Monday 31 October 2016

Coffee chocolate protein truffles



This recipe is great for when you have a really sweet tooth but don't want to spike your blood glucose levels.  Each truffle is about 80 calories and has 6 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of sugar!  Try making them for when you next have friends visit.  I used vanilla flavoured protein powder but if you're nuts about nuts, try using peanut butter flavour or choc/peanut flavoured protein powder.



Coffee chocolate protein truffles

Ingredients
½  cup carb free vanilla (or plain) protein powder
1 cup almond meal
½  cup cocoa powder
1 tbspn toffee or caramel flavoured stevia drops
1-2 shots fresh coffee
1 block Lindt 90% cocoa chocolate (melted) mixed with 2 teaspoons stevia powder
½ cup chopped peanuts and matcha powder for decoration

Method
Combine protein powder, almond meal, cocoa powder and stevia drops in a mixing bowl.  Add just enough coffee to combine ingredients so that the mixture is firm and can be rolled into balls.  Refrigerate or freeze for about an hour before dipping into melted chocolate then rest one side into the chopped peanuts or matcha powder for decoration and crunch then allow to set on a tray covered with baking paper until set.  Refrigerate again until ready to serve (makes about 20 truffles).

Coffee chocolate protein truffles



This recipe is great for when you have a really sweet tooth but don't want to spike your blood glucose levels.  Each truffle is about 80 calories and has 6 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of sugar!  Try making them for when you next have friends visit.  I used vanilla flavoured protein powder but if you're nuts about nuts, try using peanut butter flavour or choc/peanut flavoured protein powder.



Mocha protein truffles

Ingredients
½  cup carb free vanilla (or plain) protein powder
1 cup almond meal
½  cup cocoa powder
1 tbspn toffee or caramel flavoured stevia drops
1-2 shots fresh coffee
1 block Lindt 90% cocoa chocolate (melted) mixed with 2 teaspoons stevia powder
½ cup chopped peanuts and matcha powder for decoration

Method
Combine protein powder, almond meal, cocoa powder and stevia drops in a mixing bowl.  Add just enough coffee to combine ingredients so that the mixture is firm and can be rolled into balls.  Refrigerate or freeze for about an hour before dipping into melted chocolate then rest one side into the chopped peanuts or matcha powder for decoration and crunch then allow to set on a tray covered with baking paper until set.  Refrigerate again until ready to serve (makes about 20 truffles).

Tuesday 5 July 2016

PCOS, cholesterol and eggs

For so many years the humble egg was vilified.  Nobody 
dared to eat too many each week in fear of increasing our blood cholesterol levels and increasing our risk of heart disease. However, we can begin to rejoice again and eat eggs to our heart's delight - literally!  Even the 2015 American Dietary Guidelines no longer restricts the number of eggs we should or shouldn't eat each week because new research shows eating dietary cholesterol has very little effect on our body's blood cholesterol levels.  Most of the cholesterol in our bodies is actually produced by the body!

Why are eggs good for someone with PCOS?  I'm so glad you asked.  Here's the scoop....

Firstly, eggs are packed full of pretty much everything our bodies need, from protein and healthy fats to vitamins and minerals to keep us healthy.  Just two eggs contain about 20% of your daily protein needs, have lots of healthy omega-3 fats to help reduce inflammation, and have about 10% of your daily iron needs (it's non-haem iron so having some vitamin C with your eggs will help absorption - eggs don't contain vitamin C).  You'll also find zinc, selenium and iodine in your eggs too, which, as I've mentioned before, is great for optimising your metabolism by keeping your thyroid functioning well.  Eggs contain no carbohydrates and no sugar so they have a very low glycaemic index (GI), which is great for keeping your blood glucose levels low, thereby keeping your insulin levels from spiking too.  

As you know, women with PCOS often find they have trouble losing weight so eating eggs has so many benefits to help you lose weight.  Firstly, because they're packed full of proteins and fats, they take their time breaking down in your body so you feel full for longer. Secondly, without the carbohydrate content to raise your insulin response (as I've mentioned in previous posts, women with PCOS are often insulin-resistant) you aren't putting your body into fat-storage mode.  Lastly, with all that iodine, zinc and selenium, you're optimising your thryoid health which produces the hormones for energy production so your metabolism won't be as sluggish which makes losing weight easier.  

And now we no longer have to worry about eggs raising our blood cholesterol levels and putting us at greater risk of heart disease (of course, if you already have high cholesterol levels, talk to your doctor first before eating eggs for breakfast, lunch and dinner!!).  You see, cholesterol isn't always the enemy in our body.  Every single cell of the body is encased in part, by cholesterol.  That's what helps the cell maintain its shape and stops it from collapsing.  We also use cholesterol to help us make our hormones and to make bile acid, which is used to aid fat and fat-soluble vitamin (vitamins A, D, E and K) absorption.  Also, new lab tests show we can't just label cholesterol as good (HDL cholesterol) or bad (LDL cholesterol) anymore.  In fact, LDL cholesterol is made up of different particle sizes and can be small and dense (they actually are the bad cholesterol) or light and fluffy (do no harm at all).  Did you know you can ask your doctor to include this test if you're having your blood cholesterol levels checked?  Research shows eggs can actually reduce the amount of small, dense LDL particles which gives us yet another reason to eat eggs!!  

So, there's just a few good reasons to regularly include eggs in your diet.  To get you started, here's a simple baseless quiche recipe you can try.  Add whatever low-starch veggies you like.  The recipe serves six.  Have it for dinner with your favourite salad or serve the leftovers cold for lunch the next day!

Vegetable Baseless Quiche

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs (I always use free-range organic eggs because I feel sorry for the chickens)
  • 300ml (approx) Carnation-brand cooking cream 
  • 2-3 cups of chopped low-starch vegetables (I choose, spring onion, capsicum, broccoli, mushroom, beans and carrot)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius (fan-forced).  In a large bowl, whisk eggs, cooking cream, salt and pepper together until well combined.  
  2. Place chopped veggies in a medium-sized baking dish and pour the egg mixture over until the veggies are well covered.
  3. Sprinkle the top with the grated cheese and bake in the oven for about an hour or until the top is golden and the eggs are cooked through.  Serve hot or cold and enjoy!
*Hint - to reduce the amount of calories in this dish, omit the parmesan cheese.

Cheers for now

Annie




Friday 24 June 2016

Fish en Pappilote (fish in paper) recipe


I love this recipe because it's so simple to make and there is no cleaning up afterwards! Just bake the fish wrapped in baking paper and put the cooked parcel directly on your dinner plate to serve.  Salmon is high in Omega-3 fatty acids which act to reduce inflammation in the body, which is good for heart health.  You can put a range of your favourite veggies in the parcel.  I choose veggies which are not starchy so I keep my insulin levels from spiking after dinner.  This recipe is great to make when you're super busy but still want to eat well. 

Ingredients (per serve)

1 piece salmon (100-150g)
2-3 large handfuls of chopped Asian greens of choice
minced garlic to taste
minced ginger to tast
chopped red chilli to taste
2 chopped button mushrooms
1/2 carrot, julienned
a dash of olive oil and a dash of lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Method

On a large piece of baking paper (glad bake) place all vegetables, starting with Asian greens, and spices.Place salmon on top of vegetables and sprinkle with oil, juice and salt and pepper.Fold paper around ingredients to seal in moisture and place on a baking tray.Bake in oven at 180 degrees Celcius for about 20-25 mins.Transfer paper and contents to a plate to serve and enjoy!

Wednesday 22 June 2016

Low Carb & Gluten Free Tabbouleh Salad recipe


This salad is so quick and easy to make.  You can hand grate the cauliflower or use the grating blade on a food processor.  The flavours intensify the next day so it's perfect for leftovers.

I like this salad because it doesn't contain wheat, which causes a lot of intenstinal issues for some people who have coelic disease or find they're senstive to gluten.  There's also a lot of veggies packed into one serve of the salad which is great for increasing fibre and vitamins, while filling up on foods that are low in calories.  The extra virgin olive oil also has proven benefits for heart health.

Ingredients

1/2 head of cauliflower, grated to resemble cracked wheat
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 spring onions, sliced
2 tablespoons mint, chopped (optional)
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 equal tablets or 2 teaspoons of an intense sweetener (if you use stevia, use 1 teaspoon)
salt and pepper to taste 

Method

In a bowl, mix together the cauliflower, tomatoes, parsley, spring onion and the mint if you are adding it.  In a glass jar, add the lemon juice, olive oil, equal tablets and salt & pepper.  Screw the lid on tightly and shake until the dressing thickens slightly.  Toss the dressing through the salad and transfer to a clean bowl to serve.

Top 5 diet must-do's for PCOS

Women with poly-cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) have higher levels of the hormones testosterone and insulin.  This can lead to side-effects such as increased body fat (especially around the tummy) and finding it more difficult to lose that fat, as well as acne, skin tags around the neckline, increased facial hair, male-pattern baldness and insulin-resistance.  Insulin-resistance is similar in people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), therefore, the same complications for those with T2DM apply to women with PCOS.  These women can also have irregular menstrual cycles and fertility issues making it more difficult to fall pregnant.

The role of insulin in the body is to move glucose in the blood to other cells in the body to make glycogen for the body's energy source.  Insulin has a secondary role of taking excess glucose that is not used for making energy and storing it as body fat,  Insulin-resistance is a condition where the body's cells are no longer receptive to insulin and less glucose can be used to make energy in the cells and more glucose is then stored as body fat.  The more glucose there is in our blood, the more insulin is released to remove it.  When the cells are insulin-resistant, the brain gets a little scared of the level of glucose in our blood and releases even more insulin.  These high levels of insulin quickly take the glucose from the blood and store it as body fat to be used as fuel in times of famine.  These days though, we have don't really have to worry about famine so this stored fuel is rarely used but more often than not, it is added to each day.  Eventually, this can lead to being overweight, and, if you have PCOS, it can be even easier to store body fat, and harder to lose it.  So, here's my TOP 5 must-do's for losing weight and improving the symptoms of PCOS.


  1. Keep your carbohydrate intake lower than your protein and fat intakes. I know this goes against the Australian Dietary Guidelines, and also the guidelines for managing T2DM, but all the newest evidence is showing a low-carb diet is so much better for people with insulin-resistance. It kind of makes sense if you think about it.  If your body is not very good at pushing large quantities of glucose into the cells, why would you feed it large quantities of foods that break down into glucose?  In fact, studies have shown that eating a low-carb diet can actually improve the sensitivity of insulin.  This means, if you take Metformin, or another medication to help with insulin-resistance, you may be able to reduce your dose or even stop taking it! Don't just take my word for it either.  The CSIRO are developing a new diet plan for people with insulin resistance that focuses on eating a lot less carbs than the current guidelines suggest. 
  2. Don't fear dietary fat!!  That's right, you heard me. For so long, our dietary guidelines were based on a  flawed study performed in the 1950's by a man called Ancel Keys.  His Seven Country Study "showed" that eating a diet high in saturated fats was linked to heart disease.  However, there were a lot more than seven countries studied and Mr Keys left out the countries where the residents ate lots of saturated fats but didn't have high levels of heart disease, or countries where the residents ate low levels of saturated fats but did have high levels of heart disease.  Now, 60 years later, we know polyunsaturated oils are higher in omega-6 fatty acids, which can increase inflammation at cellular level, while monunsaturated and saturated fats and oils are higher in omega-3 fatty acids which are anti-inflammatory and can actually reduce inflammation in the body.  New evidence also shows there is no link to eating saturarated fats and getting heart disease.  Carbohydrates and sugar have also been linked to inflammation in the body.  It makes sense that if we reduce our fat intake, we will increase our carbohydrate intake, and, as I mentioned above, that isn't such a good thing for people with insulin-resistance.  So, your take home message here is eat a range of fats (except trans fats which really are quite nasty).  Don't fear the natural fats found in meats and dairy but of course, they are still high in calories (energy dense) so don't go crazy and watch your total calorie intake each day. It doesn't matter what you eat, but if you eat more than you need, you will put on weight. 
  3. Eat your greens... and other colours too! Vegetables contain so many vitamins and minerals that are necessary for our bodies to function optimally.  Plus, they are full of fibre and they are pretty low in calories (what we call nutrient dense rather than energy dense) so you can fill up on them which is important if you are trying to lose weight and you're watching your total calorie intake.  The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommends women eat five serves of veggies each day.  They also recommend we eat less of the starchy vegetables too (potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, peas and corn).  It's actually quite easy to fit five serves of veggies into your day if you start including them in every meal, including snacks.  Try having half a tomato with scrambled eggs for breakfast, some carrot and hummus for mid morning snack, load up your plate with a range of colourful salad veggies at lunch and include lots of steamed or stir-fried greens with your evening meal.  Take advantage of weekly farmer's markets.  The produce is fresh and often locally grown.  It's in season, which means it costs less than imported produce and you might find yourself feeling adventurous and increase the variety of veggies you eat.This guide will show you what a serving of different veggies looks like to help you calculate your total intake.  
  4. Drink water and lots of it.  I know we live in a modern world and we have so many beverage options available for us to choose from, but nothing is better for you than water and nothing is cheaper too.  There is no need to go and buy bottled water either.  Tap water is just as good and readily available.  Drinking water can help you feel full, keeps your gastrointestinal tract healthy, helps relieve constipation, is good for keeping your muscles from fatiguing too quickly and keeps your skin healthy and plump.  
  5. Get organised.  This doesn't just relate to women with PCOS but it's the cornerstone for success for anyone who is wanting to live a healthier lifestyle and feel their optimal best.  So often, we start down the path of healthy eating, only to trip ourselves up when something unexpected happens in our day.  We get invited out to lunch, we forget to take our lunch to work, there's nothing in the pantry to eat or we get home late from work.  We then choose foods that don't really meet our goal requirements and we end up eating something we wished we hadn't.  Not only have we eaten something that makes us take a step away from achieving our health goals, but we tend to feel disappointed with ourselves for falling off the wagon.  I really don't like my clients to get angry with themselves if this situation ever happens to them. I want them to understand life happens.  We are all busy and just trying to do our best.  I want my clients to learn from this experience, and jump back on the path of healthy eating, So, what do I suggest?  Firstly, plan what you will be eating for your meals for the week.  I typically cook double quantities at dinner and have leftovers for lunch the next day.  I write down all the dinners I plan to cook for the week and from there, I prepare my grocery shopping list.  I try to save time by only visiting the supermarket once each week.  During the week, my breakfasts are always the same each morning and my snacks are often quite similar.  I then plan my day and pack my meals the night before.  I have a great cooler bag that fits all my meals and an ice brick to keep everything cool.  I keep extra snacks in my bag, my desk drawer and in my car too, for times when something unexpected happens and I don't happen to have my cooler bag with me.  I even keep a plastic fork in these areas too so I really don't have an excuse to not eat well.  I've been planning my meals this way for years now so I rarely find myself in a situation where I'm forced to eat something that doesn't suit me (I have coeliac disease so I'm really careful to choose foods that are gluten free).  As always, practice makes perfect and the more you get organised and plan ahead, the more it becomes a habit and before you know it, you've adopted a new healthy eating lifestyle that will see you achieve all your health goals and keep you healthy for life!

Wednesday 8 June 2016

Low-fat, Low-carbohydrate or the Mediterranean Diet – Which is best?


I get asked the low-fat versus low-carb diet question a lot.  Which is better?  The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommends a diet based on eating lots of whole grains, veggies, fruit, some meats and low-fat dairy.  Previously, we had the Atkins diet and now we have the Paleo diet.  The American Dietary Guidelines even recommends the Mediterranean  diet for improved health outcomes, as well as the same guidelines Australia promotes.  So, what is best for weight loss and what is best for our health?

I’ve looked at some interesting studies and I’ll tell you what I’ve found.  I’ll elaborate below, but in a nutshell, the low-carb diet does seem to come out on top, followed closely by the Mediterranean diet, especially for metabolic syndrome symptoms. 

Long-term, the Mediterranean diet seems to be easier to maintain, so I guess that’s the key answer to this question.  From reading these studies, it seems everyone can have improved health outcomes with any of the three dietary styles listed in the title of this post, but you must be able to maintain that diet long-term, and make it a way of life.  It also comes down to your own personal health goals.  Are you looking for fat loss?  Do you want to improve your heart health?  Do you have insulin resistance?  Because I have such a passion for improving the health of women with PCOS, I’m going to focus on fat loss and insulin resistance for this post.


Low-carb versus Mediterranean and low-fat diets 

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine performed a two year study on participants who followed one of these three diets.  The group who followed the low-carb diet lost nearly 145% more weight compared with the group following the low-fat group.  This same low-carb group were the only group to have significant improvements in their long-term blood glucose levels (HbA1c) but, the group following the Mediterranean diet plan had the most improvement in their fasting blood glucose levels.  The group following the low-fat diet plan, had an increase in their blood glucose levels.  This is exactly what we don't want to happen for people with insulin resistance or diabetes!  Women with PCOS have insulin resistance so this study is important for your health too!
Weight changes during the 2 yr study

Changes in cholesterol & TGs


This study also showed the low-fat diet performed the worst for other health markers too.  Not only did it provide the least amount of weight loss, and actually worsened the risks from insulin resistance by raising fasting blood glucose levels, it showed the least improvement for LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol - the greatest improvement in this ratio was from the low-carb group (20%). Inflammation only improved in the Mediterranean and low-carb diet groups. There is heaps of new evidence now suggesting inflammation could be related to heart disease and stroke. 
What is really interesting to note about this study is both the low-fat diet and the Mediterranean diet groups were on a restricted calorie intake (1500 Calories for women and 1800 Calories for men), but the low-carb diet group were not restricted on how much they could eat.  This is significant because hunger is often a reason for people abandoning dietary changes.

More and more evidence is pointing toward the successes of eating a low-carb diet.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, Australia's largest research body, the CSIRO, have just completed a three year study on two different diets to improve the blood glucose of people with Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM).  One diet was the traditional recommendation of high unrefined carbs with low-fat and the other diet was low-carbs with high protein and monounsaturated fats.  As you probably know, a symptom of PCOS is insulin resistance which can affect stable blood glucose control and increase the amount of insulin released by your pancreas.  One of insulin's roles is to store glucose as body fat.  The study conducted by the CSIRO found the participants on the low-carb diet had better blood glucose control, with less spikes and lows.  There was also an average medication reduction of 40% with the group who ate the low-carb diet. Women with PCOS are commonly taking the same type 2 diabetes medication to help with insulin resistance so this study is very relative to PCOS sufferers.   

The low-carb versus low-fat diet is a hot debate right now.  An eight year study of nearly 50,000 women showed there was absolutely no benefit to eating a low-fat diet. Did you understand what I just said?  This study showed NO BENEFIT to eating a low-fat diet.  That doesn't mean go straight to your nearest convenience store and chow down on a packet of chips and an ice-cream or two.  What this means is you do not need to be afraid of full-cream dairy or healthy fats from avocados.  Processed foods are still high in sugar, salt, refined carbohydrates and trans fats, so we really want to avoid these "foods".

So, it seems recent evidence does point to dietary lifestyles such as low-carbohydrate diets or the Mediterranean Diet can provide better health outcomes than low-fat diets can provide. The best option for you is the one that suits your lifestyle so that  you can adopt your new dietary habits for life.  Ultimately, whether you choose the Mediterranean diet or a low-carb diet, or somewhere in between, the secret to achieving your health goals really boils down to commitment.  It isn't always easy staying on track but I hope this information helps you reach your goals.

Cheers for now

Annie 

Monday 6 June 2016

Raspberry protein pudding cups Recipe


These yummy cups of creamy goodness are my go-to dessert after dinner when I need something sweet.  I typically only sit after dinner, either at my desk or in front of the TV, so I don’t want to eat anything too heavy.  Each serve of this pudding yields 117 calories of energy, 24g of protein, 3.8g carbohydrate, 0.2g fat and 109mg calcium.  The protein keeps me feeling full and the low sugar and carbohydrate count ensures I don’t have an insulin spike (sliced almonds not included in nutrition information). 

Ingredients
1 sachet low-cal raspberry-flavoured jelly crystals
½ cup boiling water
¾ cup plain 2% fat Greek yoghurt (I chose Chobani brand)
30g plain or vanilla carb-free protein powder

Method

Empty sachet of jelly crystals into a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Add boiling water and stir until the gelatine dissolves.  Add the yoghurt and protein powder, and stir until smooth.  Pour into two serving dishes and refrigerate for several hours until set.  Enjoy!! 

Saturday 4 June 2016

PCOS, insulin resistance and infertility




Thyroid, Endocrine, Diabetes, Gland
Poly-cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) has such a wide range and degree of symptoms that it is still under-diagnosed, but it is estimated between 4-12% of the female population has this endocrine disorder.  The Centers for Disease Control state PCOS to be the number one cause of infertility in pre-menopausal women.  Insulin is the hormone that is released by the pancreas when our brain senses we have an excess of glucose in our blood.  Some studies suggest insulin can affect ovarian and androgen hormones, and, as many women with PCOS have insulin resistance, similar to people with Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM), this can lead to an excess of insulin as the body tries to push the glucose into those resisting cells.  Therefore, if women with PCOS can reduce the amount of insulin released into their bloodstream, they may be able to improve their ovarian and androgen hormone levels, therefore improving fertility.  Of course, just like women without PCOS, there can be other causes for infertility so please see your GP for blood tests to confirm your blood sugar levels or other possible causes of infertility. 

Let me first better explain the role of insulin and then I’ll talk about suggesting a few changes to your diet that could really benefit you (and your pancreas and liver too).
 So, when we eat, foods made from proteins and fats start to get broken down when they reach our small intestine, however, carbohydrate foods, such as fruit, bread, rice and pasta, start to get broken down into glucose in our mouths and stomachs.  This is why carbohydrate-rich foods are often called ‘energy foods’ because they so quickly get broken down into glucose and get sent to our bloodstream to use to make the body’s fuel.  Once the glucose enters the bloodstream the brain senses the blood is now thick and sticky (imagine mixing honey with blood) and wants to get this glucose out of the blood so our bodies can use this energy and also reduce the amount of extra work our hearts have to do to push the thicker blood around our bodies (think increased blood pressure).  So, the brain calls out to the pancreas for help, which releases insulin.  Insulin’s job is to go knocking on all the doors of all the cells and ask them if they have room to take some of the glucose, but for people with insulin resistance, insulin has lost the ability to be heard by the cells so their knocking may go unanswered.  By this stage, the brain is freaking out so gets the pancreas to release even more insulin (the poor brain doesn’t realise there’s enough insulin already).  The insulin starts to panic too, so it takes the glucose back to the liver and asks the liver for help.  At this point, the liver decides to be the hero of the day and takes the glucose off insulin’s hands to either store as glucose or fat in the liver, or as fat stores around the body. 

Insulin’s other job is to promote fat storage so when the brain freaked out and asked for more insulin, your body actually became more effective at storing the excess glucose as fat, and less effective at using that glucose to make fuel.  So you are not only getting fatter, you’re also becoming more and more tired from not getting access to the glucose for fuel.  Plus, your poor, old pancreas is working overtime too.

Vegetables, Fruit, Eat, Fruits, VitaminsSo, what can be done to reduce the excess release of insulin after you eat?  Well, as I mentioned earlier, carbohydrates can be very quickly broken down into glucose, compared with fats and proteins, however, not all carbohydrates are equal and not all meals are equal.  Let me explain….  Like a person who has T2DM, the problem isn’t with eating carbohydrate-rich foods but more to do with the type of carbohydrate foods you consume.  Some carbohydrate foods still look pretty much how they did when we pulled them out of the ground, or off the tree.  These foods are often called complex carbohydrates and they take longer for the body to break down into simple glucose.  That’s because they have gone through no processing, or hardly any processing, before we eat them.  These kinds of complex carbohydrate foods are fruits and vegetables, and whole grains, and they’re full of fibre that our bodies can’t digest quickly.  On the other hand, in modern society, we are inundated by simple carbohydrate foods.  These are heavily processed foods and don’t really look anything like they did in their natural state.  For example doughnuts are made from wheat but can you see the little wheat grains?  No you can’t.  Nor can you see apples in apple juice, or cocoa beans in a chocolate bar or the potatoes in crisps.  You see, all that processing means our bodies don’t have to work very hard at all to extract all that glucose energy.  Because it’s so easy, it happens really quickly and our blood sugar levels rise really quickly too.  This makes your pancreas release a lot of insulin at once so that your blood sugar levels can be restored to a safer level.  This rush of insulin also makes you hungry faster because the glucose has been quickly removed from your blood.

So, instead of eating simple carbohydrates, we should be eating carbohydrate-rich foods that look like they did while they were still growing.  Great sources, as mentioned earlier, include fruit, vegetables, legumes such as lentils and beans, and whole grains such as quinoa and cracked wheat.

Another way of slowing the digestion of your meal down, and reducing the amount of insulin your pancreas releases, is by including some good quality proteins and healthy fats with every meal.  Again, these shouldn’t go through too much processing before you buy them.  Good sources of quality protein include lean cuts of meat, fish or poultry, and eggs.  Healthy fats and oils include olive oil, nuts and avocado. 


Convenience food is of course, very convenient, but if your goal is to improve your health, whether that goal is to lose weight, or improve your PCOS symptoms, or improve your fertility, then eating convenience food isn’t convenient.  It’s a weight, holding you back from success.  It’s a waste of your time because you aren’t achieving your goals as quickly as you could, and it’s a thief, robbing you of the chance to improve your health.  I find if I spend an hour each week planning my meals (I always cook double and eat leftovers for lunch the next day), then grocery shopping just once each week, then I know I have the right ingredients in my home to help me eat more healthily.  It’s really important to me so I make meal planning a priority.  I plan my breakfasts, dinners (and leftover lunches) as well as my snacks.  I look at my diary to see if I will need to take portable snacks with me if I’m going to be away from home or my desk.  I plan for the unexpected by always having a snack bag of nuts or a protein bar with me at all times. 
Try planning your weekly meals ahead of time for the next four weeks and see how you go.  Write down the goal you would like to achieve by the end of that four weeks.  If you already have insulin resistance, you might want to improve your blood glucose levels.  If you would like to lose weight, you might set yourself a goal of losing 2kgs in four weeks or losing 3cm off your waist.  I would love to know how you go, so leave me a message if you decide to take the challenge…. Good luck!!

Annie