Diet and recipes to help cure PCOS naturally

PCOS has a fundamental effect in the beta cells of our pancreas. Thus, our bodies tend to over respond to the glucose in our blood stream and in return, produce insulin. Insulin hormone is important as it transports sugar from our blood into the body muscles so that our bodies can break it down to energy from glucose. However, higher insulin levels can disturb entire bodily functions leading to a lot of PCOS symptoms like increased hair growth, unexpected weight gain, fatty liver, irregular periods & poly cystic ovaries. Hirsutism, infertility & acne are the most unpleasant symptoms of PCOS which are caused by higher levels of androgens/testosterone in our bodies. Our ovaries produce androgens which is normal in every woman. But in PCOS, since ovaries are already sensitive to insulin, it results in producing too much testosterone. But a proper diet & rightful amount of exercise can certainly give you back your old & desired lifestyle. A woman suffering from PCOS need to keep in mind the three major types of diets that can help better PCOS management.

The time taken by the body to digest food with low GI is less which helps in maintaining insulin levels & does not allow to rise as quickly as in case of normal food. A low GI diet can include food items like whole gains, nuts, fruits, seeds & everything that is unprocessed.

An anti-inflammatory diet is widely known as the healthy diet and it includes a lot of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, fatty fish & whole grains only.

One of the biggest mistakes that women tend to do during a diet is to skip meals. It is one of the unhealthiest ways to lose weight and it will not help you in anyway other than filling your body up with acidity. Hence, instead of skipping meals, consume moderate amounts of whole grains, protein and healthy fats at regular intervals.

A DASH diet is not recommended for everyone as it is prescribed only for those who are at a high risk of a heart attack or heart diseases. A DASH diet contains all that are included in the low GI and anti-inflammatory diet. A person on DASH diet should completely avoid foods with saturated fats and sugars.
There is no doubt that diet is an extremely important part of PCOS. However, lot of women tend to completely skip meals and follow crash diets. At such a stage, we would also like to highlight some common diet mistakes that women make and how can we fix them.

There is no doubt that fruits are extremely important to the body and are highly nutritious. But being on a fruity diet alone is not an advised option. Fruits even though low on calories do contain a good amount of carbs. So it’s best to spread out fruit consumption evenly through the day along with other healthy food to avoid growth in insulin & glucose levels.

Fats are essential nutrients as compared to carbohydrates. Hence it is extremely important to include high fat foods like nuts, fatty fish, butter, paneer & cheese in your diet to receive all the essential nutrients. Foods that are rich in Omega-3 are particularly beneficial for women with PCOS as they help reduce risks of cardio vascular disease, fight inflammation & promote healthy pregnancy.

Proteins help in balancing insulin levels in the body along with inflammation. The best sources of proteins are eggs, meat, Tofu, all lentils, chickpeas, beans and oats. If you like fruits, then you can indulge in guava, blackberries and bananas. You can also include vegetables like carrots, spinach and beans to get the right amount of proteins.
By following these steps, there certainly will be a great development in your lifestyle leading to a PCOS free life. Remember, eat rationally never emotionally. Here are some recipes that will help you in managing PCOS.

Ingredients: Besan flour: 10g, Ragi flour: 10g, Carrot: 10g, Onion: 10g, Spinach-5g, Skim milk Curd: 20g, Vegetable Oil- ½ tsp, Salt, Turmeric, Chilli Powder, Black Pepper- as per taste.
Method
1. Chop the vegetables finely.
2. Mix the flours (besan, wheat and ragi flour) with vegetables and skimmed curd. Add water as required till you reach a spreading consistency. Add seasonings as per taste.
3. Heat a non-stick pan and spread oil, take a spoonful of batter and spread it in a circular motion (moving inwards to outwards like dosa).
4. Cook on both the sides and serve hot.
Benefits: Besan or chana flour has a low glycemic index and thus the absorption of sugar will be blunted which is useful for weight loss in PCOD patients. Also, ragi and curd are rich sources of calcium and are needed as milk being a rich source is restricted to small portions in PCOD. (Image: Instagram/milkandcardamom)

Ingredients: Wheat Flour-5g, Rajma- 10g, Tomato -15g, Onion- 15g, Carrot- 10g, Spring Onion -1 stalk, Capsicum- 15g, Tomato Ketchup -5g, Salt, Black Pepper to taste, Chilli Flakes- ½ tsp, Oregano- ½ tsp, Oil -1/2 tsp
Method:
1. Soak Rajma overnight, pressure cook.
2. Chop the vegetables in julienne style (long strips), grate the carrot.
3. Prepare dough of wheat flour, add very less salt. Roll it into a chapatti.
4. Heat oil in a pan and saute the vegetables, add Rajma, tomato ketchup, chilli flakes, oregano and salt.
5. On the chapatti, place the stuffing on one half. Add the veggies in the other half.
6. Seal the sides (Do designing using a fork).
7. Cook evenly from both sides till hard and crispy. You can use a little oil on non-stick pan while cooking it. Cut it into 2 parts and serve.
Benefits: Rajma and vegetables (Capsicum, Spring onion, Carrot) are a rich source of fibre and anti-oxidants thus very effective for weight management in PCOD. (Image: Instagram/fitniefat_com)

By: Dr. Duru Shah, PCOS Specialist, Metropolis Healthcare Ltd and PCOS Society of India