Low Glycemic Diet

A low glycemic diet prioritizes carbohydrate foods that score 55 or below on the glycemic index—such as whole grains, legumes, most vegetables, certain fruits, and minimally processed starches—while limiting high GI foods like white bread, white rice, sugary cereals, and processed snacks that cause rapid blood sugar spikes. For women with PCOS, this approach directly targets insulin resistance by reducing the insulin demand of each meal, and research shows it can produce significantly greater improvements in insulin sensitivity, menstrual regularity, and spontaneous ovulation compared to conventional healthy eating. The practical appeal of a low glycemic approach is that it doesn't require calorie counting or food elimination—instead, it focuses on swapping higher GI foods for lower GI alternatives within the same food groups.