An effective way to manage symptoms of PCOS is with a whole foods diet. Experts believe that the typical American diet; a diet chock full of carbohydrates and processed refined foods may exacerbate the negative symptoms of PCOS. As you may or may not already know a whole foods diet is one that relies on unprocessed and unrefined foods in their natural state. These foods are free from additives, preservatives, and food colorings. Whole foods have not been tampered with chemically or genetically.

Decipher that Label

If you read the labels of most packaged foods, you will likely see a long list of ingredients that are largely unrecognizable to most people. Some of these ingredients are fancy names for sugars or vitamins. Some of them are additives or preservatives. While additives and preservatives have been tested and approved for human consumption by the US FDA (the Food and Drug Administration), some people still question their safety. One such additive in question is BHT. Butylated hydroxytoluene, is a phenolic compound added to packaged foods to preserve fats. BHT may be associated with allergic reactions, tumor growth, and hyperactivity in children.

As most of these substances are tested for safety individually, the effect on the body when combining them with other additives or ingredients is not usually studied or known. Rarely are we exposed to only ONE additive or preservative at a time. The cumulative effects of such consumption are not known. This is why it is best to avoid food additives whenever possible.

Seasonal eating and organic eating are other aspects comprising a whole foods diet. A seasonal eating philosophy is aligned with the thought that people should eat the foods that are grown or gathered locally so that only the freshest foods enter your body. A few examples might be young tender greens in the spring, ripe stone fruits in the summer, and root vegetables in the autumn and winter. Seasonal availability would of course depend on your local climate and local flora. Farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA’s) are excellent resources to follow a seasonal eating philosophy.

Organically Grown

Organic food refers specifically to food that is cultivated or wild-crafted without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Just like with additives and preservatives in food, the safety of pesticides for human consumption is controversial. Pesticides and other toxins in food have been suspected of being linked to cancer, ADHD, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, and many more diseases.

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But Organic Food Is So Expensive!

Organic food can be expensive; it costs on average 15% more than conventionally raised food. In deciding whether or not to invest in organic food, you have to assess the importance of eating organically for your health and for the health of the planet. For people with chronic diseases, for people who have hormonal imbalances, for those of us suffering from the burden of environmental toxicity (such as pesticide or heavy metal exposure), and for children, pregnant, and nursing mothers, eating organically makes the most sense. Please contact an alternative healthcare provider like a naturopathic doctor if you have questions about the importance of eating organically for yourself and your family.

One way to approach the dilemma of the costliness of organic food is to identify that food which tends to have the highest pesticide content, and make those foods the priority for spending the extra money on for organic. The Environmental Working Group publishes a list of the Dirty Dozen- the top 12 most and least contaminated fruits and vegetables. For instance, bananas and broccoli tend to have lower pesticide residues than nectarines and raspberries. Therefore, if you must choose, spend the extra money on organic nectarines rather than organic broccoli. You can see this list and print off a wallet-sized version to carry with you to the grocery store at: www.foodnews.org/.

The Organic Consumer’s Association provides a host of resources about the definition of organic, where to find organic food, how to take action to bring organic food to your local market and protect organic standards, and more. Please visit their website at www.organicconsumers.org/

There are also other PCOS Guidelines that you should follow to enhance your health and counteract the symptoms of PCOS. However, paying attention to what you put into your body is an effective first step toward creating a healthier you.