5 Foods to avoid in PCOS

PCOS awareness month is here! Another beautiful September morning has arrived and I want to start our day on an optimistic note – Managing PCOS is 80% diet modification and 20% staying active (at least for me). Yeah, you heard me right! But don’t make diet modification a complicated thing to do. It’s easy to find tonnes of food you should include in your diet while fighting PCOS but we rarely read about the food one needs to avoid so let’s keep it simple and remember these 5 foods that you can include in your NO-NO list for now!

Having said that, if you are a frequent visitor here, you must know that I do not advocate having a single type of diet or exercise regimen, ever! It’s all about finding the right balance and finding what works for you. 🙂

Processed food

It’s a no-brainer that processed food is high in sodium, carbs and trans fat which not only affects your hormonal milieu but also adds onto the already disrupted insulin sensitivity in PCOS. If there is one thing you can do from the whole of this list, cut out on processed food completely, it’s not doing any good to you! So next time you are picking up something at the grocery, don’t forget to check the label. It’s one of the smallest but a very useful habit to acquire.

Sugar

It wouldn’t be wrong if I said ‘sugar’ is a slow poison especially if you are dealing with PCOS and by sugar I mean the white processed refined sugar that we use inadvertently in our daily day today cooking. Natural sugars do not cause as much harm so the sugars in fruits and vegetables even though are advised to be avoided, I think can be a good alternative, like honey, stevia, molasses, dates etc.

Carbs

I am not someone who advocates zero carb diet, never, I think carbohydrates are essential but should definitely be taken in moderation but the problem with our (Indian) diet is, about 50% of what we eat is carb and that’s dangerous. Carbohydrates are the primary stimulus that raises blood sugar levels and not quite gradually. Fibre containing complex carbs are however a better choice over a simple, overcooked carbs as they raise our blood sugar levels much gradually.

Junk

It’s easy to slip your way into junk food in this era of consumerism and with our fast flowing lifestyle, after all, it’s pre-cooked, packaged and is readily available in no time, now who wouldn’t want it right? It’s even easier (in PCOS) because the craving for such junk is through the roof, all the time. The struggle is real. Do not devoid yourself of a few munchies here and there but do not depend on these junks, it’s only sucking good health out of you, trust me on this, will you?

Dairy

Dairy is a much controversial subject in relation to PCOS and that’s why I am keeping it for last. Even though there is no scientific back up to support that dairy is harmful, many women with PCOS seem to benefit from avoiding dairy. Dairy is essential for its calcium and protein content but it should not be a major part of your daily diet is my own perspective so moderation is the key here.

Hope this was helpful if you are looking to modify your diet. You don’t have to blindly follow any list here or from anywhere else, we are all different, so be gradual in making these small changes and see how it goes from there. Get in touch with me if you have any more questions! Have a great PCOS awareness month ahead and definitely educate those around you 🙂

 

The images used in this article are not my own, no copyright infringement intended.