PCOS: The Role of Nutrition in Managing Your Symptoms
This is the second post in my PCOS Series in honor of PCOS Awareness Month. Check out the first post, PCOS: What it is and How it Manifests, and tune in next week when I dive deeper into lifestyle practices that help manage PCOS symptoms.
So many of my clients with PCOS tell me that when they were diagnosed they were told to lose weight and eliminate gluten, carbs, dairy, and sugar in order to manage their symptoms. But, listen up ladies, elimination diets are not the answer! In fact, they are never, ever the answer unless the question is what should you NOT do to manage PCOS, hormonal balance, metabolism, and your relationship to food. All elimination diets do is make you crazy around food, create a disconnect between what your body and mind are telling you, and make you feel completely and utterly exhausted. Women deserve better. You deserve better! You are entitled to education that includes more than just a band aid for your symptoms. You are entitled to understand your body and how to work with it FOR YOU and YOUR LIFE.
There is no one size fits all dietary protocol for PCOS. With all of my clients, my goals are to use food to heal the gut brain connection, support the liver detoxification process, manage insulin, support gut health, and reduce inflammation. But exactly how we do that depends on the person. In order to get the best results, you have to first identify the root cause and then develop a targeted treatment plan. This is when working with a dietitian can be really beneficial! While an individuated plan is best, there are some general nutritional guidelines and modifications that are supportive to women with PCOS that I would like to share with you.
Macronutrients
Protein
I like to look at protein in two different categories: animal based and plant based. Sources of animal based protein include things like chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb but also eggs, cheese, and milk. Plant based protein sources include quinoa, peas, lentils, nuts, tofu, and beans. I also categorize them as high bioavailable and supportive, respectively. Both have a place in your diet, but if you have PCOS or think you may be at risk for insulin resistance, estrogen imbalance, or thyroid dysfunction, I really advocate for adequate, maybe a little bit higher, percentage of bioavailable protein on your plate. Again, this is always individualized so what that percentage is for you really depends on you and your dietitian or health care provider.
High bioavailable proteins support your liver’s detox process, which helps your body get rid of toxic waste, estrogen, etc. They also provide the essential nutrients that enhance muscle mass function and regulate thyroid hormone in the body and they promote insulin balance. When eaten with carbs, these protein sources help slow the rate of absorption of glucose into the bloodstream and stabilize the insulin response. They also take longer to break down in the body so it can help you maintain your feeling of fullness over a longer period of time.
Fats
Fat is essential for many different reasons. Finding ways to include moderate amounts into your day is going to be super beneficial for reducing inflammation and helping the body detoxify. You need all types of fat so the goal is not necessarily to eliminate saturated fats, which play a role in synthesizing hormones, but to focus on making sure you take in adequate amounts of unsaturated fats to help with inflammation. These are found in olive oil, avocados, fatty fish, tuna, eggs, nuts, and seeds.
The most important aspect fat provides is the satisfaction factor. If you include more fat with your meals, you will most likely feel more satisfied while possibly eating less. In other words, you want fats in your diet. They make you happier! When you eat fat, it also slows the rise and fall of blood sugar because it takes us longer to digest it. Lastly, fats do not secrete insulin so if you pair a carb with a fat, it reduces the insulin response. Therefore, reducing the likelihood that it is going to be stored as fat.
Carbohydrates
A lot of women I talk to who have PCOS bring up carbs. Diet culture has been demonizing carbs for years as the food group you must eliminate in order to lose weight or heal hormonal imbalances. That is not true! You need carbs for that “get up and go” energy, for healthy hormone balance, metabolic function, AND TO HELP YOUR BRAIN WORK. Carbs are the fuel your brain needs to think fast and thrive.
Carbs have a place on your plate. But you do want to look at the quality of those carbs, simple vs. complex, and the portion size. Simple carbs are things like white bread, white rice, or pasta and they give you quick energy. Complex carbs are going to be more unprocessed like quinoa or wild rice, sweet potatoes, and fruits and vegetables. These are the ones you want to make sure you are getting enough of. One of the key benefits of complex carbs is that they have so much fiber. This benefits gut health and stops your blood sugar from spiking as high and as quickly as simple carbs. Carbs also expand in your digestive system and that keeps you satisfied and fuller for a longer period of time. Regarding the quantity, you want to focus on moderate intake, so a smaller portion of the plate, not necessarily the main component. For example, when you think about a dish of pasta. It is typically all pasta with a few pieces of protein or vegetables. You want to reverse that and bring the veggies, protein, and fats to the forefront of the plate and keep the carbs and the starches as more of a piece of it.
Lastly, when you are looking at nutrition labels and thinking about carbohydrates, you want to be mindful of reducing ADDED sugars and focusing on natural sugars that come from things like fruit instead. You will find added sugars in more of the processed foods that use things like high fructose corn syrup, agave, honey, and maple syrup. Some of these have benefits on their own, but when you are consuming them in excess, they contribute to inflammation in the body and overall added calorie intake. You do not have to eliminate added sugars entirely but by becoming more aware you can make informed choices.
Micronutrients
Micronutrients are really helpful in supporting processes involved with hormonal balance related to PCOS. This is especially true for women who are given hormonal birth control to regulate their systems. Synthetic hormones affect nutrient absorption in the body, specifically magnesium, zinc, vitamin A , E, and B so in addition to making sure that you are getting adequate, nutrient dense food, you may need a supplement to ensure you have the resources your body needs to function and thrive.
Depending on the person and the micronutrient, I will recommend supplements and/or boosting intake through food for the following:
Omega 3s: Help reduce inflammatory stress on and throughout the body
B Complex: Essential in the liver detoxification process and also involved in many of the reactions that modulate hormonal balance
Inositol: Works directly with insulin to promote healthy ovulation
Vitamin D3: Plays an integral role in managing insulin balance. Particularity important for anyone that lives in areas with limited sunlight because it is hard to get adequate vitamin D3 through food.
Vitamins A, C, & E: Powerful antioxidants, important in the liver detoxification process
Zinc: Supports immune response, keeps inflammation response low
Magnesium: Helpful in the synthesis of serotonin (responsible for mood) and plays a helpful role in muscle function
N-acetyl Cysteine (NAC): Acts on the insulin pathway to maintain insulin balance, increase insulin sensitivity, and reduce inflammatory response
Complimentary Supplements
No amount of any supplement is going to help your PCOS symptoms if you are not first addressing your nutrition, managing your stress, getting enough sleep, or being physically active. However, there can be some benefits to herbal supplements. Some of the ones you might have heard of are black sesame, maca root, and rhodiola as well as ginger and turmeric. The type I talk about the most are pre and probiotics. It is worth mentioning that for general gut support, you can get these simply by eating yogurt and kefir as well as fermented foods such as kimchi! Many supplements are not regulated so if you intend to take them, I encourage you to talk to an expert.
Tired of taking an all or nothing approach to your wellbeing? Do you need help figuring out how to eat to balance your hormones and improve your metabolism without restricting food? I help women understand how to eat without restrictions so they can find peace and feel confident in their bodies. Send me an e-mail if you want to talk.
Reminder: this post is for general education purposes only.
