TOPIC: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

what kind of exercise (type, amount) would be effective for PCOS?  right now I do a 1-hour barbell class 2-3xweek (it's more weights than cardio, but my heart rate does get raised some). 

I'm so overwhelmed by tests, appointments, procedures, work, phone calls, finances (this isn't cheap) etc. that it's really hard for me to shop/cook/prepare perfectly low-GI meals 100% of the time.  I'm going to do the best I can....

I'm not dairy-free, but I do drink organic skim milk.  I do enjoy yogurt and various cheeses as well.

Skim milk and cottage cheese contains a significant amount of the milk sugar lactose which breaks down into simple sugars galactose and glucose. It's the galactose that has been identified as a catalyst in premature ovarian failure. I have a few research articles regarding galactose- see this link.  

Yogurt and cheese don't contain as much lactose since they're fermented by bacteria, but may still contain varing amouts. The more aged the cheese the lower the lactose.

 Most regular fruit & yogurts contain as much sugar as soda as well. Read the label and be shocked. Drop the flavored yogurts and use plain instead, then you can add your own fresh fruit and stevia as a sweetener. There are also non-dairy yogurts too you can look into. I do like the new coconut yougurts but they're expensive and still contain a lot of added sugar. White Wave is working on bringing an almond milk yogurt to the market.

I do like the new RebA products, Truvia, Pruvia or even just regular stevia. Regular stevia can have a bitter after taste though. The RebA products have had that bitter taste removed and taste better. 

You could switch to lactose-free cow's milk or replace with non-dairy milks like almond, rice, hemp or coconut milk/beverage. I would especially eliminate lactose if you still have gas.

If you are still having lingering PMS/PMDD symptoms (the blues) I would look at the possibility of a casein sensitivity. Easily checked through Enterolab.com They offer the dairy sensitivity test for $99 plus shipping.

Regarding exercise, I would bump up the kettle bells daily for 20-30min and add circuit training (weights) especially working the legs 3x a week if you belong to a gym. If you belong to a gym most offer a quick start weight machine intro. It's not necessarily cardio that will keep diabetes at bay but working/building muscle. Cardio is aerobic and meant to increase heart and lung capacity which does help but not as well as weights. 

Don't want to drop the grains...yes it's hardly something I would recommend but you may want to be a little more careful with highly processed GF goodies and stick with certified whole grain GF products/cereals. Check out GIG www.gluten.net  and CSA Celiac spru association for their certifying programs. The verify for <5-20ppm.

I don't do cottage cheese (anymore).  Would a 1-2% milk be better?  I always figured on milk for some of my protein.  And while I like almond milk, there's no protein in that.   I have been trying to limit my cheese also; but I love aged parmesan on a caesar salad, or feta on salad too.

My PMS symptoms are great - really almost nonexistent! 

As for grains, I am trying to be more intentional in my grain choices, focusing on lower-GI choices.  I can find the flours easily, but not the good recipes to go with them

I'm SO glad you said that about the exercise.  I"ve always concentrated on strength training, and my body does respond well to it.  My BodyPump class is all strength training, and I go 2-3xweek.  I will work harder to get in the 3rd time/week. 

 

All cow's milk contains lactose regardless of the fat content. Almond milk does contain 1g of protein per 8 oz and hemp milk actually contains 5g of protein per 8 oz serving. They're both fortified with B12, calcium and vitamin D and have other benefits like a better fatty acid profile. I would recommend that you switch to lactose-free cows milk if you're going to continue the dairy. 

 If you eat at least 4-5 oz of chicken =26-36g of pro, 5oz white fish= 33g of pro, pork loin =30-38g, lt. turkey =34-42g pro, salmon contains 31-38g pro or other fish you'll get all the high value protein you need in a day.

There is also protein in other foods like beans, lentils, peanuts, walnuts, almonds and GF grains like corn, rice, & more. 1/2 cup quinoa contains 10g of protein. Even an egg has 7-8g of protein depending on size. Eat 2 for breakfast and  you're up 14-16grams. FYI You only need 50-60g a day and most of us get way more than we need with a balance diet. 

If there's a family history of ovarian failure or ovarian cancer, I'd definitely rethink the dairy.

 

There's no family history of anykind of ovarian issues, no fertility issues. 

I do focus on multiple sources of protein.  Sadly, fish literally makes me gag (except canned tuna which I can do occasionally).  And I struggle with beans, I have to stay with the little ones.  I still need to do more with quinoa, why do I resist it?....

The thing though about milk, seems i have heard it before about the sugars.  I do kind of like almondmilk (and actually you can usually find good prices on it).  A friend of mine actually makes hemp milk ice cream.  So I'll look into all those.

I've been thinking too....I was fed skim milk from the age of 6 WEEKS forward.  and as a kid I lived on milk and cottage cheese.  :shock: .  I've always been a 'dairy' kid, and so it has me thinking about my ovarian issues.  But also....what about Sarah?  She's currently on organic skim milk too.  And the kid loves cheese sticks.  Should I change over her milk too?  sometimes she just doesn't eat much protein though.  I even add carnation instant breakfast to her milk if she wants 'chocolate milk' just to boost it. 

As long as Sarah doesn't have severe constipation or gas pain she's probably okay with dairy. If she complains of stomach aches or has hard pebbly stools she may be having problems digesting it. Children are blessed with being able to digest lactose up to a point. As they get older they may lose the ability to break it down and as adults most of us don't produce enough lactase to digest it properly or at all. It's my opinion that adults should avoid lactose all together and opt for highly fermented yogurts and hard/aged cheese instead.

I always hesitate in suggesting a dairy-free diet for a child unless they're reacting to casein as an allergy or as a sensitivity. I have no problem suggesting a 100% dairy-free diet to women with fertility problems, gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance and/or PMS/PMDD. It's really sad that dairy is so strongly marketed as a "Health food" when it does more harm then good in adults.

Hemp-milk ice cream? Sounds great, but again a lot of added sugar may not be so helpful in your situation.  

 

Just picked up some almond milk at the store for me.  I got the Original, and it's OK.  I would probably like the Vanilla better, even though it has a little more carbs.  Baby steps for me. 

What I was wondering about Sarah....I don't want to ruin her ovaries in childhood by giving her all the skim milk and cheeses.  I was wondering if I need to switch her over to preserve her ovaries.  ?  I have been givingher organic skim milk, does it need to be organic even? 

Laura, I would test her first for a dairy sensitivity if she's complaining before you remove all dairy from her diet...is she complaining? If she is then you could pull the dairy from her diet for a few days and see if things improve. I do like www.enterolab.com for dairy sensitivity testing. They may have an age limit. How old is she now? 

Back for an update....we got pregnant on our first month of fertility treatments, but it was a chemical pregnancy.  All my tests have come back normal, except for the couple of tests that are leading her to a diagnosis of mild PCOS.  Even my testosterone and glucose tolerance test were normal.  So they can't really say I"m insulin resistant or anything, but in their experience Metformin is still a good option clinically.  Same for baby aspirin - there's no clotting disorders present, but they highly recommend I take it. 

So to recap, I am NOT having any food intolerances, dairy issues, tummy troubles, or even PMS symptoms.  Based on what we have talked about, though, I have eliminated milk from my diet.  It was hard, but I did it.  Also no more cottage cheese, and I've cut down other cheese consumption (sliced, shredded, etc).  I also switched my yogurt to plain Greek yogurt (that is an acquired taste!). 

Also trying to limit carbs in general, and stick to better GF flours. 

Hi Laura,

Thanks for the update. I'm sorry to hear about your chemical pregnancy, that doesn't sound like fun darn-it to $%^#.

Sometimes I think going dairy-free is harder than GF. There are many options for wheat, rye and barley but not many for cheese. Greek yogurt is still dairy you know, unless it's made from coconut milk.

Limiting processed carbs is better than limiting natural whole carbs in fruits, vegetables and GF grains, legumes. If you're counting carbs try not to go below 150g/day. I know many low carbers like to stay at no more than 50g/day but that's really not healthy and hard on the kidneys.

Thanks again for the update!! I love hearing things are going well for you physically.