THE PCOS VEGAN

Vegan PCOS Diet
By Linda Basilicato, eHow Contributor

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a hormonal disorder that affects women of reproductive age. The ovaries of women with the disorder typically contain many small cysts. These cysts make ovulation difficult, causing menstrual and infertility problems. Because PCOS also increases risk for obesity, diabetes, heart attack and stroke, it is important for women diagnosed with the disorder to follow a healthy diet. A vegan diet (one that excludes meat, dairy and eggs) is one option.

Dietary Recommendations
1. PCOS typically involves insulin resistance, which means the body cannot properly use insulin to deliver glucose (blood sugar) to the cells. Glucose is the primary source of fuel for the body. When glucose remains in the blood instead of being used by the cells, it leads to problems such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. This means it is important for women with PCOS to eat not only a diet that helps regulate blood-glucose levels but also a diet that meets other heart-healthy dietary guidelines. These guidelines recommend a diet based on whole grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, unsaturated fat and lean protein (including vegetarian alternatives to meat, fish and dairy). A typical vegan diet scores high for compliance with these guidelines.

A potential problem with the vegan diet, however, is that it may be too high in carbohydrates to properly regulate blood-glucose levels. A vegan diet that includes a variety of widely-available plant-based protein sources can easily solve this problem. Vegan protein sources include nuts, nut butters, beans, tofu, tempeh and whole grains. These foods are also low in saturated fat, and many are high in healthy, unsaturated fat.
Vegan Benefits
2. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) reports that study-participants following a low-fat vegan diet experienced greater improvements in blood-glucose stability, weight loss, blood lipid levels and blood cholesterol levels than the participants who followed ADA dietary guidelines. Both groups, however, improved significantly by following a healthier diet based on plenty of whole grains and produce.

If you are not already vegan, leaping into this lifestyle change is a sure way to boost culinary creativity and to learn about wholesome, fresh recipes that are both low in saturated fats and also rich in fiber and nutrients.
Calcium and Iron
3. Vegans are not at risk for deficiencies in either calcium or iron. A typical meat-eater might have trouble obtaining enough calcium from tofu, dark leafy greens, beans, almonds and tahini, but these foods are all staples in a typical vegan diet. Other sources of calcium include broccoli, molasses, fortified soymilk and fortified orange juice. Likewise, there are many vegan sources of iron: pumpkin seeds, dark leafy greens, broccoli, tempeh, tofu, nuts, molasses and quinoa. You'll notice that many of these foods are on both lists, making it easy to meet your daily requirements for these nutrients.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
4. Omega-3 fatty acids are the most highly-recommended of the heart-healthy unsaturated fats. They are usually associated with cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines. Vegan sources include flax seeds, flax oil, walnuts and soybeans.
Tips
5. The vegan diet is not healthy in itself. There are plenty of animal-free junk foods and nutritionally-empty refined and processed vegan foods on the market. You still need to make good choices and take care to not overeat. Choose whole wheat pasta and brown rice over their white varieties; fresh or frozen vegetables over canned or processed; fresh whole fruit instead of juice.


Read more: Vegan PCOS Diet | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/way_5752435_vegan-pcos-diet.html#ixzz1CfYQ8400