By Randi Cestaro, CHHC
www.happyhealing.net

Once you are diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), you begin to realize that it’s a struggle to loose weight; despite the fact that you are exercising and trying to eat right. More then 6 out of every PCOS women is overweight; due to fact that they don’t know the secret to weight loss. Read on to learn the secret.

Consider this example: Amy, my client contacted me after months of trying to loose weight on her own by exercising daily and eating right; or so she thought she was eating right for PCOS. After having a Personal Diet Evaluation with Amy, I was able to zone in on why she was not losing any weight despite all her efforts. After reviewing her diet I was able to see why she was not having any success with weight loss.
Amy was basically following a calorie-restricted diet, which left her feeling hungry and cranky most of the time.

For women with PCOS, counting calories has nothing to do with weight loss; as a matter of fact it can increase your PCOS symptoms. Why, because Amy was not working on main cause of PCOS, hormone and blood sugar stabilization. After Amy completed my PCOS program, she successfully lost weight, and started having regular pain free periods again.

Remember, there are risk associated with being overweight and having PCOS, some of them are:

• higher risk for developing type 11 diabetes
• high cholesterol
• high blood pressure
• sleep apnea

For these reason alone, it’s very important to get your weigh under control with PCOS.
Please continue to read to find out the secret for achieving weight loss with PCOS for good.

Shedding some of the weight can not only help you to feel better about yourself, but also help to alleviate some of your PCOS symptoms. By just shedding 10% of your body weight its possible to begin to have regular periods again.

Often times you can avoid medication by modifying your diet and lifestyle. In addition to seeing a doctor.

If you are someone who suffers from PCOS and is trying to loose weight, try following these simple steps to stabilize your hormone levels and your blood sugar levels:

1. Eat more Protein.
Focusing on protein as the main part of your meal allows for better blood sugar control; along with feeling more satisfied from your meal.
Try starting your meal with eggs, fish, chicken, meat, tofu, etc…and then focusing on the healthy fats, fiber and complex carbohydrate.

2. Add more Fiber to your meals.
Fiber breaks food down more slowly so that sugar (glucose) can enter the blood stream at a slower pace. It is not necessary to measure the amount of fiber in your diet; your body will tell you when you are getting enough. How? You’ll know when you begin to feel fuller for longer periods of time.

Slowly add fiber to your diet with such foods as vegetables, nuts, whole grain breads and cereals, beans and oats. Begin with:

• Wheat germ or ground flax seeds
• Fruits and vegetables
• Dark leafy greens

3. Eat balanced meals.
Balanced foods are rich in nutrients and easy to digest. They promote effortless digestion and create long, gentle rise and falls in blood sugar and insulin. Balanced foods also encourage optimal circulation of oxygen and nutrients to the cells. They are low in fat and cholesterol, and help you maintain your optimum weight.

Some of the most balanced foods include:

• Plant foods rich in complex carbohydrates that produce long-lasting energy without creating elevated blood sugars. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and photochemical that help fight against cancer and are an immune booster. They are also rich in fiber.
• Green and leafy vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, collard greens, kale and mustard greens.
• Sweet vegetables such as parsnips, squash, carrots, onions, sweet potatoes and yams create elevations in blood sugar without causing extreme highs.
• Protein foods (the substance that builds tissues for growth and repair) like red meat, chicken, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, grains and soy.

4. Add more healthy fats to your meals.
Healthy fats play a very important part of your meal, because they help to keep the glycemic load of the food at a lower level. Resulting in better blood sugar control during and after your meal. For example, if you take a high glycemic food such a banana and add a healthy fat to it, like peanut butter then you lowered the glycemic load of the food.

So try to make sure each of your meals contain some form of a healthy fat; such as avocado, oils, nuts and seeds, etc…

5. Only a ¼ cup of a complex carbohydrate to your meals.
By adding only ¼ cup of a complex carbohydrate to your meals ensures that your meals are not to carbohydrate heavy. Try adding ¼ cup cooked quinoa, brown rice, sweet potato, etc… to your meals and notice how much better you feel.

Make a solid effort to incorporate the following suggestions into your meals:

1. Focus on protein as your main part of the meal
2. Add more fiber to your meals
3. Eat balanced meals
4. Add more healthy fats to your meals

All of these suggestions will help you plan your meals better thus resulting in better blood blood sugar control for your PCOS. If you would like to learn “How to Start Eating Healthy for PCOS” immediately, then I recommend you download my MP3 to get you started today.

Click here to learn more about “How to Start Eating Healthy for PCOS”:

If you would like to get your PCOS in remission for good, contact me to schedule your Personal Diet Evaluation at www.happyhealing.net

“I suffered from IBS and PCOS for years and although I thought I was a healthy eater, I was constantly bloated, gassy, had irregular periods and couldn’t lose any weight. Randi helped me tweak my eating habits and my stomach issues went away, lost weight and started having regular periods. I now have so much more energy, zest for life and knowledge about what foods are right for me. With Randi’s support I was able to understand my body better. I couldn’t have done this without her!”
-Lymore, Israel

I have long known (though I’ve yet to give up trying) that it is almost impossible to motivate smokers to quit for good by regaling them with the health hazards of tobacco. And now I’ve been told by readers of last week’s column, “Even More Reasons to Get a Move On,” that repeated sermons on the health benefits of physical activity may get some folks started but are unlikely to keep them at it.

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

And it’s true that for many people, future health benefits may just be too abstract and speculative to overcome inertia and take up walking, running, swimming, cycling or working out in the gym. So here is a little secret. What really keeps us devoted exercisers going, even in the face of myriad obstacles, is much more tangible…Continue

Published: February 8, 2010
To the Editor:

“Vitamin D, Miracle Drug: Is It Science, or Just Talk?” (Well, Feb. 2) addresses the recurring failure of clinical studies to validate observational data on supplementation of individual nutrients.

Dr. Eric A. Klein is correct that supplementing normal levels of specific nutrients is not only unnecessary, but may also be risky. However, we know that C.D.C. data show vitamin D deficiency in more than 50 percent of Caucasians, three-quarters of Latinos and nearly all African-Americans…continue

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will begin a drive this week to expel Pepsi, French fries and Snickers bars from the nation’s schools in hopes of reducing the number of children who get fat during their school years.

Casey Templeton for The New York Times
Betty Almond, center, uses proceeds from her candy sales at Orange County High School in Orange, Va., to help sports teams.

In legislation, soon to be introduced, candy and sugary beverages would be banned and many schools would be required to offer more nutritious fare.

To that end, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will deliver a speech Monday at the National Press Club in which he will insist, according to excerpts provided to The Times, that any vending machines that remain in schools be “filled with nutritious offerings to make the healthy choice the easy choice for our nation’s children.”

The first lady, Michelle Obama, said last month that she would lead an initiative to reduce childhood obesity, and her involvement “shows the importance all of us place on this issue,” Mr. Vilsack said.

The administration’s willingness to put Mrs. Obama’s popularity on the line is a calculated bet that concerns about childhood obesity have become so universal that the once-partisan fight over who should control school food offerings — the federal government or school boards — has subsided.

But Republican support is far from certain…continue

Local food sourcing may be desirable, but as a practical matter it is hard for it to feed the whole country in a nation that enjoys diversity of food. By DAMON DARLIN
Published: February 13, 2010
INDUSTRIAL food production is not very fashionable right now.
Joshua Lott for The New York Times

Pavle Milic decided to serve only Arizona wines at FnB, his Scottsdale restaurant. He says that in blind teste tests, people think that the wines come from famous wine regions.

Three books by Michael Pollan criticizing the system of giant corporate farms and food factories have topped the best-seller lists. A graphic documentary, “Food, Inc.,” based in part on his books, has been nominated for an Academy Award.

In Washington, Michelle Obama grew vegetables on the White House lawn as an example of self-sufficiency. And across America, more farmers’ markets and restaurants have popped up that sell vegetables and meat produced on small farms.

Diners now scan the menus at their local restaurants for provenances like “Cattail Creek Ranch lamb” or “Hudson Valley rabbit.” And home cooks now await boxes of fresh produce delivered weekly from local growers.

Some of these so-called locavores may think they are part of a national movement that will replace corporate food factories with small family farms. But as much of the East Coast lies blanketed beneath a foot or more of snow, it’s as good a time as any to raise a few questions about the trend’s viability…continue

The Turtle Shell Health Seasonal Menu is made exclusively for TSH members.

We have placed lots of time and effort in choosing local and seasonal produce for fresher and more tasteful dishes. Our recipes are easy to follow, fast and simple to make. We have done the homework of researching the healthiest food choices so you don’t have to worry about what to cook or eat everyday.

Most of these dishes are great for children too, so busy mothers and fathers can whip up healthy and delicious meals for the entire family.

By simply following our menu at least 80% of the time, even during the holidays, you are guaranteed to keep off the excessive weight, plus look and feel terrific!

Start enjoying fast food done right! We have tasty, mouth watering recipes that use salmon, pomegranate, lamb chops, shrimp, tuna, wild rice, yogurt and much more!

Goodness in…goodness out!

Menu and recipes provided for TSH members by Laurence Martinaud.

Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:

• 2 pounds yellow heirloom tomatoes, cored and quartered
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 medium yellow squash, halved lengthwise and thickly sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, cut into large chunks
• 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup carrot juice
• 3 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
• Coarse salt to taste
• 1 avocado
• 1 small red heirloom tomato

Directions:

1. In a food processor or blender, working in batches, combine yellow tomatoes, onion, squash, bell pepper, garlic, carrot juice, vinegar, and oil.
2. Pulse until finely pureed. Season with salt.
3. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
4. At serving time, halve, pit, and dice the avocado. Core and dice the red tomato. Serve soup in chilled bowls topped with avocado and tomato.

How much do we really know about the food we buy at our local supermarkets and serve to our families?

In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that’s been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won’t go bad, but we also have new strains of e coli–the harmful bacteria that causes illness for an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults.

Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore’s Dilemma) along with forward thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield Farm’s Gary Hirshberg and Polyface Farms’ Joel Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising — and often shocking truths — about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.

Official Website

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa (washed and drained)
• 2 cups salted water
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon curry powder
• 2 tablespoons currants
• Dash of salt & pepper

Directions

1. Cook quinoa in salted water until evaporated (approx. 20 minutes).
2. Let cool until lukewarm.
3. In a salad bowl, whisk together vinegar, curry powder, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
4. Add quinoa and currants. Mix well and serve at room temperature.

Presented by Laurence Martinaud