PCOS/PCOD: How Plant-Based Foods Help Alleviate the Condition
Updated: May 22, 2023
PCOD/PCOS is one of the common health issues in women these days. In fact, the ratio is such that one girl/woman out of five is diagnosed with PCOD. After all, what is PCOD/PCOS? Let’s us see it first. PCOD stands for Polycystic Ovary Disease and PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome. Both the terms have same meaning and hence are used interchangeably. Don’t be afraid by its big name. It is not a serious disease at all. It is just a small health issue caused by hormonal imbalance in women of any age group who are in their reproductive years i.e., they are getting their menstruation cycles.
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Why it isn’t actually as serious as it sounds
Why am I calling it a health issue as well as small? Because it does not need any medical treatment as such. It is you who can cure it too, on your own by following some easy steps that I will tell you afterwards. What happens is, due to this hormonal imbalance, cysts (very tiny ball-like protrusion of flesh) start to develop in one or both the ovaries and disturb the ovulation and hence, affecting the regular menstrual cycle.
Causes, Symptoms and Solutions
Women who have PCOD, their ovaries start secreting extra androgen or male hormone and lessen the secretion of estrogen or female hormone. The most common noticeable symptoms are Irregular periods, extra facial hair, and acne (pimples). The other known symptoms are unwanted body hair growth (especially in areas like the chin and chest), hair fall, weight gain or weight loss, pain in the pelvic area, etc. Some women may face difficulty in conceiving because it also leads to infertility. Sometimes, they miss their periods for at least one month and at most for six months. While there are some women who get their periods well before the estimated time or, even twice or thrice in a month. Now, the most important question is “How does this hormonal imbalance occur in the first place?” The reason can be changing lifestyle, food habits (eating more junk foods, fast foods, street foods, packaged foods, food from restaurants, poultry products, dairy products, carbonated drinks etc.) or lack of physical exercise or excess weight.
You think you have it? Get Checked!
So, if you observe any of these symptoms and you are suspicious that you too may have it. Then what should you do? Remember, sooner the disease is diagnosed the better. The healing process becomes easier be it any disease. Firstly, you should go and see a gynecologist without any delay. Tell the doctor about your problem. The doctor will prescribe you some medical or blood tests or sonography of your endocrine system. Again, you need not worry, it is done basically to check your hormone levels or to detect the possibility of a cyst or cysts if any. If only you are diagnosed with PCOD then you seriously have to think about what to do now.
You and your prescriptions
A doctor's prescribed medicine won't do much for you if you keep living an unhealthy lifestyle on a daily basis. I believe you should know the procedure before you go to any doctor for its treatment. They will simply prescribe you to take contraceptive pills for at least 3 months regularly with a gap of seven days. You may get rid of all the symptoms or start getting your periods regularly if you followed the prescription properly. But once you start living and eating in the same way, there are fair chances that you may start developing the symptoms again.
The medication and it’s side-effects
On top of it, the contraceptive pills that you take are nothing but hormone supplements that help in balancing your hormones. But taking these pills is not a healthy practice itself and they may cause some side effects as well. Some of the side effects may be weight gain or infertility in long run. What I came to know is that there is no foolproof or permanent cure for PCOD through medical treatment. But there is nothing to worry about. Trust me, the symptoms of PCOD can be reduced without any medical assistance.
My PCOS journey
I know there must be a question in your mind, “Why should you believe in whatever I am telling you ?” You can trust me because I have gone through all these issues that PCOD causes and I have also faced the insecurities that it brings with itself. I too went to the doctor, got the tests done, took the medicines, got back my periods, and everything got back to normal. I thought it was over and started practicing all the unhealthy eating habits again. But I was wrong. The next time, I visited the doctor she told me herself that she can suppress the symptoms with medicines but can't cure them permanently. The syndrome itself means a non-curable disease or a disease whose cure has not been found yet. I need not tell you how disappointed and frustrated I was about getting rid of these PCOD symptoms because you too know how it feels and probably that’s why you are here. I learnt it the hard way and I don’t want any of you to go through all that. I understand periods are painful and irritating but you don’t want to keep missing them now and then. You don't want to be body-shamed because of your excess weight or for getting thin day by day. You don't want to feel uncomfortable amongst your friends or peer group about your excessive facial or body hairs. You don’t want to see your hair fall every time you comb them. You need not worry. Indeed, medical science does not have its cure till now but it doesn't mean that there is no possibility to cure it. Remember every problem has its solution, we just need to find it out. So, is there any way to cure PCOD and get rid of it permanently? Of course, yes. Before I start explaining to you how to get back to your normal and carefree life that is your pre-PCOD life, I want you to keep this quote in your mind: "WHERE THERE IS A WILL, THERE IS A WAY!” There’s a way you can manage the symptoms efficiently, without any external assistance or medical intervention. A healthy diet and a sound, detremined will is all you .need Our problem is that instead of knowing about the cause of the disease we start focusing on the disease itself. That’s why we end up getting appointment after appointment from the doctors and not being cured. So, first of all, what we need to do is to be aware of the different causes that lead you to get PCOD.
The permanent cure to your health: A Healthy Lifestyle
The most effective way to cure PCOD without any medication is just to CHANGE YOUR LIFESTYLE. Yes, you heard it right. Well, you must be wondering, "How is this possible?” and above all, “What is wrong with our lifestyle?” Let me tell you, we all have different Lifestyles that is how we live. Take a pause and pay detailed attention to how are you living your life. And you can start your healing process from this very moment. The very first step you have to take is to start observing your eating habits. What do you eat throughout the day? How do you eat your meals? What do you drink? Do you eat non-vegetarian food? These are some basic questions that you can ask yourself. You must have heard somewhere that you become what you eat. I want to add something here that it’s not only that what you eat affects you but how you eat it is equally responsible for improving as well as deteriorating your health. Once you are aware of your eating habits you are good to go!
Veganism and your health
The second and most significant step is to practice VEGANISM. Firstly, what is veganism? It is a practice to avoid the use of animal products, especially in one’s diet. Now, why veganism? According to research, veganism proves to be beneficial for reducing the symptoms of severe diseases and illnesses as well as maintaining good health in long run. And controlling your PCOD is just a matter of a couple of months. Everyone wants a good and healthy life. Veganism can be considered a solution to many such diseases. The thing is many of us are unaware of its tremendous benefits. And people who know about it, find it difficult to practice properly because they are accustomed to their lifestyle and busy schedule. Here comes the question, “How many of us are willing to put our efforts towards getting a healthy life? I hope you are one of those who are looking for a way to change your life completely without depending on any medication. Another issue is that we are so convinced by the fact that only a doctor can cure us. It is not the truth anymore nowadays. If you are aware of your way of living and work on that, you don't need to see a doctor in your life. All you need is a little guidance regarding your eating and food habits. Ask yourself, "Are you ready to invest your time and effort in your health instead of money on your doctors and medicines?” If you get a big YES from within, you are good to go!
If you observe around you, you will find that most of the women who have PCOD are non-vegetarians. I have no ethical issues in eating non-vegetarian food but many medical problems arise due to the regular intake of animal products. When the population increases, it's difficult to meet their needs with limited resources. To cater to everyone's needs, the producers choose some unnatural methods to increase the production and there is where the main issue arises. Animal products and dairy products are being produced with the help of chemicals and artificial hormones almost everywhere which are unhealthy for us. One of the reasons for hormonal imbalance is these products that we eat every day. As told earlier, veganism emphasizes resisting the intake of any animal product in your meals. I know that it may be a difficult journey for some of you but I assure you it’s worth it. So, how to practice veganism? All you have to do is start loving plant-based meals. The biggest issue that people are worried about is "How will we get protein if we don't eat animal products or dairy products?" So, let me ask you one simple question, "How many of you eat meat or any animal-based product for that matter with a conscience that your body needs protein?" Generally, it is just to soothe your palate and taste buds. And the animals from whom you get all these products "what do they eat?" Think for a while. Plants, Cereals, grass, etc., right? Plants can provide protein to animals and why not us? I don’t think they have any biasness towards animals, do they? Plants can fulfill all kinds of nutritional needs of our body. Why don’t you try taking plant-based protein and see for yourself if it makes any difference?
Alternatives to your meals
There are a lot of alternatives to animal-based foods. You can replace your meals with fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole cereals, legumes, and seeds etc. All these things are easily available near you. You can learn new and tasty vegan recipes using only these ingredients. Once you get used to eating them, you can experiment on your own according to your taste and availability of ingredients. Nowadays, there has emerged a new culture of a plant-based diet, plant-based meat or “fake” meats, and plant-based meals that make our life easier. There are a lot of vegan restaurants out there that serve good and a variety of vegan food rich with nutrients. Even you can have your vegan time when you are not at home. Coming to eating habits, you can have a plateful of seasonal fruits, you can eat your meals loaded with green and leafy vegetables, healthy & fulfilling salads, cereal bowls, and for dinner, you can make healthy soups for yourself, etc. When you feel the craving in between your meals, you can munch nuts instead of eating packeted snacks. If you feel like drinking milk, you can prepare nut-based milk such as coconut milk, almond milk, etc. instead of drinking soft drinks, drink coconut water or some homemade refreshing sharbat. Vegan foods get digested faster keeping your whole digestive system healthy. It also helps your body in detox and excretes all unwanted toxins out of your body. Increased toxins in your body are the reasons for causing several diseases in your body. When you get rid of them, your body gets free not only from harmful toxins but diseases as well.
Conclusion
Take out some time for your body and your health from your busy schedule and invest on eating fully plant-based meals for at least a week. You will surely find a drastic change in your health. You will feel lighter, happier, and observe a little clarity in your thoughts. Continue practicing good eating habits and veganism. I’m sure, there will be no looking back. I hope you will also be able to take charge of your PCOD and regain better health by following this simple practice of veganism. Have a happy and healthy life ahead!