Nutrition : Dos and Don'ts for PCOS

Changing eating habits and getting more exercise helps to manage PCOS

• Irregular menstrual periods
• Hair growth on the face, chest, stomach, back, thumbs or toes
• Acne, oily skin and dandruff
• Weight gain
• Weakness or excess hunger
• Hair loss
• Infertility because of lack of ovulation
• Depression due to appearance and/or infertility�

Women with any of these symptoms in combination may be heading towards Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome - PCOS. Five to 10 percent of young women have this hormonal disorder.Women with PCOS often have insulin resistance resulting in too much insulin in the blood. Excess insulin has been related to an increase in production of androgen, a male hormone made in fat cells, ovaries and adrenal glands. The result being with all the symptoms above!

Diet for PCOS Changing eating habits and getting more exercise helps to manage PCOS. By just losing 5-10 percent of weight � get normal menstrual cycles blood sugar chances of conceiving a baby

HOW TO DO IT ? Eat more whole-grain foods, fruits, vegetables, lean meats and low-fat or fat-free milk, cheese or yogurt. These foods help lower your blood sugar, improve your body's use of insulin and normalize hormone levels.

Three important diet tips for PCOS:

• Don't skip meals. Eat three major meals with snacks in between.
• Change the composition of each meal by including fruit and vegetable
• Protein source in every meal is a must. Protein sources are egg whites, lean meat, fish, whole grains, low fat cheese/paneer and whey protein.
• Go for regular physical activity , it will alleviate many symptoms of PCOS and improves lean mass in the body.