PCOS Diet (with 3-day meal plan)

PCOS diet helps women who have this syndrome by controlling the unwanted symptoms of polycystic ovary syndrome.

70% of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome have difficulty controlling their weight. Since there is a hormonal imbalance, it becomes very difficult to lose weight. This brings with it unwanted symptoms and reduces your quality of life. The polycystic ovary diet helps you reduce these symptoms when made into a lifestyle.

PCOS ve Insulin Resistance

Insulin; is a hormone produced in the pancreas that helps control blood sugar. When you eat, your blood sugar begins to rise and insulin is secreted from the pancreas to lower it. Thus, your blood sugar is kept under control.

If a problem has developed in this metabolism; even though insulin is secreted, cell receptors do not detect it. That’s because they cannot recognize insulin. This time, parkreas secretes more insulin to lower blood sugar. This condition is called “insulin resistance”. In other words, the cells are resistant to insulin.

So what’s the problem here? You may think, what’s the harm in secreting more insulin? Well, the primary function of insulin is to lower blood sugar. However, its another function is to give the order to store fat. So, while lowering blood sugar, you store fat as triglycerides. In this case, the more insulin is secreted, the more fat is stored. That’s why if there is a problem with your metabolism, you cannot lose weight. Because the body is focused on gaining weight, not losing it. Insulin resistance also causes inflammation in the body. This reduces immunity and paves the way for different diseases.

In conclusion; the more sensitive your body is to insulin, the better. You can increase insulin sensitivity with the polycystic ovary diet. This should be the main goal anyway. Eliminating insulin resistance will help you get rid of many symptoms.

Generally, in PCOS patients, the insulin level in the body is higher than it should be. The presence of insulin resistance should be considered as a pre-diabetic period. For this reason, pcos diet is a diet low in carbohydrates.

What Is a Ketogenic Diet? | The Ultimate Guide To Keto Click to find out.

What is the PCOS Diet?

Pcos diet is a low glycemic index diet. It includes non-starchy fruits and vegetables as well as small amounts of full-fat dairy products. You can consume fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids (such as mackerel), lean red meat, poultry, legumes, and whole grain products on this diet.

Rather than a ketogenic diet that is very high in fat, a diet that is low in carbohydrates and contains moderate amounts of protein and fat is more suitable and effective for individuals with polycystic ovary syndrome. You need to follow this pcos diet for at least 3 to 6 months. If symptoms improve, it can be continued for life. If there is no improvement in symptoms, gluten and lactose will be removed from the diet and observe again for a few months. I recommend supporting the diet with a regular exercise routine 3-4 days a week.

PCOS diet can improve your most challenging symptoms if applied correctly and supported by a regular exercise routine. And as an added bonus, even a weight loss of just 5-10% of body weight increases the chances of ovulation by 50%.

How to Do PCOS Diet?

There are a few rules that those who follow the pcos diet should pay attention to.

Reduce the number of meals.

When you constantly snack, you have to constantly secrete insulin. This situation puts a strain on the pancreas. Keeping blood sugar constantly high increases inflammation in the body. Have 2 or 3 meals a day. Choose more filling meals for breakfast and something light for dinner. Instead of consuming only carbohydrates in your meals; try to consume carbs with protein-rich foods such as cheese, meat and yogurt. Since the digestion time of proteins is longer than carbohydrates, by eating this way you will prevent the sudden increase in blood sugar.

Stay away from processed (packaged) foods.

Do not consume packaged foods such as chips, candy, chocolate. Choose packaged products with 5 or fewer ingredients. In this diet, white flour, sugar, pasta and white rice should be reduced and replaced with oats, quinoa, amaranth, brown rice or other whole grain options.

Increase dietary fiber (fiber).

Dietary fibers slow down digestion, giving a feeling of fullness and playing an effective role in breaking insulin resistance. Get used to eating fruits and vegetables without peeling them. Try to consume it without pureeing it, without squeezing the juice, that is, without reducing the particles. This way, they are absorbed more slowly in the digestive system and raise blood sugar slowly.

Do not consume refined sugar.

Stay away from products containing white sugar, high fructose corn syrup, glucose syrup, artificial sweeteners, artificial colorings and MSG.

Stay away from foods containing trans fats.

Do not consume foods rich in trans fats such as chips or saturated fats such as margarine. Choose small amounts of butter, olive oil and hazelnut oil.

Drink plenty of water.

Make sure to drink 2.5 liters of water a day. If you are someone who cannot drink much water, you can flavor your water by adding lemon, cucumber or mint or infusing it with fruits.

As a rough calculation, you can calculate the amount of water you need to drink daily as; Weight : 30.

For example; 70 kg : 30 = 2,3 liters of water a day

Limit alcohol.

If possible, don’t drink any. A glass of red wine can be consumed occasionally if you must.

Try spearmint tea.

Various studies show that drinking 2 cups of spearmint tea a day reduces the symptoms of PCOS by lowering androgen hormones. The symptoms of PCOS patients who have difficulty menstruating, excessive hair growth and acne problems are relieved by drinking spearmint tea. For this reason, you can add spearmint tea to your daily pcos diet routine. However, even if it is just a herbal tea, it is best to drink it after consulting your doctor. Remember that medicines are also made from herbs.

You must understand that there is no cure for PCOS or a magic formula or pill that will cure its symptoms immediately. However, by making the polycystic ovary diet and lifestyle changes I mentioned, you can reduce the symptoms of PCOS and increase your fertility.