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  • My name is Claire Daly and I am an Accredited Practising Dietitian in private practice in Australia.I have personal and professional experience in PCOS and also fertility issues. This gives me an opportunity to help women and adolescents make changes to their own diet and weight to improve their health with PCOS. If you are a woman and trying to get pregnant, I can also provide diet plans and support to increase your chances of getting pregnant if you have PCOS. I can also help you eat well during pregnancy and beyond. I provide consultations in person and by telephone or online. I have worked with several fertility specialists, conducted patient education sessions for Monash IVF and developed resources on PCOS for other Dietitians to use. You can read more about my available PCOS services by clicking the button 'Get a personal PCOS diet plan by Claire' in the top left column.
  • I am a member of the Dietitian's Association of Australia and an Accredited Practising Dietitian. Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs) are recognized professionals who have the qualifications and expertise to provide expert nutrition and dietary advice. APDs must meet the detailed criteria developed by the Dietitians Association of Australia. Not only do APDs have sound tertiary qualifications, they must undergo ongoing training and comply with the profession’s guidelines for best professional and ethical practice. Accredited Practising Dietitians display a distinctive logo to enable you to easily identify them.
  • I can be contacted by email (link below) or by phone to 041 212 0498.

PCOS and Carbohydrates - Wholegrains

One of the reasons I don't recommend a very low carbohydrate diet for PCOS, is that we need our wholegrains to stay healthy, so a bit of carbohydrate is a good thing if you are wanting to lose weight with PCOS or get pregnant with PCOS. Most wholegrain foods also have a low glycemic index (GI). Wholegrains are foods that as the name suggests contain wholegrains (it's OK if it's been dehulled, ground, milled, cracked or flaked).

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Wholegrains are a powerhouse of nutrients which help protect against cardiovascular disease, diabetes and the risk of being overweight - all great things to protect against when you have PCOS.

Did you know:

  • Just 2-3 serves of wholegrain foods a day (a serve is a slice of bread or 1/2 cup wholegrains in this study) reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers by 20-30%. They can also lower blood pressure and products similar benefits to lipid lowering drugs.
  • A diet high in wholegrains is associated with  lower BMI, waist circumference and risk of being overweight.
  • Diets incorporating frequent consumption of wholegrains can reduce the progression from impaired glucose tolerance (which is very common in PCOS) to type 2 diabetes by up to 58%

That's enough to have me scurrying to the pantry for some wholegrains! You will find plenty lurking there and if not it's easy to make the switch. Here's some great sources of wholegrain foods:

  • Multigrain and wholemeal bread
  • Wheat flake breakfast biscuits
  • Wholegrain breakfast cereal
  • Natural Muesli
  • Porridge
  • Brown rice
  • Wholegrain pasta

One of my favourite ways to enjoy wholegrain bread, is what I had for lunch today - toasted with fresh avocado and black pepper.

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I didn't use any butter or margarine because the avocado has lots of healthy fats. It's also packed full of antioxidants and other great nutrients like Vitamin A, C, K and lots of dietary fibre.

So go grab some wholegrains today and give your PCOS diet a boost!

Claire

Claire Daly is an Accredited Practising Dietitian / Accredited Nutritionist who works with women and families. She has particular interest in working with women who have PCOS (Claire has PCOS herself), fertility problems or who are wanting to achieve a healthy weight and good health prior to and during pregnancy. Claire has her own private practice in Melbourne. For more information visit www.eatwell.com.au

Like to use this blog post in your own newsletter or publication? Just email Claire to let her know which article you would like to use and how I would like you to acknowledge the source of the article, then you are on your way.