How Dairy Affects PCOS

I was originally going to dive right into insulin resistance, but a questions was brought up by someone, and I want to go ahead and address it first. 

The question is "Why would someone really need to avoid dairy, if they did not test positive for dairy sensitivity or allergy?" 

So, obviously, if you have a food allergy test come back with a strong positive for allergy or sensitivity, you should not consume dairy. This is just going to exasperate the already inflamed body. But as for the other reason why diary is an issue, lets break it down a bit.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Reasons to Avoid Dairy with PCOS

I am going to start here since, well, I am an acupuncturist and this is my primary focus in treatment.  In TCM, dairy is phlegm producing.  This means it creates a sticky or tackiness in the body.  Symptoms of phlegm in the body are mucus or infection based. These include cysts, excessive weight gain, cystic acne, digestive gas and bloating, chronic sinusitis, chronic yeast infections, and allergies.  Do any of these sound like symptoms of PCOS, yes they do.  PCOS is a condition characterized by phlegm. They main complaint is phlegm/mucus filled cysts on the ovaries.  Dairy is reserved in TCM, for those exhibit a very weak, frail and thin constitution. Those who NEED those nutrients that typically are used to grow baby animals to heal and nourish their malnourished bodies.  If you are in a group that has an exceptionally high rate of milk intolerance naturally, this is even more important to you.

​Asians (80%)
Africans/Black Americans (70%)
Mediterranean (60%)
Mexican Americans (50%)

Western Medicine Reasons to Avoid Dairy with PCOS

​This is little more in depth and fun for me to discuss. As much as I love TCM, its view is simple. Diary is phlegm producing, you have a phlegm condition, you avoid dairy. Done! From a Western standpoint we see the chemical analysis, the hormones, the measurable reaction in the body.  That, and we as Americans have a difficult time visualizing the TCM theory. This is a nice way to bridge the gap.

In Western Medicine we know that PCOS is also related to insulin resistance.  If you are struggling to manage your PCOS you are creating a perfect environment to develop Type 2 Diabetes in the future.  It is extremely important for those with PCOS to balance their insulin levels and to keep them from spiking.

Diary is not just a nutrient rich food that is used to grow babies into adults. It contains naturally occurring hormones and stimulates that send signals in the baby animals body to GROW.  These include IGF-1.  INSULIN GROWTH FACTOR 1. Now this little hormone is really good at its job...to grow a baby into adult. In an adult, it causes you to bulk up in both muscle and fat.  It does this by increasing Androgen production, again something PCOS women have too much of already. IGF-1 is similar in structure to insulin, and it mimics insulin like activity.  This can create irregular blood sugar levels and lead to a hypoglycemia response.  When your body has difficulty regulating blood sugar levels it eventually burns out, which is the reason that PCOS women are more likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes. 

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS HORMONE FREE MILK

Lactating cows are pregnant and postpartum. Naturally they produce hormones and naturally those hormones are present in milk, even grass fed/organic/raw milk. 

Dr. Mark Hyman listed over 60 hormones found in a single glass of milk, which included:

• Pregnenolone
• Progesterone
• Androstenedione
• Testosterone
• IGF-1 and IGF-2
• Insulin

Not only does milk add additional hormones to the mix, but like I mentions above, it also contains compounds that signal the production of additional hormones.

Breakfast #2 Asparagus and Prosciutto Mini Frittatta

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• 2 eggs
• 1/2-1/3 pound of cooked Asparagus
• 4 Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 slice Prosciutto, diced
• S/P to taste
• Pinch Nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp fresh chopped Parsley

Makes 1 serving

GI: 29
GL: 2

Preheat oven to 350
In a small dish scramble eggs with seasoning (S/P/Nutmeg). In a single sizes cast iron pan heat oil over medium heat. Add tomato, prosciutto, and asparagus. Cook 1 min, or until tomatoes start to juice, pour in eggs. Cook on stove until edges begin to cook and crisp, move to oven and cook until eggs are done.

Lunch #2 Steak Fajitas

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Because I did not make this myself, I am only guessing based on what I see as to what was in it and what I actually ate. The GI/GL values below are estimated.

GI: 31
​GL 11

Dinner # 2 Bulgogi Lettuce Wraps with Cucumber Kim Chi Salad and Brown Rice

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Bulgogi

• 1 pound Venison Roast
• 4oz Unsweetened Apple Sauce
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Aminos
• 1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seed Oil
• 1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
• 3 Green Onions, Chopped
• 3 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
• 2 tsp Minced Ginger

Makes 4 quarter pound servings or 8 wrap servings.

GI: 36
​GL: 4

Thinly slice roast. Mix all ingredients into a bowl and let marinate for at least 1 hour. 

In a well seasoned cast iron skillet, heat over high heat. Once hot, add meat mixture and allow to brown on one side. Once brown, flip meat and put into oven on HI BROIL. Cook until through and crisp on edges.

* Many traditional Korean recipes for bulgogi or Galbi call for asian pear puree…as I mentioned at the beginning Pears are my only real food allergen. So, I substitute apple sauce, but you could very easily use pear here instead.

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Quick Cucumber Kim Chi Salad

• 3 cup Spiraled Cucumber
• 1 cup Spiraled Carrot
• 1 Green Onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp Minced Ginger
• 1 tsp Minced Garlic
• 1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
• 1 tsp Toasted Sesame Seed Oil
• 1 tsp Go Chu Garu

Makes 8 wrap servings

GI: 28
GL: 1

In a bowl mix together fish sauce, sesame seed oil, green onion, garlic, ginger and korean red pepper flakes. Add in cucumber and carrot and mix together. Let sit for 30 minutes before serving.

Easy Brown Rice

• Cook 1-2 cups brown rice as directed. (servings size 1/2 cup cooked or 1/4 cup dry per person)

* I personally like heirloom varieties of brown rice. They often have really nice, nutty flavors and can spice up basic rice. This was Burgundy Red Rice.

GI: 54
​GL: 15

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PCOS Nutrition Part 1: Basic Dietary Principles

​To Continue...
PCOS Nutrition Part 3: Sugar
PCOS Nutrition Part 4: Glycemic Index vs. Glycemic Load
PCOS Nutrition Part 5: Building Your Meal
PCOS Nutrition Part 6: Understanding Hormones
PCOS Nutrition Part 7: Fat Soluble Vitamins
PCOS Nutrition Part 8: Increasing Dietary Fats
PCOS Nutrition Part 9: Top 10 Foods for PCOS
PCOS Nutrition Part 10: Tips for Implementing the PCOS Diet