PCOS and Diet

PCOS, or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, is a disorder of the endocrine system. Women who have it often suffer from excessive weight gain, hirsutism, acne, amennorrhea, pain, and dysmennorhea. We have had several requests to cover this, unfortunately there is no easy answer. Low carb diets are not good for PCOS, nor are high fat diets.

The best bet is to follow a regular healthy diet and exercise as able. Avoid processed and fried foods, eat as clean as possible, fill your diet with beautiful colors of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein. Insulin resistance is a problem for most people with PCOS, so a diet low in sugar is highly beneficial, most women can tolerate the equivalent of 6 teaspoons of sugar a day, with PCOS try to cut that down to 4.

Complex carbohydrates are better as they do not cause the insulin to spike like a simple carb will, simple carbs are potatoes, rice, white sugar, and pasta. Oatmeal, quinoa, and amaranth are good examples of more complex carbs that also contain essential fiber and antioxidants.

Overall, eat what makes your body feel better, when you try something new give it a few days to be effective, you will feel bad from wrong foods right away, it takes longer to feel good from whole foods.

Source: http://pcos.about.com/od/losingweight/f/diet_pcos.htm