Best of – How to Start Gluten & Dairy Free for PCOS!
With the holidays & the new year around the corner, we are posting one of our most downloaded episodes of 2020, How to Go Gluten & Dairy Free!
What is the first step in going gluten & dairy free for PCOS? Should I cut out dairy or gluten first? This episode is a great guide for any Cyster thinking of going gluten & dairy free!
We give you the perfect tips on how to start with one meal at a time and highlight different ingredients for breakfast, lunch, and dinner including our favorite brands!
We discuss how to set aside time to plan meals whether you are cooking for yourself and/or for others like family and friends.
You’ll learn the research and information behind going gluten & dairy free and how you can decide if this is right for you and your PCOS!
We also answer your questions submitted on our Instagram poll “How can we help you go gluten & dairy free?” as well as read other Cysters advice on going gluten & dairy free and how it helped them with their PCOS!
If you’re even considering going gluten and dairy free, you’ve come to the right place. Check out this episode AND read on for a breakdown of how to start a gluten and dairy free diet with PCOS.
How To Start Gluten And Dairy Free For PCOS
When it comes to managing the symptoms of PCOS, diet is a big piece of the puzzle. For many of us Cyster’s out there, both dairy products and gluten containing foods are trigger foods that tend to ignite and amplify the already annoying symptoms of PCOS. Not to mention the digestive issues gluten (like celiac disease and/or celiac gluten sensitivity) and dairy (lactose intolerance) can cause all by themselves. So, its no wonder that a dairy and gluten free diet is a popular topic of discussion in the PCOS world. More on how gluten and dairy effect the body, here.
Whether you’re dealing with PCOS or not, there may be many benefits to going gluten and dairy free, but you’d never know until you tried it for at least 30 days to see how you feel. The most important for us Cyster’s being that it may make a big difference in the overall management of our PCOS symptoms. Especially when it comes to hormone regulation and digestive issues.
With a few life changes, and our tips for going gluten and dairy free below, you can switch up your diet without feeling like you’re sacrificing all your favorite foods. We know it might seem like an overwhelming process, but just take it one step at a time. It took me a whole year to get truly consistent at it. Now to the tips:
Educate yourself about the benefits of going Gluten and Dairy free.
First things first, going gluten and dairy free is a decision you have to make yourself. The best way to decide if going gluten and dairy free is right for you is to educate yourself about gluten and dairy, and how cutting these products out of your diet may help alleviate your symptoms. And then do what’s best for YOU!
Set aside time to meal plan and cook.
When trying to maintain any diet, setting aside time to plan and shop for your meals AND cook them can be hard. But, its essential. Consider meal planning as a way of taking charge of your diet and holding yourself accountable for what you put into your body. Thus, taking control of the PCOS symptoms that could be stemming from diet. If you’re cooking for more than just yourself, plan meals that you can partially make gluten and dairy free. See our PCOS pantry must-haves here.
Take things one meal at a time.
Going cold turkey on both gluten and dairy is tough. So instead of stopping everything all at once, take things one meal at a time. Literally just start with the next thing you put in your mouth. You don’t have to have all the pieces planned. If you have one gluten or dairy free meal each day as you begin, or even just one partially gluten or dairy free meal, that’s a huge accomplishment in itself. Then, set goals from there (which will be easier with that meal plan we just mentioned above!).
Be patient and keep an open mind.
As much as we all want our diet’s to be instantaneous, this is just not the case. To see a real difference in the overall effectiveness of going gluten and dairy free, you’ll need to be patient. For some with dairy and gluten intolerances, digestive relief may come as soon as one or two days. But in general, you will probably start to see real and lasting results in 2-4 weeks. During this transition time, keep an open mind to new types of pastas, grains, nut milks, fake cheeses, and more. Most of the time, we just assume these alternative products taste like crap. But in reality, many of these substitutes are actually really yummy. See some of our favorite gluten free foods and alternatives below!
Remember that consistency is more important than perfection.
When it comes to practicing a gluten and dairy free diet, consistency is more important than perfection. It can be really challenging to cut these products out of your diet completely, so the main goal here is to reduce the amount of gluten and dairy you consume overall. Having some cheat meals here and there, and we really hate to even call them “cheat meals”, is totally fine. Worry more about choosing better foods, and less on maintaining the “perfect” diet.
Don’t beat yourself up about “cheat” meals.
Going off of the last tip, its super important to make sure you DON’T beat yourself up about consuming gluten and dairy. A big part of managing symptoms of PCOS is managing stress, so stressing over your diet is not something you want to make a habit of. Instead, make a plan, have your cheat meals, and move on. Take things one day at a time – one meal at a time – and eventually you WILL reach your PCOS diet goals.
PCOS And Gluten Connection
A whopping 70 to 80% of all women with PCOS have insulin resistance and inflammation alongside, with insulin resistance being one of the main types of PCRs that’s prevalent in women with PCs. And these are two major underlying issues with PCOS. Gluten can trigger a lot of inflammation in your cells, making them more insulin resistant. Then dairy can spike your insulin levels and contribute to insulin resistance too. So it’s really a double whammy. But, when you target gluten and dairy, you’re targeting the inflammation and you’re targeting the insulin issues. As well as reducing the stress on your body and further regulating those stress hormones.
Gluten Free Foods For PCOS
Grains: quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, rice, corn, and oats
Brands: Annie’s, Trader Joe’s Gluten Free, Simple Kneads, Udi’s Breads
Dairy Free Foods For PCOS
Soy cheese
Nut based milks
Nutritional yeast
Drop your questions about gluten and dairy below!
Join us in The Cysterhood, a community of women learning how to manage PCOS & lose weight, Gluten and Dairy Free! (bit.ly/The-Cysterhood-Membership)
Ovasitol Packets: 15% OFF prc code 292660 (bit.ly/Ovasitol)
PCOS Friendly CBD: 10% OFF code TheCysterhood (bit.ly/CBDpcos)
While Tallene is a Registered Dietitian and Sirak a Personal Trainer, this podcast provides general information about PCOS. It is not meant to serve as fitness, nutrition or medical advice related to your individual needs. If you have questions, please talk to a medical professional. For our full privacy policy, please click on the following link: (bit.ly/PCOSPrivacyPolicy)
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