What Social Media Is Not Telling You About PCOS
Depending on where you spend your time online, you might be aware of the rise of PCOS discourse on social media. And much like any health-related conversation, a lot of the information out there can be misrepresented by influencers and any treatments are taken as a one-size-fits-all “cure”. Naturally, we know that those don’t really exist and any social media topic about health and nutrition is bound to be full of misconceptions. But I think the main misconception about PCOS in particular is that you need an overly restrictive diet to manage your symptoms.
I would argue that an over-restrictive anything would be worse in the long run (in most cases). Think about it, PCOS is still relatively “fresh” in terms of research and guidelines and it’s considered a neuroendocrine disorder. This means that it involves more than one system (and some pretty important and complicated systems): nervous and endocrine.
If you upset the balance in one direction, you might inadvertently upset something else. That’s why it’s important to use a holistic approach when treating PCOS. It’s not just about the food or lack thereof –– sleep, stress, mental wellness and health, physical activity, etc. are all important in creating that balance. And in my experience, if you are overly restricting with food thinking it will manage your symptoms, it will backfire.
Suppose you are not eating enough food in a way that supports your body and it’s systems. In that case, they may go awry, resulting in less quantity or less quality sleep, unable to manage stress as well, more irritability, anxiety increases, less energy for executive functioning/contextual tasks/skills, less movement, etc…
So think about what you can add to your day to help manage symptoms. Ask yourself:
Are you eating regularly throughout the day 2-3 meals with 2-3 snacks?
Are you eating protein and/or fiber at meals and snacks?
What fruits and vegetables do you like and how do you incorporate them in daily?
What are some nutrient gaps that may exist for you? Should you supplement?
Eating regularly and including protein and fiber with meals and snacks can help with cravings, hunger, fullness, and appetite. They also help to ensure you are getting the nourishment you need as well as insulin and glucose regulation –– a large part of PCOS nutrition therapy.
Fruits and vegetables contain fiber (soluble and insoluble) and antioxidants to help with hunger, full, appetite, blood sugar regulation, bowel movements, heart health and inflammation that may be present.
Finally, the question to use a supplement or not depends entirely on your body, lifestyle, and diet instead of taking every and all supplements that are suggested as a PCOS treatment. What is right for one person may not be right for you. For instance, do you eat fish or are you getting enough Vitamin D? Are your periods irregular, painful, and have elevated androgens? It’s possible some supplementation may be helpful for you. But it’s important to ensure they are safe and make sense for you.
So instead of focusing solely on overly restrictive dieting to manage symptoms or focusing only on losing weight to manage symptoms, zoom out and look at the bigger picture. Look at your mental and emotional health, energy levels, sleep, digestion, activity levels, etc. Working on all pieces of the puzzle will help create a more sustainable balance. Also, it’s important to note, not everyone has the bandwidth to deal with all these things at once, it’s important to figure out why and dig deeper. PCOS is serious and requires a compassionate, holistic approach.
If you’re interested in learning about PCOS or are considering nutrition therapy, work with me by booking an appointment.