Food is medicine in Chinese medicine, so as much as herbal medicine may be part of the treatment for PCOS, so is diet. PCOS is a “cold and damp” disease in Chinese medicine. It is understood the Spleen is Chinese medicine is also a cold and damp organ. When too much dampness encumbers the Spleen, it becomes slow, sluggish and contributes to various health issues in the body and in Chinese medicine 100% connected to cyst production and PCOS.
This concept of recognizing organs channels having their own property and temperature has been part of TCM for thousands of years as well as Asian culture. Typically in any Asian country, you would never see someone have a smoothie, juice or yogurt for breakfast but instead soup. This is because it is so important to keep the gut warm. For treatment of PCOS diet is a crucial part of the transformation in the body. Below are my recommendations for treating PCOS through food.
Foods To Take Out
In order to start healing the body from the inside out, we need to get to the root cause of why PCOS has happened. Diet is part of this equation, so to begin the road to cure; we need to let go of what is not needed and what may be creating illness.
Dairy ( even yogurt)
Soy
White Wheat Flour
Sugar
White Potatoes
Fried Foods
Sweeteners of any kind ( aside from maple syrup or honey, monkfruit )
Cold beverages (ice water, iced coffee, etc)
Smoothies
Juices
Too many salads ( i.e eating them for meals everyday)
Foods to Eat More of
Eat more of these to balance your hormones and nourish your body!
Food can be our greatest medicine and our worst poison. Think about your food as medicine to help heal your body and create balance.
Eat More Of These Foods
Root Veggies
Steamed Veggies
Soups
Bone Broth
Cooked Protein
Warmer temp beverages
Whole grains
Bone Broth Soup
This is one of the most important foods for PCOS. It acts as a medicine and balances the digestive system and giving the body an incredible amount of nourishment in the process. Due to the breakdown of the bone and marrow after hours of cooking.
It is good for everything from boosting your immune system, to improving skin, hair, etc to balancing hormones, gut health, fights inflammation. You can use the bone broth to cook other things like rice or quinoa, or to incorporate into sauces.
Bone broth should be drank 1-2 times a day to obtain it’s best properties. Remember this is one of the most important medicinal foods you can eat (or drink)All food has medicinal properties, like herbs; they have a temperature, a specific organ or system they nourish and certain symptoms or issues they can help.
Bone broth soup is part of almost every traditional culture’s diet. It is used as an important medicine for the mother after the birth of her child to help restore her vital resources and is used in diet on a daily basis because of its incredible nutritional properties.
Bone Broth + Hearty Soup Recipe Part 1:
The Bone Broth
1 large Onion
1-2 pounds of chicken bones
1-2 teaspoons of salt
Roast your bones. Roasted bones allow for the mineral breakdown of the bones. Take your bones, chop an onion and fill up a large soup pot of water. Throw everything, plus a dash of salt into the pot. Cook for at least 6 hrs. I try to cook mine for about 10 if I am home all day. After it is cooked – strain everything. Sometime I do this in 2 days. Cook it all and at night before I go to bed, turn it off and let it cool and then put it in the fridge. Heat it up the next day so it liquifies and strain it.
Part 2:
The Hearty Soup
Veggies of choice – I love squash, carrots, mushrooms, onions, celery and also some greens which I add at the end. Spices of choice – I use a lot of curry, coriander, cumin and sometimes ginger. Herbs – cilantro, green onions, fresh oregano, dill – get creative a couple chicken legsTake your amazing bone broth, add a cup or 2 of water and put in the chicken legs, sometimes I will brown them in a separate pan in butter and curry. Throw in whatever spices you love. Chop all of the veggies and add them to soup – root veggies first and then after the soup cooks for another 1.5 -2 hrs. Make sure to add water if it needs it and cook the soup on a lower flame. Add greens in the last 5 minutes and the herbs in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Salt to taste.
Stews + Soups Since we want to give the spleen warm and nourishing foods, stews and soups are a staple in a Goodbye PCOS diet. Stews and soups are very filling and warming for the body. You can make many different types from vegetarian stews and soups to meats, fish and chicken. They are also very easy to cook.
Some of my favorite recipes which you can find easily on a google search are :
Lentil Soup
Black bean soup
Butternut Squash soup
Beef soup with bones
Beef Stew with red wine
Chicken Coconut Curry stew ( recipe below)
Lamb stew with Quinoa
Most of my recipes I make up myself, adding spices that I love like curry or if I have fresh cilantro I will create a recipe around that. Jamie Oliver is one of my favorite chefs, so I take a lot of my base recipes from him and then create as I go along.
Lauren’s Chicken Coconut Curry
1-2 pounds of Chicken
1 large handful of mushrooms
1 cup of garbanzo beans
1 cup of butternut squash cut into pieces
1 cup of sweet potatoes
1 cup of carrots
1 can of coconut milk
3 tablespoons of curry
1-1.5 tablespoons of cilantro chopped
1-1.5 tablespoons of green onions chopped
1-2 tablespoons of butter or ghee (ghee is ideal)
Lightly brown the chicken in ghee or butter and sprinkle a few pinches of curry on top and sauté. Add in coconut milk and chopped veggies, add 2-3 tablespoons of curry and some salt. Add mushrooms 1 hr after everything else has been cooking. Cook for around 2 hrs on a very low flame. Taste to see if you need to add more curry. Just 2-3 minutes before it is ready, add cilantro and green onions. Enjoy!
Dr. Lauren Dulberg DACm, L.Ac
Founder of Two Rivers Acupuncture & Wellness / Doctor of Chinese Medicine, Acupuncturist + Herbalist