A low-GI diet is one of the most popular diets for women with PCOS.
So, how do you get started?
Well today on Nourish I'm going to interview PCOS dietitian Nicole Barber.
Stay tuned!
Nicole, welcome to Nourish!
Thank you.
So first of all, can you tell us about how you developed such a passion for working with
women with PCOS.
yeah, I've been working with women for a while now.
And I've really loved being able to work with women with PCOS, because a lot are in the
dark, and being able to support and encourage to help them understand their health and their
body better, has been really rewarding and then see changes, even fertility things happen,
is such a feel to work with.
Really enjoying that.
Oh, that's great.
So obviously the low-GI diet is one of the most popular treatments for PCOS.
Can you tell us what is the low-GI diet?
The low-GI diet really looks at our carbohydrates, and trying to choose carbohydrates that have
a more small gradual increase on the blood levels, or our glucose levels in our body.
So how is a low-GI diet beneficial for PCOS?
Studies have shown that with a low-GI diet they'll have more improved menstrual cycles,
and improved menstrual cycles, and improved menstrual cycles means we have better ovulation.
Right, so we're more likely to be able to conceive!
That's fantastic.
Sounds like a good move.
So then what happens when you eat foods that have a high glycaemic index.
Studies have really looked into this, and they've shown that foods that have a higher
glycaemix index or affect to the blood, show higher levels of insulin, and insulin resistance
really affect ovulation.
Right, okay.
So we need to be really avoiding that foods that are high GI as much as we can.
Yeah.
Okay.
So, some people suggest that women with PCOS should be avoiding carbohydrate foods all
together.
What do you think about this?
Yeah, it's been trending for a little while, and studies are really looking into it.
Wollongong University just did a big clinical study, where they looked at 377 participants
and found that rather than cutting them, if we switch to more low GI, they actually had
for the switch, a point three drop in BMI, better weight loss, better improved health.
Which is really positive, to say that low GI improves our health on many different levels,
including fertility.
Okay, fantastic.
So how would a person know if a food is low GI or not?
So, in Australia we have something called a glycaemix index foundation which puts a
logo on our food products now.
So that's something we can look for on cereals, and breads, pasta and rice.
But also, the fibre content is a really hand tool.
If something is more fibrous, fibre acts as a protective layer to our body, and will slow
down the breakdown of the glucose in our body.
That's a fantastic tip, so could you give me an example of a low GI food compared to
a high GI food that might have more fibre in it.
Yeah, so something like a seeded bread versus more of a white bread.
Okay, so if you just have a look at the amount of fibre, so say you're in the bread aisle
and you have a look at the different amount of fibre in all of the different breads, that
would give you a good indication as to which bread you should be choosing?
Yeah, if it's got more of a fibre content.
Yep, that would be the one to go for.
So, just to finish up, what would be your top tips for going low GI?
I would include my carbohydrates, but look for foods that I love and try and find one
that has more of a low GI, either the logo or something that's more fibrous.
If it's got seeds in it it's a great benefit to our bodies, and will make it low GI naturally.
If you can find a way to add in lentils and legumes, so into the dishes or on top of say
your potato or something like that, that would make it more low GI.
If you can add in other foods groups when you're eating your carbohydrates that would
make it more low GI, because it will take longer for the body to digest.
Yep, that's fantastic.
So, just to get down into the nitty gritty of those in a little bit more detail.
So first of all, you said go grainy.
And that's not just with bread, that's also with things like having different types of
wild rices, and crackers, choosing the grainy crackers and so forth.
And then you also said adding legumes.
So how does adding legumes help to lower the GI of a meal?
Yeah, so legumes are very fibrous, and so therefore they add a GI factor to the meal
that makes it lower.
Okay, and so what type of meals would you add legumes to?
So things like your mince, that you could add quite easily, when you're doing your stir
fries, if you're doing a soup you could put it in, salads, that would mix really nice.
Cannellinis make really lovely white sauces that you can put on top of things.
Actually that just reminded me of another tip that I give a lot of clients, is if they're
doing something like a pumpkin soup adding some cannellini beans or berlotti beans into
that and pureeing it through.
Great idea.
Then that's going to yeah, so all sorts of different ways.
And then your third one you said adding other non-carbohydrate foods.
So you're talking about like if you add a salad or some vegetables to rice, is that...
Yeah, great.
So that would make the meal take longer to digest by the body.
So when you add veggies, they have their natural fibres, and that adds a lower GI content to
the meal.
Fantastic.
And so when would you recommend, for somebody with PCOS, so they come in to see you.
Do you think it's something you would wait until you're trying to conceive to start a
low GI diet, or when would you recommend starting to follow a low GI diet?
Low GI diets are beneficial for us all, so we can all start implementing low GI diets.
Fantastic, alright.
Thank you so much for coming on today Nicole.
It's so great to be able to just chat with another of my beautiful colleagues, especially
somebody who specialises in PCOS.
There's been some great advice for everybody.
And, as always, if you are somebody who has any questions about following a low GI diet,
or if you've got any tips on how to make your diet lower in GI, we'd love you to share.
Just type in the comments section below.
The other thing is of course, as always, we have our fertility meal plan that you can
download, so idf you just go to melaniemcgrice.com/fertility to download your fertility meal plan, which
is a low GI meal plan, so will be great for anybody who is trying to conceive.
Alright, thanks everybody, see you again soon.