We know that diet plays an important role in balancing your hormones and managing PCOS symptoms. But knowing what foods to eat can feel overwhelming.
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder that affects around 1 in 10 women of reproductive age. It not only affects your ovaries, but your metabolism and other areas of your body too. The main characteristics include irregular periods, excess androgens (male hormones), and polycystic ovaries.
If you have been diagnosed with PCOS and trying to manage your symptoms, diet has a huge role to play. Insulin resistance is one of the biggest contributors to the symptoms of PCOS and the foods you eat can improve or worsen insulin resistance.
Navigating the advice provided online can be an absolute minefield, some will say to avoid gluten and dairy, others might claim that a high protein or Keto diet is best whilst others swear by restrict calories.
I’m here to let you know that you do not need to eliminate anything from your diet, all foods can feature in a healthy balanced diet, and you CAN improve your symptoms whilst enjoying the foods you love. Counting calories is not something I recommend either, instead I advise that you tune in to your natural hunger and satiety signals and let them guide your portion sizes and meal frequency. We talk about how to do this in the PCOS ReBalance programme.
To help get you started I’ve selected a few recipes that will help you improve insulin sensitivity, avoid large spikes in glucose levels, work towards rebalancing your hormones and improving your energy levels.
Here is a sample meal plan to support PCOS:
Breakfast:
Snack:
Apple slices with nut butter
Cheese with wholegrain crackers
Handful of almonds or walnuts with dried fruit
Hummus with veggies
Homemade lightly salted popcorn
Lunch:
Snack:
Greek yogurt with granola
Baby carrots with hummus
Cottage cheese with fruit
Trail mix with nuts and dried fruit
Dinner:
Snack:
Dark chocolate
Air-popped popcorn
Cottage cheese with sliced cucumber on wholegrain crackers
Greek yoghurt with fruit
It's important to note that the meal plan above is a sample and may not be suitable for everyone. Understanding what foods support your PCOS and the type of meals that work with your schedule and lifestyle are an important step in managing your PCOS. If you’d like to find out how I can support you in identifying this then please feel free to book a free 15-minute consultation.
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