5 Foods to Include in Your PCOS Diet Plan

An endocrine system illness called polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) alters a woman’s hormone levels. This indicates that women with PCOS create higher than average levels of male hormones, resulting in a hormonal imbalance and many health problems.

Women with PCOS are most affected during their reproductive years. Women miss their periods due to this hormonal imbalance, which makes it harder for them to get pregnant. Long-term health problems, including diabetes and heart disease, might also result from it.

Women who have PCOS and are postmenopausal are at significant risk of acquiring a clinical cardiac illness, especially those who also have diabetes. 

In today’s blog, we will talk about the foods to include in your PCOS diet plan.

How can a diet plan help with PCOS?

Studies have indicated that if patients with PCOS reduce weight, their symptoms will improve, even though nutrition may not be the only answer. Diet and nutrition play a big role in weight management, so paying heed to what you eat and adjusting as needed could help with PCOS symptoms.

Patients with PCOD usually have higher-than-average insulin levels. The pancreas produces insulin. It aids in the conversion of sugar into energy in the body’s cells.

If the patient does not produce sufficient insulin that can cause blood sugar levels to increase. This may also occur if the patient has insulin resistance, which prevents them from effectively utilizing the insulin.

The body may secrete a lot of insulin in an attempt to control blood sugar levels if the patient is insulin resistant. The ovaries create more androgens like testosterone when there is an excess of insulin in the body.

Additionally, an above-average body mass index can increase insulin resistance. Insulin resistance makes weight loss challenging, which is why PCOD women typically have this issue. Many PCOS sufferers discover that a low-carb, high-protein diet works wonders for weight loss.

However, it’s not only about weight because the foods you eat can directly affect the hormones you produce. Eating particular nutrients can therefore aid with hormonal issues.

5 Foods to include in your PCOS diet

When choosing what foods to eat with PCOS, it’s important to consider every aspect of your diet from breakfast to dinner to make sure you’re eating a balanced diet and maintaining enough diversity. This can make maintaining a healthy diet much simpler.

Pay close consideration to including these foods in your diet if you have PCOS.

• Leafy greens

Green leafy vegetables are a wise choice regardless of your diet. They are nutrient-dense and low in calories, making them perfect for nutrition and weight loss.

However, the high vitamin B content of green leafy vegetables like kale and spinach is particularly important for people with PCOS. Amazingly, vitamin B deficiency has been found in more than 80% of PCOS-affected females! This particular vitamin is linked to a number of PCOS symptoms, including:

• Insulin Resistance
• Irregular Periods
• Hirsutism (excess hair growth)
• Obesity
• Difficulty Conceiving

• Lean grass-fed meat

Lean meat is an essential component of any healthy diet, and while it may be more costly than meats high in fat, the additional cost may be justifiable. This is particularly true for PCOS patients, who may experience more difficulty losing weight due to hormonal imbalances.

Eating organic, grass-fed meat is just as important as monitoring the fat in your food. Human hormone levels may be directly impacted by the higher hormone levels often present in non-organic meat since these hormones are provided to livestock. 

On the other hand, organic meat is generally safer to eat if you suffer from a hormonal imbalance because it normally includes far lower levels of animal hormones. Other health benefits of lean grass-fed meat include,

• Lower total fat content.
• More heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
• More omega-6 fatty acid (linolenic acid)
• More antioxidant vitamins, such as vitamin E.

• Healthy fats

You can include a variety of healthy fats in your diet, like avocados and fatty salmon, which are crucial for eating well while you have PCOS. Essential fatty acids, crucial elements in the upkeep of cell membranes, can be found in healthy fats. They are crucial for controlling your weight as well as for keeping the balance of your hormones.

Fertility and conception are two significant concerns for women with PCOS, and fatty acids are crucial to both of these processes.

The fatty acid omega 3, which is found in foods like fish and flax seeds, helps with:

• Manage hormones.
• Reduce your body’s susceptibility to the hormone prolactin, which might prevent ovulation.
• Boost the uterus’s supply of blood.
• Increase the cervical mucous in egg whites, which aids sperm in reaching the egg.
• Assist in controlling your menstrual cycle.

• High antioxidant foods

High-antioxidant foods are essential in a PCOS diet plan. These foods can include high levels of antioxidants, such as Goji berries, blueberries, dark chocolate, and pecans. These foods are crucial for a balanced diet, but they become even more critical if you have PCOS.

It has been demonstrated that women with PCOS experience increased levels of oxidative stress, which can be reduced by including more antioxidants in their diet. When selecting these meals, it’s crucial to consider their glycaemic index (GI), as some fruits might raise blood sugar levels unexpectedly, which may have consequences for PCOS-related diabetes.

Some of the health benefits of high-antioxidant foods are:

• Preventing cancer
• help your eyes
• lower the risks of stroke and other heart diseases.
• Lower the chance of cataracts

• Whole grains

Whole grains include significant quantities of fiber that can help regulate insulin levels. Type 2 diabetes is four times more likely to occur in women with PCOS.

Slow-releasing carbohydrates can be found in high-fiber meals, including whole-grain rice, beans, nuts, and dried fruit. This indicates that they release sugar into the blood more gradually and consistently, which makes them less likely to result in type 2 diabetes-related rises in blood sugar levels.

Some of the benefits of whole grain foods are,

• High in nutrients and fiber
• Lower your risk of heart disease
• Reduce your risk of obesity
• Support healthy digestion
• Reduce chronic inflammation
• May reduce your risk of cancer

Conclusion

Even though there is no permanent cure for PCOS, adopting a healthy PCOS diet plan and increasing physical activity can help a person’s symptoms and quality of life. PCOS-affected women can overcome this condition and have a healthy, everyday life by adhering strictly to the recommended diet plan and making a few lifestyle adjustments. If you have PCOS or just having symptoms, you can consult the best gynecologist through an online doctor consultation app in India.

There are a variety of methods that can help manage and lessen symptoms, whether you have PCOS for the first time or have been living with it for some time. These strategies include nutrition and bio-identical hormone replacement therapy.

Remember, it is always preferable to seek a diagnosis and recommendations from a hormone specialist before making dietary or lifestyle changes to manage PCOS symptoms. Only accurate testing can help with hormonal issues to establish which diet best suits your hormone levels.

Related: 

Can PCOS cause cancer?

What are the chances of getting pregnant with PCOS?

Is PCOS the cause of painful periods?