What foods should I avoid with PCOS?

In general, you should avoid eating foods that may trigger inflammation and increase body weight. Limit your intake of refined carbohydrates like white bread and white rice, and try to avoid sugary beverages, processed snacks, and excessive saturated fats and red meat.

What is the best diet for PCOS patients?

The Mediterranean diet approach is often recommended for patients to follow as it focuses on eating anti-inflammatory foods, which helps to improve insulin resistance and manage total body weight.

How to lose 20 pounds with PCOS?

If you are trying to lose 20 pounds as a PCOS individual, you want to focus on eating a low-carb diet and a higher protein diet with high fiber intake. You should also incorporate regular exercise with a balanced diet and ensure that you get enough quality sleep and manage stress well.

How to fix a PCOS belly?

A PCOS belly is a result of excess abdominal fat accumulated due to PCOS. It can be fixed by eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, managing stress, and getting enough quality sleep.

PCOS Diet: Foods to Eat and Avoid to Manage PCOS

Symptoms like unexplained weight gain, fatigue, or irregular cycles seem to work against you when you’re diagnosed with PCOS. However, just because you have PCOS doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. There are still ways to combat these symptoms and manage your hormones, blood sugar, and inflammation with a PCOS diet. We’ll explore what the PCOS diet is and the foods that can help you feel more balanced and in control.

Key Takeaways

Women with PCOS may experience symptoms like irregular cycles, weight gain, fatigue, insulin resistance, and inflammation.
Focusing on whole, unprocessed foods, lean proteins, healthy fats, and low-glycemic index carbohydrates can help regulate hormones, blood sugar, and inflammation.
Dietitians often suggest the Mediterranean diet for PCOS while avoiding processed and inflammatory foods.
Fried foods, sugary drinks, refined flour, red and processed meats, and alcohol can exacerbate PCOS symptoms and interfere with weight management.
Consistency in diet, exercise, and stress management helps support hormone balance, weight control, and overall health.

What Is PCOS?

PCOS awareness and reproductive health — Credit: Canva

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), also known as polycystic ovarian syndrome, is an endocrine disorder that affects women when they reach reproductive age [1]. It is estimated that around 5% to 26% of females are impacted by it globally.

PCOS occurs when your ovaries are producing hormones in excess, leading to what’s known as androgens. As a result of excessive hormones, it may contribute to complications such as irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, metabolic disorders, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, poor blood glucose control, and endometrial cancer, to name a few.

What Is the Best Diet for PCOS?

Healthy foods for PCOS diet including salmon, avocado, vegetables, fruits, and olive oil for hormone balance. — Credit: Canva

Common PCOS symptoms an individual may experience are abnormal hair growth, acne issues, insulin resistance, hair loss, cysts, inflammation, weight gain, and other symptoms.

According to Amanda Stathos, a dietitian at Johns Hopkins Hospital, people with PCOS can still work to improve their overall health with lifestyle changes and a good diet [2].

Insulin resistance affects an estimated 50 to 70% of people with PCOS and increases the risk of diabetes. One way to combat this is by maintaining a healthy weight, and this is done through diet and exercise, as said by Stathos.

The Greek or Mediterranean diet is one of the most common diets recommended by dietitians as it mainly emphasizes eating whole foods, healthy fats, and includes fatty fish. It can be part of the dietary changes that you make since it focuses on a healthy approach rather than being a fad diet, with quick fixes.

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Foods to Eat and Avoid for a PCOS Diet

Generally, people with PCOS should focus on whole, unprocessed foods and avoid those that may cause inflammation.

Some foods to include are:

Whole grains
Fresh fruits and non-starchy vegetables
Omega-3-rich seafoods
Lean meat
Beans and legumes
Olive oil
Nuts and seeds

Meanwhile, you should try to avoid these foods as they can lead to increased inflammation:

Fried foods (e.g., French fries, potato chips, corn chips, fried fish)
Saturated fats (e.g., butter, margarine)
Red meat
Processed meats and processed snacks
Sugary beverages
Alcohol
Refined flour

Does the PCOS Diet Help With Weight Loss?

A PCOS diet that focuses on consuming whole, unprocessed foods can help to support weight loss. The emphasis is on eating low glycemic index (GI) foods, lean protein, and healthy fats while omitting foods that are high in salt, added sugar, and unhealthy fats.

Processed foods, alongside refined carbohydrates, can lead to increased risk of weight gain, inflammation, and insulin resistance.

Get accurate nutrition info and track progress by downloading Eato on App Store and Google Play.

7-Day PCOS Diet Plan, PDF Available

Below is a sample 7-day PCOS diet plan that you may refer to if you need some inspiration on how to get started with this diet. It follows the key principles of a healthy diet, which is a focus on whole foods with minimally processed ingredients.

At the end of it, you’ll also find a PDF version that you can save and download.

Day 1

Breakfast: Blueberry chia seed pudding with almond milk
Snack: Apple with almond butter spread
Lunch: Grilled salmon with brown rice
Snack: Carrot and cucumber sticks with hummus
Dinner: Turkey stir-fry with mixed vegetables

Day 2

Breakfast: Spinach and mushroom omelette
Snack: Handful of pumpkin seeds
Lunch: Grilled chicken breast with roasted sweet potato and green beans
Snack: Small bowl of berries
Dinner: Baked cod with marinara zucchini noodles

Day 3

Breakfast: Overnight oats with chia seeds, flaxseed, and unsweetened almond milk
Snack: Boiled eggs with avocado slices
Lunch: Quinoa salad with chickpeas, cucumber, tomato, olive oil, lemon
Snack: Celery sticks with tahini
Dinner: Grilled beef strips with asparagus and cauliflower rice

Day 4

Breakfast: Frozen berries smoothie
Snack: Handful of walnuts or almonds
Lunch: Baked chicken thighs with roasted Brussels sprouts and quinoa
Snack: Edamame with sea salt
Dinner: Salmon with roasted carrots and sautéed kale

Day 5

Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with spinach and avocado
Snack: Small handful of sunflower seeds
Lunch: Grilled turkey burger with lettuce wrap and side salad
Snack: Cucumber slices with guacamole
Dinner: Grilled shrimp with spaghetti squash and garlic olive oil

Day 6

Breakfast: Chia, flaxseed porridge with mixed berries
Snack: Roasted chickpeas
Lunch: Lentil and vegetable soup
Snack: Pear slices with almond butter
Dinner: Baked chicken breast with roasted zucchini and cauliflower mash

Day 7

Breakfast: Protein smoothie bowl
Snack: Brazil nuts (selenium boost for hormone health)
Lunch: Grilled salmon with wild rice and steamed green beans
Snack: Hummus with bell pepper slices
Dinner: Grass-fed beef stir-fry with broccoli and bok choy

7-Day PCOS Diet Plan Download

The Final Takeaway: Losing Weight With PCOS

The first step is to take small, consistent changes in your diet, movement, and stress management when managing your PCOS and its symptoms. If you’d like extra support in staying on track, apps like Eato can make the process simpler. With tools to track calories, macros, and meal patterns, Eato helps you build habits that work with your body and not against it. Start using Eato today!

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PCOS Diet: What Is It and Foods to Include for Better Health