How Changing My Diet Helped With Managing My PCOS

Everyday, I am faced with the reality of being one of these women. While my PCOS is less severe, there are still many things I have to remember on a daily basis when it comes to my diet. According to Mayo Clinic, PCOS is an endocrine system disorder that women who are at reproductive age can struggle with. The usual culprits behind it can be anything from excess insulin, low-grade inflammation or pure genetics.

What I’ve learned since becoming diagnosed is that superfoods are the best way for me to cope. The reason why this works for me is that some of the food that I’ve incorporated into my diet actually helps tackle the triggers themselves.

For instance, extra tomatoes have been an easy addition to my diet. Adding them to my sandwich, salad or pasta, has actually helped reduce any inflammation that may lead to a bad episode of PCOS.

When I first realized that something may be wrong with me, I was overwhelmed. The doctor on my college campus was able to narrow down on what was off with my body because of my missed periods. (Irregular periods can be one possible symptom of PCOS.)

Her main recommendation to me was to shift my diet to cater to how PCOS was affecting my everyday life. Her advice was to especially focus on incorporating healthy fats and foods with anti-inflammatory properties.

Over the last few months this is what I’ve slowly done. I’ve turned to the internet and medical professionals to build out a diet that works for me and helps keep my PCOS in check. The journey to figuring this out has been a tough one, oftentimes made more stressful by everyday life, but I’m on my way thanks to tomato, avocado and some other superfoods.

Cover image courtesy of Getty Images.

By Sanah Jivani on March 2, 2017
Sanah is a honors college student at the University of Texas at San Antonio who is double majoring in Sociology and Communications. She is the founder of a non-profit organization called The Love Your Natural Self Foundation, which works to help individuals build confidence. Her biggest dream is to make a difference in the world through her organization and her writing.