My diet & detox journal

Ok. I am putting together some thoughts for my upcoming eBook about PCOS, and I thought I would throw everyone a morsel to wet your appetite…Raw foods were a key part of my journey to balance my PCOS. In exchange for a healthy diet, rich in raw fresh foods, I received clear skin, for the first time since late puberty!

Here you go…

Yes, yes, yes. A favorite subject of teenagers, but a sorrowful situation for an adult, right? Blemishes not only make you want to hide your face under a paperbag, but they can even cause scaring and long term damage to your skin.

As a woman with PCOS, I am no stranger to breakouts. Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome is often characterized by imbalanced hormones. (Did you know that new statistics are showing that as many as 10% or more of young women are dealing with this disorder?)

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I was pondering a few questions today following a webscussion I took part in on a cleansing forum. So, what’s the relationship between cleansing/detox and rejuvenation? Does one need to take a cleanse with a rejuvenating product as well? Can diet be sufficient? Does a raw food or whole food diet give us all we need?

I wrote an article on this topic, which you can find here on my weblog. This is something that we talk a lot about at work, having recently launched some newer product which is incidentally called ‘Renew’. Products which support our body’s nutrient intake, both vitamin, mineral, as well as additional micronutrients like amino acids and essential fatty acids are key to the process of rejuvenation. You can find lots of quality product out there, but is it essential is what I asked myself.

HEre’s my two cents on this question. Even though I do, for my full time job represent a manufacturer of dietary supplements, one which is particularly sucessful selling cleansing products and kits, I don’t believe that its necessarily a PRODUCT that’s key to the cleansing and detoxification process, otherwise for centuries, how did our ancestors cleanse, detoxify and rejuvenate.

As a digestive care educator and cleansing advocate, my feeling is that a healthy diet is crucial to the detoxification process. On the other hand, diet OR dietary supplements can provide your body the tools it needs to cleanse, and in particular, STRENGTHEN our system so that we are better able to cope with what the environment and lifestyle we lead throws at us.

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When researching the satiety index of fiber containing foods for a project at work today, I found a fantastic article (click to read) which outlines (in laymans’ terms) how fibrous foods increase the satiety hormones in the body. The article addresses CCK, which is ‘choleocystokinin’, a hormone produced in the small intestine, that stimulates both bile release from the gallbladder, and pancreatic enzyme release from the pancreas. This will assist the body to digest proteins and fats. Additionally, CCK has been shown to mediate hunger, as it will promote satiety as well.

Referencing a study of the affects of various foods on our CCK levels, (by Suzanne Holt, Ph.D. professor of biochemistry at the University of Sydney in Australia,) white potatoes top the list! That’s not to say that white potatoes should be considered more healthful, but it does point out that whole foods can have benefits beyond just their ‘glycemic index.’ Here is a brief outline of the top CCK producing foods according to Ms. Holt’s study:

Foods & the ingredient which stimulates CCK Release
Potatoes - Contains Pot-II protein
Fish - High in protein
Oatmeal - High in soluble fiber
Oranges - High in pectin
Apples - High in pectin
Brown Pasta - High in soluble fiber
Beef - High in protein
Baked Beans - High in soluble fiber
Grapes - High in pectin
Whole-Grain Bread  - High in soluble fiber

“A satiety index of common foods. Holt SH; Miller JC; Petocz P; et al Eur J Clin Nutr (England), Sep 1995, 49(9) p675-90 ”

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