target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="#fb3_img_img_3469be49-fa26-5c44-b722-02076c0d7c42.jpg" alt="float image1"/> breakfast cereals without added salt, like shredded wheat, puffed rice
Instead of salty preserved meats, choose the fresh alternative such as fresh salmon and lean beef.
Bread, hard cheese, cereals, oily fish (e.g. kippers, smoked mackerel and canned fish, especially in brine) are highly salted foods but they should not be avoided (unless on doctor’s orders) as they provide other important and protective nutrients.
Instead of salt, experiment with herbs and spices or other alternatives. Basil, chervil, chives, dill, fennel and garlic work well with salads. Thyme, tarragon and parsley can really enhance the flavour of meat, fish, vegetables and potatoes. Wine is a wonderful flavour-enhancer. When it is boiled the alcohol evaporates, leaving behind the aromatic essence of the wine. Mustard really brings out the flavour of cheese. Have fun experimenting with spices or alternatives to salt until you find those you like best.
You will gradually be able to adjust to a less salty diet and learn to appreciate the more subtle flavours that were once hidden by the overpowering taste of salt.
10) Get Snacking
Start the day with a good breakfast, have a mid-morning snack, followed by lunch, a mid-afternoon snack and then supper.
Why?
The typical way many of us find ourselves eating is a small or non-existent breakfast followed by a light snack at lunch and then a big evening meal. Sometimes people don’t eat at all until their evening meal, which can be as late as 8.30 p.m. Stacking your calories like this isn’t a very good idea, especially if you have PCOS.
First of all, you are telling your body that once you get up in the morning you are fasting. In the fasted state your body will do its best to hold on to every last calorie, as it is not sure when it will get the next one. Your body achieves this very effectively by reducing your metabolic rate. Not only this, but in the fasted state, because of your brain’s absolute requirement for glucose, you begin to break down your own muscle to provide the necessary glucose.
You can’t convert fat into glucose. The net effect is a loss in muscle mass and reduction in your metabolic rate. Then when you do eat in the evening, your body is now set up to store as much fat as possible. After eating you often go to bed, so your body has little time to use any of the calories that you have just consumed.
Missing breakfast and fasting during the day isn’t a good idea because it encourages weight gain, sends your body confusing signals and deprives your body and your mind of the energy they need to function optimally. If you have PCOS and are worried about weight gain, you aren’t doing yourself any favours with such an uneven food intake during the day.
How?
Start the day with breakfast, have a mid-morning snack, followed by lunch, afternoon tea, then supper. All you need to get right is what to eat at each of these meal times. Obviously they do not need to be large meals, but should combine complex, low-GI carbohydrates with small amounts of protein.
Try to eat most of your calories earlier in the day. This would avoid being in ‘fast mode’ during the day and allow some of the calories to be burned off during the day’s activities.
Breakfast is often the meal that is completely ignored, but it’s the most important one. It kick-starts your metabolism, gives you energy and sets you up for the day. You may not feel like eating two minutes after you have jumped out of bed, so try and give yourself a little time to wake up before eating. Preparing something for later in the day such as a few snacks will start your digestive system working. Then eat some breakfast.
It’s a good idea to cook a little extra the night before so that you have snacks for the rest of the day to take to work or eat at home. An extra chicken breast, piece of salmon or pot of reduced-fat hummus together with some vegetable sticks such as carrots, celery and cucumber are simple and will work wonders at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. when you start to wilt, as would some fresh or dried fruit and a handful of walnuts, almonds or sunflower seeds.
When I was diagnosed with PCOS my doctor told me that it would be harder for me to lose weight, and suggested regular exercise. I’d never been that health-conscious but wanted to lose the weight, so I enrolled in a gym and started classes a few times a week. I also made sure I was eating healthily. After six months nothing had happened – in fact, I had gained 5 pounds. I felt as if I was destined to be overweight.
In frustration I contacted a dietician who had experience helping women with PCOS. She asked me to tell her what I was actually eating, and she agreed that I wasn’t eating too much and that my food choices were sound. She said that the problem was I was skipping breakfast, not eating much at lunchtime and eating my main meal at night. She told me that the answer wasn’t a diet but to move towards a more metabolically-sound eating pattern. This meant six meals a day to keep my metabolic rate high so more food is burned off. Basically I was to eat the same amount of food, but in a different order. It seemed like her advice was far too generous – and how was I going to cope with eating breakfast, something I hadn’t done in years? Within weeks of changing my eating schedule, though, I was pounds lighter. All those years of skipping breakfast because I thought it would help me lose weight were actually making me gain it! How wrong can you be?
Rebecca, 27
Healthy Snacks
