- When talking to women with PCOS about nutrition,
one of the first things I recommend that they do
is to antioxidize themselves.
Fruits that are one of Mother Nature's most potent
anti-inflammatory chemicals.
Antioxidants are your body's seekers and destroyers.
They specialize in scavenging damaging chemicals
that encourage aging.
When choosing fruits, choose fruits that
are deeper in color.
Generally they have a higher antioxidant content.
These fruits would include blueberries, cherries,
pomegranates, and strawberries.
It is important to keep your blood sugar stable,
and that will help reduce carbohydrate cravings.
Refuel your body frequently
and spread your meals or snacks evenly throughout the day.
Remember to eat every three to five hours.
And at each meal or snack, include a carbohydrate,
a protein, and a healthy fat.
Remember to moderate your meat intake.
A diet high in protein will promote inflammation.
Keep your serving size of protein to the size
of the palm of your hand and remember,
choose lean animal protein, red meat, poultry, and fish.
You might even want to try an occasional vegetarian meal
of beans, lentils, hummus, or tofu,
as a way of increasing protein in your diet
without encouraging inflammation.
It is important to have fat in your meal plan
and choosing healthy fats are an important way
of balancing your diet.
Choose fats such as olive oil, canola oil,
peanut oil, avocados and olives, nuts and seeds,
and peanut butter and nut butters.
Remember to watch the portion size
as they are very high in calories.
A word about whole grains.
Low carbohydrate diets are often recommended
for women with PCOS.
Carbohydrates are frequently referred
as bad or good carbs, and associated with weight gain.
When seeking carbohydrates, choose whole grain breads,
pastas, cereals, and crackers,
and remember to monitor your portion size.
I teach a series, Gaining Control of PCOS.
The program will not cure PCOS,
but it is designed to empower women
to make lifestyle and eating changes
to reduce or minimize PCOS symptoms.
The program provides sound nutrition information based
on evidence-based research.
Since PCOS is not a perfect disease,
there is not one perfect treatment.
In series one, we talk about signs and symptoms of PCOS,
various medications used in treating
the symptoms for PCOS, balanced meal planning
and meal patterns, and ways to reduce stress
and emotional eating.
In series two, we look at the different types of fats that
are in our diet and focusing on omega-three fatty acids.
We tell the truth about carbohydrates
and learn how to read a label.
After the series, there's a 30-minute individual
nutrition consult with the dietician,
where women can meet with the dietician
to discuss their individual nutritional needs.
Gaining control of PCOS will not cure PCOS.
It was designed to empower women to make lifestyle
and eating changes to reduce
or minimize polycystic ovarian syndrome symptoms.