The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) affects around 8-13% of women. This condition affects many aspects of a woman’s health, including metabolism and hormone levels.
Paying close attention to what you eat plays an important role in managing PCOS symptoms. A good diet can help stabilize insulin levels, manage weight, and reduce inflammation. Easier said than done, right?
It can be tough to figure out what foods to add to your diet and what to avoid. So, our in-house Registered Dietitian created this 7-day PCOS Meal Plan to give you an idea.
This PCOS meal plan heavily leans on Monash University’s PCOS Guideline (2023). In it, they recommend tailoring dietary changes to your personal food preferences to achieve nutritional goals. They also suggest that it’s best to avoid excessively restrictive and nutritionally unbalanced diets.
So, let’s have fun in preparing this healthy meal plan!
Want to learn more about PCOS and PCOS meal planning first? Go to this section.
Day 1 is the same set of meals planned for Day 3. For every meal that you’ll prepare today, you need to prepare two servings. For snacks, you’ll need to prepare three servings.
To complete your 1,600-calorie meal plan:
Pair your breakfast bowl with a delicious and refreshing 5 min Vegan Berry Smoothie. Or, have it as a morning snack. You can prepare it in advance for Day 3 or make it on the day itself.
For lunch, pair your delicious steak with some Roasted Vegetables Breakfast Hash. This also helps add fiber to your scheduled meal plan!
For snacks, you can enjoy a refreshing ice cream that you can enjoy for the next couple of days. Just remember to store them properly in the freezer.
For Day 2, you’ll need approximately 2 hours to prepare all of your meals for the day.
For breakfast, you’ll make a quick breakfast taco that you can enjoy on the go!
You’ll need to prepare extra servings for lunch, dinner, and snacks for the next couple of days.
Tip: You can cook your rice servings for the whole week. When it has cooled down, you can portion them in containers and freeze the rice. In fact, freezing this can even help you lower the glycemic index (GI) of rice.
If you’ve already prepared your Day 3 food on Day 1, then you don’t need to prepare anything for today.
Similar to Day 1, you’ll need to have a second dish to pair with your main meals, to help complete your 1,600-calorie meal plan:
For breakfast pair your meal with a 5 min Vegan Berry Smoothie. Or, enjoy it as an AM snack.
And for lunch, pair your delicious lunch steak with some Roasted Vegetables Breakfast Hash.
Have you already prepared meals from Day 2? Then on Day 4, you’ll need less than 30 minutes to prepare your breakfast and lunch.
Did you prepare snacks in advance? Then on Day 5, you’ll need under an hour to prepare your meals.
You’ll need to prepare two servings of lunch and dinner. You’ll eat the same meals on day 7.
If you’ve already prepared your breakfast, lunch and snacks, you’ll only need to cook your dinner on Day 6. It will only take 20 minutes!
On Day 7, you’ll only need to prepare your breakfast and snacks. If you’ve already prepared lunch and dinner from Day 5, It will take less than 30 minutes to prepare these two meals!
Ingredient and Shopping Tips for the PCOS Meal Plan
We’re all about saving time, money, and making your eating habits work for you. Here are some additional tips to help you make this PCOS meal plan into a reality:
- Start meal planning your high protein meal plan and grocery list on Friday and Saturday, and do shopping during the weekend.
- Pay attention to nutrition labels. When you’re shopping for your PCOS meal plan recipes, look for products with low sugar, low sodium, and high fiber content. Avoid products with added sugars, unhealthy fats, and artificial ingredients.
- Try cooking methods that minimize added fats and promote heart health, such as grilling, air frying, baking, steaming, roasting, and sautéing with minimal oil. These methods help retain the natural flavors of foods without adding excess calories or unhealthy fats.
- Use herbs, spices, and natural flavorings to add flavor to your meals without relying on added sugars, salt, or unhealthy fats.
Below is a quick overview of the recipes that are repeated during this low cholesterol diet plan:
| Recipes | Number of servings to prepare | Day and meal planned |
| Egg and Veggie Breakfast Bowl | 3 servings | Breakfast, Day 1, 3 and 6 |
| 5 min Vegan Berry Smoothie | 2 servings | Breakfast, Day 4 and 7 |
| Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak Recipe | 2 servings | Breakfast, Day 1 and 3 |
| Healthy Sheet Pan Tilapia and Veggies | 2 servings | Lunch, Day 2 and 6 |
| 5-Minute Mediterranean Bowl | 2 servings | Lunch Day 5 and 7 |
| Healthy Strawberry Banana Ice Cream | 3 servings | Snacks Day 1, 3 and 5 |
| Quick Super Snack | 2 servings | Snacks Day 2, 4 and 6 |
| Roasted Vegetables Breakfast Hash | 2 servings | Lunch Day 1 and 3 |
| Greek Healthy Meal Prep Recipe | 2 servings | Dinner, Day 1 and 3 |
| Healthy Chicken Fajitas Meal Prep | 2 servings | Dinner Day 2 and 4 |
| Tacos 🌮 and Freezer Meal Taco Kit | 2 servings | Snacks Day 5 and 7 |
Some food safety reminders
As mentioned earlier, this PCOS meal plan calls for some meals to be prepared in advance to save time. Here are some food safety tips to keep in mind when preparing meals in advance:
- Start with clean hands and surfaces.
- Use separate utensils, cutting boards, and cooking equipment if needed
- Use fresh ingredients and check expiration dates.
- Keep raw and cooked foods separate.
- Cook foods thoroughly and cool them quickly.
- Store meals in airtight containers with labels and dates.
- Thaw safely in the refrigerator, under cold water, or in the microwave.
- Reheat to 165°F (74°C) before eating.
- Use or discard leftovers within a safe time frame.
- Trust your senses – if it smells off, looks odd, or has mold, discard it.
What is PCOS?
PCOS or Polycystic ovary syndrome is a hormonal disorder common to women of reproductive age. It can cause irregular periods, excess hair growth, acne, and difficulty getting pregnant. PCOS happens when there’s an imbalance of hormones in the body, which can lead to problems with the ovaries, the reproductive organs that produce estrogen and progesterone, as well as the hormone testosterone, often leading to various symptoms and potential complications.
What to Eat On a PCOS Meal Plan or Diet
You might not want to follow this exact PCOS meal plan, and that’s fine! You can easily create your own recipes and meal plans on Samsung Food to suit your own preferences. If you want to help manage your PCOS with your diet, here’s what you should keep in mind.
1. Stick to a Balanced Diet
When consuming a balanced diet, even if you’re managing your weight or your hormone levels, you can (and should!) include the all three macronutrients, carbohydrates, protein and fat. Contrary to what you see in mainstream media, you don’t have to eliminate carbs. Carbohydrates form part of a balanced diet and can go together with healthy fat choices, and lean proteins. Yes, even for a PCOS meal plan to help manage the condition!
2. Low Glycemic Index (GI) Foods
We’ve already mention that carbs can be included in your diet. But, it’s worth remembering you need to be mindful of the quality of your carbohydrates. Carbohydrate sources with a low glycemic index can help regulate blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, which are often associated with PCOS. This includes carb sources that are high in fiber, and examples can be whole grains, legumes, non-starchy vegetables, and fruits with low GI.
đź’ˇSamsung Food Tip:
You can learn more by clicking the info button in the upper right corner of this section, as shown in the image.
We provide information on Glycemic Index (GI) and Glycemic Load (GL) of the recipes you wish to include to your meal plan.
You can also look up the Glycemic Index (GI) of ingredients you want to add to your shopping list!
3. Limit Refined Carbohydrates and Sugars
To reduce blood sugar spikes, you’ll want to limit sugary foods and beverages, as well as refined carbohydrates (like white bread, pasta, and pastries.)
4. Healthy Fats
Include sources of healthy fats in your diet such as avocados, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish like salmon, which can help with hormone regulation and inflammation.
5. Protein
To support satiety and muscle health, incorporate lean protein sources like poultry, fish, tofu, legumes, and low-fat dairy products into your meals.
6. Limit Processed Foods
Limit highly processed foods such as burgers, fries, hot dogs, sausages, bacon, which often contain unhealthy fats, sodium, and additives. Also, reduce ultra-processed foods with added sugars like sugary drinks, sweetened breakfast cereals, and sweetened dairy products.
7. Stay Hydrated
Drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated and support overall health.
Additional Tips for PCOS and Meal Plans
The most recent guidelines to PCOS recommend a holistic approach to managing PCOS. This means that alongside dietary management, lifestyle and behavioral changes should also be taken into consideration. This includes getting regular physical activity, and incorporating behavioral strategies like goal-setting and self-monitoring into your lifestyle. This can help you optimize health, weight, and emotional well-being. Seeking support and counseling can also help women with PCOS stick to these changes and improve their health.
Consult a healthcare professional
Around 70% of PCOS cases go undiagnosed. In order to get a diagnosis, consider consulting with a healthcare professional like a gynaecologist or an endocrinologist. If you suspect you have PCOS, they can advise which laboratory and clinical exams are required. Also, consider working with a registered dietitian to tailor your meal planning to your individual needs.
You can read more about PCOS on the WHO website.
FAQs on PCOS Meal Plan
This depends on various factors such as age, weight, height, activity level, and metabolic rate. Consider consulting a registered dietitian.
Limit certain foods that can affect hormone levels, such as highly processed foods, sugary snacks and drinks, refined carbohydrates and food high in trans fats
To lose weight naturally with PCOS, focus on making healthy lifestyle changes. Diet is just one part of this, but you can read more weight management tips here.
