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Living with PCOS can be hard. Women with this condition have various symptoms including obesity, metabolic and cardiovascular problems (6). A lot of PCOS patients fail to recognize that they actually have PCOS until it’s too late resulting in irreversible PCOS complications.
Although medication can reduce PCOS symptoms, these gynecological issues can be better managed with diet. Because the condition affects your hormones, a PCOS diet plan can help to restore hormonal balance in the body by controlling insulin levels as well as reducing blood sugar and cholesterol levels (8).
PCOS stands for polycystic ovarian syndrome. PCOS is a condition that affects many women, and it can lead to fertility issues if left unmanaged. PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) is the most common cause of female infertility (6).
In order to control this condition, it is necessary first to understand what exactly causes it. Here are some factors that lead to polycystic ovarian syndrome (7):
It’s important to note that PCOS cannot be diagnosed until all other possible conditions have been ruled out, including thyroid problems and pre-diabetes.
Read More: Foods To Avoid With PCOS: Manage Your PCOS Symptoms Through Your Diet
Women with PCOS often have irregular or no menstrual cycles. This is because PCOS can cause an imbalance of the female sex hormones (estrogens) and male sex hormones (androgens). PCOS causes small cysts to form on the ovaries which release these excess hormones into your body, making it difficult to get pregnant (7).
PCOS also increases insulin levels in women causing blood sugar levels to be elevated. Insulin resistance is a pre-diabetic condition that will eventually develop into type 2 diabetes if not controlled with proper diet and exercise (5).
PCOS symptoms include (7):
If you are concerned that PCOS may be causing these symptoms, it is important to see your doctor for a complete PCOS evaluation.
The PCOS-friendly diet can help resolve some symptoms in two ways.
The first line of attack for PCOS is a diet and lifestyle makeover with the primary goal of improving the body’s sensitivity to insulin.
Managing blood sugar levels through proper nutrition closely followed by weight loss can help encourage healthy ovulation in women with PCOS (10).
Further research is underway looking at whether certain foods affect hormone levels and might benefit some women.
The second approach to managing PCOS with diet involves consuming low glycemic index (GI) foods that are digested slowly usually because of an increased fiber content.
Such a diet plan limits foods that cause spikes in blood sugar thus avoiding potential PCOS symptoms including pre-diabetes or diabetes (10).
This will also help manage PCOS, PCOS-related infertility, and PCOS symptoms. The low GI diet can include food items such as oats, corn pasta, brown rice, and quinoa (10).
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The best PCOS treatment diet is one that is rich in the following foods.
A high-fiber diet offers many benefits to women with PCOS, such as lower insulin levels, and antioxidants that fight to lower inflammation, and better gut bacteria. Furthermore, many high-fiber foods contain prebiotics, which feed probiotics and help to nourish your gut microbiome (3).
Examples of high-fiber foods for a PCOS diet plan include seeds, fruits and vegetables, beans and whole grains.
Lean protein is better than red meat and cured meats that are high in saturated fat, which can cause inflammation and make insulin resistance worse (3).
Also eating healthy proteins helps you lose weight fast since they take longer to break down than other nutrients such as simple sugars. Eating these ensures you feel full longer than foods containing carbs.
Examples of foods high in lean protein on the PCOS diet chart include fish, skinless chicken, skinless turkey, and plant-based protein sources such as soy, beans and peas.
Women with PCOS want healthy fats that have omega-3 fatty acids, which help fight inflammation and improve heart health (3).
These fats include flaxseeds, fish oil supplements, oily fish like tuna or salmon, nuts, legumes and vegetable oil.
Read More: Best Diet For PCOS: Here’s What You Should Eat To Relieve Your Symptoms
Antioxidants are essential elements that can help reduce the risk of diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. They are chemical compounds found in fruits and vegetables that help neutralize the free radicals in our body (11).
For women with PCOS, fruits and vegetables should form the bulk of their diet because they are rich in antioxidants.
Berries such as blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and bilberries have exceptional nutritional values. They are very low in calories yet high in dietary fiber (one cup of blueberry contains around 80 calories) (11).
The antioxidants content helps prevent heart diseases by controlling the bad cholesterol levels in our body. A study conducted shows that women with PCOS who consumed 2 servings of berries per day for one month had improvement in their insulin resistance as well as menstrual cycles (4). Another study also revealed that taking two servings of berries daily helps in reducing body weight and lower the risk of diabetes (1).
Fruits and vegetables also contain vitamin C. Vitamin C helps increase your body’s absorption of iron; another nutrient that could potentially help to improve fertility in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome according to recent research. Vitamin C is also good for skin conditions (3).
Examples of fruits and vegetables to eat on a PCOS diet include berries, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, Brussel sprouts, carrots, celery, apples, and grapefruits (3).
The isoflavones in soy can improve fertility in PCOS women. It promotes the secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) which is responsible for egg maturation and ovulation. The isoflavones also have anti-estrogen action which decreases high insulin and testosterone levels in women with PCOS. By lowering these hormones, hot flashes are reduced and ovarian activity increases (3).
Examples of foods with organic whole soy are soy milk, tofu, soy nuts, or edamame.
Women with the polycystic ovarian syndrome are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis since they have low levels of calcium at younger ages than women without the condition. The same goes with vitamin D which is essential for bone health (2).
Foods rich in vitamin D may help enhance fertility by improving the quality and duration of sleep. Vitamin D is necessary for healthy ovulation, especially during the late luteal phase when progesterone levels rise to a peak (3).
Calcium and vitamin D are both found in dairy products like yogurt and milk while calcium can also be found in broccoli, cheese and salmon among other foods. Make sure to double check your food labels since mandatory vitamin D fortification is only enforced in some countries.
Vitamin E is also very important for a healthy heart as well as normalizing insulin sensitivity. It is commonly found in nuts, seeds, and whole grains like oats. Selenium helps reduce inflammation which can be helpful to women with the polycystic ovarian syndrome. The foods rich in selenium include brazil nuts, salmon, tuna among others (3).
Chlorophyll is essential for the production of red blood cells. This is why it is very important for women with PCOS to eat foods that are rich in chlorophyll (3). These foods include spinach, lettuce, cabbage, green beans, mustard, greens, kale among others.
Chromium is essential for sugar and fat metabolism. It helps the body utilize insulin; it also improves the sensitivity of insulin to its target cells, thus helping the cells take in more glucose from the bloodstream. The recommended daily allowance for chromium is 50-200 micrograms for women and men, respectively (9). Foods rich with chromium include brewer’s yeast, cheese, whole grains oats, mushrooms, and beef liver.
Magnesium also helps regulate blood pressure as well as normalize insulin production (3). The foods rich in magnesium include soybeans, leafy vegetables, seafood and whole grains like oats.
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Here are some meal options you can include in your diet.
In order to prevent the symptoms from reoccurring in case you’ve already been diagnosed with PCOS, try eating a nutritious and balanced diet. Polycystic ovarian syndrome can often be controlled through proper management of your weight, eating regularly throughout the day (eating smaller meals more often is ideal) and keeping a healthy lifestyle in general.
Diets are great, but your body will thank you if you supplement your healthy nutrition plan with a good workout.
This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!