The PCOS “Diet”

My PCOS Diagnosis

Back in my wanderlust years, I was waitressing at a café in Beirut, Lebanon when a customer said, “Excuse me… I hope you don’t mind me saying so, but the acne on your face is related to your gut. I know a great doctor in town that can help.” I was not offended, more so embarrassed. I wrote down the name of the doctor, told the customer I’d look him up (not actually intending to do so at the time), and carried on with my head down for the remainder of my shift.

At the time, I had just been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and my acne was so bad that I stopped looking people in the eye. I routinely spent hundreds of dollars on new products in a desperate attempt to find something, anything, that would soothe my inflamed skin.

Diet & Exercise: The Key to Reducing PCOS Symptoms

After many failed attempts to clear my skin I finally decided to see the doctor my customer had recommended. His answer was simple—diet and exercise. While everyone else wanted to put me back on birth control, he said stay away from the pill at all costs! PCOS can get better with good old-fashioned self-care. So I did just that… and my skin started to clear up and my other PCOS symptoms began to melt away.

General PCOS Remedies

I’d wish I could tell you, “Do A, B, and C and your symptoms will magically disappear,” but there is no one-size-fits-all remedy for PCOS (as with many health conditions). Everyone has a different presentation. Everyone’s hormones are doing something different and it’s about finding the right balance of macronutrients, exercise, sleep, and supplements to get your hormones functioning properly again.

There are, however, some general guidelines that will most likely yield positive results if you adhere to them. Below are some of my musts in rearranging your diet. Keep in mind that every body responds differently and what works for one gal may not do much for the next.

Eliminate the following to relieve PCOS symptoms:

1. Sugar
2. Dairy
3. Gluten
4. Alcohol

Include more of the following in your diet:

1. Leafy greens
2. Cruciferous veggies
3. Fruits
4. Fiber
5. Protein

Are you ready to learn more about changing some dietary habits to improve your health? In future blog posts, I will go into detail about how each of these can hurt or help your body’s delicate hormonal balance. Stay tuned for more!