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Suffering from PCOS or PCOD? This is what you should be eating

Here’s what to look out for

Image: Rohan Hande

PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) and PCOD (Polycystic Ovary Disorder) are hardly alien terms anymore. The National Health Portal of India suggests that the hormonal disorder is prevalent in over 20 per cent of women in the country—that’s one in every five women. While PCOS refers to the development of small cysts in the body, PCOD leads to an increase in the size of your ovaries. In both, the body starts to produce more male hormones than female, causing an imbalance that manifests itself in a number of symptoms including excess facial hair, acne, irregular periods and infertility.

What causes PCOS/PCOD
The reason why these conditions occur is mix of genetics and your general lifestyle. According to Jean Hailes of Women’s Health, an Australian not-for-profit government organisation, if your mother or sister is suffering from any of the two, there’s a 50 per cent chance that you will develop the condition as well. Also, if your body is resistant to insulin, you have higher chances of PCOS as well as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Why you need to pay attention to what you eat
The reason almost every illness requires you to alter your diet is because what you put in your body has a direct effect on your overall health. Here, we make sense of the relationship between your food and hormones, especially in the case of ovarian concerns.

“[When you’re suffering from PCOS or PCOD] your body fat percentage is high,” says Mumbai-based nutritionist Karishma Chawla of health clinic, EatRite 24×7. “The typical thing would be to be on a strict fat loss plan along with weight training plus cardio”. It is important to take charge of your weight which is crucial to maintain the balance of your hormones. Anything that has a high glycemic index should be avoided, which includes simple carbs like white bread, rice, maida and rava.” High GI foods give you an instant sugar rush, altering your insulin levels, which can have an adverse effect on the balance of your hormones—this can aggravate your condition.

She stresses on the importance of protein consumption as they help boost your metabolism, reducing your body fat percentage in the process. “You basically need 1 gram of protein [in your meal] for every kg of muscle in your body. Egg whites, skim milk, curd, paneer, chicken and fish are sources of lean proteins and good for you. To replace your high GI carbs, you can have oats, quinoa and red rice.” Also, make sure you’re taking Omega 3 supplements or flax seeds as part of your diet to help with water retention.

Don’t skip the workout
Along with your diet, exercise is important to keep your metabolism high as well. “Even though you have excess of male hormones in your body, that does not mean that weight training will make you any more muscular than it would otherwise; that’s a big myth. Weight training is essential to bring down your body fat percentage. Start with a low to moderate intensity.”
