thenutritionaltherapyclinic

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) typically involves irregularities in regards to a woman’s periods or cessation of menstruation. Typically, women with this syndrome have a number of cysts in the ovaries – a result of androgen hormones, resulting from overproduction of androgens hormones.

One usual side effect of PCOS that women struggle with is being overweight/obese. If you fall in the same category, you need to consider dietary changes, because it is one thing that can better the condition.

Tests of women with PCOS often reveal higher than normal insulin levels. Insulin is the hormone that helps body cells in the body transform glucose into energy. Blood sugar levels are often high if your body doesn’t produce enough insulin. Such is the effect if you are insulin-resistant. In the latter case, your body will overproduce insulin in an effort to normalise blood sugar. This often causes the ovaries to produce more androgens, among which testosterone. Having a diet high in refined carbohydrates can cause insulin resistance and make PCOS way more difficult to control. As such, you should definitely tune your diet to suit the needs of your body in order to achieve good health. Following are a few practical recommendations.

Foods to include in your diet:

• High-fibre foods – these are the ideal tool to combat insulin resistance. They slow down digestion and reduce the negative impact that sugar has on the blood. This is of great help to women with PCOS. Some of the best examples of such foods include greens (including arugula and red leaf lettuce), lentils and beans, berries, pumpkin, red and green peppers, almonds, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower) and winter squash.
• Lean protein – there is a group of foods that don’t provide fibre as the previous category, but are as filling, if not more. These include chicken, tofu and fish. They make a suitable dietary option for women with PCOS.
• Anti-inflammatory foods – there is a large group of foods that can reduce inflammation. These are very beneficial, and you should definitely add them to your diet: kale, tomatoes, spinach, olive oil, fatty fish (sardines and salmon), blueberries and strawberries, walnuts and almonds.
• The foods you should avoid:

• Refined carbohydrates – foods high on those lead to insulin resistance, cause inflammation and are generally bad for your health. Exclude the following highly-processed foods out of your diet: white potatoes, sugary treats and desserts, white bread, pastries and foods made of white flour. There are different types of pasta. Some are made of durum flour, durum wheat or semolina, and should be avoided. Others are made of lentil or bean flour and are okay to include in your diet.
• Sugary drinks and snacks – reducing sugar intake should be an essential part of your diet. It comes in many forms and names, so be sure to read the label: fructose corn syrup, sucrose and dextrose are only a few of its names.
• Inflammation-causing foods – removing foods that cause inflammation is a great idea. These include margarine, French fries and processed meats.

Improving your diet by following these steps goes a long way to staying healthy, even if you have PCOS.

You can find out more diet recommendations for various conditions with The Nutritional Therapy Clinic by calling 020 3907 6848.

© The Nutritional Therapy Clinic