The Best Diet to Follow With PCOS

PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, is a hormonal imbalance-related condition affecting female reproductive organs. It can result in infertility and larger than normal ovaries. Symptoms like infrequent menstruation, excess body weight, facial hair, high blood sugar and hypertension are common with women suffering from PCOS. The best diet to follow with PCOS will be low in sources of complex carbs and saturated fats.

General Measures

If you are a PCOS patient, you should reduce your intake of refined complex sugars so the level of sugar in your bloodstream remains within normal limits. Avoid white breads and white rice and replace them with crunchy leafy veggies like lettuce, seaweed or grape leaves. Effective PCOS diets will include plenty of other vegetables like broccoli, cabbages, spinach, tomatoes and carrots. Eat lean meats like chicken and turkey and only oils with unsaturated fats like olive, flaxseed, macadamia or walnut. Lots of water--at least eight glasses per day--is essential in any diet for women with PCOS.

Breakfast

A sample PCOS breakfast plan should have sufficient whole-grain carbohydrates, skimmed milk and very little fat. For example, you can have less than a cup of any whole-grain cereal (not refined ones like corn flakes) with a cup of reduced-fat or skimmed milk. Do not add sugar. Also, have two slices of whole-grain bread, toasted crisp with no more than one teaspoon of low-fat margarine. Wash down with a cup of unsweetened black tea or coffee.

Lunch

A sample PCOS lunch will contain a lot of green veggies and comparatively fewer carbs and proteins. For example, for lunch you will should have only one whole-grain or sourdough bread roll with one piece of lean protein like turkey, chicken or ham. Add to this a half cup of red, green or yellow bell pepper. You can substitute this with a garden salad with unlimited cherry tomatoes, lettuce and onions. End the meal with three ounces of reduced-fat yogurt with no sugar and half a cup of fresh strawberries. You can replace this with a medium fruit like an orange or apple.

Dinner

For dinner, you can have moderate quantities of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. A sample PCOS dinner could include five ounces of salmon (broiled or grilled with a teaspoon of olive oil) or similar amounts of chicken or turkey breast (roasted or grilled) as the protein source. With this, you can have half a cup each of cooked brown rice and boiled veggies such as spinach, carrots and broccoli. You will be allowed to indulge your taste buds with a small scoop of specialty low-fat ice cream or custard with half cup of cantaloupe every alternate evening.