Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, generally known as PCOS, is a hormonal disorder that affects women in their reproductive age. Normally Ovaries make a little number of male hormones. But when Ovaries start making a higher amount of androgens than usual, it leads to an imbalance and causes women with PCOS to stop ovulating, which directly leads to Irregular menstruation.
Some other symptoms include:
· Extra hair on their body and face;
· Skin issues including acne breakouts;
· PCOS can easily cause obesity and make weight loss a difficult task.
· The most serious issue is the inability to conceive – PCOS and pregnancy may not go hand in hand. Here’s the biggest challenge in this scenario – more often than not, one comes to know about this health issue when the decision to conceive doesn’t fructify.
What to do
Women having issues like PCOS may also have insulin resistance; hence taking all the nutritious food a diabetic patient should, can be beneficial- that means that increased insulin levels need to be pre-empted and addressed. The need for incorporating a healthy diet plan is key.
Keeping an eye on weight gain & keeping the insulin levels optimum is the key to managing this health challenge. A key tip here is to opt for foods that are rich in fibre and low in carbs.
Which Foods to eat
· Natural low glycaemic index foods like whole Wheat, Wheat Flour
· Legumes, Pulses & Beans
· High-fibre vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, Brussel sprouts etc
· Green leafy vegetables: Spinach, Kale
· Lean protein, like Fish, Chicken, Tofu
· Bell Peppers
· Berries
· Sweet Potato
· Nuts like Almonds, Walnuts
Which Foods to Avoid
· White flour preparations: pastries, muffins, pasta made of refined flours like semolina, durum wheat;
· Sugary desserts
· Sugar to be avoided as much as possible. look for hidden sugar like high fructose, corn syrup
· Pre-packaged Fruit Juices, Sodas, fizzy drinks
· Baked goods, in general, are full of fat & refined carbohydrates; restrict their intake to the minimum possible.
How to counter it
Stress is also a big contributor to this issue. Interestingly, a woman who is looking quite lean & healthy may also be having PCOS, if she
suffers from high stress. But don’t worry, just making the required lifestyle changes, taking a high protein breakfast every morning, increasing physical activity, and following a balanced diet help a lot.
We, at niwi.ai, identify the body type and plan one’s diet according to the individual’s needs and have done so for thousands of our clients over 18 years.
With our customized diet plans, one also decreases the problems of these kinds of health conditions, by improving their relationship with food!