PCOS-friendly diet

There's currently no pharmaceutical treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), but the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommend the first line of treatment for women with PCOS is lifestyle changes such as diet and exercise [1]. In this blog, we explore the PCOS-friendly diet and practical ways you can eat more of these foods to help you manage your symptoms.

Once you’ve read through this blog, head over to our best exercises for PCOS article, where we explain how to move your body with PCOS.

We answer:

• What is a PCOS-friendly diet?
• What is insulin resistance?
• What is the glycaemic index (GI)?
• PCOS-friendly diet tips
• Foods to avoid with PCOS
• Can diet really help PCOS symptoms?

What is a PCOS-friendly diet?

We should all do our best to eat a balanced diet, with lots of colourful fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats and carbs (and the occasional treat of course). But if you have PCOS, there’s a few extra things to keep in mind.

The main goals of a PCOS-friendly diet are:

• Lowering insulin resistance
• Managing blood sugar
• Reducing inflammation
• Maintaining a healthy weight

What is insulin resistance?

Insulin resistance is a condition where your body doesn’t respond to the hormone insulin as it should. The result is a rise in blood sugar levels. You can assess your insulin resistance with an Insulin Resistance Blood Test.

Insulin resistance can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, and in PCOS it’s thought to be the cause of increased androgen levels (hormones such as testosterone), which is one of the three criteria for diagnosing PCOS. Although typically associated with higher BMI, increased abdominal fat, and lack of exercise, research is showing that women with ‘lean PCOS’ (where they have a healthy body weight) still experience insulin resistance [2,3].

One way to reduce insulin resistance is by adjusting your diet to include mostly low glycaemic index (GI) foods.

What is the glycaemic index (GI)?

GI is a ranking system that shows how quickly your blood sugar rises after eating carbohydrates. Foods can be categorised as either low, medium, or high GI.

Low or medium GI foods are broken down more slowly and only cause a gradual rise in blood sugar. Carbohydrate foods that are broken down quickly and cause a rapid increase are known as high GI foods. 

Low GI foods include: 

• Certain fruits and vegetables
• Pulses
• Wholegrain foods, such as porridge oats

High GI foods include: 

• Sugar and sugary foods
• White bread
• Potatoes
• White rice

It’s important to note, just because a food is high in GI, it doesn’t mean it’s not healthy. A good example of this is watermelon, which is a high GI food. Chocolate cake, in comparison, has a lower GI value – but we all know the healthier choice here. Therefore, if you are too strict with your GI rating, your diet could be unbalanced and high in fat.

Why should I consider a low GI diet if I have PCOS? 

Many PCOS symptoms are related to insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone made by the body that helps the cells take up glucose for energy.

When the body becomes less responsive to insulin, it tries to compensate by making more. Unfortunately, the rise in insulin encourages the ovaries to produce more testosterone, which can lead to acne and fertility problems. Insulin resistance can also lead to weight gain.

A low GI diet can help to combat this by managing your blood sugar levels and stabilising the release of insulin [3].

PCOS-friendly diet tips

Besides eating low GI foods, here are some additional tips that may help if you manage PCOS symptoms.

PCOS doesn’t just affect hormones, it can also be linked to certain nutrient deficiencies, particularly vitamin D and vitamin B12 (especially if you’re taking metformin). Taking a broad, proactive look at your health markers can be helpful.

Our Advanced Well Woman Blood Test assesses key vitamins, metabolic markers, and hormone levels, helping you understand where you might benefit from targeted support rather than guesswork.

 

Eat regularly

Eating little and often can help to keep your blood sugar levels stable and reduce insulin resistance in PCOS [4]. High protein snacks such as hard-boiled eggs, roasted edamame beans or chickpeas are handy to have on standby.

Balance your meals

High protein, low carb, healthy fats, but how many should you have? Luckily you don’t need a degree in nutrition or a food scale, there’s a handy way to figure out your PCOS portions (pardon the pun) – your hand!

Some handy portion sizes

• Veggies – two open hands
• Lean protein – a palm size
• Fruit – a fist full
• Low GI carbs – a palm size

Keep the carbs

Just choose the right ones. Our bodies need carbohydrates, but if you have PCOS you want to aim to eat carbs with a GI under 55.

Low GI carbs include:

• Wholegrains such as oats, quinoa, brown rice
• Wholemeal bread and pasta
• Legumes and pulses (chickpeas, lentils, black beans)

Bonus points if you pair your carbs with health fats and proteins – it helps reduce insulin spikes.

Include omegas

Omega-3 fats are a great anti-inflammatory food. As well boosting your brain and skin health, they can help lower your inflammation levels, commonly raised in PCOS.

A simple way to increase your omega-3 intake is through supplements or by including more SMASH fish (salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring) in your diet.

Opting for oily fish has the added benefit of vitamin D, which women with PCOS are often deficient in.

 

 

Foods to avoid with PCOS

You may find some foods can increase your symptoms, and it’s a good idea to try and reduce your consumption of them.

These include:

• Refined carbohydrates such as white bread and white pasta
• Fried foods like French fries, burgers, and fried chicken
• Highly sugary foods

 

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References

1. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): what it means for your long-term health. In: RCOG [Internet]. [cited 27 Feb 2026]. 
2. Toosy S, Sodi R, Pappachan JM. Lean polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): an evidence-based practical approach. J Diabetes Metab Disord. 2018;17: 277–285. doi:10.1007/s40200-018-0371-5
3. Barrea L, Frias-Toral E, Verde L, Ceriani F, Cucalón G, Garcia-Velasquez E, et al. PCOS and nutritional approaches: Differences between lean and obese phenotype. Metabolism Open. 2021;12: 100123. doi:10.1016/j.metop.2021.100123
4. BDA. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and diet. [cited 27 Feb 2026].