Treat PCOS with a Vegan Diet (Polycystic ovarian syndrome )

 I found this great article from Neal Barnard, M.D. posted by Alicia Silverstone, who is a vegan herself;

Apr 24, 2013 by Alicia Silverstone

I’ve seen a few of you kind-lifers asking about PCOS in the forum. I wanted to ask expert Dr. Neal Barnard to weigh in on this syndrome and how a vegan diet can help. Read his insight below…

Plant-Based Diets for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
By Neal Barnard, M.D.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder involving excessive hormone production by the ovaries and the adrenal glands. It affects approximately 5 percent of women in the United States and usually begins during puberty. Although PCOS has no specific cure, weight loss, medical treatment, and dietary changes such as a implementing a low-fat plant-based diet can usually control most symptoms.

Common PCOS symptoms include obesity, hirsutism (growth of thick hair in areas where hair is normally minimal or absent, such as the face, chest, and breasts), and absence of menstrual periods. Affected women generally have multiple ovarian cysts and may be infertile. They often have diabetes, male-pattern baldness, and acne.

The cause of PCOS is unknown. But it appears to be, in part, related to diet and lifestyle factors, particularly those that influence body weight and insulin. Although weight loss is an accepted treatment, even relatively lean women may develop PCOS, and diet changes may affect the outcome of this disorder even in the absence of weight change.

A diet that addresses cardiovascular risk factors is appropriate for women with PCOS. Roughly half of women with PCOS are obese, and losing as little as 5 to 10 percent of weight results in a resumption of menstrual periods and a decrease in androgen hormones.

A plant-based diet is the best option for women with PCOS. The majority of women with PCOS also suffer from insulin resistance. If insulin isn’t working properly then hormones get out of kilter, among other mishaps. Fiber helps tremendously with hormone issues, and of course fiber is only found in plants!

There are several additional reasons why a diet low in fat and high in fiber and whole grains (aka a vegan diet) is superior to other weight-loss treatments. Such a diet helps reverse diabetes, which affects 50 to 70 percent of women with PCOS. Low–fat, high–fiber diets also reduce body weight and effectively address unhealthy cholesterol levels.

http://thekindlife.com/blog/post/treat-pcos-polycystic-ovarian-syndrome-with-vegan-plant-based-diet

Regain your health and take control of your life

Please take the time to read this, it is amazing! This is the program I have been following to stay cancer free. Dr. McDougall is awesome and has shared his program here for free. He is not about making money,  he really wants people to be healthy and he has proven that by posting his program for everyone to follow. If you want to prevent disease or have a loved one battling a disease, you should really read his Free Program. He lists all the foods you should eat, the foods you should avoid and even better, there are recipes you for each day of his program.

This instructional material offers you a real opportunity for rediscovering your health and appearance. However, diet is powerful medicine. Do not change your diet or start an intense exercise program if you are seriously ill or on medication unless you are under the care of a physician knowledgeable in nutrition and its effects on health. Do not change medications without professional advice. When appropriate, share this message with your doctor.
The McDougall Program uses a pure-vegetarian diet based around starchy vegetables with the addition of fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables. If you follow the diet strictly for more than three years, or if you are pregnant or nursing, then take a minimum of 5 micrograms (mcg) of supplemental vitamin B12 each day.
Even though this instructional material is quite complete for changing your life, there is much more information to be found here on the McDougall web site in the McDougall books. Altogether with the web site and books you have over 2200 recipes to choose from. One of the most helpful and inexpensive experiences you can have is to view one of the sets of the McDougall DVDs. However, those of you desiring serious change in your health and medical care should consider becoming involved in one of the many programs at the McDougall Health Center. The 10-day live-in McDougall Program is where you become a patient of Dr. McDougall's. This is the controlled and comfortable environment where you will progress rapidly to become medication-free, feeling great, trim, active, and in excellent health
  You can regain your health and take control of your life. All the good things that you associate with health – enhanced appearance, optimal weight, great vitality, restoration of normal function, positive moods, and a deep feeling of well-being – can be yours. And you can accomplish these wondrous goals using the simplest method imaginable – eating the wholesome, fresh foods that our Creator intended.
The McDougall Program consists of the following:

• A diet of plant foods, including whole grains and whole grain products (such as pasta, tortillas, and whole-grain bread), a wide assortment of vegetables, and fruit
• Plenty of spices and usually small amounts of sugar and salt to enhance the flavor of food
• Exercise as simple as a daily walk
• The exclusion of animal foods, including red meat, poultry, dairy products, eggs, and fish – all of which provide toxic levels of fat, cholesterol, protein and, very often, infectious agents and harmful chemicals
• The exclusion of ALL oils, including olive oil, safflower oil and corn oil. Oils, which are nothing more than liquid fat, increase body fat stores (obesity), depress immune function, and contribute to most common chronic diseases

By making these profound changes, you will experience an almost immediate improvement in your health. And, while I know it sounds difficult at first, taken step by step and over the course of just 12 days, it will become a way of life that is so natural and so simple, you won't believe how easy it is.

Please go to this Link to follow his program;

 http://www.drmcdougall.com/free_1.html