Simple Diet Tricks to Manage PCOS
The guest blog linked below is a collaboration of diet tricks you can use to successfully manage the symptoms of PCOS, and even reduce the severity of problems associated with it.
PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) can affect fertility, skin, energy and weight, with many PCOS sufferers struggling to keep their weight down and difficulty managing blood sugar and energy levels.
I don’t need to tell you what a nightmare hormones can be when they misbehave – PMT, pregnancy and menopause hormone fluctuations are well known to cause dramatic mood swings and uncomfortable physical symptoms. But PCOS can make becoming pregnant difficult, and can make life that much harder for the sufferer, so what can you do about it?
PCOS is diagnosed by a combination of hormone imbalances (found with blood tests) and cysts on the ovaries.
You can take a simple home test to see if you have hormone imbalances with Thriva’s tests – click here for a review and discount.
Symptons include
- Absent, infrequent or irregular periods
- Excess hair (hirsutism) particularly on your face, chest and stomach
- Difficulty controlling weight
- Thinning of hair
- Acne
- Infertility (problems conceiving)
- Tiredness
- Mood swings
- Raised cholesterol
- Underactive or overactive thyroid
- Low self-esteem
- Depression
Segiola Salami mum, author blogger and PCOS sufferer who asked my advice about how to use diet to manage PCOS symptoms and associated complications. You can find my and the other contributors’ advice here, or read mine below.
Managing PCOS through diet is mostly about reducing sugar intake and balancing blood sugar. People with PCOS tend to have higher insulin levels and poor blood sugar regulation compared to most people. Losing weight is always helpful when needed, though PCOS sufferers might have to work harder at that, it’s definitely possible.
- Swap refined carbs for slow release, low GI ones. So swap white rice, pasta, bread and cakes and biscuits for beans and pulses and wholegrain versions, and swap mashed potatoes for skin-on new potatoes or baked sweet potatoes. Have smaller portions of carbs overall.
- Get a sweet fix from naturally sweet fresh (not dried) fruit, and use a natural sweetener like stevia instead of sugar, though sparingly, don’t overdo sweeteners either!
- Eat plenty of protein – some at every meal and snack, and include healthy fats which are not only necessary for health but also slows down food digestion and slows blood sugar rising.
- Do high-intensity interval training – it’s great at depleting blood sugar and regulating metabolism and the body’s ability to digest carbs without big insulin spikes.
The full blog also includes simple food swaps, vitamin supplementation advice and even medication when needed along with Segilola’s personal story of how she manages her PCOS.
And here’s that link again where you can get a discount on a home-taken hormone test.
Very simple changes women can make to their diet to improve their symptoms of PCOS