Period Party!

Image by Laura C George via pinterest

A few months ago, it was suggested that I undergo a procedure known as a “HyCoSy” to check for any structural problems with my lady garden, given I had not had a period in two years (which you can read more about HERE and HERE). They say that you may experience “mild discomfort” during the procedure and that you should consider taking pain-killers prior. Having had this done, sans pain-killers, all I can say is, don’t be a hero – take the drugs – the “discomfort” is more than “mild”. I’m not going to go into the gory details, but you can read more about HERE if you want. It was traumatic, to say the least. 

So anyway, post-procedure, I was lying on the bed/chair thingy, half-naked and wanting to throw up and/or pass out, and the doctor informed me that:

“You have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). You aren’t going to get your period back and you probably won’t conceive naturally, so we’ll start you on injections and then you’ll probably need IVF”.

Here's a picture taken from that moment: 

Image via http://blogs.voanews.com

 Talk about bedside manner. What a douche!

As you can imagine, this wasn’t the easiest thing to hear. I got home and I lost my shit. Big time.

After a few days of feeling sorry for myself I thought I should take a look at the images of my baby-maker. What I discovered was that I did not have PCOS, but normal, healthy ovaries in the follicular phase, which was confirmed by my GP and naturopath. Woo hoo!

In other news, while I was in Broome, I got my period back! So it turns out that this trusted gynaecologist, in one of Sydney’s best ultrasound clinics, was wrong. And did I mention he was a douche?

It just goes to show that, when it comes to your body and your health, QUESTION EVERYTHING and don’t accept anything as gospel.

OK let’s back up – I got my period back – in outback Western Australia! I’m pretty sure my dietetics supervisor thought I was crazy when I exclaimed 

“You don’t understand how EXCITING this is!!!” 

And it was! I can’t explain the feeling, but it was like I felt like a woman again. I know all of you ladies out there with a regular period are scoffing at me right now, and all of you guys have either stopped reading or are thinking I’m a weirdo. By the way, kudos to you, boys, if you are still here!

It all suddenly made sense why I had completely devoured a whole block of Green & Black’s chocolate the night before. And why my skin was breaking out. And why I cried watching “How I met your mother”. Seriously?!

So what triggered the return of my lady-time that had been MIA for so long? Well, I think it was probably a combination of things, but I don’t think it was any coincidence that it came back while I was in Broome AKA “most relaxing, laid-back, picturesque getaway spot in Australia” (you can check out my pics from Broome, and a yummy recipe HERE). I embraced “Broome-time”, which involved……not much. Not much at all. And that’s the point. I said enough is enough, stopped trying to do everything all at once and calmed the f#@k down.

A typical day looked like this:

6am: Rise with the sun. Walk to Cable Beach. Do 15 minutes of yoga or a quick Tabata workout. Go for a swim in the ocean (this became a little less relaxing after a 4m salt-water croc was sighted on the beach). Meditate. Walk home

7:15am: Eat breakfast. Slowly.

8:10am: Go to work

4:30pm: Come home. Walk to beach. Swim. Watch sunset. Walk home.

6:30pm: Dinner.

7:30pm:Maybe a little work for Sarah Wilson’s I Quit Sugar. Maybe nothing.

8:30pm: Bed

9pm: Sleep

I spent lots of time by myself. And I spent plenty of time with some of the most beautiful, generous people I have ever met.

I’m sure to some, this looks pretty boring, but it was clearly what I needed.

Now I’m under no disillusion that this is achievable for everyone. I’m back in Sydney now and it all seems like a distant memory and, unfortunately, so is my period – MIA again, but I’m confident it will return when the time is right.

So if, like me, you don’t live in Broome and are having some lady-problems, here are a few things I would suggest:

1. Eat. And eat regularly. Every 3-4 hours have something small to eat.  And don’t cut out carbs. Why? If we leave it for too long, our blood sugar will drop. When this happens, cortisol, our stress hormone is released to bring blood sugar back up. This happens at the expense of our sex hormones (oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone). Eat!!
2. Practice yoga. I highly recommend the “YogaStudio” app for iphone or ipad. Not only do I feel this has helped my body, but it has worked wonders for my head. As I have mentioned, I have put on ~7kg this year, all in the pursuit of fertility. I have struggled with this, having previously been quite athletic-looking. Yoga has helped me focus more on my body’s ability rather than its aesthetics. I know how this sounds – like I am one of those crazy yoga hippies. Maybe I am. Whatever.
3. Walk around bare foot. Speaking of crazy hippies. It’s called “earthing”. It feels amazing. On that note – just get out and into nature more. Climb some trees, swim in the ocean, make sand angels, whatever floats your boat. Just don’t spend all of your time inside. It’s stifling, in more ways than one.
4. Go to bed early. Stop playing with your phone/computer/ipad at least an hour before you go to bed to help your body wind down.
5. Sleep in a pitch black room to allow adequate production of melatonin, our sleep hormone
6. Enjoy social time. Drink a little red wine. Play – lots!
7. Have sex. Often, if you can. Not only does this promote blood flow to our lady-bits, but also helps reduce stress. Winning!
8. Exercise, but not too much.
9. Cut out caffeine. Sorry, but this can really mess with your hormone regulation.
10. Speak to yourself as if you were speaking to your best friend. Would you tell your best friend “you’re fat”, “you’re ugly”, “you’re not worthy”? No? Then why tell yourself that? Your body has done more for you than ANYONE else will ever do.
    
11. Get help. I can’t thank the gorgeous naturopath Kate from Kore Wellbeing enough for all of her support.

My final word of advice would be this: don’t wait. Don’t wait until you decide you want to have babies to fix your period problems. If you do, it becomes all-consuming. And as much as you try to not let it, it can start to take over your life. It saddens me that so many girls accept menstrual irregularities as normal. It’s not! The time is right NOW to fix it. Not tomorrow. Not next year. NOW!

Oh, and just a little gratuitous shot to show that an extra 7kg isn't so scary:

Weird angle - my head looks very disproportionate, but you get the picture. 

Dairy do's and don'ts

So apparently my last blog was s*#t-house. I know this because I had a conversation wih my best friend that went like this:

Her: You haven’t done a blog in a while

Me: I did one last week!

Her: On coconut? That wasn’t a blog.

Me: So it wasn’t good?

Her: How many comments did you get?

Me: (staring squinty-eyed seeing where she is heading with this one. Less than usual, for the record)

Her: I’m just saying it wasn’t your best

Harsh but fair. You see when you have been friends for 17 years, there is no bulls#*tting or beating around the bush.

Wow! I have already sworn twice. And it’s only the beginning! Hold onto your seats friends – this one is going to be a doozy! Just kidding, I promise* not to swear any more.

(*maybe)

So I proceeded to ask what I should write about.

“Are solariums beneficial?”

She has been asking me to write about this for a while now. She wants me to say yes. I’m still a little wary.

“Dairy! Talk about dairy!”

Then we had a conversation about how dairy can cause skin problems for us both. Next, we proceeded to devour a square of dark chocolate covered with a thick dollop of raw cream….And so the story begins….

DAIRY – YES? NO? MAYBE?

Image via Pixie Market, pinterest

 Well, in a nut-shell. It depends. It depends on the product, and it depends on YOU. Everyone is different. What is right for your friend, might not be right for you. What works for you now, might not work for you next year. Let’s take a few steps back.

Is dairy “paleo”?

Well, no according to most. HOWEVER some traditional tribes do rely on dairy for a large proportion of their diet, such as the Maasai from Africa. And they are some pretty healthy people. Trust me – I’ve met them. I’ve seen them jump. And man – can they jump! Check it out:

Check out that jump! Image link HERE

Is dairy healthy? 

It depends. Are you getting frustrated yet with all this indecisiveness? Keep your panties on. I’ll explain myself.

The dairy that most of us consume is pasteurized, homogenized cow’s milk from animals that may have been fed on grain (rather than grass) and kept in less than optimal cow-friendly conditions (i.e. not grazing peacefully on roaming pastures). Herein lies the basis of the vegan argument against grain. But as you know, I’m no vegan. 

Nutritionally, here are the problems with the milk we consume:

1. Homogenisation – squeezes all of the fat globules through tiny little holes to make them smaller and evenly dispersed throughout the liquid. They say this makes the milk “creamier”. I say this damages the fat molecules in the milk and makes it harder for our bodies to digest.

2. Pasteurisation – heats the milk at high temperature in order to kill off all of the bacteria. They say this makes the milk “safer to drink”. I say “you morons – you’re killing the good with the bad!”. You see, real, unprocessed milk is loaded with beneficial bacteria that can aid digestion, immune function and overall health. Pasteurisation also destroys the enzymes naturally present in the milk that help us to digest the sugars, namely lactase, which helps us digest lactose. Interestingly, many people who are “lactose intolerant” report being able to tolerate raw dairy products.

If you want to learn more about the processing of milk, you can watch this incredibly boring video, which has some awesome 80's music at the end. 

3. Grain-feeding – cows eat grass. They say “it is cheaper and provides more energy-dense calories”. I say “f#*k you”. Sorry. But this really bothers me, for a few reasons:

1.    A) Cows eat grass! They have 4 stomachs, designed specifically to digest grass. Not soy. Not corn. Grass! When fed grain, they get fatter faster. This disrupts the fatty acid profile, leading to a high proportion of inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids and a lower proportion of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. Did you know that grass-fed beef is an excellent source of omega-3, second to wild salmon? No? Well there you go. OK back on track – feeding grains to cows can lead to a disruption in their gut bacteria, promoting bad bacteria, rather than good. If your cow eats grain, you probably want to pasteurise its milk.

2.    B) Feeding cows grains requires large amounts of land to grow grains. Hello vegan argument slipping back in. Rolling pastures and forests are being cleared to make way for the growing of these grains. This means less space for grass and trees and rivers and a multitude of creatures that make up an ecosystem. One big argument against milk/meat production from cows is that they contribute to global warming by producing methane gas. What do you think trees and grass do? They sequester carbon and improve global warming! Do you see how this could all work if we just let nature do its thing?

3.    C) As these cows are not eating their normal diet, they are more likely to get sick. Sick cows often need treatment – with antibiotics, and just like in humans, antibiotics really mess with your gut health. Moral – you can’t get health from a sick animal!

I strongly encourage you to watch this short TED talk by Allan Savory, explaining how we can help heal the planet with hooved animals (e.g. cows). If the video doesn't show up below, go HERE. 

Alrighty then, now that we have established most of the down-sides (there are more) of your run-of-the-mill store-bought milk, let’s talk about when dairy can be healthy. This is why I don’t write blog posts very often – they just get too long!

Raw milk. Are you scared? First off, if you’re concerned about the health risks associated with raw milk, I suggest you check out Chris Kresser’s blog series HERE. Second, I am not telling you to drink raw cows milk, as that would be illegal. Note you should NOT drink raw cows milk.**

This is me winking at you, via this awkward shot of Robert Pattinson.
Image by Nona Adams via pinterest

Raw dairy, from well-raised, well-fed and well-treated cows can be an incredibly nutrient-dense food. That’s why the Masaai can jump so high (this may or may not be true). Here’s just a few reasons why raw milk trumps crappy-processed milk every time:

11. It is rich in beneficial bacteria, which promote healthy digestion, strong immune function and happy hormones. Health (and disease) begins in the gut. Pretty sure some dude named Hippocrates said that a few years back.

22. It contains enzymes intact. As I mentioned above – raw milk has lactase, which helps digest lactose, the predominant sugar in milk

33. It is a great source of vitamins A, D and K2, all important for bone health. I know what you’re thinking – “what about calcium?” Yes, raw dairy is a great source of calcium and is more bioavailable (easier for us to “use”) than the calcium in processed dairy

44. It is loaded with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which studies are showing may potentially play a beneficial role in many chronic diseases, as well as improving body composition. Side note: it’s more abundant in the meat than the milk

55. Colostrum. Sometimes referred to as the “magic milk”, this is also produced by humans  and is full of immunoglobulins, antibodies, prebiotics, probiotics, growth factors and sugars that help with immunity.

66. It is a great source of bioavailable protein and is loaded with healthy fats

On the subject of calcium, if you’re having your milk (raw or processed) with cereal or coffee, you probably aren’t going to absorb much of this vital mineral, as there are components in these foods (tannins, phytates, lectins etc) that inhibit absorption. Your best bet is to throw it into a smoothie, drink it straight, or make yoghurt/kefir with it.

Right, so we have covered a lot (but not as much as I would have liked to). Moral to the story – dairy can be good and bad. If you can tolerate cows milk and want to try raw milk, I strongly encourage you to know where it is coming from. Ideally, you want it straight from the source, so try and hunt down a local farmer who will let you milk his cow in the wee hours of the morning. If you don’t tolerate cows milk, try goat/sheep. I’m no good with cows milk, so I stick with raw goat milk, which is easier to obtain too. If you’re allergic to milk, perhaps stay clear, but you probably already knew that. But remember, I'm not telling you that you should drink raw milk anyway, as it is illegal.**

Oh, one last thing – full fat all the way! The fat is important to absorb the vitamins, minerals and protein. It also slows down absorption and helps improve satiety, which may aid in weight management. 

Phew. Any questions feel free to comment below! And apologies again for the persistent swearing. I’m working on it. Much love to all! x

**UPDATE: When I say raw milk is "illegal", I mean it is illegal to sell (at least in Australia, but I believe the situation is similar in the US and other countries). It is not illegal for you to drink it (i.e. it is not quite in the same department as cocaine....yet). 

Links to where I pulled some of this mumbo-jumbo from (the rest is from my own noggin): 
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0377840106002616

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10531600 

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0308814694900507

http://www.realmilk.com/health/lactose-intolerance-survey/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC242162/

http://repository.lib.ncsu.edu/ir/bitstream/1840.16/1045/1/etd.pdf

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15172479 

http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/food_and_agriculture/greener-pastures.pdf

How to use coconut flesh, and why you should

I’m not going to lie. I was less than excited when I was told I would be completing my community placement in South West Sydney. Not because I’m an Eastern suburbs snob (that’s what you were thinking, wasn’t it?), but because I don’t find the prospect of driving 2-3 hours per day all that appealing. Do you?

Anyway, all snobbery and complaints aside, my community placement is pretty freakin’ amazing.

We are working on the Macarthur Future Food Forum, which is concerned with ensuring a healthy food supply and fair access to food for everyone. Here’s a little about what they do (copied and pasted from their website, which you can check out HERE):

• Support local food access projects
• Lobby to protect local agriculture
• Work with others in the region on food issues
• Stalls at community events
• Lobbying for a healthy and sustainable food supply

Pretty cool, hey? If this kind of stuff doesn’t interest you, or you don’t think it concerns you, please step away from the computer and go head-butt a wall.

All of this concerns all of us.

And if it doesn’t concern you now, it definitely will in the future when all of the fresh produce is gone and we have to survive on twinkies and spam. Won’t be so disinterested then, will you?

Go and learn more at www.sustainabletable.com.au about how you can improve the future of our food system.

So what has this all got to do with coconuts, you say? 

Well, as many of you are aware, I work with Sarah Wilson as a nutrition expert for herI Quit Sugar program. Sarah is a cool chick, who is also passionate about all of this crunchy hippy sustainable food biz. I like to read her blog. You should too. Anyway, this week Sarah spoke about how food wastage makes her angry. It makes me angry too. We waste so much food, and considering more than 2 million Australians go hungry every year, that’s pretty disgraceful, don’t you think? 

In this post of hers, she mentions young coconuts and how often we will drink the water inside and simply toss the shell. What’s the problem with that, you say? Well, it’s wasteful. And inside the shell is a whole lot of yummy, nutritious flesh! So it got me thinking. How about I do a “quick” post (you know that’s not possible for me) on ways to use coconut flesh, and why you should. All in the spirit of wasting less food! Cue intended starting point for blog post.

Why should you eat coconut flesh?

Aside from being resourceful with your food, the flesh of the coconut has many health benefits, including:

• It is rich in medium chain fatty acids which are readily absorbed and utilised as fuel
• The main fatty acid, lauric acid (which is also found in breast milk, and there is no denying how good that stuff is for you!) has amazing anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. Healthy immune system, here we come!
• It is high in fibre = perfect poop
• It is rich in manganese, which helps with the metabolism of carbs, fats and proteins, as well as assisting with bone formation
• Good source of copper, which aids in the absorption and utilisation of iron. Even better, copper helps to manufacture collagen and heal wounds! Woot woot!
• Provides potassium to help maintain the body’s fluid and electrolyte balance, cell integrity, nerve impulse transmission and muscle contraction.

How to use coconut flesh:

1. Get a spoon and eat it raw
2. Blend it up into a chocolate mousse (go HERE for my recipe)
3. Add it to a chicken curry – cut it up into strips and simply toss it in during cooking
4. Chop it up and add it to your breakfast instead of coconut flakes
5. Throw it in the oven and roast it with some coconut oil and cinnamon
6. Toss some into your favourite green smoothie
7. Make coconut milk by whizzing it up with some water
8. Coconut flesh, lemon juice, water. Blend. Drink

There you go. You have at least 8 reasons why you should eat your coconut flesh and 8 ways to do so. So no more excuses for tossing it in the bin, hey?

How do you use your coconut flesh? Non-sexual suggestions only, please.