixed ingredients into the base of the pan, pressing down firmly.
Cover your 9″x 13″ pan with saran wrap or a plastic fitted lid and place into your refrigerator and chill overnight.
In the morning, cut unto 2″ x 2″ squares and snack on as needed. Keep your bars in fridge for up to a week.
Tip: If you don’t need a larger batch, take half of what was made and place in a freezer ziplock bag and freeze for later use.
This recipe is Gluten-free, Lactose-free, Corn-free, and Refined Sugar-Free
There’s something about eating a flower from a healthy plant that just makes you want to smile. It’s yellow, warmed and grown by the sun and will make you want to draw a big ol’ yellow smiley face as you proudly put GOOD nourishing food in your body. It’s been about 6 weeks since I planted my broccoli starts into the garden. I purchased six small tender plants and they are beginning to produce their first crop. I meant to get out two days ago to trim the floret heads that were forming (they were so little and cute), but the busyness of life got in the way and as I looked out at our little garden this morning I saw that about four plants had started to bloom — those yellow flowers were like a neon sign saying, “We’re ready! Hurry! Come pick us before we are gone!” So out with the scissors I went and just trimmed the stalk right above where new growth shoots were already forming. The great thing about broccoli is that you can get several cuttings off of one plant in one season. And I didn’t realize at first that you can eat not only the broccoli florets, but the leaves and when it is at the flower stage as well.
Did you know that Broccoli is a good source of Protein, Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Riboflavin, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Selenium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Potassium and Manganese. I can just hear you saying, “Okay, great Erin. But translate that into how that helps me with my PCOS.” Women with PCOS typically have inflammation issues going on in their body and are at higher risk for ovarian cancer. This is where what you put into your mouth really matters — your liver and cells are counting on you to eat a food like this because it has (big word warning) isothiocyanates (also referred to as ITCs). ITCs are compounds that actually help shut down inflammation responses in the body. unique combination of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and pro-detoxification components in broccoli make it a unique food in terms of cancer prevention. What’s more, broccoli is also a rich source of one particular phytonutrient (a flavonol) called kaempferol. Especially inside of our digestive tract, kaempferol has the ability to lessen the impact of allergy-related substances (by lowering the immune system’s production of IgE-antibodies). By lessening the impact of allergy-related substances, the kaempferol in broccoli can help lower our risk of chronic inflammation. In fact, if you eat only an average of 1/2 cup of broccoli per day—only 22 calories’ worth of broccoli—scientists have shown it will have some measurable benefits.
I know there might be some of you out there that were once like me and digging in your heels saying, “I don’t like vegetables!” Well, my dear cyster, this is what helped me change my thinking when I put it in context… which is worse, enjoying some crunchy green stuff on top of your salad or going thru chemo treatments? Harsh maybe, but if you have weight around your middle, this message is for you as you most likely have inflammation happening inside your body. Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. I’m here to coax you out of denial so that you can change your life one bite at a time. When you reason it out, the choice seems really clear — eat broccoli. Raw or cooked, it needs to get in your tummy to nourish your body. (Note: if cooking, steam at temperature of 212°F (100°C), with a cooking times of 5 minutes at the most for optimal nourishment.)
But enough about wonderful broccoli — let’s get back to what’s for lunch … today we put together a simple Caesar Salad with romaine picked fresh from the garden this morning, freshly grated Parmesan flakes (low to almost no lactose), and salmon (leftover from dinner the night before.) I was reminded that I had harvested those pretty blooming broccoli florets (they were still soaking in a ice bath on the counter) and threw the broccoli florets with flowers on top as a crunching vitamin packed topping! It looks so pretty I wish you could see it in person! And the flavors were fantastic!
Tip: When you harvest lettuce of any type, take your cuttings early in the morning when it is still cool out and then water your plant and place your cuttings into a bath of ice water with some organic apple cider vinegar. The vinegar did flush out a little spider that was hiding in my romaine, so it’s always a good idea to wash your cuttings outside.
Salmon is an excellent source of vitamin B12, vitamin D, and selenium. It is a good source of niacin, omega-3 fatty acids, protein, phosphorus, and vitamin B6. It is also a good source of choline, pantothenic acid, biotin, and potassium. It’s also a food that will fight inflammation in the body, so try to eat Salmon about 2x a week (easy if you do a dinner one night and then left overs another time at either lunch or dinner.)
In short, eat this! It’s tasty and good for the cells and organs in your body! 👏💗👍
If you are consuming less than 5 cups of salad a day, your body may be under-nourished. Did you know that we need about 4,700 mg per day of Potassium to run the body for someone who is 200 lbs. Take for instance a banana; one banana is 300 mg. You’d have to eat a lot of bananas to even begin to reach that 4,700 mg per day nutritional need within your body and the sugar (converted from the carbs in banana) would be a problem as well. The power house to help you feel your best? Salad!
You need approximately 7-10 cups of salad per day to fuel the cells in your body. And the heavier you are, the more greens you need per day to nourish your body. The good news is that salad is easy for your body to digest. One for lunch and one for dinner and you’ve nourished your body for the day.
Keep in mind as well that not only the quantity of how much salad you eat matters, but it also depends on the quality of the vegetable. Ice berg lettuce, for example, will not have as much nutritional value compared to something high-density like:
• Kale – Kale is packed full of vitamins A, C, and K. While slightly higher in calories than other greens, kale also provides a dose of vitamins B6-B1-B2-B3, manganese, iron, calcium, copper, magnesium, and potassium, making for a nutrient-packed salad. It also contains 3x times more lutein and zeaxanthin than spinach.
• Spinach – Spinach is packed with vitamin A and a great source of vitamins C and K, iron, and fiber. It also contains more folic acid than most salad greens, which helps convert the food you eat into energy and produces healthy red blood cells. Recent research also suggest compounds in the leaf membranes called thylakoids may serve as a powerful appetite suppressant. A recently published long-term study at Lund University in Sweden found that having a drink containing thylakoids before breakfast could significantly reduce cravings and promote weight loss. On average, the women who took the spinach extract lost 5.5 pounds more than the placebo group over the course of three months.
• Swiss Chard – Swiss Chard, a relative of the beet family, tastes similar to spinach. It is higher in sodium count than other salad greens (with 77 grams per cup), but it’s loaded with vitamins A, C, and K, and also provides some iron and calcium. Consider combining chard with a few other greens to make your own mix. Recent research has shown that these powerhouse leaves contain at least 13 different polyphenol antioxidants, including anthocyanins–anti-inflammatory compounds that could offer protection from type 2 diabetes. Researchers from the University of East Anglia analyzed questionnaires and blood samples of about 2,000 people and found that those with the highest dietary intakes of anthocyanins had lower insulin resistance and better blood glucose regulation.
• Watercress – It’s more nutrient-rich than romaine and leaf lettuce, containing almost all of the daily recommended intake for vitamins A and K, and half the daily recommendation for Vitamin C, in a 2.5 cup serving. Gram for gram this mild-tasting and flowery-looking green contains four times more beta carotene than an apple, and a whopping 238 percent of your daily recommended dose of vitamin K per 100 grams—two compounds that keep skin dewy and youthful. The beauty food is also the richest dietary source of PEITC (phenylethyl isothiocyanate), which research suggests can fight cancer. Results from an eight-week trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutritionsuggest daily supplementation of 85 grams of raw watercress (that’s about two cups) could reduce DMA damage linked to cancer by 17 percent. Exposure to heat may inactivate PEITC, so it’s best to enjoy watercress raw in salads, cold-pressed juices, and sandwiches.
• Parsley – Parsley is a quiet superfood, so packed with nutrients that even that one sprig can go a long way toward meeting your daily requirement for vitamin K. Moreover, research suggests the summer-y aroma and flavor of chopped parsley may help control your appetite.
• Romaine Lettuce – Romaine is rich in vitamins A and K, but it isn’t quite a mineral powerhouse. Be sure to mix it with some spinach or kale to pack in more antioxidants, or opt for a pre-mixed blend. packs high levels of folic acid, a water-soluble form of Vitamin B that’s proven to boost male fertility. A study published in the journal Fertility and Sterility found supplemental folic acid to significantly increase sperm counts. Folate also plays a role in battling depression — something women suffering with PCOS may be familiar.
• Red and Green Leaf Lettuce – It has a mild taste, making it a good choice for getting vitamins A and K into the diet of children and picky eaters.
• Butter/Bib/Boston Lettuce – Butter lettuce is low in sodium, a good source of vitamin A, and has small amounts of iron and calcium.
• Arugula – It’s a tasty choice with some vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and calcium. Mix arugula with more nutrient-dense options to pump up the flavor and the antioxidant power of your salad.
• Chicory/Radicchio – A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that people who consume 650 mg a day of polyphenols have a 30 percent chance at living longer than those who consume less than that. A cup of chicory leaves clocks in at about 235 mg (double that of spinach!), so consider adding a little leafy red into your leafy greens.
• Beet Greens – Only 1 cup of the bitter green serves up nearly 5 grams of fiber—that’s more than you’ll find in a bowl of Quaker oats! Researchers at the University of Leeds found that risk of cardiovascular disease was significantly lower for every 7 grams of fiber consumed.
• Chinese Cabbage – Rich sources of highly-available calcium and iron, cruciferous vegetables like the cabbage have the powerful ability to “turn off” inflammation markers thought to promote heart disease. In a study of more than 1,000 Chinese women, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, those who ate the most cruciferous vegetables (about 1.5 cups per day) had 13 percent less inflammation than those who ate the least.
Your goal is to get in the habit of eating salad, because of it’s nutrients for your body just to function. When at the grocery store, look for something like a Spring Salad Mix which is composed of several different plants; Arugula Romain, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Red Mustard, Beet Greens Let your goal be to consume 7-10 cups of salad a day at first and use whatever dressing helps you to begin that habit. Once you are more accustomed to eating your daily salads, work on lowering the sugar in your dressings. It is recommended to have 1 gram of sugar per tablespoon or less. Making your own would be even better.
Tip: If you purchase salad in a plastic container at the grocery store, after you’ve taken out a serving, fluff the leaves and add a couple sheets of dry unused paper towels to absorb extra moisture before putting the lid on and returning to the refrigerator and your salad will last longer.
Avoid Ice-berg lettuce (not very nutrient dense), and toppings like croutons, dairy high in lactose, dried cranberries or raisins, as well as anything with sugar or any nut topping coated in sugar.
Instead, focus on putting these types of things on your salad:
• Did you know that 1 tsp of Sprouts is equal to 50 tsp of broccoli with phytonutrients?! Add sprouts!
• If you add fat to your salad, you will pull more nutrition out of the salad. Use Bacon Bits, Feta, Olives, Olive Oil, nuts and seeds.
• Add protein like a hard-boiled egg or try 1/4 cup of cold cooked quinoa that is rich in protein as a topping as well. Hummus on the side is also a nice mix in to add moisture to the salad without adding extra dressing.
• A light topping of a beneficial fruit to fight inflammation in the body like: pomegranate, strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries.
Dinner: Wild Caught Pacific Salmon! We seasoned ours with a little bit of garlic rub, chopped up fresh basil and German basil from the garden, then lemon slices and lemon juice squeezed on top. Takes only 15-20 min to bake depending on size. Yum!
Sides: Cooked green beans and Quinoa seasoned with garlic salt, onion salt, parsley bits, and soy sauce.
Season your salmon (we buy ours frozen so we defrost in hot water for about ten minutes before we apply a basic garlic rub.) Dice up fresh basil (we also had German basil in the garden) to release the oils and flavors of the herbs while the salmon cooks. Slice lemons and place on top. Take the ends of your lemon and squeeze lemon juice onto seasoned meat. Put your salmon on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the oven at 425* for 20 min.
Above: Basil / Below: German Basil – the smells of cooking with your own fresh herbs is heavenly and heightens the flavors in your dish.
Tip: About once a week I trim the heads on my basil leaves down to just above the last two leaves on each stem and the plant grows even fuller. I put my cut leaves from my weekly pruning in an ice bath to clean and then pat dry with a paper towel.
Once your salmon is in the oven, grab a saucepan and put 2 cups of quinoa in it and add four cups of water. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat to medium heat. set timer for 15-minutes. Do not lift the lid off of it for the next 15 min!
While the quinoa is cooking, chop up your fresh green beans (you can save time by buying frozen green beans, too). Heat up a sauce pan with water and toss green beans in for about 10-15 min. Our green beans and salmon finished at about the same time.
When timer goes off for the quinoa, take a fork and make a hole in the center of your quinoa and see if there is any water at the bottom. If there’s no more water, kill the heat and season as desired. I added some chopped bits of parsley to mine from the garden as well as onion powder, garlic powder and some finely ground pink Himalayan salt.
Check the widest part of your salmon for doneness. The smaller more narrow end may cook faster so feel free to cut off that portion and return the rest to the oven for an additional five minutes if needed.
Serve all food nice and hot and pile on the greens. Your salmon portion size should be between 4-6 oz. – visually about the size of your cell phone. Your quinoa should be about 1/2 cup – visually about the size of a computer mouse.
Enjoy this healthy dinner and knowing that you are feeding your body healthy omega-3 fatty acids and gluten-free healthy eats. If you can eat salmon once a week, that is ideal to help your body fight inflammation.
When I saw that I could get a big ‘ol bag of carrots at Sams for around $3, my mind instantly began turning thinking up ways to make my crew (and me) something tasty in the baking department. Introducing gluten-free carrot cake muffins.
I quickly learned that there are a lot of recipes out there. So, I decided to test two options that I found online and ended up adapting both after trying them out on my crew. Turns out that half of my crew liked version one and the other half liked my second version. Win-win!
So, I thought I’d include both options here on the blog, so that you could try either or both options based on whatever was in your pantry for supplies. I also wanted to taste-test the difference between a muffin made with almond flour and compare it against a muffin made with gluten-free oat flour.
I preferred the second recipe, as did my hubby, my 3 year old daughter, my six year old son, and one of my 15 year olds. My other 15 year old son (I have identical twin sons) liked the first recipe as did my 11 year old son. Had we not done a side by side comparison, I think either would have been quickly devoured.
You can store in a ziplock freezer bag and toss into the freezer as a grab-n-go breakfast or snack option.
Make both and tell us which one you like best in the comments below!
Mix first seven ingredients together in large bowl.
Combine egg, oil, and vanilla in a small bowl and mix. Add to dry ingredients.
Add banana, carrots, raisins, and nuts to bowl and mix with a hand mixer until incorporated.
Scoop into a greased muffin tin or into paper cupcake liners. Fill batter to the top of each liner.
Bake at 350° degrees for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Note: Most people can tolerate oat flour if they have a gluten sensitivity. If you have celiac disease, be sure you get a gluten-free oat flour as it will not have been milled at a facility where wheat, barley, and rye are processed.
This recipe is Gluten-free, Lactose-free, Corn-free, and Refined Sugar-Free
It’s officially 2017 today. The first day of a brand new spank’n year! Hooray!
You need approximately 7-10 cups of salad per day to fuel the cells in your body. And the heavier you are, the more greens you need per day to nourish your body. The good news is that salad is easy for your body to digest. One for lunch and one for dinner and you’ve nourished your body for the day.
When I saw that I could get a big ‘ol bag of carrots at Sams for around $3, my mind instantly began turning thinking up ways to make my crew (and me) something tasty in the baking department. Introducing gluten-free carrot cake muffins.
