I'm gonna start with a quick corrections corner. The past two days I referred to the diets as "trends" what I really meant to say is trending. These lifestyles (even the ones I have yet to discuss) have been around for decades, however, the more recent ones that have become popular again are the keto diet and fasting. I picked up the paleo diet while it was trending about 5 years ago. While I eat a diet that's moderately paleo I am not strict about it. Some people have to be on a strict diet for religious or dietary reasons, but it's all about finding the balance that's going to work best for you. I hope by discussing the different diets you find something that might help you. I will always give you the pros and cons of each though, as the only be all end all is the great I Am.As I venture further into my 30's I am realizing what living "your best life" really means. It's taking the things you learned in your 20's (and hard truths you're still learning) and using them with the intent to better yourself. Finding what makes you happy but supporting loved ones around you on their different paths. (Secretly between you and me, I feel like things can only get better the older I get.) With that said I humbly request feedback about anything I post. I LOVE dialoguing with those around me, about health and wellness, and the only way I can do better is if I know better. Please feel free to email me if you have feedback for the blog or post in the comments section any questions or topics you would like me to research and discuss.
Okay, onto tonight's post! The vegan diet. I was first introduced to the diet in late 2012, as I knew a couple who were practicing vegans in my bible study group. I had no clue what that meant. If you're like me when you hear of a new diet you automatically think "What the heck is that? Is that the one where you eat only handfuls of carrot sticks like 12 times a day?" As I got to know my friends more they let me borrow a cookbook, with the hope that it would help us on our TTC journey. At this point a year in, nothing was happening and ALL the research I was doing at the time told me that I needed to quit the standard American diet...so which diet was going to help me get pregnant? Enter, my well-intentioned vegan friends. While I never went full vegan I try to have the same approach vegans do. Forks over knives, the more vegetables the better. Less processed the better. While the moral standards of a vegan diet are admirable is it really the best diet out there? Unfortunately for me, it's not. If you can make it work with your lifestyle, body type, specific hormones needs, do it.
I essentially have two types of PCOS. Inflammatory and Insulin Resistance. Which means I have to balance my carbs very carefully. Too much and my hormones begin the roller coaster ride, too little and I miss periods and my whole body cramps up. Kym Campbell over at Smart Fertility Choices gives the main points on why maybe a plant-based diet isn't great for people like me. "Chronic low-grade inflammation is an inherent part of a PCOS diagnosis which means our immune systems are constantly on amber alert... While inflammation is good if you happen to be injured. When it happens all the time it leads to many of the serious long term health risks that are associated with PCOS. Things we don’t want to think about normally like heart disease, liver disease, and cancer, etc (Orio et al. 200654)"
- Eating fish, meat, and eggs is a guaranteed way to ensure you’re getting adequate amounts of all nine essential amino acids. Sure you can do this by eating a wide range of different plant-based foods every day, but you need to be exceptionally skilled at it to avoid an amino acid inadequacy while also keeping your carb intake low.
- Animal sources of protein are all highly bioavailable and the same can’t be said for most plant-derived alternatives. It’s one thing for a food to contain an essential amino acid, it’s quite another for that molecule to be readily absorbed and used in your body. Pea protein isolate may be a rare exception here. (This is terrific news because I do try to have 1 meal a day that's plant-based. Vega protein powders are my top favorite afternoon snack, where Pea protein is listed as the number one source for protein.)
- There are some micronutrients you just can’t get in adequate amounts from a plant-based diet. The most obvious example is vitamin B12, with even the Vegan Society recommending their members either take B12 supplements or consume B12 fortified foods instead. Being on metformin also depletes your B12 stores... I would have to take more than... well...probably... all of you combined, to get the needed amount.
Kym does go on to say "To be fair to all the women with PCOS that have achieved great results when switching to a plant-based diet, I’m not saying it can’t be done. It’s just that it’s not optimal. I’ve heard plenty of success stories from women who’ve (switched) to a plant-based diet and I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that they’re swapping out pro-inflammatory processed foods for healthy whole foods."
If you do not suffer from the same type(s) of PCOS that I do, a vegan diet may work great for you! Such as YouTuber Your PCOS Girl
Using her Bachelors's in nutrition she helps guide women with PCOS to find balance and food freedom. Dr. Broke and Sara Fragoso suggest in their book Hangry no less than 1 pound of vegetables a day, or as Michael Pollan says "Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants." In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto.
Takeaways: Overall a plant-based diet isn't a bad option, but some of the drawbacks are vitamin deficiency and if you're not careful low iron. This is another diet I would not go into blindly. Talk to a professional when making the transition to this lifestyle. Like any diet, if not approached thoughtfully, it might cause more harm than good. Lastly, don't fall into the trap that if something is labeled as "gluten-free, GMO-free, dairy-free, fat-free" means it's healthy. That's to say, just because Oreos are vegan, doesn't mean you can eat the whole pack. 🤣🤣
Alright, tomorrow I have a fertility Friday/Feelings Friday post planned. If you found this information interesting or you liked the content please share on your favorite social media site!
Alright friends, time to start that bedtime routine.
Blessings,
A
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