Food - Part 4, 3- prong approach to PCOS

I am very pleased to note that the previous posts about food in PCOS has been a useful guide to many of you. As I like to repeat, use your discretion before making any change, as this is general list.

Fruits: Fruits can be a big part of a PCOS- beneficial meal plan. Points to remember:

• Choose local fruits over imported ones.

• Consume fruits as a separate meal. As in, do not mix fruits with a cooked meal.

• Choose seasonal fruits. The fruits should be naturally ripened and mature.

• Heavy to digest fruits like jackfruit, avocado, big bananas can be avoided.

• Sweet fruits should be chosen over sour ones. As in, you can eat citrus fruits too, but they should be ripe and naturally sweet and not too sour. Avoid berries which are sour.

• Some fruits which are suitable are: Yelakki banana, Pomegranate, water melon, muskmelon, guava, amla, sapota, orange, Musambi, apple (local), wood apple, Citron.

• Choose fruits which are grown without pesticides and fertilisers. Otherwise, fruits can cause more harm than benefits.

• You can alternate a cooked meal with fruits and salad. If your breakfast and lunch are cooked meals, mid morning and evening snack can be fruits.

• Eating the whole fruit is always preferred over juice. If you want to consume fruit in juice form, avoid adding sugar. As mentioned before, do not add milk and make it a milkshake.

Salads: Raw vegetables can also be a part of PCOS- friendly diet. Points to remember

• Though a raw diet and salads are considered universally healthy, some prakritis (body types/constitutions) do not favour them. I have seen some patients struggle to digest raw foods. Watch out for any erratic bowel movements, low energy levels, cold feeling, stomach discomfort, sleep disturbances to see if salads are working for you.

• If you are confident that your body is digesting salads comfortably, you can have one completely uncooked meal. Again, do not mix salads with the cooked meal.

• Do not add too much oil, spices or artificial flavours in the salads.

Spices: Fresh ginger, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, saunf, kalonji, ajwain, turmedic, dill seeds are beneficial spices in this condition. Cinnamon in small quantities is also beneficial. Avoid dry ginger, too much garam masala, pepper and garlic.

Water: Consume water intermittently throughout the day. It is true that we should consume water as much as the body asks. But, because of our distracted lifestyle, many of us have forgotten how to identify the thirst signal. Once you start consuming water, you will begin to recognise the urge better.

Drinking large amounts of water early in the morning is not advised in Ayurveda. Drinking warm water with lemon and honey is also not advised. Water should be sipped during meals and avoid drinking more water immediately after a meal.

Please keep the questions coming in. I will try to answer them personally or will collate and answer in further posts.