Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is one of the most common hormonal disorders affecting women of reproductive age. While symptoms can vary from person to person, one underlying driver appears again and again: insulin resistance. If you have been diagnosed with PCOS, chances are insulin resistance is playing a central role in your symptoms.
Many women are told to “eat healthier” or “lose weight,” but that advice rarely explains what is actually happening inside the body. Understanding how insulin interacts with hormones is the key to managing PCOS effectively. When you address insulin resistance through nutrition, you are not just changing what is on your plate. You are directly influencing ovulation, inflammation, androgen levels, and long term metabolic health.
Quick Answer: A PCOS and insulin resistance diet focuses on lowering blood sugar spikes, improving insulin sensitivity, and reducing inflammation. This includes reducing refined carbohydrates, prioritizing non starchy vegetables, increasing protein and omega 3 fats, limiting gluten and dairy if needed, minimizing processed foods, and incorporating strength training to help the body use insulin more efficiently.
Before making dietary changes, it is essential to understand why insulin matters so much in PCOS. Insulin is the hormone responsible for moving glucose from the bloodstream into cells for energy. In insulin resistance, the cells stop responding properly. As a result, the body produces more insulin to compensate.
This excess insulin does not just affect blood sugar. It stimulates the ovaries to produce more androgens, including testosterone. Elevated androgens can disrupt ovulation, cause irregular periods, contribute to acne, and lead to unwanted hair growth. High insulin also promotes fat storage and inflammation, both of which further worsen hormonal imbalance.
Many women with PCOS notice irregular cycles, weight gain that feels resistant to dieting, fatigue, and low mood. These symptoms are often linked to this insulin driven hormonal cascade. If you want a deeper understanding of how hormonal imbalance affects ovulation and fertility, our guide on how PCOS affects fertility explains this connection in detail.
When insulin resistance improves, androgen levels often decrease, ovulation becomes more regular, and inflammation begins to settle. That is why nutrition is not optional in PCOS management. It is foundational.
There is currently no cure for PCOS, but it is highly manageable. Nutrition directly influences insulin levels multiple times per day. Every meal either stabilizes blood sugar or causes a spike.
Food is information. It tells your body whether to store fat or burn it, whether to produce more insulin or not, whether to increase inflammation or reduce it. For women with PCOS, this feedback loop is amplified.
Medication such as metformin can improve insulin sensitivity, but dietary changes often create powerful results on their own. In fact, many women see improvements in cycle regularity and energy simply by adjusting carbohydrate quality and protein intake.
If you are exploring additional tools beyond diet, you may also want to review our guide to fertility treatments for PCOS, which explains how lifestyle and medical options can work together.
Carbohydrates are not the enemy, but quantity and quality matter greatly when insulin resistance is present. The goal is not zero carbohydrates. The goal is controlled blood sugar.
When you eat refined carbohydrates such as white bread, pasta, pastries, or sugary drinks, glucose enters the bloodstream rapidly. The pancreas responds by releasing insulin. In insulin resistance, higher amounts of insulin are required to move that glucose into cells.
Over time, constantly elevated insulin keeps receptors overstimulated. They become less responsive, which further increases insulin levels. This cycle contributes to inflammation and hormonal disruption.
Lowering carbohydrate intake slightly can reduce this insulin demand and allow receptors to become more sensitive again.
Instead of eliminating carbohydrates completely, shift the ratio. Replace large portions of grains with vegetables and low glycemic fruits. Non starchy vegetables such as broccoli, leafy greens, peppers, zucchini, and cauliflower provide fiber and nutrients without spiking blood sugar dramatically.
Whole foods like quinoa, lentils, beans, nuts, and seeds are naturally gluten free and offer fiber and protein that slow glucose absorption. These are far better options than processed white flour products.
PCOS is considered an inflammatory condition. Gluten can contribute to gut inflammation in some individuals, even without celiac disease. A short elimination period of two to four weeks can help determine whether symptoms improve.
If you choose to reduce gluten, focus on naturally gluten free foods rather than highly processed gluten free substitutes. Potatoes, rice, legumes, nuts, and seeds are excellent alternatives.
Inflammation plays a major role in worsening insulin resistance and hormonal imbalance. Addressing inflammation is just as important as managing carbohydrates.
Reducing inflammation helps regulate ovulation, improve egg quality, and support overall reproductive health. Women trying to conceive should pay particular attention to anti inflammatory nutrition. If you are wondering about pregnancy chances with PCOS, our article on can I get pregnant naturally with PCOS offers helpful context.
Omega 3 fatty acids support anti inflammatory processes in the body. Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel are excellent sources. Omega 3s help lower inflammatory markers and improve insulin sensitivity.
Plant sources such as chia seeds and walnuts contain omega 3, but they also contain omega 6. Since omega 6 can promote inflammation when consumed in excess, balancing intake is important. If you do not eat fish, an omega 3 supplement may be helpful.
Herbs and spices are powerful tools. Turmeric contains curcumin, a compound with strong anti inflammatory properties. Pairing turmeric with black pepper enhances absorption.
Garlic, ginger, cinnamon, rosemary, and oregano also support anti inflammatory pathways. These simple additions can significantly improve the overall quality of your diet.
Highly processed foods often contain additives, seed oils, and refined sugars that increase inflammation. Keeping meals simple, whole, and close to their natural state reduces metabolic stress.
If possible, prioritize organic versions of produce where you consume the skin, such as apples or leafy greens. Reducing pesticide exposure may help reduce the overall toxic load on the liver, which plays a key role in hormone metabolism.
Dairy contains insulin like growth factor 1, which can mimic insulin activity in the body. For women already dealing with insulin resistance, this additional stimulation may not be helpful.
Cow dairy is also higher in A1 casein, which may promote inflammation in some individuals. Some women find symptom relief by reducing or eliminating cow dairy while tolerating small amounts of goat or sheep dairy.
Calcium remains important for fertility and bone health, so ensure adequate intake from leafy greens, nuts, seeds, or alternative sources if dairy is reduced.
Managing insulin is not just about lowering carbohydrates. It is about creating balanced meals that stabilize blood sugar throughout the day.
Protein slows glucose absorption and promotes satiety. Including high quality protein with every meal can reduce insulin spikes. Eggs, fish, poultry, legumes, and lean meats are excellent options.
Protein also supports muscle repair and metabolic health.
Unsaturated fats, especially omega 3 fats, improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation. Avocados, olive oil, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish are beneficial choices.
Avoid excessive saturated fats and highly processed vegetable oils.
Refined sugar causes rapid blood sugar spikes and increases inflammation. Reducing sweets, sugary drinks, and desserts is essential.
Alcohol places additional burden on the liver, which is responsible for hormone detoxification. Reducing alcohol intake supports hormonal balance.
Muscle tissue uses glucose efficiently. Resistance training improves insulin sensitivity by encouraging muscles to absorb glucose. Strength exercises performed consistently can dramatically improve metabolic health in women with PCOS.
Lifestyle plays a powerful role alongside diet. For a broader overview of how lifestyle influences fertility, our article on how to improve fertility with PCOS explores this connection further.
Stress increases cortisol, which can raise blood sugar levels even without food intake. Chronic stress worsens insulin resistance.
Prioritize sleep, as poor sleep directly reduces insulin sensitivity. Aim for consistent bedtimes and adequate rest.
Practice mindful eating. Eating slowly and reducing stress during meals improves digestion and metabolic responses.
Movement throughout the day, even simple walking, improves glucose regulation.
A practical day might include:
Breakfast: Eggs with spinach and avocado.
Lunch: Grilled salmon with mixed vegetables and quinoa.
Snack: Handful of walnuts or chia pudding.
Dinner: Lean chicken with roasted vegetables and lentils.
Meals are balanced with protein, healthy fats, and fiber. Carbohydrates are present but controlled. Processed foods are minimized. Herbs and spices are used generously.
This approach is sustainable. It does not require extreme restriction, only intentional choices.
A PCOS and insulin resistance diet is not about perfection. It is about understanding how your body responds to food and adjusting accordingly.
When insulin levels stabilize, androgen levels often improve. When inflammation decreases, ovulation becomes more regular. When muscle mass increases, glucose regulation strengthens.
Nutrition is not just supportive in PCOS. It is central. By focusing on whole foods, balanced macronutrients, anti inflammatory fats, and strength based movement, you create the conditions for hormonal restoration.
Small, consistent changes can lead to profound improvements in metabolic and reproductive health.
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00:00:00 Hello everyone, thank you so much for joining me today to watch this video on how nutrition can help treat polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS. So a brief introduction to PCOS, it's a hormonal disorder causing inflammation, insulin resistance and reproductive issues. If you would like to know a little bit more, there is another video where I go a little
00:00:24 bit more in depth in describing what PCOS actually is, so please check out that video on PCOS and fertility. on PCOS and fertility. Symptoms include irregular periods, hercetism, acne, weight gain, fatigue and low mood. Now what these are related to, so irregular periods have been due to a reduction in ovulation
00:00:44 because the eggs don't mature properly in the underdeveloped follicles and therefore an egg is not released. Also there is an androgen dominant so heightened or an increase in male hormones despite both sexes having them. That can also lead to reduction in ovulation in irregular periods but that is That can also lead to reduction in ovulation in irregular periods but that is
00:01:04 the hercetism is due to androgen dominance and what that is is male hair growth on the body. So women will experience some facial hair, maybe chest hair on the back and it will be darker and thicker than what you would normally be used to. So that's caused by the androgen dominance. Any is another one caused by androgen dominance so you could have acne on the face or elsewhere
00:01:29 on the body. on the body. Weight gain, that is linked to insulin resistance which I mentioned before. So most cases and most women with polycystic ovary syndrome will experience insulin resistance and a lot of what I'm talking about in this video is how nutrition can benefit that and reduce that.
00:01:49 With fatigue and low mood that's usually due to hormonal imbalances and so nutrition can help with that as well in increasing your energy and insulin sensitivity and help with that as well in increasing your energy and insulin sensitivity and lowering inflammation as well in the body. There is no cure as such for polycystic ovary syndrome and we do not know exactly what
00:02:09 caused it. It's likely linked to genetic factors and also environmental factors but we don 't know specifically what or why it happens in women. There is no cure as such but it is highly treatable and what I'm talking about in this video is how you can treat it with nutrition but if you want to look at other treatments how you can treat it with nutrition but if you want to look at other treatments
00:02:30 again refer back to the other video I made by PCOS and Fertility and you'll get some answers there. The first thing I want to talk about when it comes to treating PCOS with nutrition is carbohydrates. So the main reason I would say to most clients to reduce their daily
00:02:49 consumption of carbohydrates is because the carbohydrate intake is linked to an increase in blood glucose and also an increase of insulin release from the pancreas. increase of insulin release from the pancreas. This is because insulin is the key that takes glucose from the blood into the body for energy production.
00:03:12 However, when you have insulin resistance the receptors that are there to offer the door nearly for the insulin which is the key for the blood glucose to go in tend to go dormant. The reason because of this is if this high levels of insulin and blood glucose The reason because of this is if this high levels of insulin and blood glucose in the blood, the insulin receptors almost feel overworked.
00:03:36 It's like if you are sitting at a desk and all this work just keeps piling and keeps coming eventually you're going to go right that's it I'm out and that's almost what the insulin receptors do. If you lower insulin and blood glucose you almost lighten the workload for the insulin receptors and they start to become more sensitive again as in insulin
00:03:57 sensitivity. So that's when they start to wake up and they start to bring the insulin So that's when they start to wake up and they start to bring the insulin glucose into the body and this is what helps to improve insulin sensitivity, reduce insulin resistance and also reduce inflammation. So definitely reduce your carbohydrate intake if you have PCOS.
00:04:15 It doesn't have to be nothing, it doesn't have to be ketogenic but just a lower amount than what you would regularly have. Choose non-starchy carbohydrates so you're fruit and veg instead of grains or things like pasta and bread, the sort of wheat products that can be quite processed like pasta and bread, the sort of wheat products that can be quite processed that is what you
00:04:36 should opt for. So changing the ratio of your sort of white, starchy carbs to the more colorful fruit and veg is our better options for PCOS. High fiber foods, now this again is really good for insulin resistance and reducing insulin resistance. However, I just want to touch on a point that high fiber diets are very popular
00:04:59 at the moment. moment. A lot of people are talking about the benefits and there are huge benefits to having a high fiber diet if you don't have any gut problems or IBS. Some people if they have a lot of fiber it tends to worsen their gastrointestinal issues,
00:05:16 they can have a lot of bloating, pain running back and forth to the bathroom. So if you are someone who suffers with this it is possible to have PCOS and IBS so please be careful with fiber intake and maybe seek some advice on what the best be careful with fiber intake and maybe seek some advice on what the best strategy for you is. Last point about carbohydrate intake is I have gluten free written here.
00:05:39 Now gluten gets a lot of sort of a bad wreck, this little protein that is contained within a lot of carbohydrates but it is responsible for a lot of inflammation in the gut and PCOS is in inflammatory condition so you want to watch for inflammation. I would at least try to go for two weeks even a month where I take out gluten I would at least try to go for two weeks even a month where I take out gluten from the diet
00:06:03 and then when you slowly reintroduce it see what effect it has. Most likely if you have PCOS you will notice a change or symptoms returning when you start to have gluten again. Now it is very easy to go gluten free but you don't have to choose breads, past as that I have been processed to have the gluten removed potatoes, rice, quinoa, nuts, seeds, lentils,
00:06:29 seeds, lentils, peas, beans all those foods are good carbohydrates to have. They are naturally gluten free and also contain other essential vitamins and minerals and fiber and good nutrients for the body to help produce inflammation and lower insulin levels. Okay another really important factor to consider if you have PCOS is consuming lots of anti-inflammatory
00:06:59 foods as I said before polycystic ovary syndrome is an inflammatory condition foods as I said before polycystic ovary syndrome is an inflammatory condition so you have to try and get the inflammation done. The main foods that you want to consume lots of are your omega fatty acids so a higher fat ratio to carbohydrate is beneficial for women with PCOS because it helps to lower
00:07:21 inflammation. You want to prioritize omega 3 because that is the omega fatty acid that is responsible responsible for managing the anti-inflammatory responses. The sixth although it is healthy and good for you it will help to regulate inflammation in the body but it is responsible for the pro-inflammatory response so times
00:07:43 might end up increasing inflammation in the body. So if you are happy to eat fish go for the oily fish salmon, mackerel, sardines these are all really high naturally in omega 3. There are a lot of huge amounts in it but any fish will be a good source of There are a lot of huge amounts in it but any fish will be a good source of omega 3 and
00:08:03 they have got lower amounts of omega 6. If you are someone who doesn't eat fish whether it is because you just don't like it or you think it is wrong to eat fish or for religious reasons there are other plant foods that contain omega 3, chia seeds, walnuts, nuts and seeds in general tend to have omega 3 contained within them.
00:08:26 The only issue I would say is that all of these plant foods tend to have a The only issue I would say is that all of these plant foods tend to have a higher ratio of omega 6 and if I can quickly go into this omega 6 and omega 3 battle at the same entry point into your system and omega 6 always takes priority and sometimes omega 3 doesn't get fully absorbed.
00:08:50 So it is good to try and separate your omega 3 intake from your omega 6. So if you are someone who doesn't eat fish you might want to take a supplement, So if you are someone who doesn't eat fish you might want to take a supplement, there is another video about that but you might want to take an omega 3 supplement and take it away from food so that you are getting the full absorption of omega 3 when you are
00:09:08 taking it in. If you do eat fish and you are having salmon, sardines try not to have it with a lot of omega 6 foods so don't have it with a salad and drizzle loads and loads of olive oil which is high in omega 6. Try and keep it away from your omega 6 as much as possible. Second on the list for anti-inflammatory foods are herbs and spices.
00:09:28 Second on the list for anti-inflammatory foods are herbs and spices. I cannot praise these enough, their nature is medicine, every herb and spice will help with the physiological mechanisms and good bodily functions inside the body and definitely helps reduce inflammation. The main ones tend to be a turmeric is quite a popular one. The component within turmeric is curcumin and that is the active anti-
00:09:53 inflammatory ingredient within turmeric. It does need black pepper to be activated so when you eat turmeric make sure It does need black pepper to be activated so when you eat turmeric make sure you have black pepper to activate the curcumin and get the anti-inflammatory regulation going. But again any fresh or dried herbs or spices are all good so flavor your food
00:10:13 as much as possible with lots of herbs and spices. Another one for anti-inflammation, try and have organic and unprocessed foods. I appreciate that eating all organic foods can be quite expensive but just try where you can to eat organic as much as possible. can to eat organic as much as possible. There are certain foods that have hard skins that aren't as necessary to
00:10:38 consume as organic for example bananas, avocados, it's better to have organic but they're not the ones you want to prioritize when it comes to eating organic. Animals, broccoli, anything that you're eating all of it you eat the skin, you eat the entire fruit or vegetable that's where you want to choose organic as much as possible and unprocessed.
00:10:59 So if you look at something and on the back where the ingredients are listed if So if you look at something and on the back where the ingredients are listed if it says you know a number of ingredients most of which you can pronounce it's highly processed and that is to go away because chances are it won't be good for inflammation. Then we have dairy free. The reason for this is because dairy contains insulin like growth factor one or
00:11:25 IGF one and this acts in the body that mimics the actions of insulin in the body. and this acts in the body that mimics the actions of insulin in the body. So again with insulin resistance you don't want anything mimicking insulin in the body so it's good to at least limit dairy or go dairy free or cows dairy free. The reason I would say take out cows dairy is because it's high in A1 casein and again
00:11:47 this can activate the pro inflammatory response. You want to go for good sourced sheep or goats dairy when you have PCOS so a little bit of goats and sheep's dairy is fine because that will help with increasing bit of goats and sheep's dairy is fine because that will help with increasing calcium intake which we know is good for fertility. Okay so furthermore a little bit more about blood glucose control I've sort of
00:12:15 touched on this somewhat but rather than just take out the carbs what to add in so high protein and healthy fats so again you're lean protein things like you know chicken, eggs, again you're fish there's some mackerel there a nice oily fish that has lots of omega you're fish there's some mackerel there a nice oily fish that has lots of omega 3 in
00:12:31 it will help with inflammation also just managing blood glucose and insulin levels. Low sugar content so let's get rid of the chocolate, the cake, the biscuits as much as possible anyway you want to stay away from your white carbs process refined sugar foods so try and take them out especially things like fizzy drinks are so unnecessary .
00:12:54 I would rather although sweeteners get a bad rep in one way I would rather people have that rather than the full sugar drinks. that rather than the full sugar drinks. So that we've got limit alcohol alcohol takes quite a toll on the liver and your liver is really important for metabolizing not just food but also metabolizing hormones it's processing
00:13:17 it's detoxifying the body don't add to its role especially if you are trying to conceive a child you want your body to be functioning at its top form so at least reduce the amount of alcohol you're taking and if you can eliminate it entirely please do so. of alcohol you're taking and if you can eliminate it entirely please do so. Mindful eating now where this plays its role in blood glucose is that when we 're stressed
00:13:40 whether we're eating or not this can actually increase our blood glucose levels because glycogen is released from the liver because the body thinks it has to go into fight and flight mode and we need more blood glucose because we need more energy however most of the time we're not moving at all we're staying stationary so the blood glucose doesn't we're not moving at all we're staying stationary so the blood glucose doesn't
00:14:04 get utilized and again insulin resistance goes high and strength exercises my last point for blood glucose control so definitely picking up the weights doing the resistance exercises where you 've got to do slow control movements where you're breaking down the muscles in order for them to rebuild and can help with insulin resistance the reason being is that muscle
00:14:28 protein synthesis protein synthesis or muscle growth and when the protein is trying to get into the muscles it needs insulin to transport into the muscles to help them to grow so again that's another good way to utilize the insulin in your body and reduce blood glucose levels. Okay so just to finalize my last points my take home messages for nutrition to
00:14:54 help treat PCOS keep it pure and close to source fewer ingredients organic unprocessed PCOS keep it pure and close to source fewer ingredients organic unprocessed that's the way you want to go so always keep it down to minimal ingredients on the back of packages or things like fruit and veg that's it chicken that's the only ingredient potatoes only ingredient
00:15:15 keep it wholesome pure and organic if you can limit your carbohydrate intake try to prioritise the non-starchy fruit and veg and increase your protein intake and your healthy fats so not necessarily saturated done of lots of butter of course that's dairy fats so not necessarily saturated done of lots of butter of course that's dairy as well go for your unsaturated omega fatty acid foods try to at least limit gluten and
00:15:38 dairy or go dairy free and gluten free for a period of time and then slowly reintroduce again this can be really beneficial for inflammation reducing inflammation in the body and also maintain a good exercise so as I said before that really helps with insulin resistance especially if it's strength based training and so it's not just nutrition there
00:15:55 especially if it's strength based training and so it's not just nutrition there are lifestyle factors that you want to consider because that's what helps the mechanisms in the body work really well and helps to have nutrients absorbed properly using strength exercise so thank you so much for listening I hope this has been helpful enjoy the rest of your day
