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Eating well with polycystic ovary syndrome

Te kainga pai me te matenga tini-kāmaoa wharekano

There is no special diet for PCOS. But eating well and being active can help to manage some of your symptoms. It can also reduce your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.

If you are an unhealthy weight, losing just 5 to 10% of your weight can improve irregular periods and infertility. It can also improve other problems caused by PCOS, such as insulin resistance. For advice about losing weight see How to lose weight.

Tips for eating well and being active

Eat a variety of foods each day

Choose lots of different foods from the tables below. The tables show 4 food groups. You need food from all 4 of the groups, so try to have something from at least 3 of them at every meal.

Have sensible portions and follow the healthy plate model

Use the servings sizes in the tables below and follow the healthy plate model in the picture for lunch and dinner.

Choose grain foods, mostly wholegrain and those naturally high in fibre

Examples include wholemeal and mixed-grain breads, wholemeal pasta, brown rice, whole oats, barley and quinoa. These are rich in nutrients, and their fibre content helps to keep your blood sugar levels stable. Look for products that say "wholegrain" on the package or contain 5 g or more of fibre per 100 g of food.

Avoid sugar and sugary foods

Avoid added sugar (sometimes called fructose, glucose or sucrose), honey and syrups such as maple, golden or agave syrup in food and drinks. Keep cakes, biscuits, sweet pastries, chocolate, lollies, ice cream and puddings for occasional treats.

Choose healthy fats and low-fat cooking methods

Use healthy oils such as canola, extra virgin olive, rice bran, sunflower and soybean in cooking. Instead of frying or roasting, use low-fat cooking methods. These include baking, grilling, microwaving, boiling and steaming. Include other sources of healthy fat such as oily fish, nuts and avocados.

Do not skip meals

Eat 3 meals a day at regular times. If you are hungry between meals, have a nutritious snack. For example, fresh fruit, low-fat milk, plain unsweetened yoghurt, crackers with cottage cheese, hummus or avocado and tomato or a small handful (30 g) of unsalted raw nuts.

Be active every day

Do at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days. Be active in as many ways as possible – move more and sit less.

You may want to consult a dietitian to help you develop an eating plan that suits your lifestyle, manage your symptoms and help you to lose weight if you need to.

Food tables

Grain foods

Choose at least 6 servings every day. A serving is 1 medium slice of bread, ½ to 1 cup of breakfast cereal or ½ cup of cooked rice or pasta.

Foods to include	Foods to limit
Wholemeal, wholegrain or rye bread, wholemeal pita bread Wholemeal and wholegrain cereals such as Bran Flakes, Bran and Sultanas, muesli – plain or toasted, porridge oats, Weet-Bix Wholegrain crackers such as Ryvita, Vita-Weat Brown or wild rice, wholemeal pasta, barley, buckwheat, millet, quinoa	White bread, white pita bread or panini, plain naan bread or chapati Refined breakfast cereals such as Cornflakes and Rice Bubbles High-sugar breakfast cereals Plain crackers such as water crackers or plain rice crackers White rice, pasta, noodles

Vegetables and fruit

Choose at least 5 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruit every day. A serving is about a handful. Try to have many different colours of vegetables and fruit, as they all have different antioxidants and vitamins.

Foods to include	Foods to limit
Vegetables: fresh, frozen or canned Fruit: fresh, frozen, cooked or canned without added sugar	Vegetables: fried such as chips, wedges, pompoms and hash-browns; or in creamy, buttery or cheese sauces Fruit: canned in syrup or cooked with added sugar or honey, dried fruit, fruit juice

Milk and milk products

Choose 2 to 3 servings every day. A serving is 1 cup (250 ml) of milk, 1 pottle (150 g) of yoghurt or 2 slices (40 g) of cheese.

Foods to include	Foods to limit
Low-fat milk and milk products such as green or yellow-top milk, plain unsweetened yoghurt, lower fat cheese such as Edam, and cottage cheese	Full-fat milk and milk products such as dark-blue-top milk, sweetened yoghurt, cream cheese, reduced or sour cream, cream, ice cream

Legumes, nuts, seeds, fish, chicken, eggs or lean red meat

Choose at least 2½ servings every day. A serving is a piece of meat or chicken the size and thickness of the palm of your hand, a piece of fish the size and thickness of the palm of your hand and fingers, 2 large eggs, 170 g tofu, 1 cup cooked dried beans or a small handful (30 g) of nuts or seeds.

Foods to include	Foods to limit
Lean meat, skinless chicken, fish (especially oily fish such as mackerel, salmon, sardines, tuna), eggs Legumes (split peas, lentils and cooked dried beans such as black beans, kidney beans, chickpeas and cannellini beans), tofu and tempeh Nuts and seeds – raw or roasted without oil and salt	White meat fat, chicken skin or fat, pork crackling Fatty or processed meats such as corned beef, luncheon, mutton flaps, pork strips, salami, sausages, shoulder or neck cuts, streaky bacon Crumbed or battered and deep-fried meat, chicken or fish Nuts and seeds roasted with oil and salt

Other foods and drinks

	Foods to include	Foods to limit
Desserts	Fresh fruit and plain unsweetened yoghurt	High-sugar desserts such as sweet pies and pastries, ice cream, chocolate, cakes and biscuits
Fats	Small amounts of oils and margarine Try cottage cheese, tahini, hummus or avocado as an alternative spread to margarine	Butter, butter blends, lard, dripping, ghee, vegetable shortening, palm oil or palm kernel oil, coconut oil, coconut cream or milk
Drinks	Water (tap, mineral or soda water), low-fat milk, tea, coffee	Fruit juice, sugar sweetened drinks such as cordial, energy and soft drinks and flavoured milk, alcohol

Written by the Christchurch Branch of Dietitians New Zealand. Adapted by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed January 2025.

Sources

Page reference: 24680

Review key: HIPCO-15994