Diet And Lifestyle Changes For Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

By Medical Expert Team

May 09 , 2023 | 2 min read

Understanding PCOS

PCOS or Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a cluster of symptoms rather than a specific health condition. Women get PCOS when numerous small-sized fluid-filled sacs or cysts develop in their ovaries. Around one in ten women is likely to develop PCOS during their child-bearing age. Prolonged or irregular menstrual periods, excessive production of androgen (male hormone) leading to hirsutism (excess body or facial hair), mood swings and depression are the main symptoms of PCOS. Treatment includes medication, diet and lifestyle changes.

How does Diet Affect PCOS?

Diet plays a crucial role in managing PCOS symptoms. It impacts insulin production, insulin resistance and weight management to a great extent. Maintaining healthy levels of insulin through diet is paramount in PCOS because elevated insulin may contribute to aggravating PCOS symptoms even further. Over 50% of women with PCOS get pre-diabetes or diabetes before they reach 40. Therefore, they should be watchful about insulin levels. When a woman is diagnosed with PCOS, she should follow a balanced diet to accommodate her dietary needs. A PCOS diet should help her with weight management and promote healthy insulin in the body.

Food Plans Included in PCOS Diet

There is nothing called a scripted PCOS treatment diet. It depends on the nutritional requirements of a woman.

A woman with PCOS should ideally intake 1800 to 2000 Kcal/day.
The diet should comprise - lots of fresh vegetables, whole grains and proteins (plant-based) while avoiding trans fat, processed food and sugar.

A suitable PCOS treatment diet should include the following:

Total fat: 25 g
Calcium: 600 mg
Iron: 21 mg
Sodium: 1200 mg
Carbohydrate: 400 to 450 g
Protein: 50 to 55 g
Based on the overall health requirements, a woman can work with a licensed dietitian and adjust her PCOS diet plan.

Meal timing is also an important factor integral to a PCOS diet. Although it may vary from woman to woman, following a standard meal timing can help a lot. For example:

Breakfast within 9:00 AM
Mid-day snack at around 11:00 AM
Lunch at 1:00 PM
Evening snack at 4:00 PM
Dinner by 8:00 PM

Refer to the below chart for an example of a standard PCOS diet:

Let’s start with Sunday
Breakfast	Idlis - 2 to 3 Sambar - ½ cup Tomato or green chutney - 1 tbsp
Mid-day snack	Sprouts (green gram) - 1 cup
Lunch	Roti - 2 to 3 Salad - ½ cup Cabbage sabzi - ½ cup Fish curry - 100 g
Evening	Fruit (Mango, Banana, Sapodilla, Jackfruit, etc.) - 1 serving
Dinner	Roti - 2 Tomato sabzi - ½ cup
Monday
Breakfast	Brown bread - 2 slices Low-fat cheese - 1 slice Boiled egg whites - 2
Mid-day snack	Fruit (Mango, Banana, Sapodilla, Jackfruit, etc.) - 1 serving
Lunch	Veg pulao or rice - 1 cup Soya chunk curry - ½ cup Buttermilk - ½ cup
Evening	Light tea - 1 cup Wheat rusk biscuits - 2 pieces
Dinner	Roti - 2 Lady’s finger fry - ½ cup
Tuesday
Breakfast	Roti - 3 Green peas and potato curry - ½ cup
Mid-day snack	Black channa (boiled) - ½ cup
Lunch	Rice - 1 cup Dal - ½ cup Palak curry - ½ cup Curd (low fat) - ½ cup
Evening	Fruit (Mango, Banana, Sapodilla, Jackfruit, etc.) - 1 serving
Dinner	Upma (broken wheat) - 1 cup Green beans fry - ½ cup
Wednesday
Breakfast	Paratha (Meethi) - 2 Green chutney - 1 tbsp
Mid-day snack	Fruit (Mango, Banana, Sapodilla, Jackfruit, etc.) - 1 serving
Lunch	Rice - 1 cup Chicken curry - 150 gm Salad - 1 cup
Evening	Brown rice poha - 1 cup Light tea - 1 cup
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Written and Verified by:

Medical Expert Team

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