PCOD Diet Rules: Eat Healthy and Right

PCOD (Poly Cystic Ovarian Disease) or PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome) or the Stein-Leventhal syndrome refer to the same disease which is not new to Indian women. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that prevents the ovaries from working properly. Symptoms include irregular periods, reduced fertility, excessive hair growth, acne and weight problems.

The symptoms are typically seen between their late teens and early 20s. Though not all the symptoms occur in everybody, for example some women may experience extremely irregular periods, whereas others may have normal cycles but find excess body hair. Irregular periods could include, total absence, to heavy flow to highly irregular, to even spotting in between periods. Hence it becomes necessary to get a diagnoses done when faced with any of the symptoms and not dismiss it as a part of life.

PCOD Diet and related exercise can play an important part in managing PCOS. This is because young women with PCOS often have higher levels of insulin (a hormone) in their blood, and hence have issues with maintaining a healthy weight. The right diet and what foods to eat and what not can help you manage and improve the way you feel, besides helping you lose weight. Eating well, staying active, and maintaining a healthy weight can improve PCOS symptoms.

When suffering from this condition, food used well can be like your very own pharmacy

Some PCOD diet tips to follow which can help manage the condition well,

Foods to avoid while preparing meal plans,

– Processed and Refined foods such as maida

– Whole milk dairy, red meat, fried foods and bread

– Refined sugar, high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners

– Artificial colours, trans fat and high saturated fat

– Packaged foods and junk foods, basically any product with a long ingredient list

– Alcohol

Similarly preferable list of food which should be eaten as part of your meal plans are as follows, 

– Gluten free grains like oatmeal, brown rice, millets (jowar, bajra, ragi, sorghum, amarnath)

– Green leafy vegetables (lettuce, kale, chard, spinach, beet greens, dandelions, basil, parsley are some of them)

– Coloured Vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, Carrots, sweet potatoes, beets, and other root vegetables, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Bell Peppers, and Eggplant)

– Fruits (Berries, apricots, peaches, plums)

– Nuts and seeds (Brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, walnuts, macadamia nuts, flax, chia, and hemp seeds)

– Drink ample water daily to keep yourself hydrated and flush out the toxins

– Water can be flavoured or infused with fresh citrus, cucumber, mint or berries

– Consume food which has all natural ingredients

– preferable to have 5 to 6 meals a day, every 3 to 4 hours

– Combine lean protein and complex carb at every meal/snack

Also remember that besides eating the right food, how much you eat also affects your insulin. Example, your insulin will go up much more if you have 3 cups of pasta than if you have 1 cup of pasta. So it is important to restrict yourself to smaller meals than have few big ones. This helps you keep your insulin level lower throughout the day and manage your symptoms well. Hence PCOD diet forms a very important part of managing your condition.

Fasting is another tool besides PCOD diet which many use for weight loss and detoxification, and it is known for its many benefits.  However, it comes with its fair share of health risks, hence always advisable to do it under an expert guidance. Because if pre and post fasting is not taken care of as required it can lead to certain risks like dehydration, low blood pressure, dizziness, insomnia, etc.

There are many other ways besides diet plans which can help you manage PCOS without medicines.

Also Read: How to fight PCOD without medicines

The second thing is exercise which will help bring your insulin levels down. Slowly start increasing your physical activity be it any form, yoga, zumba, gym, running, etc to at least 5 days a week for an hour daily.

Lets read the story of Sheetal, a 28 year old woman who has been suffering from bilateral PCOD, since past 4 years. She had complaints of irregular menses with the periods coming once in 4 to 5 months, with severe cramp pain in her lower abdomen during menses. Her gynecologist gave her hormonal treatment for the initial few months, but she developed several side-effects. Read her story of how homeopathy helped her deal with her condition.