PCOS Diet
The underlying cause of PCOS is insulin resistance. So in order to get PCOS under control, and to lose weight, your diet must be built around that fact. Insulin is a hormone which is produced by the pancreas. Insulin helps the body use glucose, which is sugar. Glucose is used for energy immediately or stored as fat for future use. Insulin resistance is when the normal production of insulin cannot make use of the sugar in the blood. Therefore more insulin is produced. Over time this overproduction and insulin resistance will cause type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance also causes an imbalance in the cholesterols of HDL and LDL, increasing the risk of heart disease. Insulin resistance is aggravated, or worsened by obesity and physical inactivity.
If you lose just 5% of your body weight you will see an improvement with acne, menstrual cycles and insulin levels. Losing weight is more difficult for women with PCOS as the high insulin levels in the blood promote storing glucose as fat. Low fat high carb diets will not work with insulin resistance!
Foods high in carbohydrates such as candy, white bread, white rice, desserts will quickly produce elevated insulin levels. High insulin levels worsen PCOS and must be avoided. Therefore you need to eat food that will not cause spikes in your insulin level. You need to eat food low on the glycemic index, which is a low glycemic diet. Even if you’re following a low glycemic diet, excess calories will be turned to fat so counting your calories is vital.
The glycemic index measures the spike in blood sugar after eating a particular food. Food with high numbers cause a fast, high spike in glucose, foods with lower numbers have a slow gradual rise. A glycemic index or GI of 70 or greater is high, 55 or less is low. You want to stay in the low range if you have PCOS and eat higher GI foods sparingly.
The easiest way to start following a low glycemic diet is to swap high glycemic index foods for lower ones.
Here are some foods with a GI of less than 55: artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, green beans, lettuce, low fat yogurt, peanuts, peppers, peas, spinach, summer squash, zucchini, tomatoes, cherries, plums, grapefruit, barley, peaches, dried apricots, soy milk, lima beans, fat free milk, fettuccine, apple, pear, whole wheat spaghetti, tomato soup, chickpeas, grapes, oranges, lentil soup, pinto beans, macaroni, pineapple juice, banana bread, long grain rice, bulgur, baked beans, oat bran bread, oatmeal (not the quick kind), cheese tortellini, kidney beans, kiwi, bananas, Special K cereal, sweet potatoes.
There are many cookbooks available today with meal plans and recipes made just from low glycemic foods.