PCOS Diet Book: How you can use the nutritional approach to deal with polycystic ovary syndrome. Theresa Cheung
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who are genetically the same, were shown to have no more than a 15 per cent chance of developing the same cancer. This suggests that most cancers are at least 85 per cent due to environmental factors such as diet, lifestyle and exposure to toxic chemicals. This study found that choices about diet, smoking and exercise accounted for 58 to 82 per cent of the cancers studied.
Fertility Boost
Many fertility experts believe that a healthy diet can help you conceive and give birth to a healthy baby. It is among the first pieces of advice given to men and women thinking of starting a family. Research led by Leeds University Senior Registrar in Gynaecology, Dr Sara Matthews, on 215 UK women undergoing IVF treatment concluded that taking a daily multivitamin pill could boost a woman’s fertility and double her chances of getting pregnant.
Healthy Children
It is also thought that a healthy diet and exercise programme can safeguard the future health of your children. Professor David Barker, Director of the UK’s Medical Research Council Environmental Epidemiology Unit, warns that women who consistently eat poorly before conceiving could damage their baby’s health and put their baby at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life.
So eating right not only helps you deal with the day-to-day reality of living with PCOS, but can protect your health and the health of any children you have in the long term, by reducing the risk of future health problems.
If You Have Polycystic Ovaries (PCO)
Not all women with polycystic ovaries have any of the accompanying PCOS symptoms, so are described as having PCO and not PCOS.18 For women with PCO, eating well now can help to prevent PCOS developing later.
If you are diagnosed with PCO, even though you may not feel unwell, environmental factors such as diet, stress and pollution can increase your risk of developing PCOS symptoms in the future. So you need to take extra care of yourself right now. A good diet is a sound investment for the future if you want to avoid PCOS.
GIVING YOUR MEDICATION A HELPING HAND
You may find that a change in diet is all you need to manage your symptoms, or you may decide to take some course of medicine, therapy or treatment once you are diagnosed with PCO/S. A good diet and nutritional programme is the essential foundation, in partnership with exercise for the management of PCOS. This type of programme works in conjunction with all kinds of medication for PCOS, from the Pill to fertility drugs, the diabetes drug Metformin and alternative therapies.
Dr Marilyn Glenville, one of the UK’s leading nutritional therapists who treats women with PCOS in her London and Tunbridge Wells clinics, believes that a healthy diet will maximize your chances of health and fertility if you decide to take the Pill or use fertility drugs.
Belinda Barnes, director of Foresight (an organization which aims to improve a couple’s fertility by giving advice about diet, nutritional supplementation, exercise and stress-management), says ‘those that have IVF after having completed a Foresight nutritional program have a 65 per cent live birth success rate compared to the 14 per cent national average.’
Dr Ann Walker, a medical herbalist and research scientist based at the University of Reading’s Hugh Sinclair Unit of Human Nutrition, explains that many herbalists and other complementary therapists will suggest beneficial changes to diet and lifestyle as the basis of good health. Walker believes that these are essential changes to make before herbalism, or any other medication, can come in and put the ‘icing on the cake’. ‘There is no point,’ she says, ‘in any medication coming in to suppress symptoms that are caused by a bad diet and unhealthy lifestyle. It is important to get the diet and lifestyle healthy first and then treat the remaining symptoms with medication. This often means that you need less medication, and what you do need works far more efficiently when the body is getting optimum nutrition in the first place.’
According to Gerard Conway, consultant gynaecologist at Middlesex Hospital, London, who has been working with women with PCOS to manage weight and improve symptoms using the diabetes drug Metformin, ‘Metformin is not a magic bullet and can only work if diet and exercise plans are already in place.’
There have been several studies reporting good results with Metformin for weight loss. However, the goal is to use Metformin in conjunction with diet and exercise to lose weight, otherwise the effect of Metformin appears to wear off and doses need to increase. ‘Weight gain often starts again unless there is a foundation of diet and exercise to start with which works in partnership with Metformin to produce better, more long-term results,’ says Dr Conway.
EAT WELL AND PROSPER
What this book and the majority of PCOS experts believe is that diet and exercise are essential in managing PCOS regardless of which medicines, herbs, complements or fertility treatments you use on top of that.19 Eating a healthy, well-balanced diet of fresh, whole foods in combination with moderate exercise is, in the words of Helen Mason, Senior Lecturer in Reproductive Endocrinology at St George’s Hospital Medical School, London, ‘the first-line treatment for women with PCOS’.
Living with PCOS is a major challenge. But as with any challenge, you can win and emerge from it looking and feeling great. Changing your eating habits may seem daunting right now, but the changes you need to make aren’t complicated or unappetizing. All you need to do to improve the quality of your life right now, and in the years to come, is start making healthy food choices. It really is as simple as that.
Every food is a mix of different nutrients; the secret of a healthy diet for PCOS is to get the balance right. It also helps to know the reasons why you should be eating more of certain foods and less of others, so you can feel motivated to eat the right foods. This chapter will show you why you should eat the best foods for PCOS, and how you can go about doing this with a healthy eating plan.
Healthy eating can restore your blood-sugar and hormone balance, improve your energy levels, help you lose weight (if you need to) and address many PCOS symptoms. When the going gets tough, never lose sight of this.
YOUR DAILY FOOD BREAKDOWN
You are probably used to thinking of food in terms of calories, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. Let’s take a look at each of these in more detail.
A calorie is a unit of energy that is given off by a certain amount of food when it is burned or used for energy by your body.
Carbohydrates fuel your body with the energy it needs throughout the day and night. Next to fats, carbs are the most misunderstood part of our diet.
You need to understand their function in order to use them efficiently. Carbohydrates are divided into two groups: starches and sugars. Starches provide the complex carbohydrates which release a steady source of energy into your system. They satisfy your hunger far longer than the simple sugars found in sweets, cakes, cookies and so on. Potatoes, brown pasta and wholewheat breads are typical sources of complex carbohydrates.
Proteins, found in meat, dairy products, legumes (peas, beans) and vegetables are important tissue-builders. While your body can use protein as an energy source, its prime function is to rebuild tissues and cells.
Fats, such as butter, margarine and oils, are another important energy source. Your body stores fat as an emergency supply for those times when you have used up your carbohydrate fuel.
Vitamins and minerals are essential to life. They contribute to good health by regulating the metabolism (energy you release from food) and