​PCOS Part II

Looking at your food as a way to help heal you always seems like a stretch, but think about how you feel after the cup of nice hot soup when sick or cool popsicle on the back of your sore throat.   Food is a natural healer and in the case of PCOS, food is the first line of defense. 
In my last blog I wrote about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.  This syndrome doesn’t just cause uncomfortable periods, but unwanted hair growth, raised testosterone levels, and insulin resistance.  Because a person because insulin resistant they are very often overweight or obese. This then causes emotional impacts to the young women as well. 
There is no cure but there are treatments to help with the symptoms.  First line, medication.  Great but that will only help keep you regular it will not help with the weight gain and other associated metabolic issues.   Let’s move onto the second line, DIET.  No, not weight watchers, a low Glycemic Diet.   All foods are put into a glycemic index, it like a rating scale for food.  The scale ranges from 0-100, 0 being the lowest GI and 100 being, don’t fucking eat that ever.  (Even if you don’t have PCOS).  The GI system in which carbs like bread, milk and fruit all ranked on how they will ultimately impact your blood sugar after eating. 
So if you think about food being in a stop light: Green is low 0-55, eat and be merry.  Yellow is moderation 56-69, eat on special days.  Red 70-100, never, it will send your blood sugar spiking leaving you hungry and flat. 
When trying to figure this out think of your food from big to small.  Big meaning in its purest form and smallest meaning overly processed and refined.  For example, rolled oats-big, instant oatmeal-small.  Stone ground bread-big, white bread-small.  Most fruits-big, Juice-small.  Make sense?
Now keep in mind not all low GI food is good.  For example, milk and cheese are low GI but high in fat and sodium.  Also, some moderate GI have little nutritional value like saltine crackers, pretzels, bagel and rice cakes.  Sure they are good in a pinch but really they are empty calories and still burn very quickly boosting insulin levels and making you hungry and unsatisfied.  This creates a grazing effect of your pantry where you are now eating 100’s of extra calories and just storing them into fat. 
So think about keeping things simple in the beginning:

1. Bigger is better:  Whole fruit no juice.  Drink water with real lemon juice instead of Lemonade
2. Fiber it up.  You want that bagel add a nut butter and berries.  Keeps you fuller longer
3. Protein:  Think lean, fish, beans, chicken and pork.  Give up the red meat for a while.
4. Healthy enhancers: EVOO vs butter avocado instead of mayo.
5. When creating your meal plate think ½ the plate veggies, ¼ starches and ¼ protein. 
6. When serving yourself hit the veggies first, then put in your starch and the protein to follow.
7.  Also, when plating keep the starch and the protein in the kitchen and bring the salad and veggies to the table.  Who wants to get up after finally sitting down?  You are less likely to have that 2nd helping of mashed potatoes. 

Below are several great websites with some very helpful information. 
 
 
http://www.webmd.com/diet/video/ludwig-high-glycemic
 
http://www.webmd.com/diabetes/ready-to-lower-17/diabetic-food-list-best-worst-foods
 
http://www.obgyn.net/infertility/pcos-and-diet               
 
https://fifty50foods.com/Low-GI-Diet/Getting-Started