The Ultimate PCOS Handbook: Lose weight, boost fertility, clear skin and restore self-esteem. Theresa Cheung
Skimmed milk also has the benefit of protecting against high blood pressure.12
PROTEINS FOR VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS
People choose a vegetarian diet for religious, ethical, health or environmental reasons. A vegetarian diet generally contains less total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol, and includes more dietary fibre. And vegetarians tend to have lower rates of some cancers, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes.
Adopting a healthy vegetarian diet means substituting meat with a vegetarian protein source, and eat a varied diet including around 30 g of nuts and seeds a day and around 3 or 4 soft boiled eggs a week. The advice below should help you make sure you meet your daily nutritional needs.
Vegetarian Sources of Protein
Eggs
Cheese
Milk
Yoghurt
Vegan Sources of Protein
Leafy green vegetables, including spinach
Legumes – beans, lentils, peas, peanuts
Nuts – almonds, walnuts, cashews, etc.
Seaweed – kelp, spirulina, etc.
Seeds – sesame, sunflower, etc.
Soy products – tofu, tempeh, soy milk, etc.
Grains – quinoa, rice
Green superfoods – spirulina, Klamath Lake blue-green algae
Complete Protein
The only problem with plant sources of protein, with the exception of soybeans and quinoa, is that they aren’t complete proteins because they don’t provide all the amino acids. You should eat food combinations which form complete proteins, such as:
Legumes + seeds
Legumes + nuts
Legumes + dairy
Grains + legumes
Grains + dairy
Chances are you already eat complete proteins without even trying. Here are some tasty and healthy complete protein combinations:
Cashew stir-fry with quinoa
Beans on toast
Cereal/muesli with milk
Corn and beans
Granola with yoghurt
Hummus and pitta bread
Nut butter with milk or wholegrain bread
Three-bean chilli with cheese
Rice and beans, peas or lentils
Rice with milk (rice pudding)
Split pea soup with wholegrain or seeded crackers or bread
Tortillas with refried beans
Veggie burgers with rice and peas
Make sure you guard against any nutrient deficiencies with fortified cereals, or have Marmite or Vegemite to get vitamin B12. Try to eat a large portion of green leafy vegetables each day, and half a pint of skimmed or soy milk to ensure your calcium intake. Dried fruits, pulses, green veggies, dark chocolate and whole grains are good sources of iron, and choose butter fortified with vitamins D and E.
SAMPLE PROTEIN BOOST MENU
Breakfast: Poached egg on granary toast
Mid-morning snack: Cashews and raisins
Lunch: Lean chicken or hummus, salad and crunchy vegetables (carrots, lettuce, radish, peppers, broccoli, spring onions); sprinkling of toasted pine nuts
Mid-afternoon snack: Glass of skimmed milk; apple
Dinner: Tofu or seaweed stir fry with soy, ginger and vegetables (baby corn, mange tout, onions); berries and chocolate soya
9) ANTIOXIDANTS – ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH?
We’re on the home stretch now, and you should find the final two changes relatively easy. This is because if you’ve been following steps 1 to 8, chances are you’ll already be doing them without realizing. But the health benefits for women with PCOS of these final two suggestions are so powerful that we’ve decided to highlight them.
Let’s begin with antioxidants – a group of vitamins, minerals and unique compounds with special health benefits that are fantastic for women with PCOS.
WHY?
Our bodies are actually battlegrounds for infection and diseases. Simple body functions such as breathing or physical activity, and other lifestyle habits, such as smoking, produce substances called free radicals that attack healthy cells and arteries. Without intervention, free radicals wreak havoc at a cellular level and make you more susceptible to heart disease, certain types of cancers and signs of premature ageing (including wrinkles).
Antioxidants in your body work to counteract the action of free radicals, and for women with PCOS research13 has shown them to be extremely beneficial for long-term health and daily vitality.
HOW?
Make sure you’re getting plenty of antioxidants in your diet every day by eating lots of fruits, vegetables and wholegrains – ideally five portions of vegetables and three portions of fruit a day.
A vegetable portion is a mug-full of raw vegetables or a small cup of cooked. A fruit portion is one medium banana, orange or apple. (Remember, when you eat your fruit always have some protein at the same time, like some low-fat cheese or a handful of nuts.)
Fresh-pressed juices, smoothies, soups and frozen vegetables all count towards your portions, and you can maximize their antioxidant power by eating them raw. The next best thing is to steam or stir-fry rather than boil. If you must boil, keep the nutrient-rich water or stock to use in soups or casseroles.
Antioxidant Power
Beta Carotene: Beta carotene is one of 50 carotenoids in foods that convert to vitamin A in the body. It’s usually found in red- and orange-coloured fruits and vegetables and in some dark green ones. Food sources include red, orange, deep-yellow and some dark-green leafy vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, apricots, cantaloupe, mangoes, red and yellow peppers. You may also have heard of the carotenoid lycopene, found in tomatoes and which appears to protect against many diseases, including cancers.
Vitamin E: Helps protect the body from cell damage that can lead to cancer, heart disease, and cataracts as we age. Vitamin E works together with other antioxidants, such as vitamin C, to offer protection from diabetes and heart disease. Food sources include cold-pressed vegetable oils, wheat germ, wholegrain products, seeds, nuts and oily fish.
Vitamin C: The most famous antioxidant is vitamin C. Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid. Besides being an antioxidant, vitamin C plays an important role in fighting infections and keeping the walls of blood vessels firm, and gums healthy. Vitamin C is water soluble and is not retained in your body, so try to top up your levels every day with citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruits, tangerines), sweet peppers, strawberries, kiwis, broccoli and potato skins.
Selenium: If you eat a variety of grains from various