Diet for PCOS

Improving the diet program or adopting a new diet plan and making changes to the lifestyle may reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases associated with PCOS such as diabetes, heart disease, and endometrial cancer.

Below are some symptoms of PCOS: –

• Irregular menstruation or no periods
• High testosterone levels,
• Abdominal weight gain or obesity,
• Poly cystic ovaries,
• Abnormal hair growth (hirsutism)
• Elevated insulin levels,
• Oily skin or acne
• Infertility

Recommended Meal Plan for PCOS 

• Weight loss of 5-10% if overweight or obese in 3 months.
• Increased fiber intake including fruits, vegetables and beans.
• Decreased fat intake, particularly saturated fat.
• Smaller portions, at more frequent intervals (every 3-4 hours)
• Balanced meals including carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

Include	Avoid
Prefer complex carbohydrates. Whole wheat, ragi, dalia, oats, quinoa in daily diet	Limit refined cereals maida, bread, biscuit, pao, noodles etc.
Aim to eat 6-7 servings of fruits and vegetables daily	Limit intake of fruit juice
Eat protein with every meal or snack	Limit salt intake-no canned and tinned food, table salt, excess salt, achaar, papad
Choose good fat -nuts, seeds, Blends of oil in daily diet	Say no to saturated and trans-fat chips, bakery products, fried food
Regular exercise – 30-45min /day	Late breakfast and dinners to be avoided. Right food at right time is the key
Small and frequent meals	Packaged food and junk food to be avoided
Hydrate yourself -2.5 -3 ltr water daily	Avoid alcoholic drinks, cold drinks and juices
Use healthy cooking methods like Bake, grill, broil, boil, steam and microwave	Don’t reuse oil as it has trans fat