PCOS/PCOD is a common health problem these days and it affects around 10% of the women population. PCOS usually prevents a woman’s menstrual cycle. Also, PCOS is one of the many causes of female infertility. As per the research, many of the women who have been recently diagnosed with PCOS have said they left their doctor’s room feeling unclear about what they can do that doesn’t revolve around medicines.
The doctor simply provides them with medicine for birth control pills or metformin and said to lose weight and come back when you want to have children. Although it is vital to understand the treatment guidelines of your doctor, you also need to understand that some important lifestyle adjustments can help you to reduce your dependency on medications and enable you to get rid of them completely.
There are some dietary tips and lifestyle modification advice by Lavleen Kaur, a qualified dietitian in India. Take a look:
1. Eat more whole and plant-based food
Nowadays, most people are eating outside food and having a sedentary lifestyle, and this is the major reason for various health problems. Women who are suffering from PCOS need to eat more whole and plant-based foods. They can include fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and 100% whole grains in their diet.
Also, you need to reduce the amount of saturated fat, trans fat, and salt in your diet. What else you can do is increase the variety of vegetables you eat on a daily basis. Fruits are full of vitamins and nutrition that our body wants.
Besides, you need to take control of your diet by eating small, frequent meals. Most people like to have snacks with tea or coffee. Instead of unhealthy snacks, you can choose lots of fruits, vegetables, and nuts for your snacks, which is a healthy option.
2. Remove refined products from your diet
Refined items like refined salt, refined oil, refined flour, are not the healthiest options. Refined carbs, like white bread, white rice, pastries, or candy, these items can create insulin resistance which is one of the main reasons for PCOS health problems.
Eating whole grains, enhancing strong protein, and eating more vegetables and fruits can help to reduce symptoms and maintain hormone levels. Rather than choosing refined oils, you can opt for virgin olive oil, coconut oil, mustard oil, etc. You may also try a customized diet plan for PCOD designed by a qualified dietitian for better results.
3. Exercise daily
You have discovered before that walking is good for your health. For women with PCOS, exercise is a requirement. Research shows that daily exercise may improve PCOS and enhance fertility. Exercise and yoga improve insulin performance, aids with weight loss, and helps prevent difficulties such as heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and cancer.
You can consider walking at least 30 minutes daily, it can help increase your basic metabolic rate. As you become more certain, try changing your routine with various options such as weight lifting, aerobics, cycling, swimming, or any other activity that you can do.
4. Reduce stress
Many people don’t recognise that constant stress from any source, like your work, family, or finances can disturb the balance of your hormones and create weight gain problems. You need to manage your stress, which involves getting enough rest, eating well, and sharing your opinions with someone you believe.
Besides, meditation is the best way to manage your stress and keep your mind calm. Also, it can improve your skin, enhance your mood, and improve your quality of sleep.
5. Cut out your toxins
Our body comes into touch with many toxins every day from foods, cosmetic items, cleaners, plastics, smoking, and more. Although it is impossible to evade them all, it is necessary to avoid them as much as you can.
Many of these are endocrine disruptors which means they conflict with your hormonal stability. This raises the chances of developing PCOS symptoms, and your hazard for developing heart disease, cancer, or diabetes.
With the above diet tips and lifestyle modifications, you can manage PCOD health conditions effectively.
Conclusion
Although there are medical ways to manage PCOS, it is good to work on your lifestyle modification, so that you manage other health problems as well. Eat more organic items as much as possible. Switch to utilising hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar for common disinfecting. Restrict alcohol intake.
