The PCOS Diet Cookbook: Delicious Recipes & Tips for Women with PCOS on the Low GI Diet
by Nadir R. Farid M.D. and Norene Gilletz (Your Health Press: 2007)

 

Downloadable Press Release (775 KB)

Audio
Hear Christine DeZarn, founder of the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome Association, and Norene Gilletz, culinary expert and author of The PCOS Diet Cookbook discuss PCOS on the radio show:
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
Download the MP3 (12.7 mb)

About the Book
At last, the first dedicated low GI cookbook for North American women living with PCOS. Approximately one-third of women of reproductive age suffer from PCOS and need to follow the low glycemic index (GI) diet, a successful treatment for PCOS, either alone, or combined with medication. Containing over 300 delicious low GI recipes and variations by the culinary expert who’s been hailed “the Julia Child” of specialty cooking you’ll also find complete introductory chapters about PCOS, shopping and meal planning by a world renowned expert in PCOS, Dr. Nadir Farid. If you have PCOS, and are on the low GI diet, this cookbook will be a valuable addition to your kitchen. Low GI never tasted so good!

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction: What is PCOS?

PART 1: PREPARING FOR A LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX DIET
Chapter 1: The Low Glycemic Index Cupboard: What to Buy
and How to Shop for the Low GI Diet
Packaged Food in the Inside Aisles: What’s Okay, What’s Not
Judging a GI Value by its Package
Eyeballing Glucose
Sweeteners
Foods in Jars and Tins
The Outside Aisles
How Ingredients Affect the GI Value of a Meal

Chapter 2: Low GI Meal Planning: A Sample Low GI Menu
Day One
Day Two
Day Three

Chapter 3: Low GI on the Town
The First Steps
Starters
Mains
Desserts
Low GI Around the World

PART 2: COOKING AND RECIPES
Chapter 4: Breakfasts
Cereals
Cheeses
Eggs
Fruit Dishes
Breads
Spreads
Muffins
Cakes for Breakfast

Chapter 5: Lunches
Soups
Salads and Dressings
Sandwiches, Fillings and Spreads
Fish Dishes
Chicken and Turkey
Pasta
Vegetable Dishes

Chapter 6: Dinners
Soups
Salads and Dressings
Side Dishes
Fish Dishes
Chicken and Turkey
Beef
Pasta
Marinades and Sauces
Vegetarian Entrées

Chapter 7: Desserts
Low GI Sweet Delights (Chef’s Tips)
Chocolate
Chilled or Frozen Desserts
Fruit Desserts
Muffins
Cakes and Baking Tips

Chapter 8: Snacks
Snacks You Can Buy in a Package
Homemade Carbs
Dips and Spreads
Other Stuff
Sweet Stuff

Appendix A: Glycemic Index Tables

EXCERPT FROM THE INTRODUCTION OF THE BOOK:

What is PCOS?
PCOS stands for polycystic ovarian syndrome, which now affects a staggering number of women. One-quarter to one-third of women of reproductive age suffer from PCOS. The vast majority of women with PCOS also have severe insulin resistance. Although insulin resistance is at the root of PCOS, it can occur outside of it as well. We now know that a full 50 percent of the population is insulin resistant, a condition in which the body “resists” the normal functions of the hormone insulin.

Insulin resistance and PCOS are a major health hazard for women of all ages. PCOS, in particular, is a risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver, uterine cancer, serious sleep disorders, depression, multiple miscarriages, multiple pregnancies and preeclampsia.

Fortunately, PCOS is manageable. A program that includes medications that sensitize the body to insulin, as well as lifestyle changes that address the signs and symptoms of PCOS, can be remarkably effective. One of the key elements of this program is following a low glycemic index diet, also known as the low GI diet.

Low GI Eating
Low GI eating emphasizes foods containing carbohydrates that break down slowly, and thus release sugar into the bloodstream slowly, keeping the blood sugar more stable. These foods are called low glycemic index or low GI foods. The glycemic index (see the Appendix) ranks foods with a value of 0 to 100 according to their effect on blood sugar levels. Changes in blood sugar produced by a given food are measured against the rise in blood sugar produced by a load of sugar, or sucrose, which is 100 percent. To qualify as low GI, foods should have an index of 60 percent or less; those above 60 percent are considered
high GI.

How Food Affects Insulin
One of the important influences of a low GI diet is its effect on the body’s capacity to secrete insulin. A high GI diet results in large peaks of insulin secretion by the pancreas, whereas low GI eating results in a steady secretion of insulin. This means that on a high GI diet you might experience “sugar crashes” where you find that after a meal you get tired or sleepy, and then a few hours later become very hungry, resulting in the need to eat more to keep your blood sugar stable.

Insulin is the principal hormone involved in the laying down (or accumulation) of fat in the body. This is because one of insulin’s functions is to inhibit the release of fat from fat stores. Since fat stores around the midriff (meaning “belly fat”) are especially sensitive to the effects of insulin, too much insulin makes using abdominal fat as a source of fuel exceedingly difficult. When fat gradually accumulates around the midsection of girls or women, it’s a typical sign of PCOS, but more generally it’s a sign of insulin resistance in both women and men.

America’s obesity epidemic over the last three decades has coincided with an overall increased intake of carbohydrate-containing foods, many of which are high GI. What’s made matters worse is our tendency to eat one or two large meals a day. This results in tsunami-size insulin peaks, which predispose us to weight gain, as well as a host of symptoms and side effects that are a result of excess insulin in the blood. To address these symptoms and side effects, low GI eating also calls for frequent healthy low GI snacks to maintain steady low levels of insulin in the blood.

If you happen to have PCOS, low GI eating will help to reduce your symptoms and halt the progression of your disease. Low GI eating will also
decrease insulin levels, making it easier for your body to burn fat.
There are other advantages to a low GI diet. It can:
• Lower your blood fats (or triglycerides)
• Allow you to feel fully satisfied after eating
• Reduce your risk of developing diabetes and other diseases
• Improve your physique (since you’ll be losing weight, and helping your body to redistribute its fat stores, you’ll also lose “belly” fat)
• Allow for better quality sleep
• Improve your overall sense of well-being

Signs and Symptoms of PCOS
The signs of PCOS range from the subtle, such as excess facial hair (clinically known as hirsutism), to what’s called the “full house” syndrome. The latter can mean no periods, obesity, excessive body hair, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It’s apparent from this rainbow of symptoms that PCOS is not just an ovarian disease. PCOS affects the whole body. The underlying cause of PCOS is excess insulin in the blood, which occurs as a result of insulin resistance.

PCOS can start any time during a woman’s reproductive life. Since insulin resistance rises naturally just before puberty, PCOS can even be seen in girls as young as 10 or 12 years. In fact, we now know that girls who experience early puberty (or the appearance of pubic hair and breasts at age seven or eight) have a very high risk of subsequent PCOS.

The early diagnosis and treatment of girls and women is vital. Only through early diagnosis and treatment can we avoid seeing PCOS progress to its more severe, “full house” syndrome. If you suspect you have PCOS, speak to your doctor about testing (discussed further on in this chapter). PCOS is manageable. Management is rooted in lifestyle changes (such as exercise, adopting a low GI diet and practicing stress-reduction techniques) as well as medications that address the problem of insulin resistance.

About the Authors
Dr. Nadir Farid is an internationally known endocrinologist with special interests in polycystic ovarian disease, diabetes and female infertility. He lives in England, where he runs a busy private practice, and is the President of the International Foundation for Biomedical Aging Research (based in Texas). He has trained many successful endocrinologists, internists and scientists, and has published over 469 articles, reviews and chapters. He also runs a biotech company where he has done basic research in several endocrine disorders, including the diagnosis and treatment of insulin resistance. He is co-author of The Low GI Guide to Managing PCOS. For more information about Dr. Farid, visit www.diagnosemefirst.com.

Norene Gilletz is a best-selling author of many specialty cookbooks in North America, including The Food Processor Bible, Healthy Helpings, Norene’s Healthy Kitchen, and The Low Iodine Diet Cookbook. Norene is a food consultant, food writer and columnist, cooking teacher and lecturer. She specializes in recipe makeovers for food-related websites, magazines, newspapers, cookbooks and the food service industry. Norene is a Certified Culinary Professional (CCP) with the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). For more information about Norene Gilletz, visit www.gourmania.com.