Why Highly Restrictive Diets For PCOS Are Best Avoided

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You might experience occasional frustration if you have PCOS. A PCOS-friendly diet and some lifestyle adjustments may help you feel better and lessen some of the symptoms of the condition.

It has been demonstrated that decreasing even 5% of body weight will improve skin, menstrual cycle regularity, and insulin levels. However, many PCOS sufferers have trouble reducing weight, probably as a result of high insulin levels that encourage fat accumulation. For women with PCOS, the typical low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet or a restrictive diet plan might not be the best course of action. Increased insulin levels are brought on by consuming large amounts of carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates (such as sweets, white bread, white rice, etc.). A low glycemic index diet and PCOS reducing foods would be preferable because it would prevent the plethora of issues that high levels of insulin can bring about for PCOS-affected women.

PCOS Diet Management

PCOS is a complicated condition. Despite the fact that PCOS is the most prevalent endocrine condition among fertile women, there is still much to learn about it. Here are a few reasons why weight loss is so challenging for those with PCOS and why it might be time to finally get off a restrictive diet. Avoid restrictive dieting meaning can be better understood by the points mentioned below:

  • Women with PCOS have greater insulin levels than those without the disorder. As a growth hormone, insulin encourages the body to store fat (which leads to weight gain). Additionally, insulin is a potent appetite stimulant that makes you yearn for foods high in carbohydrates.
  • Compared to women without PCOS, females with PCOS typically have substantially slower metabolisms. Many PCOS-affected women might only lose weight when they severely restrict their caloric intake. Your metabolism will only slow down more when you do manage to shed weight. You will probably gain weight as soon as you start eating more. The fundamental reason why diets don't actually work for anyone is that everyone has a slower metabolism. 
  • Hormones that control hunger are proven to be less effective in PCOS women. As a result, our hormones' ability to make us feel hungry or full is impaired. It may be due to this hormone deficiency and excessive insulin levels that you experience constant hunger while following a PCOS strict diet plan.

PCOS Avoid Food List

Refined carbs are amongst the avoid food in PCOS list as they promote inflammation and worsen insulin resistance; they should be avoided or consumed in moderation. These include highly processed foods such as white bread, cupcakes, pastries, sugary desserts, and anything prepared with white flour are amongst PCOS avoid foods list. Food restrictions for PCOS include pasta noodles using semolina, durum flour, or durum wheat flour as the primary ingredients are high in carbs and low in fiber. Pasta made using bean or lentil flour rather than wheat flour is a healthy alternative.

When following a PCOS diet, you may want to cut back on inflammatory foods and avoid food for PCOS like fries, margarine, and red or processed meats as well as sugary drinks like soda and juice.

However, it's best to consult a doctor before eliminating a number of foods from your diet. They can suggest a diet that is suitable for you and your particular requirements.

Many of the well-known low-carb diets have up to 60% of their calories coming from fat, a lot of it saturated. Due to the association between saturated fat and heart disease, these diets are not advised. Given that PCOS patients already have an elevated risk of heart disease, these diets may be especially harmful to PCOS patients. These diets also contain insufficient amounts of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and disease-preventive phytochemicals. It's important to keep in mind that this is a long-term diet and a diet to reduce PCOS must be studied in detail. 

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