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Eating right with PCOS

Eating a well balanced diet is the key to a healthy lifestyle for young women with PCOS. Some teens with PCOS are average weight, but many are overweight and have trouble losing weight. This is because young women with PCOS often have higher levels of insulin (a hormone) in their blood. Insulin’s main job is to control blood sugar, but insulin can also signal your body to store fat. It's important to understand how your body uses the food you eat and what foods work to keep your insulin level down. Knowing the right foods to eat as well as the kinds of food to limit can improve the way you feel and help you to lose weight, too. Losing even a small amount of weight if you are overweight can help improve PCOS symptoms.

What do I need to know about insulin and carbohydrates?
Are all carbohydrates the same?
Do I need to buy special foods?
What about non-carbohydrate foods like fats and proteins?
Do I need to follow a diet that is extra high in protein?
If I choose the right foods, do I need to be worried about my portion sizes?
Is it important for me to exercise?
Things to remember if you have PCOS

What do I need to know about insulin and carbohydrates? top

The insulin level in your blood goes up after you eat. It goes up the most after you eat or drink something that contains carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are found in grains (bread, pasta, rice, cereal, and potatoes), vegetables, fruits, most snack foods (like chips, cookies, and candy), and drinks like soda and juice.

Are all carbohydrates the same? top

No. If you eat two foods that have the same amount of carbohydrate, they may have a different effect on your insulin level. This effect has a lot to do with the type of carbohydrate the food has. Carbohydrate foods with fiber are usually the best to eat if you are trying to keep your insulin level down. Carbohydrate foods with a lot of sugar cause insulin levels to go up and make you hungry several hours later. Try to choose high-fiber, low-sugar carbohydrate foods most of the time.

Instead of:	Choose:
Sweetened juice, canned fruit in heavy syrup, or sweetened applesauce	Fresh fruits or canned/frozen fruit with light syrup or without syrup, or unsweetened applesauce
Starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, and peas	Non-starchy fresh vegetables or canned vegetables like carrots, spinach, or tomatoes
Refined grains made with white flour like white bread, pasta, bagels, and white rice	Whole grains or darker grains like whole wheat pasta, brown rice, and whole wheat bread
Sugared cereals and sweetened grains like cereal bars, breakfast pastries, and donuts	High fiber cereals like shredded wheat or All Bran. Try to have a cereal that has at least five grams of fiber per serving. Sprinkle ¼ cup of bran cereal or unprocessed bran on a low-fiber cereal to increase the fiber.
Sugary drinks like soda or juice	Sugar free drinks like water, diet soda, flavored water, and seltzer water
Sugary foods like cookies, cakes, and candy	Sugar free foods like gelatin, popsicles, yogurt, and pudding

Do I need to buy special foods? top

No. You don’t need to go out of your way to buy special foods! Just like with any healthy diet plan, your meals should include mostly vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats, and healthy fats. Most foods fit into a healthy diet for PCOS, but you should read food labels to help you pick out the best choices. Look for high fiber grains rather than low fiber grains.

Don’t be fooled by fat-free treats. They usually have a lot of added sugar. Look for brands that have the least amount of sugar and the most fiber. It is also important to know that some sugar-free foods (like baked goods) can raise your insulin levels because they have other high carbohydrate ingredients like white flour. Other sugar-free foods have no affect on insulin because they are also carbohydrate free. These foods (diet soda, sugar-free juice, and sugar-free popsicles) make great additions to a PCOS diet.

What about non-carbohydrate foods like fats and proteins? top

Non-carbohydrate foods include protein foods like meat, chicken, fish, eggs, beans, nuts, peanut butter, and vegetarian meat substitutes, and fats like oil, butter, cream cheese, and salad dressing. Combining foods that contain protein or fat with a carbohydrate will help to slow down the absorption of the carbohydrate and keep insulin levels down. For example, have peanut butter or hummus on bread rather than just plain bread.

Keep in mind that some fats are much healthier than others. Healthy fats are found in olive oil, canola oil, nuts, avocados, and fish. Choose healthy fats and proteins over butter, margarine, mayonnaise, full-fat cheese, and red meat.

Do I need to follow a diet that is extra high in protein? top

No. Really high protein diets are not good diet options for teens because they can be low in some important nutrients such as fiber, the B vitamins, and vitamin C. It is also important to remember that even if you limit your carbohydrate intake, overeating fat or protein can cause weight gain. You should aim for a diet that has some protein, carbohydrate, and fat.

If I choose the right foods, do I need to be worried about my portion sizes? top

Yes! How much you eat has a big effect on your insulin level. For example, your insulin will go up much more if you have three cups of pasta than if you have one cup of pasta. This means it is usually better to have small meals and snacks during the day than it is to have three large meals. This will keep your insulin level lower throughout the day. If you are still hungry, it is a good idea to eat more of the foods that don’t affect your insulin as much (like vegetables or meat).

Is it important for me to exercise? top

Yes! It is really important that girls with PCOS exercise because exercise brings down insulin levels and can help with weight maintenance or weight loss. Exercise can be especially helpful in bringing down insulin after a meal. So, if possible, go for a walk after you eat a large meal. Any increase in exercise helps, so find an activity, sport, or exercise that you like to do. If you aren’t doing a lot of exercise now, start slowly, and build up to your exercise goal. If you exercise sometimes, try to exercise regularly. Work towards exercising for 60 minutes everyday.

More info on staying fit with PCOS.

Things to remember if you have PCOS: top

• Don’t get frustrated if you don’t lose weight quickly or if you’ve tried to lose weight before and it didn’t work. Learning how to choose and balance your carbohydrates and doing regular exercise will help!

• Stay positive! It can be very difficult to achieve visible results. Doing what's right for your body IS doing something good, even if you don't see a big change in your weight.

• Eat a balanced diet! Your body needs carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

• Eat smaller meals and healthy snacks during the day instead of three large meals.

• Choose healthy carbohydrate foods that are high in fiber and low in sugar.

• Load up on vegetables and fruits! They are high in fiber and packed with vitamins and minerals. Eat fruits raw or cooked, as juice with no sugar added, canned in their own juice, or dried.

• Balance your carbohydrate foods with non-carbohydrate foods.

• Limit your portions when you are eating high-carbohydrate foods (especially ones that are low in fiber). If you are still hungry at the end of the meal, try having extra vegetables or extra protein foods like meat, fish, eggs, or beans.

• Satisfy your sweet tooth with fruit or sugar-free gelatin for dessert. Small portions of treat foods can be included occasionally, too.

• Don’t forget to exercise! Good nutrition is important, but it isn’t enough. You also need to exercise regularly. Adding exercise or increasing the exercise you already do will help you manage your PCOS. Get started with the PCOS Fitness Guide.

• Talk to your doctor about managing your PCOS. Most young women with PCOS need to take medication, even with good nutrition and exercise. If you have more questions about PCOS and nutrition, ask your doctor about talking to a nutritionist who has experience in working with teens with PCOS.

Content last updated June 18, 2008

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