As someone who once suffered from the devastating effects of PCOS, I’m thrilled to see influential women speaking out. Their stories hit home for many reasons. As I explain in my book WomanCode, I experienced the same agonizing acne as Ridley—not to mention weight gain, sleeplessness, depression, and other PCOS symptoms. There are two strategic dietary changes to start with that will make a significant dent in PCOS symptoms—namely limiting or cutting out dairy and added sugars. For many women, nixing these two notorious endocrine disruptors with a low starch/low dairy3 dietary approach can help tremendously. But what if you’ve already completely cut milk products and sweets from your diet and you’re still experiencing the pimples, messed-up periods, extra pounds, and hair loss associated with PCOS? Before I made it my mission to fix my hormones and help other women get back on track, I had no idea that some of the “healthy” foods I was consuming could actually make my problems worse. And I see the disbelief on my clients’ faces every day when I break the news that some of the hyped-up health foods they’ve been dutifully consuming may actually be sabotaging their best efforts to overcome PCOS symptoms. Here are the “healthy” foods that I personally recommend women with PCOS avoid due to an abundance of caution: But when eaten raw, regularly, and in large quantities (think smoothies), cruciferous veggies in the Brassica family (specifically Russian/Siberian kale, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, collards, and Brussels sprouts) contain goitrogens that can suppress thyroid function4. It turns out that hypothyroidism and PCOS5 are linked, although the exact mechanisms and direction of this association are still being worked out through research. If you’re going to go raw with kale and related Brassica veggies, just consume in moderation or opt for alternatives like celery, chard, romaine lettuce, or beet leaves instead. But if kale, cauliflower, broccoli, or Brussels sprouts are what your heart desires, cook them first. I like to sauté them with a little coconut oil before digging in. Soy isoflavone phytoestrogens aren’t identical to your body’s estrogen, but some research (mostly in animals/rodents) suggests that eating soy in large amounts over time may confuse your body into thinking it has a sufficient estrogen supply. This signals your endocrine system to slow down estrogen production, subsequently slowing the production of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). This can negatively impact ovulation and contribute to menstrual cycle irregularities. While high levels of soy are linked to potential, negative reproductive health6 issues, regular or occasional soy intake may be totally fine (and even healthy) according to more recent research7.
