PCOS Diet Plan – What To Include And What Not To (PCOS Meal Plan)
PCOS Diet Plan – The biggest problem with PCOS is the resistance of insulin. Insulin resistance increases the body’s insulin levels which will negatively affect ovulation. It slows down the maturity process of an egg and it can delay or prevent the ovulation from taking place. Insulin resistance will also make it very difficult for the embryo to attach to the uterus properly. This directly affects your fertility and the ability to conceive.
Women having a high level of insulin resistance are 4 to 5 times more prone to have a miscarriage. To improve some chances of becoming pregnant, you can follow some specific PCOS fertility diet. PCOS can also cause diabetes of type There are many natural ways that will help to reduce PCOS but by making some changes in your diet, you can easily conquer PCOS.
What To Include In Your PCOS Diet Plan?
1. Take equal amount of proteins and carbohydrates
An equal amount of proteins and carbohydrates intake will eliminate insulin from your body. It helps to balance your insulin level and thus increasing your chances of becoming fertile. According to medical journal metabolism; no. 12:1481-1487, “ A low carbohydrate and high protein diet will help insulin resistance. But, a high carbohydrate and low protein diet will make insulin resistance worst”. According to the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders; 20 no. 12:1067-1072, “A diet containing 25% of carbohydrates improved insulin resistance whereas a diet included with 45% of carbohydrates did not.”
The type of carbohydrates that you choose in your diet also has a big impact and an important factor. Include whole grain and sprouted foods in your diet. They contain a high amount of proteins and fibre which are best for balancing insulin levels.
Avoid processed carbohydrates food intake like white flour, potato, rice, etc. As it can spike your insulin level drastically. Other processed carbohydrate foods include:
- Spelt (वर्तनी)
- Ezekiel bread (Sprouted Bread)
- Brown rice
- Quinoa (क्विनोआ)
- Millet (बाजरा)
- Amaranth (चौलाई)
- Buckwheat (कूटू)
Also, make sure that the proteins that you take are organic and complete, to complete your PCOS fertility diet.
2. Eat foods that can reduce your GI (Glycemic Index)
What is GI?
Glucose in the blood rises and then falls down immediately when after eating meat-containing carbs. How high it rides and how long it remains high totally depends on carb which is known as GI or glycemic index and the above that you are is known as a Glycemic Load or GL.
Carbohydrates are the low glycemic index foods that break down slowly and steadily in your body. It helps in stopping the spike caused due to the high amount of carbohydrates which leads to drop in insulin levels.
Also, the number of carbohydrates that you consume matter the most. Don’t eat more than 100 g of low glycemic index carbohydrates in a day if you are overweight and have insulin resistance PCOS. But, if you are thin or underweight, you should consume more than 100g of low glycemic index carbohydrates.
Some examples of low glycemic index foods are:
- Beans and lentils
- Asparagus, broccoli, and Kale
- Apples and Grapefruit
- Almonds and walnuts
You can also avoid foods with a high glycemic index like sugar and starchy foods like pancakes, white potato, sugar, jam, pasta, white bread, soda, and alcoholic beverages.
3. Include EFA’s In Your Diet
Including EFA’s (Essential Fatty Acids) in your diet will help in balancing the hormones, weight loss and will also build the important blocks in your body that are necessary for conception. You can also include some Omega- 3 fatty acids which are best found in Cod Liver Oil, and Omega- 6 fatty acids that are found in Primrose Oil.
Dosage-
- Take 1 capsule of cod liver oil with one meal in a day. It is a very rich source of DHA which helps in developing a baby’s brain health.
- Take 1500mg of evening primrose oil from the first day of your cycle till ovulation. It helps to increase the mucous and metabolic functions in the cervix.
4. Take 5 meals a day
Don’t keep your body from a meal break for too long. Don’t let it go to a fasting mode. Eat a meal often so that it avoids going into a fasting mode. Some people just eat large meals 3 times a day. There is a huge gap between the meals which causes imbalanced metabolism.
To avoid this, at least eat 5 meals a day. It should be 3 regular meal and 2 healthy snacks meal. Or all the 5 meals can be a healthy snacks meal. Include Vegetables, Fruits, proteins, Whole grains, fat in your diet to maintain a healthy metabolism. Include 3 to 4 ounces of proteins, ¼ to ½ cups of low GI carbohydrate foods, and 1 to 1 and ½ cups of vegetables in your meals daily.
What to include in your 5 meals.
- Breakfast – 2 Scrambled eggs with 1 tsp coconut oil and spinach and a half cup of black beans.
- Snack – Make a smoothie with almond or coconut oil (unsweetened), ½ peach, ¼ teaspoons of cinnamon powder, with spirulina and hemp protein powder.
- Lunch – Eat an organic Lettuce (Cabbage) wrap with celery sticks.
- Dinner – Steamed broccoli with a half cup of organic chicken.
- Snack – Should be consumed half an hour before going to bed. Mix some blueberries, raspberries, and papaya with sour yogurt with half teaspoons of chia seeds (sabja).
5. Eat organic foods
Your diet should include a high protein diet. So, it is very important that the proteins that you get from meats and dairy products should be organic from nature. Commercial meats contain a high amount of extra hormones particularly estrogens that helps those animals to grow big to produce milk early, at a faster rate. PCOS is associated with progesterone deficiency, so adding more estrogens will harm you more.
6. Eat high fibre rich foods
There are 2 main benefits of eating fibre-rich food in PCOS.
- By improving your digestion of sugar in your body
- By promoting healthier estrogen metabolism levels
Great source of fibre is Celery, broccoli, Ezekiel Bread, apples, whole grains, and dark leafy vegetables.
7. Quit coffee
Coffee contains a high amount of caffeine. Caffeine increases estrogen levels which is the worst scenario for women with PCOS.
8. Exercise for 30 minutes every day, 5 days a week
Daily exercising will help to improve insulin sensitivity. It also helps to increase your metabolism and shed any extra weight. Resistance and aerobics exercises are very good for your health. But, avoid excessive exercise as it can harm the adrenal glands which help to increase the inflammation which is also a major cause of PCOS.
You should include Brisk walk, weight lifting exercises, or Pilates, or run on a treadmill. You can also do Zumba and fertility yoga for a better health. Do all these exercises for at least 5 days a week.
You can also check about PCOS Exercises that help reduce it
What are the benefits of PCOS Diet Plan?
- It helps in increasing the rate of ovulation.
- It helps improve the environment of the uterus for implantation.
- Increase the chances of conception.
- Decreases potential miscarriage.
- Prevents insulin resistance.
- Prevents turning your insulin resistance into diabetes.
Note: The material is not intended to constitute medical advice, probable diagnosis, or recommended treatments. Do not substitute this information against any recommendation of a professional medical practitioner.