Looking for a PCOS diet? Google has more than 4 million blog results and YouTube has thousands of videos with more than 10 million views on PCOS diets. If I somehow manage to exhaust all that information, I can use my Amazon Prime account and have books delivered tomorrow with thousands of PCOS diet tips and recipes.
Is there a PCOS Diet?
So what’s the deal? If I am overweight and have PCOS should I cut out dairy because it causes inflammation in the body? Should I cut out gluten? Maybe increase my protein and fat intake and induce ketogenesis? Unfortunately, consuming all of that internet information is going to leave me more confused than when I started.
Well here are the facts: weight loss helps.
It doesn’t seem to matter which diet gets you there. If you have PCOS and are overweight, losing weight will improve your PCOS. Losing weight can reduce acne, reduce unwanted hair growth on the face and other parts of your body, reduce inflammation and improve your menstrual regularity. It may even cure your infertility!
It is always important to try and lose weight in a healthy and steady fashion. Binge diets and short term fixes won’t help your PCOS and aren’t healthy for your body. Lifestyle changes, eating habits and ingredients are where the big changes come in. Some easy early changes that can make big differences are cutting out sweets or foods containing lots of sugar. Check the packages because many foods have huge amounts of hidden sugars, such as protein or health bars and even “healthy” yogurts. Replacing white breads and flours with whole grains, and white rice with brown rice, can also make a big difference.
To sum Everything Up
The following recommendations are helpful in managing PCOS.
- Weight loss. Even a 10% reduction in body weight can help reduce insulin resistance. Walking daily is a great way to start.
- Balanced Carbohydrate Intake
- Control portion intake. This is easier to do with homemade meals where your ingredients and portions can be managed.
- Don’t skip meals. This can lead to increased hunger and the tendency to grab anything (like carbs or sugars). Planning your meals ahead solves this.
For more PCOS and fertility tips, continue to check in with the GENESIS Fertility Blog.
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Original post March 9, 2018
Updated September 14, 2021
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