Diet book for PCOS somewhat inconsistent, but can be helpful

by Sara

I appreciate and respect the work that went into this book. Well-intentioned, for sure - but I do find a lot of contradicting information in it. Avoid 'bitter-melon', it recommends in the fruit section, listing it as "inappropriate". But then it recommends bitter melon as a nutritional supplement? Hmm. Someone else also pointed out a similar issue with whether or not to include bananas in the diet, but I won't bother listing every inconsistent piece of advice found inside - it's just something to keep in mind as you read.

There is a chapter dedicated to soy products, and concluding that the carbohydrate content is too high - but all the black soy beans, tofu and even soy flour (which I've seen but don't use) products seem to be very low in carbs, high in fiber, and are often recommended as an alternative for higher-carb options.

In general I also wonder about the discussion on phytoestrogens/isoflavones. For example, flaxseed is recommended in the book several times and found in a number of recipes, and yet is known for being even higher in phytoestrogens.

I recognize that the book understands what works for one person may not work for someone else, so it's difficult to prescribe one specific diet for everyone. It seems like they're trying to cover all the bases, so what might be called "inappropriate" could be fine for someone else, and it's important that the reader ultimately picks their own battles and finds what works best for them.

There's a lot of conflicting advice being thrown around everywhere on the web, so I don't want to hold too much against this book for trying to find the sweet spot between whether this or that is good or bad. This book even touches on how women struggle with achieving perfection - I think being presented with such an overwhelming amount of life-altering advice can make the difficulties of someone trying to grapple with their PCOS that much larger. Ultimately I feel this book might be used as a basic guide, or general suggestions for someone with PCOS trying to work out what helps them best. In the meantime, do your own research too and find what works for you and makes you happiest.

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