6 Powerful Diets for Combating PCOS

by Krista Russ

September 27, 2023

If you have PCOS, you are probably sick of being told what to eat, especially if you have been told to simply “eat less and move more”, which is woefully inadequate advice for managing PCOS.  

While diet and weight loss can certainly improve PCOS, a dietary approach is often more powerful when combined with other measures, such as exercise, sleep, and pharmaceuticals. This article will introduce six diets proven to combat PCOS. Low glycemic and fasting mimicking diets are a topic for the future. These diets include:  

While these diets may differ in their approaches, they all reduce insulin resistance, which underpins much of PCOS. Read our previous blog: The Seven Best Supplements for PCOS [add link] for more on that. Furthermore, multiple dietary strategies can be combined for enhanced effectiveness. The right diet for you depends on many factors, so you should Find an APIM | WLM Trained Provider for personalized advice.  

To find a doctor near you, simply search the Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy (BHRT) Provider Directory.

Low Carbohydrate and Ketogenic Diets

Low carbohydrate and ketogenic diets restrict the number of carbohydrates you consume. This is good because all carbs–whether starchy or sweet–are eventually broken down into sugars. Since people with PCOS have trouble handling sugar and tend to hyper-secrete insulin, a low carbohydrate diet lowers the need for insulin, thereby restoring insulin sensitivity.  

Low carb diets also tend to promote greater satiety than traditional, low-calorie diets [1]. On a low carb diet, you can eat until you are comfortably full and still lose weight. Low carb diets may even significantly increase the number of calories you burn at rest! [2]. Ketogenic diets are also called very low carbohydrate diets and confer even greater benefits beyond a modest low carb diet. While low in carbs and high in fat, ketogenic diets are moderate—not high—in protein—since too much protein can raise glucose levels too.  

For more specifics n these diets, including how many carbs to eat on a low-carb or ketogenic diet for PCOS and how many extra calories a low-carbohydrate diet can allow you to burn at rest, be sure to download our eBook.  

Protein-Rich Diets

Diets rich in protein are beneficial for PCOS because protein has a much lower impact on blood sugar compared to carbohydrates and promotes greater satiety. Protein increases the production of several satiety hormones like Peptide YY, GLP-1, and cholecystokinin (CCK) and decreases the hunger hormone ghrelin, and has been shown by several studies to curb appetite [3]. To learn more about the impact of protein on PCOS, including how much to eat for best satiety, how protein can increase your metabolic rate and even help with IVF treatments, be sure to download our eBook.  

Intermittent Fasting

Also known as time-restricted eating, intermittent fasting focuses on limiting when you eat to a fixed window of time, such as six hours, rather than focusing on what you eat.  This accomplishes a few things. First, limiting the timeframe in which you are eating naturally reduces caloric intake. This improves insulin sensitivity by forcing the body to burn off excess glucose. Second, fewer insulin spikes throughout the day increases insulin sensitivity [4]. Of course, paying attention to what you eat when you are not fasting is still important. Fortunately, we will uncover specific fasting regimens shown to benefit PCOS, including foods to eat when you are not fasting in our eBook.  

The Bottom Line 

All these dietary strategies are powerful tools in your battle against PCOS, but we have merely introduced them. For best results, we recommend you download our eBook, where we provide helpful tools like step-by step guidance and handy tips for beginners, as well as sample meal plans. 

And as always, to best improve your health, we strongly recommend you speak with an APIM | WLM Trained Provider, who can help you form a personalized blueprint to support your wellness based around a variety of strategies, including diet, hormones, and supplements pertaining to your specific health goals. 

Sources:

Gibson, A.A., Seimon, R.V., Lee, C.M.Y., Ayre, J., Franklin, J., Markovic, T.P., Caterson, I.D. and Sainsbury, A. (2015), Do ketogenic diets really suppress appetite?. J Obes Rev, 16: 64-76. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12230 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/obr.12230    

Ebbeling C B, Feldman H A, Klein G L, Wong J M W, Bielak L, Steltz S K et al. Effects of a low carbohydrate diet on energy expenditure during weight loss maintenance: randomized trial BMJ 2018; 363 :k4583 doi:10.1136/bmj.k4583 https://www.bmj.com/content/363/bmj.k4583     

Gunnars K. How Protein Can Help You Lose Weight Naturally. Healthline. Updated on March 30, 2023. Accessed August 4, 2023. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-protein-can-help-you-lose-weight    

Fung J. Chapter 15: Intermittent Fasting. In: Kenward L, Melcombe L, eds. The Diabetes Code. Prevent and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Naturally. Vancouver/Berkeley: Greystone Books; 2018:191-194.