As it's fall season, I've been reminiscing on some good ol' meals.
Here are some seasonal ingredients that can help with rounding out a holistic meal, that I found PCOS-friendly (though not exclusive!) for me:
Produce:
Sweet Potato
I would often use a fork to poke holes into a potato to allow steam to escape, then microwave for about 5-7 minutes, then use a knife to cut the potato in half, and spoon out the insides for an efficient, nutrition-dense, filling snack-meal, or a quick breakfast, if I woke up late for a morning lecture!
Dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, collard greens)
Carrots and other root vegetables (parsnips, beets)
Different Types of Squash
Excellent sources of complex carbohydrates
Apples/Pears
These are excellent as well and can add a natural sweetness to one's diet -- the fiber helps keep one fuller and satiated for longer!
Of special note, I found a homemade gummy recipe by YouTuber LifebyMikeG (it was posted by him on a comment on a video he made!) that I'm extremely tempted to try out one day -- there's something about naturally-flavored gummy treats that I absolutely love (yes, even as an adult! I first started getting into them through brands like Annie's rabbit-shaped gummies and Albanese gummies), they have less of that artificial taste. (But by all means, if you want/like the artificial taste of other brands, don't let me stop you! :) Just know that a sugar rush could be incoming and it's perhaps not the most sustainable source of energies.) He uses strawberries in his recipe, but I think a pear-flavored gummy would be excellent for the fall season.
Healthy Fruit Gummies Recipe
Ingredients:
1 pound of strawberries
Juice of 2 lemon
1/3 cup of honey
1 teaspoon of elderberry syrup
3/4 cups of water
Agar agar** (see instructions)
Instructions:
1. Clean and dry the strawberry, then cut the tops off.
2. Add the strawberries to a food processor along with the juice of 2 lemons, honey, elderberry syrup, and water.
3. Blend until super smooth and measure your mixture.
4. For every 1 cup of blended strawberry mix you have, use 1 teaspoon of agar agar. I had close to 3 cups so I used 3 teaspoons of agar agar. Add in your agar agar and mix well.
5. Using a syringe, pipe the strawberry mixture into silicone molds. Let sit for 30 minutes.
Pro tip: If you let them sit for a few days, they dry leaving them with a concentrated flavor and chewier texture.
Spices & Other Add-Ins (Sage, Walnuts, Cranberries, Cheese like Feta/Brie)
This is more in the theme of "American Thanksgiving" that I've been introduced to through products found in various stores, like Trader Joe's. I must say, there's nothing quite like an oozy baked brie for a special occasion. As for "caloric intake," I personally have never been one to count them because it's just too much information and trouble to go into. I can generally get a sense of when I've overeaten by how I feel and look -- but I know that some people might need that general numerical count to help them out. The only thing is that relying solely on this numerical estimation can be misleading as one could eat an "acceptable" amount of calories but eat food of extremely low caliber.
Long ago, I consulted a nutritionist on how to eat holistically for PCOS, and little toppings/flavorings/spices to enhance the flavor / palatability of a meal are O.K. as the amount is not that large -- say 1-2 tsp's worth -- like adding a sprinkling of vinaigrette to one's salad. As they say in medical speak, overall, it might not be "clinically significant." or, "it's negligible." I once was snapped at by a neurology MD-PhD student for eating cheese because it "has too many calories," but I knew he was projecting onto me because his wife was obese and of the same ethnicity as me -- it was kind of heartbreaking, because he himself was actually quite healthy. I wasn't obese at the time, either.
Stew-y Meat (Like Grass-Fed Beef, Pork, Lamb)
There's something about a chillier season that makes one want to just cuddle up with a hearty-type of stew-dish -- no matter if it's homemade chili, bone broth, pozole, a meat-filled pie (I'm thinkin' Australian/Shepherd's). For PCOS, it's best to stick to grass-fed meats as this kind of meat is anti-inflammatory, and nutrient-rich -- in general, PCOS is a metabolic disease with similarities to diabetes type II in the sense of it having a form of insulin resistance, which is a hormonal imbalance that also is connected to chronic inflammation in the body. I personally don't have allergies (I've grown out of some sensitivities as a child), but these might also have to be taken into account.
Soups
Chicken soup is EXCELLENT for the fall - especially soothing for a viral/bacterial infection. Everyone's got a different way of doing their chicken soup, but I love putting in carrots, ginger for a bit of heat/anti-inflammatory/immune boosting properties, scallions for flavor, onion, bay leaf, and plenty of black pepper. Some people like adding in celery, which is more traditional, I do this if I'm serving a general crowd, or someone who's sick, but for myself, it's a sometimes kind-of-situation. Salt to taste as always :)
Fats (yes, fats! The right kind can help regulate metabolism.)
Omega-3s (Walnuts, Salmon, Flaxseed/Chia Seeds)
I've made and eaten chia seed puddings made overnight, which are quite delicious!
There is a general consensus that omega-3s are healthy and necessary for a well-rounded diet.
Mono-unsaturated/Polyunsaturated Fats
Olive oil
Avocados
Eggs (the Yolk)
Now onto the controversy...
I've heard a lot of controversy over saturated fat and canola oil from experts across all kinds of industries and knowledge/backgrounds, and for now, my opinion is this:
Healthy Saturated Fats
Personally, I think the source of one's saturated fat is pretty important -- for example, grass-fed beef tallow, or grass-fed ghee, or even the fat that comes with a good steak or high-quality meat is totally okay, probably healthy and good, and I prefer to stick to these if given the choice. But it really depends on the person's situation. Some have found the carnivore diet to be medicinal / curative for their ailments, such as: psoriasis and other skin conditions, sexual infertility/performance, inflammatory gut, headaches/depression/anxiety, rheumatological conditions, which, from a scientific standpoint, is probably due to putting people in more of a ketotic state or anti-inflammatory state. It's truly amazing how food can literally cure people! There's also the issue of lipid/cholesterol profiles in stratifying risk for cardiovascular disease/heart issues...I would say, even if one is put on a "danger zone" in these kinds of statistical measures, it doesn't necessarily mean a death sentence; there has been a lot of controversy over how valid these are and how they've been created, like how the U.S. Food Pyramid was constructed -- I still remember when they told my generation as kids that eating sugary cereals for breakfast was healthy! I would also say all hope is not lost, lots of people who have been put in danger zones in these areas have moved out of them. There has been a phenomenon that's been put into my attention in my lifetime about a subpopulation of South Asians who've had higher risk of heart health issues, but I estimate it may be more due to trans-fat-heavy ingredients like margarine, a high volume of gut-bloating simple-carbohydrate heavy diets, deep-fried foods, which over time, leads to chronic inflammation. They say that chronic inflammatory cardiovascular conditions like atherosclerosis can be mitigated with the well-known DASH-diet, which, does recommend staying away from red meat/saturated fats. Oh well. Can't win them all.
Canola Oil Controversy -- so I've been told that canola oil is pro-inflammatory, now I'm hearing all sorts of things about it being O.K. I just generally stay away from buying it entirely, but there are traces of it in different foodstuffs.
Korean PCOS-Friendly / Seasonal Food!
This one's fun because to my knowledge one thing I wished I could find a few years back was some more guidance on this subject, but I guess I can create / continue to contribute to this niche (I don't know, maybe there IS an expert out there on this, if you do know of one, point me in that direction please! Also, yes, I know, traditional Korean food has typically been healthy. So maybe this is redundant. Still, it helps me to take notes.)
What's special about fall is the coming of Chuseok - Korean Thanksgiving. This year, Chuseok has already passed (it was Tuesday, Sept 17, 2024), apparently, a 3-day holiday on the 8th month of the lunar calendar.
Chuseok is "traditionally" celebrated with different kinds of foods including:
Songpyeon - A special type of tteok (rice cake), a round fan-shaped pouch filled with a bean paste, that comes in different colors like green, white, pink.
Jeon - A fritter pancake - meat, fish, or vegetable pan-fried in an egg batter - think of something like Japanese tempura, but not deep-fried.
Galbijjim - Beef short-rib stew, a hearty soy-sauce braised dish served with chunks of carrots, potato, and even chestnuts.
Toran Soup - Korean taro soup - something that I was not aware of - I didn't realize Koreans ate taro! This looks to be served typically with slices of beef brisket.
Rice Cake Soup - Pretty traditionally eaten on special holidays.
Japchae - The famous fried seasoned glass noodle dish with tons of namul (vegetables).
Seasonal fruits like persimmon
Yakgwa - A sugary, sweet confection mainly made of wheat, honey, sesame oil, and I have learned, rice wine, and ginger juice as well. "Yak" translates to "medicine" in Korean, as honey was considered to be medicinal -- I personally have found this to be true -- even more so with Manuka honey, but that is of a different continent, and I digress.
Alcohol - rice wine, made from "newly harvested rice"
What is the most PCOS-friendly of the above? And is seasonal? Here they are below, as well as other options:
Japchae
These glass noodles are known to have a low glycemic index, and are a favorite among kids and adults -- with all the namul, it's easy to get a holistic mix of fiber and veggies/mushrooms/egg - think bibimbap, but with noodles and no spice. I suppose if the namul is too hard to work through or if someone is a bit more of a picky eater, one could chop the veggies more finely, so they go down easier.
Danhobak bap - or Rice-Stuffed Kabocha Pumpkin
This has a lot of "carbs" so to speak, but a lot of them are complex carbohydrates -- with the rice having beans, wild rice, chestnuts and any other jewels of flavor and notes of interest. I think one might consider eating a relatively smaller portion just in case if they are feeling more risk-averse -- about the size of half-to-a whole fist is generally a safe bet, a guideline I learned from my former nutritionist.
Galbijjim
This is protein-rich and totally great for the PCOS diet! This is typically served with rice as it is usually served as a side dish, and not to be eaten by itself as it could be too salty. Another neat trick I learned to lower the glycemic index of cooked rice is to refrigerate it, then reheat it -- supposedly this works as it increases the amount of resistant starch. So good news! Just because one is a bit more insulin-resistant, does not necessarily mean they have to swear off carbs forever / completely deprive themselves. It is interesting because as a kid I remember really enjoying the taste of cold refrigerated leftover Costco pizza in the morning as a breakfast - perhaps odd, but I wonder if that had anything to do with it.
Persimmon
My grandfather used to eat these dried -- think of dried mango or the other dried fruits you might see in the healthy snack section of grocery stores. I loved eating these as a kid, but just 1 or 2 was enough -- they are a tad on the sweet side.
Jeon
The fried fritters are not terribly unhealthy and are okay, it really depends on what you make them with. For instance, I've eaten many with containing a white fish and kimchi. They are popular options to pack for lunch.
Gyeran-JJim
Steamed egg dish. One of those rare dishes that hit the sweet cross-section in a Venn diagram of easy-to-digest, easy-to-make, well-liked by even picky eaters, and extremely healthy -- just eggs, water, salt, and add-in toppings like green onion/gochugaru, a container and a source of heat.
Soups
Many Korean restaurants have gotten famous/done well for their soup-based menus in the U.S., introducing Korean culture to a broad array of customers, and for good reason! These soups are great to enjoy at any time, but especially cozy during colder months:
Soft Tofu Stew (Soondubu)
Kimchi Jjigae (One of my absolute favorites)
Kimchi-Mackerel Stew (A camping classic, one uses canned mackerel for this and it is SO good. It's one of the few dishes I can make just about anywhere, even if not in close proximity to a Korean/Asian supermarket, as most grocery stores have a type of kimchi/mackerel -- sometimes next to the canned tuna now.)
Galbi-Tang - Short Rib Soup
Seollongtang - Ox Bone Soup
Gamjatang - Pork Bone Soup
Samgyetang - Kind of a Korean take on "Chicken Soup for the Soul."
Yukgejang - Spicy Shredded Beef Soup
