What I Eat in a Day to Manage PCOS

My mornings typically began with a caramel latte and a pastry from the register, so I didn't view myself as unhealthy; in fact, I felt completely normal in terms of my diet.

My insulin-resistant PCOS body had difficulty dealing with "normal" foods. I ignored a number of issues that my body was having because I thought of them as personality traits - the afternoon fog, mood collapse, and sugar cravings seemed more like needing something than wanting something.

It took me way too long to make the connection between what I put in my mouth and how I felt.

This isn't a meal plan or a transformation story; rather, it's an honest look at what "a day of eating" looks like for me now.

What I had to Give Up

The first thing I had to give up was sugar and all processed carbohydrates. When I cut out sugar, the very first thing I really really wanted to do was stop feeling uncomfortable, and that feeling of being excluded socially.

The first two weeks were hard; headaches, irritability, and sadness due to lack of pastries. The one thing that changed everything for me was to stop anxiously worrying about my cravings as a lack of willpower.

The truth is that due to insulin-resistant PCOS, your cells do not respond properly to insulin, and your body is signalling for glucose even if you have already consumed food. The cravings are just a symptom of what is going on in your body, not a character flaw.

Once I understood this, it became so much easier to stop fighting myself and simply eat what my body needed, i.e., protein, fats, fibre, and stability.

What a proper day looks like

Mornings: I have eggs, avocado, and salmon for breakfast, or if I am running late, I will make a quick protein smoothie. I now drink my coffee after I eat breakfast, as caffeine on an empty stomach triggers cortisol production, which raises blood sugar levels.

Insulin-resistant people do not need increased blood sugar levels, so it took me a long time to stop drinking my lattes in the morning. I can't believe how much starting out my day with protein has changed how I feel for the first part of the day.

Mid-Morning Snack: I will have something small, such as nuts (almonds or walnuts) and dark chocolate, or Greek yogurt with a couple of berries. The purpose is to keep my blood sugar from crashing before I eat lunch and turning me into someone who is not fun to be around.

Lunch: I have a huge bowl of leafy greens or grains, topped with a healthy protein (e.g., chicken or canned salmon, or chickpeas), a large variety of vegetables, and then finished with an olive oil dressing. I cook all of my grains on Sundays, so preparing lunch is mostly just putting things in a bowl together.

Dinner is the meal at which I am the least strict and possibly the most flexible. I think there is a difference in how you handle dinner depending on your general approach to your health, nutrition, and diet.

For dinner, I include one protein item along with one vegetable item and one meal starch (sweet potatoes or brown rice) per dinner. However, when I go out to dine or attend a friend’s house for dinner, I eat what I am served without getting too uptight.

The way you eat for PCOS should not depend on the location where you are eating; you should be able to eat the same way that you eat in a controlled environment.

What has really changed?

I've had less irregular periods than I have had in ages. My complexion has maintained a more stable level of activity. The afternoon slumps, which would throw my entire day off-track, have mostly disappeared.

None of this happened quickly; it took months, many starts and stops, numerous weeks where I consumed more cookies than I was supposed to, and I continued on.

You do not need to change everything. Perfection is not required for you to eat in a manner that supports your insulin-resistant PCOS.

The purpose of making dietary changes is for you to establish consistent eating patterns that will help alleviate your symptoms, while also eating carbohydrates with protein.