PCOS Nutrition Center Articles/Blog

I first fell in love with pesto when I was backpacking in the Liguria section of Italy (just south of Genoa on the Mediterranean). As I was hiking between the towns of Cinque Terre, I spotted (and smelled!) someone eating linguini with pesto and I had to stop and try it. It was love at first bite! At least once a summer, I make a large batch of pesto out of the basil I grow and freeze it to use all year. I love pesto for both its health benefits and its versatility. This pesto recipe is the best because it uses omega-3 rich walnuts and olive oil to give the perfect taste. Mangia!

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Every year my family and I look forward to our vacation in Northern Michigan: long days, cool nights, clear blue water, and cherries. That’s right, cherries! Traverse City, Michigan boasts itself as being the Cherry Capital of the World and it’s no surprise. Situated on a peninsula at the 35th parallel, thousands of cherry trees grow fantastically well (along with wine grapes and peaches) with the optimal moisture, soil and temperatures from both the East and West Grand Traverse Bays. There is nothing like biking along the bay and stopping to pick and eat cherries.

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Do you have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and are struggling to lose weight? You’re not alone. As many as 80% of women with PCOS are overweight. The reason? High insulin levels, the central cause of PCOS. When insulin levels are high, it causes our bodies to store fat, usually in our bellies. Weight loss is difficult because it’s hard to break down fat if your body is in fat storage mode. In order to lose weight, you have to lower your insulin levels. You can lower insulin by diet, exercise and insulin-lowering medications (metformin). If you have been taking insulin sensitizers and are exercising and watching your diet and still aren’t seeing results it could be the types of foods you are eating. Here’s what to know.

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Women who experience heavy or frequent menstrual bleeding may be at risk for iron deficiency. Here’s how to prevent it.

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I clearly remember the day I first learned about genetically modified food. I was sitting in on one of my nutrition classes and my professor was informing us that the U.S. had begun to genetically alter our food crops. This meant that we could have larger, perfect tomatoes. We could feed more people on less land. We could grow food all year round that was immune to drought and increasing climate change. What wasn’t clear were safety concerns and what long-term effects were going to happen. Today GMOs are in the majority of food we eat. But is it safe? What you need to know.

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You’ve probably seen it before: the TV commercial showing actress Jamie Lee Curtis enjoying Activia yogurt in beautiful settings across the globe. In the ad, Curtis remarks that she eats this yogurt daily for “digestive health”. Yogurt, like some other dairy foods, is a probiotic or healthy bacteria, shown to have benefits on the digestive and immune systems. Interested? Here’s what women with PCOS should know about taking probiotics.

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