Gluten & PCOS: To give up or not?
What's the buzz about gluten all about?
In a long list of diets, “gluten-free” pops up time and again. Eliminating gluten is not just for people to lose weight; it is often recommended for PCOSers and folks with thyroid issues. There’s not enough research done on this field but a lot of people and bloggers have touted the benefits of going gluten-free.
So, what is gluten? Why, and how do we eliminate it?
What is gluten?
Gluten is a type of protein found in grains. More specifically, the problem is with the particular type of gluten found in the wheat family. Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds food together. Gluten-free foods are typically not stretchy and therefore, are not an exact replacement for bread.
Which grains contain gluten?
Wheat, Barley, Rye, and Triticale (a cross between wheat and rye)
Wheat is a tricky one because a lot of foods you eat can be variations of wheat. I was surprised to find some on this list that I was eating, thinking of them as healthier alternatives.
Wheat family - wheat berries, durum, emmer, semolina, couscous, spelt, farina, farro, graham, khorasan wheat and einkorn
Source: USDA
Why is it bad for PCOS?
PCOSers suffer from inflammation and hormonal imbalances. Gluten has been found to make the symptoms worse for a lot of people for two main reasons:
Gluten tends to cause inflammation: this impacts insulin regulation and may cause hormonal imbalance
Gluten based foods like bread and baked goods tend to be processed, and are usually high GI. This causes insulin spikes and hormonal imbalances.
What are the other problems associated with gluten?
digestive issues/ bloating
depressed, tired, brain fogginess
worsens PCOS symptoms
To figure out if gluten impacts you, I recommend eliminating gluten from your diet completely for two weeks and then, slowly, introducing it back. Notice how you feel as you make these changes but try to keep your calorie take constant during this phase by eating some gluten-free grains. When you stop eating gluten, it will be easy to consume less calories but don’t do that for the sake of the experiment!
Benefits of going gluten-free:
Automatically removes some highly processed foods from your diet like refined flour pasta, breads etc.
It also forces people to eat vegetables, legumes, other food groups which are usually more nutritious.
Going gluten-free usually entails eating lower-GI foods which will make you feel more energetic
What are some of the gluten-free and PCOS friendly options I can try?
Brown Rice/ Wild Rice - I am not recommend white rice here because it has a higher GI of 70 compared to brown rice at 50.
Quinoa
Millets - Sorghum (jowar), foxtail millet (kangni), pearl millet (bajra), ragi, barnyard millet, and little millet
Amaranth (bonus: it’s a complete protein)
Buckwheat
Oats
Teff
Corn
Introducing millets in your diet will make a big difference so I highly recommend slowly substituting some meals with gluten-free options and if you can go completely gluten free, more power to you. It will feel different at first and you may crave the taste of your familiar carbs but try to make it to two weeks and see how you feel. Archana’s Kitchen and Skinny Recipes have some great tasting gluten-free recipes, so give it a try!
However, remember that not all millets are created equal. Next time, I will get into the weeds of GI index of millets, and its overall nutrition profile.
Till then, stay safe and have fun!