PCOS Meals

Despite what you may read elsewhere, it’s important to include fiber-rich carbohydrates in your PCOS meal plan. Low-carb or ketogenic diets are popular recently and many people tout the benefits of these eating patterns for women with PCOS. It is true that a low carb diet may benefit PCOS by balancing blood sugar levels and aiding weight loss. However, we find that these diets are difficult to maintain, trigger sugar cravings, and often do not provide enough calories (which can actually worsen your menstrual cycle and ovulation).

Curious about whether you should include gluten and soy in your PCOS meals? We covered these controversial topics in our Soy and PCOS and Gluten and PCOS articles.

By following the PFC formula, you are also providing a wide range of nutrients required for making, metabolizing, and balancing your hormones.

Vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin B12 are particularly important in optimizing hormonal balance in PCOS. These three vitamins help to lower inflammation by breaking down an amino acid, called homocysteine, which is commonly elevated in women with PCOS (1). Lowering homocysteine may reduce your risk factors for heart disease and other reproductive symptoms. 

Two minerals that are also crucial in treating PCOS are zinc and magnesium. Eating enough zinc may help reduce symptoms of PCOS like hair loss, unwanted hair growth, and acne. Similarly, magnesium is involved in over 300 reactions in the body and influences hormone balance and signaling. Unfortunately, over half of Americans fail to meet the daily magnesium requirements with their diet! Eating enough magnesium may improve insulin resistance, reduce inflammation, and promote restful sleep. 

Phytochemicals are compounds made by plants that provide desirable health benefits to humans. It is the phytochemical compounds that give plant-based foods their unique color! For example, lycopene and beta-carotene are phytochemicals found in red foods, like tomatoes. Anthocyanins are found in blue and purple foods, like berries, and quercetin is found in brown and white foods, like quinoa, onions, and beans.

Women with PCOS have significantly higher levels of inflammation and lower antioxidant levels than women of the same age and BMI without this condition (2). Phytochemicals are crucial for women with PCOS because they boost antioxidant levels in the body and provide anti-inflammatory benefits.

You don’t have to remember all of the different kinds of phytochemicals to follow a successful PCOS meal plan. Rather, focus on eating colorful and diverse meals with a variety of fruits and vegetables to obtain all of the phytochemical benefits.

Using the PFC Method may not come naturally to you at first. The more you practice these methods when planning your weekly meals, the easier it will become. Let’s review a few examples of the PFC Method in action! We’ll use our Root Farmacy® meals to provide a delicious visual.

Salmon is an excellent protein and omega-3 fat source for PCOS meals to help reduce overall inflammation. Rainbow carrots are a good source of beta-carotene and potassium while purple potatoes are rich in polyphenols to support a healthy gut lining. The roasted broccoli in this dish also provides a powerful antioxidant called glucoraphanin which helps neutralize damaging free radicals in the body. 

Lamb is another excellent protein source containing nutrients like B12, selenium, and zinc to support thyroid function in PCOS and optimal fertility. Quinoa (which is technically a seed, not a grain) is rich in fiber, antioxidants, and contains all nine essential amino acids. The asparagus in this dish provides prebiotic fiber, which is the preferred fuel source of healthy gut bacteria. Gut health is particularly important in PCOS as women with this condition tend to have more imbalanced gut bacteria (dysbiosis) compared to women without PCOS.

Related Post: Bloating and PCOS

Managing your PCOS and cooking nutritious meals at home can feel impossible when combined with the rest of your daily responsibilities. However, we see everyday how the anti-inflammatory food plans in our functional medicine memberships for PCOS completely change member health outcomes! We created our digital meal plans, Root Farmacy®, as a way to make this even more doable for our Root community.