Polycystic ovary syndrome is a hormonal disorder that is common amongst women of reproductive age. Women who suffer from this have a frequent or prolonged menstrual period and also tend to have an excess of male hormone levels. The ovaries tend to develop various small collections of fluid and they fail to regularly release the egg. This might come out as shocking and also scary for the woman who suffers from this issue, but it is essential to know that you can reverse PCOS with a low-carb diet.
Yes, it is right that you can reverse PCOS with the right course of the diet. You just need to keep your carbohydrates in check and then eat whatever you want to eat.
Symptoms of PCOS
The most common symptoms of PCOS are irregular periods, trouble in conceiving a child, weight gain, acne, male pattern baldness, fatigue, and also mood swings. Find more PCOS symptoms here.
Various researchers and academicians have said that genetic variants contributing to PCOS exist. Others have said that genetic defects might lead to PCOS.
One must know that insulin resistance and excessive calorie consumption is a recipe for chronic disease. We often binge on chips, cookies, cakes, or any other food item we desire. But what does this do to our PCOS?
Low carb diet
Now let’s understand what you must eat to reverse your PCOS.
There is no standard diet for this, but there is a very widespread agreement about what food one must consume and which one to avoid. A healthy diet must include natural and unprocessed foods, high fibre foods, fatty fish, dark red fruits, broccoli, beans, healthy fats, dark chocolate, etc.
Diabetes and PCOS
Women who have PCOS have insulin resistance or diabetes. This is a condition where the cells of the body do not properly respond to insulin and this results in high blood sugar and diabetes. If one consumes a low carbohydrate or a low GI diet, they can manage your weight loss and it will also reduce your risk of being diabetic. It has also been proven that a low GI diet has a better insulin sensitivity and results in more regular menstrual cycles and the quality of life of women increases.
In another study, people who have PCOS and follow both low carbohydrate and a dairyless diet, they are better in losing weight. They were able to improve their insulin sensitivity and were also able to reduce the testosterone levels in the body.
Reverse PCOS the right way
If you start consuming refined carbohydrates such as sugary foods, your weight loss will be difficult to control. Food that you eat must be rich in fiber, lean protein, and also must have anti-inflammatory properties.
You can have squash, berries, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cauliflower et cetera. All these have high fibre content.
If we talk about the inflammatory properties, you can go for spinach, almonds, walnuts, tomatoes, olive oil, and even strawberries.
What you must not include in your diet
Now that you know what you should eat, you should also know what you should limit. You should limit foods that have a lot of sugar like pieces of bread, muffins. You should avoid drinks such as Coca-Cola and also other sugary drinks. You should avoid red meat.
Avoid pastries, anything made with white flour. Pasta noodles that have semolina, wheat flour as their first ingredient are always high in carbohydrates and very low in fiber. They should be immediately removed from your diet. Pasta made from bean or lentil flour is excellent to consume.
When you are looking at the list of ingredients in every dish, you might find sugar by the name of sucrose, corn syrup, dextrose. Keep an eye for these ingredients and try to avoid this. Try to avoid rice, red meat, and margarine.
Change your lifestyle
Apart from a low-carb diet, you can also go for various lifestyle changes that can change your life for the better. Your proactive lifestyle choices have a direct impact on the disease. You must have physical movement daily and also must exercise. Both of these can reduce your insulin resistance especially when you limit your unhealthy carbohydrates.
Walk for at least 150 minutes per week or keep exercising regularly. Your diet plays a very important role but at the same time, you need to be physically active so that you can burn the extra carbohydrates that you consumed in your cheat meal.
Stress
The symptoms that are associated with PCOS can often cause a lot of stress. You can also go for various stress reduction techniques such as yoga, meditation, etc.
A lot has been said about this topic but the only conclusion women all around the globe can gather is that alow-carb diet definitely facilitates their recovery from this disorder.
If you follow a low carb diet, your acne tends to improve, your anxiety and depression might reduce, you might have improved chances of being pregnant and you might feel good about yourself!
Summing up
Overall, if you are coping with PCOS or any of its symptoms, you might end up feeling very frustrated at times. Keep on taking proactive steps regarding your health which can also uplift your mood and also reduce the symptoms. The best ways to do this is to create a very good balanced diet and stick to it. Your balanced diet must only include important carbohydrates and the rest of the nutrients that everyone consumes. If you are used to having bread, look for its alternatives. If you have a habit of consuming chocolate, go for dark chocolate. Replace your normal oil with olive oil or avocado. The small tips can definitely change your life for the better.
If the symptoms still exist and you are having a lot of mood swings, you can definitely go to a doctor. A doctor is the best person who can guide you so that you can come out of this issue in the best ways possible.