Are Smoothies & Juices Good for PCOD/PCOS?

One of the many questions that I come across while speaking to women is "Are Smoothies & Juices Good for PCOD?" Well, NO!

As it so happens, PCOD/PCOS is one of the rising disorders among women in India. 1 out of 5 women in India has Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome/ Polycystic Ovarian Disease. And managing their weight is the biggest challenge for most of the women dealing with PCOD/PCOS.

Now, eating right and nutritious food along with intense workout for 15-20 min daily is the only & most effective way to manage weight with PCOD/PCOS.

PCOD/PCOS can be a tricky hormonal disorder with multiple disconnected symptoms like Acne, hair loss, irregular periods. If you think you're suffering from these symptoms take an assessment now!

So, why aren't smoothies and juices good for PCOD/PCOS?

To understand why not, let's first delve a little deeper into what happens inside our body during PCOD/PCOS. So, PCOD or PCOS is a lifestyle disorder where a woman's ovary is found to have multiple pimple-like cysts all over it.

Now, this happens because of the effect of Luteinizing Hormone and excess Insulin. Excess insulin along with LH send a signal to the theca cells (tissues surrounding the follicles in ovaries) of the ovary to produce more androgens (male hormones).

This results in the irregular menstrual cycle, male-pattern hair growth and loss, acne and anovulation (lack of ovulation), causing follicle cysts over ovaries. 

What is insulin resistance and how is it related to PCOD/PCOS?

Insulin Resistance is one of the most common attributes found in women with PCOS/PCOD. And it happens when our body has excess insulin. Excess insulin adversely impacts the functions of various organs including the liver. And the balance of the reproductive hormones, causing chaos within the body! 

Now, excess insulin is produced when our body does not respond to the presence of insulin as well as it should, to metabolize sugar from food. This is called resistance and to counter this, our pancreas keeps producing more and more insulin to get the job done. 

This excess insulin is not good for ovaries. They stop ovulating because they don’t get the timely signal of releasing the egg. This signal is sent by the Luteinizing Hormone from the pituitary gland. which is now working with insulin to produce more male hormones androgen. Causing PCOD/PCOS

Why is insulin released in body?

Insulin is released in response to the carbs and sugar that we eat, one of our many wrong lifestyle practices. Its job is to spread the energy derived from the food, evenly throughout the body. And store the excess energy in the liver and fat cells. The rate of production of insulin depends on how quickly our body is able to derive sugar from what we consume. 

This is why smoothies and juices are a problem for PCOS/PCOD?

Insulin resistance is a common attribute found in women with PCOD/PCOS. And insulin resistance is caused by excess insulin in the body. Excess insulin is secreted in response to the sugar (absorbed from natural and man-made food) we consume. Now the key point here to understand is, how quickly that insulin is released in the body. The faster the release, the graver the impact.

Now, Our body takes time to break down the whole foods and derive the sugar out of it. This is done in a controlled way, over a period of time. In turn, the response of insulin is controlled and timely as well.

But, our body doesn't have to put many efforts to metabolise the sugar out of the juices and smoothies as it would with whole food. Because the juices and smoothies are the simplest forms of food and the process is simple as well.

The sugar from juices and smoothies is released in the body quicker than whole foods. This leads to immediate and aggressive production of insulin, which is what is causing PCOD in the exact first place.

What can I do?

So, PCOD needs a robust and correct nutrition approach to reverse it from its root. And juices and smoothies may look like healthy nutrition options but for women managing PCOS/PCOD or diabetes, they are a short cut to suffering.

So consider including whole fruits and veggies in your diet, instead of their juiced versions. Also, whole fruits and veggies are great sources of fibre, which sadly is not the option with juices & smoothies. 

Health Tip: Having soaked methi seeds empty stomach in the morning improves insulin sensitivity and is beneficial for women with PCOD.