Written by Fitness With Keisha
Image via Pinterest
If you’ve been diagnosed with PCOS, you may have left the doctors office a little confused like me. Being told ‘just lose weight’, ‘eat 1200 kcal’ or ‘cut carbs’ isn’t good advice, because one size doesn’t fit all and in this case your quality of life matters too! Trust me saying no to your favourite foods and under-eating will not help your quality of life!
So let me share some ways you can still eat all your favourite foods without feeling like you need to restrict!
First things first we need to understand YOUR body… everyone’s body is different so what may be triggering your inflammatory symptoms with PCOS may be different to the next person. The best way to do this is to keep a food diary of all the foods you’re consuming throughout the day and keep note of how you feel after eating.
It can simply be a notepad of yours or even the notes in your phone where you write:
– Time: 8AM – Overnight Oats – Contains MILK
8:30 – BLOATED
– Time: 1PM – Cheese string – Contains MILK
1:30 – Bloated and stomach cramps
This example is what someone’s food log may look like if they’ve got a dairy intolerance. In my journey of coaching women with PCOS I’ve noticed that finding balance with all foods helps a lot, however you may find yourself being intolerant to certain foods, so keeping a food log to start your journey like above can be helpful.
However not everyone has to have an intolerance to something. Your PCOS symptoms can be managed through simply eating more mindful and balanced meals!
So this can look like a plate with a good balance of carbohydrates, veggies, good fats & protein! A good method I like to adopt with meals I eat is ensuring I have the following in each meal:
– 1 fist full – protein – for example: protein powder, chicken, prawns, cod, salmon, beef, turkey, tofu, lentils, chickpeas, seitan, edamame etc
– 2 fist full – fruit or veg – berries, apple, oranges, broccoli, baby spinach, green beans etc
– 1 fist full – carbohydrates – wholewheat pasta, rice, couscous, bread, sweet potato, potato, quinoa, banana etc
– 1 fist full – good fats – cheese, avocado, almonds, dark chocolate, olives, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, olive oil etc
Ensuring you consume all your meals in the day can really help with your PCOS weight loss, building muscle, brain fog, cravings & fatigue!
Let’s check out some herbs that can really help with your PCOS symptoms too, you can incorporate them in foods, teas and lots more:
I personally love making a hot cup of spearmint & ginger root tea to help lower my androgens – consuming this consistently has massively decreased my excessive hair growth due to PCOS.
The infographic above is from our free ‘HERBS FOR PCOS guide’ – so in case you’d like to get your hands on this – here is the link: https://fitnesswithkeisha.com/my-favorite-herbs-for-happy-hormones/
Here are some meal ideas & inspo from our PCOS coaching app:
You’ll notice with all these meals that there is a good source of protein, carbs and veggies! So remember to find balance on this journey and all these foods will help your PCOS symptoms!
I really hope this article gives you some insight into foods & your PCOS journey, remember to take each step as it comes and always aim for progress over perfection – if you’re interested in coaching at FitnessWithKeisha – then head to www.fitnesswithkeisha.com for a free consultation or to join the community and feel heard on your PCOS journey follow our instagram/TikTok @fitnesswithkeisha! YOU GOT THIS CYSTER!
