Monday, July 21, 2014

Coconut Benefits and Raw Coconut Yogurt Recipe!

Coconut Yogurt and the Benefits to Consuming Coconut!
Raw Vegan Vanilla Blueberry Coconut Yogurt Parfait


Coconut Vanilla Yogurt
  • 2 cups coconut meat
  • 1 tbsp. coconut kefir
  • 1 tsp. dairy free probiotics *I used Garden of Life
  • 1 tsp. vanilla bean
  • 1/2 cup raw coconut water
Instructions:
 Blend coconut meat, and all other ingredients in your Vitamix or blender until creamy and smoothie with no chunks left over. Pour into a glass jar, and cover with a mesh fabric like cheesecloth and elastic or a nylon. Leave out in room temperature for 12 hours and then pop your jar in the fridge again for 1 day. Once you’ve gone through this process your yogurt should have a sour, tangy smell and taste and be ready to eat. You can add in your crumble and fresh fruits, or just eat it plain!
Top with any fruits, nuts or granola you like :)

9 Healing Benefits of Coconut


1. Coconut has been traditionally used in folk medicine for common ailments such as abscesses, burns, colds, constipation, cough, fever, flu, ulcers and upset stomach, even menstrual cramps (note to self – eat more coconut flesh).
2. Coconut is used in modern medicine to help kill the fungi and yeasts that cause candida overgrowth, thrush and diaper rash. (Diaper rash is also due to using toxic diapers, go natural mommas!)
3. Coconut reduces inflammation, helps reduce any irritation that may be caused by hemorrhoids and improves bowel function.
4. Coconut is an anti-oxidant which helps protect the body from free radicals and promotes a youthful appearance and healthy skin.
5. For those of you who need thyroid support, Coconut is used to support thyroid function so while you’re laying off the cruciferous veggies, have some yogurt!
6. Coconut can help your body absorb calcium and magnesium as well as other vitamins, minerals and amino acids. AKA – better absorption, healthier body and strong teeth and bones.
7. Coconut is even know to help prevent tooth decay which can be a concern to raw vegans if they’re not converting Vitamin K1 to K2 effectively. Eating more coconut is helpful to anyone who wants to maintain healthy teeth.
8. Coconut can help you lose weight by speeding up the metabolism function of the body.
9. Coconut promotes healthy looking hair and skin, by providing the body nourishment of essential fats, vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

Homemade teeth whitening with ingredients you already have in your home!

Homemade teeth whitening:
whiten-your-teeth-naturally-with-this-homemade-whitening-toothpaste-recipe
Ingredients:
  •  1 tsp baking soda 
  • 1 lemon or lime 
  • 1 toothbrush



Preparation:

Add the baking soda in a bowl and squeeze the lemon or lime juice directly over it. Give it a good stir until you get a smooth mixture. Wait for a while until the mixture stops forming bubbles. Apply the paste on a toothbrush and thoroughly brush your teeth. Rinse with lukewarm water.


Sunday, July 20, 2014

Helpful Things for Women with PCOS!

Fertility Smoothie
This is a Smoothie Recipe I found and I think I might try. For Women with PCOS, any fertility help remedy is great to try when TTC.

Essential Oils for assistance with Ovarian Cysts
I don't have cysts, But I do know women with PCOS are effected by this and I found this hollistic remedy with essential oils you could try if you do have this problem.

Metformin.  What you need to know.
This is a Great thing to know, I'm prescribed this right now and this picture shows exactly how it works :)

Top Fertility Boosting Foods vs. Top Anti-Fertility Foods Listing.
Great guideline to add to your diet with PCOS and ones to avoid....Whether trying to get pregnant or not this is a good diet guide.

PCOS and the pill - infographic
Scary thing about Birth Control and How it could negetively impact PCOS and your health in the long run.
PCOS
Last TIP: Get in your OMEGA 3's and Eliminate Conventional Dairy!
Omega 3 acids 1. Reduce the testosterone levels and reduce symptoms such as acne, hair fall, facial hair etc. 2. Manage insulin resistance can aid in weight loss. 3. Help control blood pressure and improve lipid profile. 4. Reduces inflammation which may be present in PCOS cases 5. Omega 3 fatty acids may reduce mood swings and depression in PCOS. 6. They also fight stress. 7. It may reduce all symptoms and increase the fertility rate.

Why Dairy Should be Avoided with PCOS:

IGF-1 or Insulin Growth Factor 1

Insulin growth factor-1 is a naturally occurring hormone that has a similar molecular structure to that of Insulin. It also mimics the role of insulin and has insulin-like activity. 
IGF-1 is also found in cow’s milk and has the exact same structure as that of human IGF-1. Research has shown that IGF-1 levels increase by 10% in adolescent girls from just one pint of milk a day.
Add a 10% increase in IGF-1 levels from the dairy we consume and it’s easy to see that our already responsive ovaries are going to go into overdrive.So, what does that have to do with PCOS? Well, women with PCOS have been shown to have higher than normal levels of IGF-1 already and our ovaries appear to be over sensitive to IGF-1.  This means that they respond to small amounts of IGF-1.

Hormones

Cows that are lactating and producing milk produce a hormone called Bovine somatotropin which is important for regulating it’s metabolic processes. It has now been synthesized to create recombinant Bovine Somatotropin or rBST. This rBST increases milk production in lactating cows by preventing mammary cell death .
It also produces an increase in IGF-1, something we already know to be harmful in women with PCOS.
It is currently legal to treat cows with rBST in many western countries but it has been banned in the European union.
Here are some of the hormones commonly found in milk :
  • Estradiol
  • Estriol
  • Testosterone
  • Progesterone
  • Corticosterone
  • Oxytocin
  • Prolactin
  • Antibiotics

    Many cows that produce milk are treated with a range of antibiotics to combat illnesses such as mastitis. Although these chemicals are said to be at such a low rate as to have no effect on the human body, the fact remains that milk and milk products have chemicals and antibiotics that we ingest. Women with PCOS have such a fragile balance, adding anything, even at small quantities may just upset the balance.
  • Broccoli for Calcium
    There are many other sources of calcium besides dairy, both in plant and animal products. Here are a few : curly kale, okra, horseradish, watercress, red kidney beans, petit pois, broccoli, cabbage, celery and parsnips.
    You will also probably see a big improvement in your PCOS acne if you ditch the dairy from your PCOS diet and lose weight which in turn will reduce your bloodtest numbers and your symptoms of PCOS.
  • Dairy alternatives

    There are some alternatives to milk such as coconut, almond, hazelnut or rice milk. They aren’t great in a latte but are perfect in smoothies and recipes.




Endocrinologist Bloodtest Results, My Recent Diagnosis And My Treatment!

Bloodtest Results: Diagnosis PCOS
* Doctor used to come up with diagnosis

Cortisol Urinary Free
Undefined: 18
24hr:  24

Prolactin
12.3
Normal Levels: 4.8-23.3

FSH*
5.5

T3
116
Normal Levels: 71-180

T4 Free
1.35
Normal Levels: .82-1.77

Estradoil
38.4

LH*
9.3

Testosterone*
68
Normal Levels: 8-48

TSH
2.900
Normal Levels: 0.450-4.500

Thyroid Antibodies

Thyroglobulin, antibody- <1.0
Normal Levels: 0.0-0.9

Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies- <6
Normal Levels: 0-34

Metanephrines Fractionated Plasma

metanephrine PI -21
Normal Levels: 0-62

Normetanephrine PI-34
Normal Levels: 0-145

Aldosterone Renin Activity Ratio
8.6
Normal Levels: 0.0-30.0

Renin Activity Plasma- .81
Aldos/Renin Ratio: 10.6
Normal Levels: 0.0-30.0

Progesterone
1.2

Sex Hormone Binding Globulin Serum*
16.6
Normal Levels: 24.6-122.0
Mine Was LOW

DHEA Sulfate*
508.4
Normal Levels: 110-431.7
Mine Was HIGH

DHEA Serum
589
Normal Levels: 31-701

Insulin Like Growth Factor 1
132
Normal Levels: 93-342

#PCOS

So According to my Endocrinlogist by looking at this bloodtest of my endocrine system, he says it looks as though i do have PCOS after all. By looking at my FSH and LH, he said usually they give a PCOS diagnosis when LH is double the FSH level, mine wasn't quite double, but it was really close, plus my DHEA sulfate was HIGH which makes your SHBG Low and then makes your Testosterone go up, When the Testosterone is Higher then it should it throws ovulation, menstruation and other bodily functions out of whack. He says my PCOS isn't that bad though and if i lose weight my numbers will more then likely go down. I don't have bad glucose numbers, but being that i am trying to conceive and the normal treatment for PCOS is birth control pills, instead of giving me that he gave me a prescription for Metformin 1000mg a day, 500 mg in the morning and 500mg at night. He said he doesn't need to see me again for another 6 months. Which I was kinda confused about...because he just gave me medication shouldn't i get the same bloodtest done in a month or so and see if it's helping my numbers go down???? But with the weight loss thing, I'm not too worried about that because I'm already on a low carb diet as it is and now with the added need to lose weight i'm going to add an extra day on my workout routine, I think the weight will start just coming off now with all these changes. I'm going to be even stricter with the carb intake and make sure i always get 3 days of exercise per week and limit my calories on top of that and with all those together along with the metformin helping my digestion of carbs I think it should be pretty easy. I will bring you along this weightloss journey with me and let you know how it goes. I already lost 15 Lbs within the past year on my own and now i'll update you bi-weekly on any weight changes :) Wish Me Luck! Hoping for a little baby this year!