Good Diet for PCOS

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Lizabelle1212
Lizabelle1212 Posts: 252 Member
in Food and Nutrition
First off, when I say "diet" I'm just referring to the food you eat in general (the real meaning of the word "diet") - I am NOT referring to a crash diet, crazy eating plan, etc.

I've seen lots of posts on the forums from women questioning the proper diet for women with PCOS. I came across a really good blog/article today that I just thought might be helpful to other women like myself who are struggling to find the right balance of carbs/protein/healthy fats to manage their PCOS symptoms:

http://holisticsquid.com/the-best-diet-for-pcos/

Some interesting info to consider! Good luck to anyone else out there dealing with PCOS - feel free to add me if you like =)
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  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
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    I've treated my PCOS with a ketogenic/ lower carbohydrate diet. I still eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and even some occasional rice. It works for me.
  • Lizabelle1212
    Lizabelle1212 Posts: 252 Member
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    I've treated my PCOS with a ketogenic/ lower carbohydrate diet. I still eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and even some occasional rice. It works for me.

    That's awesome! The consensus seems to be that the lower carb/higher fat/moderate protein ratio is the best way to go to manage the PCOS and its symptoms.
  • apriljackss
    apriljackss Posts: 96 Member
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    I've been successfully treating my PCOS with a combination of supplements and a complete diet overhaul. I take 4g of inositol, 500mg of magnesium, omega-3, and a women's multivitamin daily. I've also cut out gluten and dairy. For more information on PCOS diet and lifestyle changes, the following websites have been my life-savers, literally! Just since going on a gluten free/dairy free diet about 2 weeks ago, I've lost 7 lbs. Before changing the things I ate, I tried to do a low calorie diet with exercise and although I netted the appropriate amount of calories each day and was eating "healthfully", my weight wouldn't change. It's literally melting off of me now.

    Good luck to you, ladies!

    www.pcosdiva.com
    www.pcosdietsupport.com

    (Edited for punctuation)
  • Grumpsandwich
    Grumpsandwich Posts: 368 Member
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    my endocrinologist and hospital nutritionist put me on a diabetic diet for pcos and its been working AMAZING
  • Lizabelle1212
    Lizabelle1212 Posts: 252 Member
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    I've been successfully treating my PCOS with a combination of supplements and a complete diet overhaul. I take 4g of inositol, 500mg of magnesium, omega-3, and a women's multivitamin daily. I've also cut out gluten and dairy. For more information on PCOS diet and lifestyle changes, the following websites have been my life-savers, literally! Just since going on a gluten free/dairy free diet about 2 weeks ago, I've lost 7 lbs. Before changing the things I ate, I tried to do a low calorie diet with exercise and although I netted the appropriate amount of calories each day and was eating "healthfully", my weight wouldn't change. It's literally melting off of me now.

    Good luck to you, ladies!

    www.pcosdiva.com
    www.pcosdietsupport.com

    That's awesome info! I've also had trouble losing weight by restricting calories alone. I AM losing - just losing VERY slowly (like maybe .5lb/week, when I have MFP set to 2lbs/week). I haven't really been paying attention to my macros, but after this info, it's my next mission. Hopefully I'll have the same success as you!
  • Lizabelle1212
    Lizabelle1212 Posts: 252 Member
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    my endocrinologist and hospital nutritionist put me on a diabetic diet for pcos and its been working AMAZING

    What does a diabetic diet entail?? Glad it's working for you!
  • apriljackss
    apriljackss Posts: 96 Member
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    Can I ask how long you've been diagnosed? I feel like I'm sort of "down the rabbit hole" now in terms of the information I've learned, and the more I learn, the more I learn. Does that even make sense? Unfortunately there isn't a whole lot of research out there and most doctor's have no idea how to treat PCOS with out metformin/BC. Fortunately for us, other women just like us have done a lot of the leg work and have created the wonderful sites I sent you in my last reply. Do some reading, and it'll all start to become clear! I promise there is hope! It took me a long time to see it (diagnosed 2 years, undiagnosed every year before that) but now that I have more information in my arsenal, I'm more positive than ever. Feel free to friend me if you need any support/advice!
  • Lizabelle1212
    Lizabelle1212 Posts: 252 Member
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    Can I ask how long you've been diagnosed? I feel like I'm sort of "down the rabbit hole" now in terms of the information I've learned, and the more I learn, the more I learn. Does that even make sense? Unfortunately there isn't a whole lot of research out there and most doctor's have no idea how to treat PCOS with out metformin/BC. Fortunately for us, other women just like us have done a lot of the leg work and have created the wonderful sites I sent you in my last reply. Do some reading, and it'll all start to become clear! I promise there is hope! It took me a long time to see it (diagnosed 2 years, undiagnosed every year before that) but now that I have more information in my arsenal, I'm more positive than ever. Feel free to friend me if you need any support/advice!

    Diagnosed since I was 18 (currently 27), but the only thing my doctor did was put me on Metformin! No diet information or anything else - so I really wasn't even aware there was a better type of diet specifically for PCOS until fairly recently (basically since I started getting serious about trying to lose weight). Most of the info I have now, like you said, is from research I've done on my own. I'd like to have kids one day so I worry about the infertility and also don't want to be on medication for the rest of my life. Interesting how little scientific research there is on it, when it's the leading cause of infertility in women (they estimate approx. 1 in 10 women have PCOS, many undiagnosed). I'm going to check out the sites - thanks for sending them. And I'll also add you!
  • SharonNehring
    SharonNehring Posts: 535 Member
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    A diabetic diet is focused on reduced/counting carbs. Many fruits and veggies are full of carbs, so even some of those have to be watched closely, along with the typical bread, rice, potatoes etc.

    Many women have insulin resistance as a side effect of having PCOS, so lowering carbs is an effective treatment.
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,124 Member
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    Thanks for sharing all those sites... I found the pcosdietsupport.com very helpful... I have not been "officially" diagnosed with PCOS yet... I've got a few weeks for my insurance to kick in and I'm planning on heading to the doctor to get the testing out of the way... but based on what I've read... I'm 99% sure that is my problem as I have most of the symptoms. I have been doing a ton of research because I want to avoid medication if at all possible... I just wanted to share that there are a TON of books on Amazon providing meal plans, etc... some of which are even available for free in the Kindle Library if you have Amazon Prime.
  • babydaisy81
    babydaisy81 Posts: 218 Member
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    These are some great resources, I was diagnosed a while ago and didn't do much about it, Dr. gave meds but I decided I didnt want to take anything becuase I really didnt know what she was giving me to put in my body. Now, I just do BC to try and control acne and hair.

    I've been on here a week reading stories about women with PCOS and learning so much! I'd like to learn more about the inositol, but I really want to focus on weight loss as well.

    Thanks for the links posted!
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    It depends on what you want to treat. If you are trying to conceive for example, and have fertility issues, and PCOS is also associated with insulin resistance (which is not always the case) then a diabetic diet will help. If you do not have such issues, then there is no specific diet.
  • PinkMartiniPls
    PinkMartiniPls Posts: 50
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    I've read lots of great articles regarding the low-carb ketogenic diet for women with PCOS. The trick is to stay in ketosis to give your body a break from consistent insulin exposure. I've only been practicing it for a few weeks now and it's really difficult to get into but I'm doing much better now.

    I'm going to have blood work taken once I get to the three month mark to see if anything has improved (I have the typical PCOS profile). I'll post more when I have more results.

    The consensus for PCOS though seems to be a reduced carbohydrate diet (NO sugar!) and lots of exercise. Good luck!
  • apriljackss
    apriljackss Posts: 96 Member
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    To be honest, I'm still learning a lot so my habits are ever-changing, but something else I've found helpful, which goes along with managing insulin levels, is that if I'm going to have some carbs, say an apple, for a snack, I'll eat it with a handful of raw almonds or some raw almond butter. It's important, if you're going to eat carbs (which, lets be real here, are incredible hard to avoid from natural sources) to eat some sort of fat (like organic coconut oil) or protein with them to slow the release of insulin. I also find that it keeps me fuller much longer.

    One of my favorite things I've been doing lately is making a green smoothie every morning. I throw in about 2 cups of baby spinach and baby kale, some organic rice protein powder, some spirulina, some frozen berries, and a bit of orange juice and blend it up. It's surprisingly delicious and flexible and I know I'm doing something great for my body. It's basically like drinking a giant salad for breakfast lol.
  • apriljackss
    apriljackss Posts: 96 Member
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    Anyone have any advice on skin though? I've cleaned up my diet, and I expected my skin to clear as well but unfortunately I've been experiencing some hormonal acne (possibly due to starting my last pack of BC a day late) and also really really dry skin... any one have advice on this?
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
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    Anyone have any advice on skin though? I've cleaned up my diet, and I expected my skin to clear as well but unfortunately I've been experiencing some hormonal acne (possibly due to starting my last pack of BC a day late) and also really really dry skin... any one have advice on this?

    I've upped my fat intake via tropical oils. I also put a small amount of coconut oil on my face a few times a week. It seems to help.
  • apriljackss
    apriljackss Posts: 96 Member
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    Anyone have any advice on skin though? I've cleaned up my diet, and I expected my skin to clear as well but unfortunately I've been experiencing some hormonal acne (possibly due to starting my last pack of BC a day late) and also really really dry skin... any one have advice on this?

    I've upped my fat intake via tropical oils. I also put a small amount of coconut oil on my face a few times a week. It seems to help.

    Thank you! I have some coconut oil at home for cooking, I will have to try it this way too!
  • PinkMartiniPls
    PinkMartiniPls Posts: 50
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    I've also heard that increased fat intake can help take care of skin problems. I'm still waiting to see if this LCKD does the trick for me with that.
  • apriljackss
    apriljackss Posts: 96 Member
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    I've also heard that increased fat intake can help take care of skin problems. I'm still waiting to see if this LCKD does the trick for me with that.

    Keep us informed! It's nice to know how people are doing and what's working/not working for them!
  • PinkMartiniPls
    PinkMartiniPls Posts: 50
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    Definitely!

    I should also mention that the increased fat intake suggestion only works with a diet that restricts carbohydrate intake to around 50g or less. If you consume higher amounts of carbs plus large amounts of fat, you might end up gaining weight instead of burning it (at least according to what I've read). The lack of carbs is also supposed to be beneficial for the skin.

    I found this sight particularly helpful if you are looking to get into a low-carb diet:

    http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/post_archives/

    Of course, this is just a starting point but his blogs contain a significant amount of information.

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