The best PCOS Meal Plan is one that will truly nourish your body, establish hormone balance back and fix your metabolism to attain a healthy weight.

If you have been diagnosed with PCOS, then you may have plenty of questions around the foods that you can eat or the ones that you should avoid.

You may be wondering whether you need to change your diet altogether, eat more proteins, carbs or take a look at the expensive supplements? Or perhaps, how you can lose weight with PCOS?

So, here it is for you!

The best diet for PCOS is one that helps you to treat your specific PCOS Symptoms and the one that fits in your lifestyle. An effective PCOS meal plan is the one that you can follow consistently to achieve your specific health goals.

And this is what we are going to discuss in this post.

You will get to know the wholesome natural foods that support hormone balance, ovulation and insulin sensitivity in your body. And how you can make PCOS diet plan a success for your PCOS treatment.

Also, you will find here a 7 days vegetarian PCOS meal plan to begin weight loss and recovery from PCOS.

This is your ultimate guide to reverse PCOS with your diet and foods. Let’s go!!

Why You Should Start Today with your PCOS Meal Plan!

Here’s an important thing that you need to know!

A modest amount of weight loss (5-10% of your existing body weight) can significantly improve PCOS symptoms and restore ovulation in women with PCOS.

It has been proven by many women, who have adopted diet and lifestyle changes to finally treat their PCOS Symptoms to lead a normal life. And it has been thoroughly researched in multiple studies on women with PCOS

Not only it is highly promising but also number one reason of why you need to start today with PCOS healing diet and lifestyle.

It is the only proven solution to treat PCOS symptoms that actually works. And best of all, there are no side effects (unlike Metformin, Clomiphene and many other hormone altering options). And that it is in your hands, meaning you are the incharge of your PCOS treatment.

What Causes Weight Gain in PCOS?

More than 70% the women with PCOS experience excessive weight gain or obesity. What’s causing it?

When we take a deeper look into the problem, we find that the sole reason for stubborn weight in PCOS is:

Metabolic Dysfunction as a result of Insulin Resistance

Now, let’s see what’s that!

Insulin is the primary hormone that guides our metabolism and blood sugar levels. It converts and stores excess sugar in the blood in the form of fat, so that it can be used as a fuel later on.

If insulin hormone is working fine, then when we eat insulin will be secreted in our body as appropriate for the composition of the diet.

But, when we indulge in faulty lifestyle and diet for too long, then we get prone to improper functioning of insulin, known as insulin resistance.

It disturbs our body’s metabolism and causes classical symptoms of PCOS as weight gain, constant fatigue and high cholesterol levels.

Here, you can find more information on insulin function and weight loss with PCOS.

Hormone Imbalance, Irregular Periods and PCOS Symptoms

Insulin also affects a woman’s reproductive system hormones as Estrogen and Progesterone. Thus, insulin resistance has a detrimental effect on a woman’s reproductive function, menstrual cycle and fertility.

Other hormones that are affected by insulin resistance are the Androgens, the so called “male hormones”, like Testosterone for example.

High Insulin levels in the body which result from Insulin resistance lead to high Androgens, which give classical PCOS symptoms of:

• Anovulation (inability to produce eggs)
• Irregular Periods
• Infertility
• Weight gain (obesity)
• Cysts on the ovary;
• Terrible acne on the face, chest, back, etc.
• Hair loss and male pattern hair growth
• Long terms complications like heart problems, Metabolic Dysfunction, and Type II Diabetes.

The higher the androgen levels are, the worse the symptoms of PCOS.

Why Your Diet is the Best Way to Reverse PCOS Symptoms?

When it comes to natural treatment options for PCOS, then your diet should be your first handle. This is because, PCOS is not a disease.

It is a cluster of symptoms, which arise due to metabolic and hormonal imbalance in the body.

And you know what?

To address anything related to metabolism and hormones, diet and lifestyle are the most helpful options, which also give long term success!

In the case of PCOS, we need to break the cycle of insulin resistance, which leads to poor metabolism, hormone imbalance, and hyperandrogenism (high Androgens).

Now, since the levels of Insulin highly depend on what we eat, we can regulate our diet to keep high Insulin levels in check.

When balanced insulin response is achieved, then your other hormones and androgens also start falling in place. Thus, the vicious cycle of PCOS is broken.

Now that you have understood the root cause of PCOS symptoms, let’s move on to our goal here – PCOS Meal Plan and Foods to balance hormones in PCOS.

PCOS Diet Chart and Guidelines

Stubborn PCOS Weight can be reduced by maintaining an energy deficit. This means, you take in lesser calories (without starving yourself) than you burn during the day.

If you eat fewer calories than you burn up, your body will not store fat. Therefore, it is advisable to keep a meal diet chart and count the calories for few initial days to get a sense of what you are currently consuming.

Eventually, it becomes a higher level of awareness about your diet and nutrition.

Do keep in mind, less calories do not mean that you should go on dieting. It simply means that you should eat mindfully with smaller proportions and avoid grazing all the time. This will naturally help to turn your body to a LEAN form.

Here is your diet chart on meal proportion and distribution:

% of Meal	Type of Food
35%	Fruits, vegetables, and fiber-rich foods.
25%	Complex Carbs as Whole grains, cereals, and starch-based food products
30%	Lean proteins such as lentils, beans, fermented soy products
10%	Healthy Fats

We will start by looking into the macro nutrients that should form the major portion of your meals in a PCOS Meal Plan.

1. Complex Carbohydrates to support your Metabolism and Gut Health

The glycemic index (GI) is a measure of how rapidly blood sugar levels rise after taking a meal.

If you take food with high GI as simple carbohydrates present in white bread, sugar and heavily processed fast foods, then the blood sugar levels rise rapidly.

Consequently, there is a corresponding increase in the levels of insulin in the blood. High levels of insulin in the blood sets up a chain of reactions that aggravate the polycystic ovarian syndrome.

On the other hand, low GI foods such as complex carbohydrates slowly release glucose in the blood. This keeps your blood sugar levels balanced, thus avoiding insulin spikes and dips along with.

Thus, complex carbs help to improve insulin sensitivity, your metabolism and consequently weight loss. They will keep you full, provide B Vitamins and essential minerals.

There’s also a bonus! With complex carbohydrates, you’ll have some moderate amount of sugar in your body system for longer. This helps to reduce sugar cravings.

The Complex Carbs to fit into your PCOS meal plan

• Whole grains such as Bulgur, Rye, Quinoa, Brown Rice, Whole Oats, and Millets
• Legumes such as Beans and Lentils for proteins
• Vegetables with variety of colors to give you fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants
• Fruits
• Nuts
• Seeds

Simple Carbohydrates that you should avoid in PCOS Diet Plan

Avoid carbohydrate foods with a low glycemic index. They can cause your blood sugar levels to spike in a very short time. Also, avoid simple carbohydrates. These carbs to avoid include:

• Potatoes
• Sugar in all forms
• French-fries
• Polished and processed white Rice
• Pasta
• Bread
• Candy and other sweets
• Soda

2. Fruits and Vegetables should form major portion of PCOS Meal Plan

Plant based foods are rich in antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory properties. They help to mitigate symptoms like fatigue, which present in cases of PCOS. Here are some ways in which fruits and vegetables support weight loss and recovery from PCOS.

• Fruits and vegetables usually contain a lot of fibre, which is not digested quickly. As a result, they remain in the stomach for much longer. This helps to keep you satiated and reduces your food cravings.
• They contain high amounts of nutrients as vitamins, minerals and antioxidants without loading you up with calories. So, you get more nutrition and satiation from less food. This tames food cravings and reduces insulin levels.
• Fruits and veggies that are not so sweet and non starchy are low GI. Thus, they help to promote insulin sensitivity in your body and reduce insulin resistance.
• Essentially, high-fibre foods help to reduce the risk of being overweight or obese, or to manage it if you already are.

Foods that promote Ovulation and help balance the Hormones

• Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, Cabbage
• Leafy greens, including red leaf lettuce and arugula
• Green and red peppers, Carrots, Mushrooms, Beets
• Beans and lentils
• Plums, apples, grapefruit, oranges, Pears, peaches
• Almonds
• Sweet potatoes
• Winter squash, Pumpkin, Gourds
• Drumstick leaves, Curry Leaves

These vegetables are also high in fibre, Vitamins, and Minerals that women with PCOS lack in their diet.

Fruits and vegetables to avoid

These would be fruits that are excessively sweet and starchy vegetables. Watch out for those and limit your intake of them. Some examples are:

• Processed fruits in the form of canned, cut and juiced fruits with additives
• Excessive consumption of very sweet fruits as banana, mango, coconut, durian and jackfruit
• Excess of tubers and starchy vegetables as potato, sweet potato, butternut squash

3. Healthy Fats are vital to Balance your Hormones, Mood, and Weight

But I’m trying to lose weight, why should I take more fats?

Well, first you should understand that fats are not as bad as many people take them to be. What you just have to ensure is that you take the right kind of fats.

Embrace healthy fats. Omega-3 fatty acids, for example, are a good kind of fats.

Omega 3 – Healthy fats that Balance your Hormones and Promote Ovulation

• Salmon
• Tuna
• Sardines
• Mackerel
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Avocados
• Pure oils such as Extra virgin Olive Oil, Ghee, Coconut Oil, Sesame Oil, and Mustard Oil

Avoid saturated trans fats. These are detrimental to someone on a PCOS meal plan to lose weight. Here are some examples:

• Overly processed meat
• Red meat
• Donuts
• Frozen pizzas
• French fries
• Fast foods like hamburgers, etc.
• Margarine
• Refined Oils

4. Proteins in PCOS Meal Plan

Proteins in your diet promote satiety levels. You feel less hungry and less often. This supports weight loss, reduces food cravings, prevents binge eating, and of course the after guilt factor!

Proteins not only help to build body tissues, they are also the building blocks for several hormones and your bones. Hence, having sufficient proteins in your diet is important to increase the strength and elevate your energy levels.

Where can you find proteins? You can readily find them in dairy, fish, meat, and eggs. Again, you want to avoid the overly processed ones.

Protein foods to eat

Lean proteins sources are recommended.

• Beans
• Lentils
• Whole Grains as Quinoa, Brown Rice, Amaranth and Millets
• Vegetables as cauliflower, broccoli, green beans and green peas
• Sprouts
• Eggs
• Turkey
• Chicken
• Dairy
• Tofu
• Fish
• Nuts and Seeds

5. Support your Gut-Health and Mood with Probiotic Foods

You have been taught that micro-organisms cause diseases. That’s true, but not all of them!

There are some microbes in the body system that are essential to keeping us healthy. The mouth has its flora, the gut also has its flora, as well as other places in the body. These communities of microbes carry out activities that help the body of the human in which they are hosted.

However, poor dietary choices can hamper their functioning.

If they are disturbed or destroyed, they can no longer support us as they are supposed to.

Truly, science proves that women with PCOS have less diversity in the community of micro-organisms that are living in their gut.

Have we talked enough about sugar yet? Here’s one more. Sugar messes with this balance of microorganisms in the gut.

If you are to help these tiny little creatures to help you, then you have to eat what suits them.

Help those microorganisms with fermented foods that suit a PCOS diet plan

• Coconut yogurt
• Pickles
• Kombucha
• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi
• Miso
• Tempeh

These all help the natural community of microbes in the gut to thrive.

Some other foods would be Prebiotics that act as the food for your gut flora.

6. PCOS Diet starts with Awareness | Mind what you put inside your mouth

Of course, isn’t that what we’ve been saying all along? Ever heard the statement, “you are what you eat?”

Well, the tip is this: when you purchase food items, read the labels where available. Take note of what is in it and the percentage/weight present. This helps you keep track of how much of what you are about to take.

Stimulants? Alcohols? You shouldn’t be thinking too much about that. Caffeine shouldn’t be anywhere near the top of your list. That’s if it’s even there at all.

Sugar, sugar, sugar. Sugar everywhere. Be wary of sugar. Avoid it.

7. Stay regular with your Meals – Do not Linger to Binge Later On!

Eat timely meals. In fact fix your meal times and stick to it as you would for any other important task. This helps your body system a lot!

Eating at set times gives your body a clock to work with – your hunger levels will be balanced and your satiation level will improve.

Don’t go for too many hours without eating! This helps to reduce the urge to snack or to indulge in binge eating. This also helps to keep blood sugar levels stable.

This is specially true for the window in between your lunch and dinner. If you know that you are running a little late at work on any specific day, then grab a healthy snack such as a fruit or some nuts.

This will help you to carry on till you reach home and provide with enough energy to be able to prepare a meal rather than binging on whatever comes in your way!

8. Design a PCOS Meal Plan that works best for you and stick to it

The nature of your work doesn’t allow much time to keep track of what you eat? Well, remember this is for the best. Health comes first. But that said, work out a way to ensure you still eat healthily.

Contact a specialist dietitian for a PCOS diet chart if you have to.

You might have financial restrictions, that’s all right. You can still eat healthy without going way over budget. Work with recipes available for you. Buy straight from local farms. That’s even best because that’s the surest way to get natural unprocessed food.

Note which nutrients give you adverse reactions, and which ones relieve your PCOS symptoms.

In the end, each person is unique.

9. Community and support

Like breaking an addiction, stopping old habits to be faithful to your PCOS meal plan can be difficult.

It can be made easier when you have people who are sharing the same struggles to relate with.

Find PCOS diet support groups in your local area. Together, you can work towards overcoming this Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.

10. Back up the Oomph of PCOS Meal Plan with Exercise!

Eating the right foods and diet without any form of exercise will only take you that far! Physical activity is another handle that you should include in your daily routine. It will further promote weight loss, tone up, and strengthen your body.

It has been proven time and again that changing lifestyle habits can go a long way in managing PCOS.

No! You don’t have to become an Olympic weight lifter.

Rather, you just need to exercise regularly and be consistent with it. Even a modest exercise such as thirty minutes of morning walk daily can do wonders.

Here’s an exercise plan and details on best exercises for weight loss in PCOS.

11. Ayurvedic Diet Tips to treat PCOS

In Ayurveda, PCOS is considered a case of Kapha Dosha Imbalance. An increased Kapha Dosha leads to various symptoms and complications of PCOS such as excessive weight, vaginal discharge, mucus, lethargy, and depression.

Therefore, to manage PCOS, the efforts are concentrated on dietary and lifestyle tips to pacify the Kapha dosha. Some tips are as follows:

• Drink a glass of warm water on an empty stomach in the morning, mixed with lemon juice or honey.
• Breakfast should be light, with generous amounts of vegetables and fresh fruits. Take breakfast before 8am.
• The heaviest meal of the day should be lunch, and even that should not be too heavy. Take this before 2pm. Don’t eat lunch late. The agni (digestive fire) peaks out at midday and begins to drop. Consequently, the lunch will not be digested well if taken late. This leads to a build up of ama, and it will further complicate issues.
• Dinner should be the lightest. Your dinner should be freshly cooked and taken before 7 pm.

12. Foods to Remove in your PCOS Meal Plan

Having considered what to eat to mitigate PCOS, let us now consider what to not eat in case of PCOS. Again, the diet is focused on keeping insulin levels low, and weight management.

• Reduce your consumption of processed carbohydrates like pastries, white bread, etc.
• Take less carbohydrates. Generally, women who take less carbohydrates have a better chance at ovulation.
• Avoid consuming too much of red meat as in steaks, pork, hamburger, etc.
• Do not take food containing too much sugar. Check the label for labels like high fructose corn syrup, sucrose, dextrose. These are sugars, and you should be wary of them.
• Pasta noodles that have semolina or durum are high in sugar, and should be avoided.
• Avoid solid fats. They are add to break down. Solid fats can be found in margarine, lard, etc. On a whole, mind the fat you take. With fats, the two Q’s are important, I.e. quality and quantity both.

These lists are far from exhaustive, but it should give you a good idea of what to embrace and what to shun.

7 Days PCOS Meal Plan (Vegetarian)

Having learned the best and worst foods for PCOS, you might wonder how to do it. How do you combine these food items? How do you ensure you’re getting enough nutrients without getting on the wrong tracks?

Here is a sample 7 days PCOS Meal plan for you:

Day	Meal Option
1	Breakfast: Beetroot Stir-fry + millets porridge + 1 cup herbal tea Morning Snack: Butter milk + 5 Blanched Almonds Lunch: 1 Bowl brown rice + Cowpeas soup + Cucumber Salad + Green Tea Evening Snack: Fresh Fruit + Handful of sunflower seeds Dinner: Thai Green Curry + 1 Bowl brown rice
2	Breakfast: Apple Cinnamon Oats Porridge + 1 cup herbal tea Morning Snack: Butter milk + 5 Blanched Almonds Lunch: 1 Bowl brown rice + sprouted Mung Dal + green salad  + Green Tea Evening Snack: Fresh Fruit + Handful of sunflower seeds Dinner: 1 Bowl millets porridge + Mixed vegetables stir-fry + Herbal Tea
3	Breakfast: Cauliflower Stir-fry + millets porridge + 1 cup herbal tea Morning Snack: 5 Blanched Almonds + 10 Soaked Raisins Lunch: 1 Bowl brown rice + Spinach Daal + ½ bowl curd Evening Snack: Fresh Fruit + Handful of sunflower seeds Dinner: Vegetable Khichadi or Porridge + Herbal Tea
4	Breakfast: Okra stir-fry + 1 Bowl millets porridge + 1 cup herbal tea Morning Snack: 5 Blanched Almonds + 10 Soaked Raisins Lunch: 1 Bowl brown rice + Basil Tofu Scramble + green salad + 1 cup green tea Evening Snack: Fresh Fruit + Handful of sunflower seeds Dinner: 1 Bowl barley porridge + Mixed Vegetables + Herbal Tea
5	Breakfast: Apple Cinnamon Oats Porridge + 1 cup herbal tea Morning Snack: Roasted Black Gram + Lemon Ginger Tea Lunch: 1 Bowl brown rice + Sprouted Beans curry + cucumber salad + 1 cup green tea Evening Snack: Fresh Fruit + Handful of pumpkin seeds Dinner: 1 Bowl millets Porridge + Green beans stir-fry + Herbal Tea
6	Breakfast: Mung Dal Dosa (Pancake) with Mint Chutney + 1 cup herbal tea Morning Snack: Roasted Black Gram + Lemon Ginger Tea Lunch: Bowl brown rice + Spinach Daal + ½ bowl curd Evening Snack: Fresh Fruit + Handful of pumpkin seeds Dinner: 1 Bowl brown rice with Veg Miso Soup
7	Breakfast: Apple Cinnamon Oats Porridge + 1 cup herbal tea Morning Snack: Roasted Black Gram + Lemon Ginger Tea Lunch: Vegetable Quinoa + green salad (stir-fry) + 1 cup green tea Evening Snack: Fresh Fruit + Handful of sunflower seeds Dinner: Vegetable Khichadi or Porridge + Herbal Tea

PCOS Diet Recipes

Before you go!

To adopt the best PCOS meal plan is to adopt the on that is best for you. You will also enjoy all the benefits of eating healthy.

You will finally be relieved of that acne ruining your face.

The hirsutism excessive hair growth in inappropriate places will stop, and your hair will stop falling out.

Bye-bye to obesity and abnormal weight gain.

Your periods will become more regular and less painful.

You will finally be able to hold your own baby in your own hands.

So, when are you getting started?

Check out Heal PCOS with Ayurveda, a holistic health programme. Receive personalized Ayurvedic treatment and step-by step guidance on diet and lifestyle to balance hormones and reverse PCOS symptoms naturally.

Now we want to hear from you. Do write to us for any queries and feedback. We will get back to you the soonest.

What are your thoughts and experience with PCOS Meal Plan and PCOS specific diet? Do share your experience with us. Wishing you vibrant health!

Do write to us for any queries, comments, and feedback. We will try to get back the soonest we can!

References

Insulin resistance in polycystic ovary syndrome: Progress and paradoxes

LifeStyle changes and weight loss: effects in PCOS

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Should I adopt the ketogenic diet in my PCOS meal plan?

Keto diet has become very popular these days. But, before we dive into this question; let’s first try to understand what is a Keto Diet.

In a ketogenic diet plan, you consume none or very small amounts of carbohydrates. Majority of your food includes healthy fats and proteins.

How does Keto Diet work?

Normally, your body uses carbohydrates as the primary source of energy. When there is little of this, the body is deprived of its primary energy source.

And when your body doesn’t get it preferred source of fuel, (which is carbohydrates), it begins to convert fat cells into energy. Thus, fat is burned an you lose weight quickly. Simple enough?

But here’s the glitch!

There are serious long term health side effects involving premature aging, degeneration of body tissues, and serious carbohydrate cravings that one comes to face with; when you go on keto diet for long term.

Check out the video below to know more about Keto Diet and two other popular weight loss diets. Here’s a video to know more on why Keto diet is not the best for PCOS and for weight loss.

Keto Diet for PCOS is a quick fix that can backfire and make your symptoms worse!

One reason why keto diet isn’t is that your body does need the sugar. A PCOS meal plan should be something that you can sustain in the long-term, but this ketogenic diet can’t be done forever. It wouldn’t be advisable to keep on it for the long-term.

Another reason why the ketogenic diet is not the best diet for PCOS is that when there is little sugar in the blood, your sugar cravings go sky high. So high it becomes very difficult to not bow to it.

2. Which Milk is Best for PCOS? Can you drink milk in PCOS Meal Plan?

Milk is a complete food that provides with ample nutrition in the form of healthy fats, proteins, carbohydrates, Vitamins, and Minerals. However, when it comes to PCOS, you should limit your consumption of dense foods and instead focus on toning yet nutrient dense foods that can support your recovery from PCOS.

Avoid all form of heavily processed, UHT, and flavored milk and dairy options. If you can digest milk (without any digestive problems), then prefer whole and fresh milk in limited quantity.

3. Which vegetable oil is good for PCOS Meal Plan?

Vegetable oils are not exactly vegetables. They contain significantly high amount of unhealthy fats. Yes, that’s how unhealthy they can be, especially for someone trying to fight PCOS with diet.

Noteworthy, these oils are processed. Whereas, the goal here is to avoid processed foods as much as possible. Additives that are put in during the many stages of processing are not all healthy either.

Sticking with oil can lead to obesity, and also an increased risk of heart diseases. Rather, take healthy fats instead, the ones with the good guys-omega-3.

4. Are all fruits okay for PCOS Meal Plan?

Fruit juices are not fruits. The whole idea is to avoid processed foods as much as possible. So, away from the fruit juices.

On the other hand, fruits themselves are an excellent choice. Some of them do contain fibres also. Watch out for excessively sweet fruits, however. They contain high amounts of fructose, which is like another way of saying sugar.

Apples, plums, berries, grapes, etc, are great. As a bonus, some of them have anti-inflammatory properties that help to relieve symptoms.