PCOS Diet Ideas. I'm Lost.

Basically you need to follow a diabetic diet. The visit with the nutritionist will be exceptionally helpful and give you everything you need to know.

I also have PCOS, so I feel for you! It's so confusing in the beginning, but you will learn how your body responds along with your medication to certain foods. I basically try to avoid high fructose corn syrup, eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and eat only whole grain pastas and brown rice. Potatoes aren't great for us, but they're okay in moderation. Basically, nothing is off limits as long as you eat in moderation. Check out low glycemic diets and that should help give you some guidelines. I also found that I started to feel better when I got rid of all my personal care products that contained sulfates, parabens, and pthalates. Again, it's about moderation. You could drive yourself crazy trying to avoid things you shouldn't eat or use. There are good products out there and they aren't all more expensive than the name brands. I hope this helps and hang in there! It definitely gets better!

Because of cancer, I am following a similar diet. But also eliminating dairy products and meat.
Smoothies are a great way to get those veggies in. I put fruit and veggies in my protein shake. Let me know if you want to know which protein I use.
You can replace sugar with Xylitol and agave nectar.
For milk, I have tried soy, almond, hemp and coconut milks. I liked coconut the best. So Delicious makes a great coconut milk and ice cream replacements that are awesome.
I just made a pumpkin pie with coconut milk and xylitol. I didn't tell my son I didn't use milk and sugar like I used to. He thought it was great!
If you will put a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar on the pasta, it will slow down the process of turning to sugar. Balsamic vinegar and olive oil tastes on great pasta salad.
Try to use whole grain breads and pastas. Start by using half reg and half whole grain til you get used to the taste. Make sure the labels say "100 % whole grain." Check the labels for fiber content. Most that say things like "7 Grain have very little whole grain."
I think you will pleasantly surprised how good real food tastes!

Wow you couldn't have posted this at a better time!! I'm in the process of getting more educated on this whole PCOS because I'm TTC and it's become very difficult. So here is what I have done so far, I've got books on PCOS and fertility from half price and also if you type PCOS on YouTube there are interesting videos by doctors for tips. I'm not sure your exact situation but mine is that I'm 25, overweight and like I said want to concieve but having trouble. Because of that reason I decided that I'm not going to allow this "PCOS" to control me, I have control and refuse to be depressed by it any longer! I have had the worst ofbit with the unwanted hair and the very harsh ovary pains but I made a LIFESTYLE change, not a diet. It may sound harsh but I'm ok with it I have been doing it for all of May till now and lost 22 lbs :) Here goes:

What I eat: (organic)
Chicken
Turkey
Fish (flounder) I read it's the best one. But I enjoy others too.
Egg whites
All veggies
All fruits ( avoid watermelon)
Nuts of all kinds
Oatmeal
Beans (of all kinds)

What I don't eat:
Breads
Rice
Pastas
Fried foods
No milk (bad for PCOS)
No Juice (full of sugar)
Red meat
Ice cream
Cake
Candy
No sodas
Mayo
Ranch

Basically you stay away from bad carbs. If you Have to HAVE them eat wheat but I promise you I had horrible habits and I've managed to stick to this with no problem. I used to eat ice cream and pizza alot but since I started I feel like a different person. Once you break the habit you will be fine. You might also want to look into herbal supplements that help with PCOS, started that too and it has made a difference.
After starting all of this I find it very entertaining shopping only the perimeter of the store! Stay away from the middle, bad carbs are human made so many of us seem to believe that we need them! We don't!!! Just stay as closest to mother nature as possible. :) good luck feel free to message me if you would like.

A very short answer to your question is Low GI Diet. The link below explains it well.

http://gidiet.com/us/

In a nutshell all foods have a GI number. The lower the number the better it is for you as it keeps your blood sugar levels constant. Complex foods like brown rice, wheat and grains will keep you fuller for longer and your sugar level will remain constant whereas if you eat refined foods like cakes and pastries, white pasta, etc will fill you up for the moment then makes your blood sugar level drop and when this happens you start to eat/crave more food.

Eating foods with a low GI number does not mean foods that taste bad. They still taste good and if you follow it all the time you will even lose weight.

Good Luck!

With PCOS - you need to check and read labels. It's not fun and it's not easy.

Many processed foods have chemicals in them that only elevate the PCOS symptoms (facial/chest hair, belly weight, irregular periods, deep/er voice, more testosterone, etc.)

While you are loving carbs - you don't need to go with out - you just need to learn moderation....instead of two scoops of rice - one. Salads will be your best best - but keep in mind the dressings that you use will also be your enemy....

Beets and spinach are good things to eat as well.

If you love pancakes - you will need to purchase REAL maple syrup - not the Butterworths, Log Cabin, etc.

You will also need to learn how YOUR body reacts to corn and peas...they are a HIGH STARCH veggie that turns to sugar - my dad can eat corn but not peas. His mom can eat peas but not corn - EVERY BODY is different.

If you are insulin resistant - you should be able to purchase a glucose monitor as well test after eating and this will help guide you as well.

Habits are just that - HABITS - you CAN break them...will it be easy? Nope. But you will be able to do it!!!

My sister has PCOS and has been diagnosed with diabetes in the last year or so. She saw a nutritionist and was given a good idea on how to eat for it to be safe for her. You can still have bread, pasta, sugar, etc...just very limited. So, you don't have to go cold turkey (according to this lady!). There is a very small portion you can put on your plate of those types of foods.

Also, protein is a very important part of your diet. Have you seen "Fat Head"? It's a documentary that has some pretty interesting info in it. It talks about blood sugar and foods, but it does it in a way to not make you feel bad for wanting to eat the things you do...just helps you understand better what happens when you do eat those things. It helps me not want to eat them. it also explains how to control your blood sugar - this is for everyone, not just people who struggle with it. It's quite interesting!

Oh, and refined sugar is just sugar.

You might find some useful ideas in the cookbook "Nourishing Traditions".

Significant sugar/carb cravings can be a symptom of mineral deficiency. If you are obsessively craving sugar/carbs, try some tactics to increase the mineral content of your diet (calcium, phosphorus, magnesium). When I'm taking a high-quality supplement, my chocolate cravings essentially vanish.

Good luck!

Hi I was put on Metformin when we conceived our first child. He is now 11 1/2 yrs. I found out that I also had PCO's. I had to really limit all my bread type of food. Also only have 1-2 pieces of fruit a day. Example 2 small apples. Not a small watermellon. I was fastidious about being consistent when I was on the diet. I started the diet in December. I was pregnant in April.
My following two pregancey I got pregnant normal. Please feel free to ask me questions regarding this.