Are you participating in the 7 day clean eating challenge? Are you looking to clean up your PCOS Diet? Scroll down to find tips on eating clean with PCOS, staple foods you should have, and plenty of free printables.

PCOS diet and nutrition

Okay, so if you checked out the last post on PCOS and Clean Eating you know that eating clean is the best way to tackle your PCOS. Read the post for 8 steps to help you make the change to clean eating. In this post, I’ll be setting you up for success in the 7 day clean eating FB Group challenge. I added a bunch of useful resources to The Ultimate PCOS Resource Library including two meal planning printables and a PCOS staple foods list– if you want free access to the library make sure you sign up.

diet and nutrition tips

This article might get a little long so lets go ahead and kick things off with some basic PCOS diet and nutrition tips. These are tips are grounded in my personal research and have helped me lose weight and improve my PCOS symptoms. Remember, I am not your dietitian or nutritionist and everyone’s bodies are different. Check with your doctors to see if the information presented here will work for you.

Breakfast: Avoid carbs and sugary cereals. They will slow your metabolism, raise insulin levels, and keep your hormones out of whack. If you aren’t eating completely clean or you just have to have cereal and bread look for products with WHOLE as the first ingredient. Also, try to make breakfast your heaviest meal that way, your body can use the nutrients as fuel throughout the day.

Avoid carbs and sugary cereals. They will slow your metabolism, raise insulin levels, and keep your hormones out of whack. If you aren’t eating completely clean or you look for products with WHOLE as the first ingredient. Also, try to make breakfast your heaviest meal that way, your body can use the nutrients as fuel throughout the day. Lunch: Lunch should be your 2nd heaviest meal (the goal is to eat heavy when you are most active and eat less when you are less likely to be active– ie later in the day). Save money and time by packing your lunch the night before and using leftovers to make a new lunch dish. Eat complex carbs and high fiber foods like sweet potatoes to keep your plate balanced and to help you feel fuller longer.

Lunch should be your 2nd heaviest meal (the goal is to eat heavy when you are most active and eat less when you are less likely to be active– ie later in the day). Save money and time by packing your lunch the night before and using leftovers to make a new lunch dish. Eat complex carbs and high fiber foods like sweet potatoes to keep your plate balanced and to help you feel fuller longer. Dinner: Dinner should be the lightest meal of the day (unless you are super active at night). A big and colorful salad or stir-fry is my go to dinner. Choose leans meats and try to eat dinner before 7pm so that your food will have time to digest.

Dinner should be the lightest meal of the day (unless you are super active at night). A big and colorful salad or stir-fry is my go to dinner. Choose leans meats and try to eat dinner before 7pm so that your food will have time to digest. Snacks: I like to choose snacks that mimic my cravings. Crunchy snacks like apples and carrots are alternatives to unhealthy chips. Be sure to pair sweets and fats with proteins so that you can keep your blood sugar leveled. You should be drinking about half of your body weight in ounces of water daily. That means if you weight 200 lbs, then you should aim to consume 100 ounces of water daily. Staying hydrated will make you feel fuller longer, help your body complete all of its functions, improve you skin, and help your body use the nutrients that you are taking in.

Meal planning and prepping

If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. The best way to stay on track with your PCOS diet and clean eating while being nice to your wallet is to plan out meals before hand. Print the weekly meal planning worksheet in the resource library and write out all the meals you plan on eating during the week. There is also a staples shopping list to help you in the grocery store. Look at sales ads before you visit the store to find out which foods are priced better.

What works for me is to find out whats on sale and then plan meals around those ingredients. If zucchini, ground turkey, and spaghetti sauce are on sale (like they were this week) then I know I’m eating Zoodle Spaghetti.

There are a couple of different ways that you can go about meal prepping. Meal prepping basically means either cooking or prepping your meals so that you don’t have to cook or spend as much time cooking on the day that you plan to eat them. This could mean fully cooking all your meals and storing them in food containers or it could mean simple chopping all your veggies, meats, and sauces and labeling/bagging them together. I’ll be uploading my meal prepping routine pretty soon. The key to being successful at meal prepping and planning is doing what works for you. It doesn’t work for me to cook all my meals for the week at one time- I don’t like leftovers that much and I’ll end up not eating it. For this reason, I pick two days out the week to prep my meals. Figure out what works for you and stick with it.

DOWNLOAD THESE PRINTABLES NOW

foods that help your PCOS diet

Below is a list of staple foods that help your PCOS diet. Eating these foods will aid in managing your PCOS symptoms. Sign up to get the printable. The goal is to consume foods that are high in fiber, have a low glycemic index score, and are high in vitamin b.

Fruit: c herries, grapefruit, apples, oranges, peaches, pears, kiwi, coconut, strawberries, lemons, blueberries

herries, grapefruit, apples, oranges, peaches, pears, kiwi, coconut, strawberries, lemons, blueberries Vegetables: broccoli, green beans, sweet potato, kale, spinach, zuchinni, romaine, onions, kale, cauliflower

broccoli, green beans, sweet potato, kale, spinach, zuchinni, romaine, onions, kale, cauliflower Meats/ Beans: chicken breast, salmon, ground turkey, tuna, shrimp, eggs, split peas, lentils, butter beans, pinto beans

chicken breast, salmon, ground turkey, tuna, shrimp, eggs, split peas, lentils, butter beans, pinto beans Healthy fats/ Grains: almond butter, olive oil, avocado, coconut oil, flax seed oil, quinoa, oatmeal, whole grains

almond butter, olive oil, avocado, coconut oil, flax seed oil, quinoa, oatmeal, whole grains Nuts/ Seeds/ Snacks: almonds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, chia seeds, hummus, flax seeds, dark chocolate

almonds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, chia seeds, hummus, flax seeds, dark chocolate Beverages: water, almond milk, apple cider vinegar, spearmint tea, coconut water

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Foods that hurt your PCOS diet

Below are common foods that hurt your PCOS diet. Eating these foods are likely to raise our blood sugar levels, upset your hormones, and worsen your symptoms.

Fried foods

Cakes

Cookies

White flour products

Sugary cereals

Sugar

White potatoes

White rice

Too much caffeine

Butter

Fatty salad dressings (try lemon and ACV instead)

7 day clean eating challenge

If you are participating in the 7 day clean eating challenge be sure to join the FB group to connect with other Cysters. Here are some recipes from around the web that will help you stay clean during the challenge:

Breakfasts:

Lunches:

Dinners:

Snacks:

These meals are meant to open you up to the world of clean eating. If you are pressed for time or want simpler meals you could always pair a meat + veggie + healthy fat + complex carb. For example: grilled chicken, avocado, and sweet potato.

Update:

I have now adapted a ketogenic diet and have had tons of success losing weight and managing my PCOS symptoms. You can learn more about PCOS and KETO by clicking here.

So, what do you think?

Whew, this post is longggggg. If you made it to the end congratulations! So… are you joining the challenge? Which recipe will be you trying? Make sure you download the printables.

Talk to me in the comments. Let me know if I left anything out.

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