PCOS refers to Polycystic ovary syndrome; it is the commonly occurring condition in females after puberty. It is basically hormonal disorder that can affect adversely to the menstrual cycle.
If you are suffering due to PCOS then there is need to give attention to your diet so that you can control some immediate symptoms of this disorder but before understanding about the diet chart for PCOS women let us discuss some details about this disorder including causes and symptoms.
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What is PCOS?
It is the condition in which cysts get formed in the ovaries and lead to the overproduction of some hormones like androgens. Due to this disturbing level of hormones, females have to suffer from various health problems including the risks of heart disease, infertility, high blood pressure, and even diabetes. Yet there is no PCOS Treatment but there are some ways including the diet changes that can decrease or even eliminate the symptoms of this condition
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Causes of PSOC
Causes for this disorder have not been cleared but some researchers claim its link with the genes means generally the females inherit this problem from their mother. This condition runs into the family.
Generally, due to cysts formation, the level of androgens goes up and women stop ovulating as a result of which females have disturbed periods and infertility.
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Symptoms Of PSOC
The symptoms of this condition may vary person to person but the most common symptoms are:
- Problem of Acne
- Extra growth of hair on body and even face
- Thinning and weakening of scalp hair
- The problem in conceiving or infertility issues
- Sudden weight gain and problem in reducing weight due to a higher level of insulin in the body as a result of which sugar get turned in energy.
- Heavy bleeding during periods and some females also have the issue of irregular or no periods
- Long-term effects of PCOS are depression, anxiety, and stress.
Foods To Be Taken By PCOS Women
As per the experts, PCOS women should give extra attention towards their diet as they have sudden weight gain due to PCOS so their diet should be adequate so that it can help in reducing the weight. Even choice of diet should be in such a way that it could affect positively to the level of hormones and can improve the insulin resistance of the body.
Ideally, PCOS women should take the complex carbohydrates, high protein, and adequate amount of fats along with the sufficient amount of omega 3 fats as these help in combating the many symptoms of this disorder. Here are some suggestions for foods to be taken by PCOS women
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High fiber
Women with PCOS generally are suggested to load up o fiber means they are suggested to take foods that have high fiber so that they can produce the productive levels of insulin. Foods like whole grains, cruciferous vegetables, beans, lentils, legumes, nuts, broccoli, and seeds are counted as the fibrous foods so help in fighting with insulin resistance as these foods slow down the digestion and even reduce the impact of sugar on the blood.
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Lean protein
Gaining weight is the obvious effect of PCOS so patients of this order are asked to eat more lean protein as these proteins keep you fuller for a longer time means help you in avoiding the unhealthy snacks. It is an effective way to avoid calories and weight gain so you must add tofu, chicken, and fish in your diet for controlling your weight.
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Foods that reduce inflammation
Inflammation is also one cause for the PCOS as it is responsible for the imbalance of hormones so women suffering from this disorder must have the foods that reduce the inflammation so that they can manage some symptoms of this disease. You must add the foods like tomatoes, spinach, almonds, walnuts, olive oil, fatty fish, whole grain, kale in your diet as all these have anti-inflammatory properties.
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Omega -3 fatty acids
Omega 3 fatty acids are very effective for balancing the level of hormones and even improve the level of insulin so you must consume the foods that have the high level of omega 3 fatty acids like fish, olive oil, avocado, and seeds.
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Low Glycemic Diet
You must choose the diet that has the low glycemic index as PCOS make the women insulin resistant so the level of sugar and insulin goes up unnaturally so that low glycemic foods can help to lower down this level. So add the fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and the lean proteins into your daily diet for best results.
Foods Not To Be Taken By PCOS Women
There are some foods that must be avoided by the PCOS women to decrease or eliminate some symptoms of this disorder so following are some foods to be avoided by the PCOS females
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Processed food
Processed foods should not be added in the diet chart of PCOS women as these foods contain high sodium content and unhealthy fats that can make the condition worse so you must restrict the intake of junk foods, canned products, and fried foods
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Milk
Milk is considered as the healthy food but is not good for PCOS women as it has the high protein content that can limit the testosterone metabolism as a result of which testosterone level gets increased that can worsen the condition so prefer the skimmed milk.
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Refined Carbohydrates
As the risk of diabetes and weight gain is higher in PCOS ladies so they are suggested to avoid the foods that have refined carbohydrates as these sugary and refined carbohydrates can increase the level of blood sugar.
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Soya Products
Soy products may become the cause of delay in ovulation so these are generally asked to avoid.
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Caffeine And Alcohol
Caffeine intake and alcohol consumption can increase the infertility problem so can create more issues so generally the PCOS women are asked to avoid both of these for decreasing the problem of infertility.
Thus your healthy and active lifestyle with a healthy and balanced diet can reduce the symptoms of this disorder so consult your doctor or nutritionist for your diet plan.
