The Natural Diet Solution for PCOS and Infertility

TunaLuna · 02-14-2009, 11:38 AM

Any reviews on "The Natural Diet Solution for PCOS and Infertility?

amymedling · 03-02-2009, 04:22 PM

[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Here is the review that I wrote for the PCOSA.... I followed the diet and combined with taking the Insulite PCOS System I became pregnant last spring and now I have a beautiful 1 month old daughter.[/font]

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[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']The Natural Diet Solution for PCOS and Infertility[/font]

[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Nancy Dunne, N. D.[/font]

[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Bill Slater, M.B.A.[/font]

[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Over the years, I have come to realize that Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is not well understood by most physicians. Many doctors lead you to believe that birth control pills and drugs alone will restore your health. However, birth control pills can actually increase insulin-resistance, the fundamental problem of PCOS, and commonly prescribed drugs, like Metformin, often have unpleasant side effects. This leaves many of us with PCOS wondering if we will ever find effective long-term treatment. PCOS is a complex, frustrating disease that is very difficult to treat and has serious implications for your future health. It often seems that we have relinquished control over our bodies to PCOS when we experience its common symptoms – infertility, weight gain, acne, and hair loss to name a few. Is there anything we can really do to gain control over our health? [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']Dr. Nancy Dunne and Bill Slater believe that an appropriate diet accompanied by regular exercise is the healthiest and most effective long-term treatment for PCOS. They explain, “To a great extent, the outcome of your disease depends on what you do-or don’t do. That includes what you eat. Your food is medicine.” They outline their comprehensive, science-based diet and lifestyle plan in their book, The Natural Diet Solution for PCOS and Infertility. Dr. Dunne is a licensed naturopath who co-wrote this book in order to share her experiences treating PCOS and its accompanying difficulties by using natural therapies. She has over 15 years of clinical experience working with women with PCOS. Bill Slater is a health writer who focuses on helping people learn how to take more responsibility for their own health. [/font]
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[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']The program is based upon hundreds of medical studies and years of clinical experience. It is well-researched, documented, and the most comprehensive guide to healing PCOS through lifestyle changes that I have encountered. The book will show you how to improve the quality and composition of your diet, increase your exercise and physical activity, take appropriate dietary supplements effectively and manage chronic stress in your life. It is a roadmap to help you navigate your journey towards health and wellness. The authors admit, “The PCOS Diet will ask much of you. You will be asked to completely revamp your diet and eating habits. We are asking you to change lifelong habits. This can be challenging, but it won’t be too long before you have established new healthier habits. Be patient. Be persistent. You will be successful.”[/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']The authors feel that, “PCOS women have a genetic predisposition that makes the modern, Standard American Diet a very difficult choice for those who want to reduce their PCOS symptoms.” They feel that a healthy PCOS diet most closely approximates the hunter-gatherer type diet. This type of diet is based on the concept that our genes have not changed much over the past 10,000 years and we should essentially be eating the same food we ate back then. This would mean eliminating all processed foods. Hunter-gatherers ate whatever was available including vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds, eggs and animal protein. Dairy products and cultivated grains and legumes did not exist and were not part of the diet. According to Dr. Dunne and Bill Slater, a healthy PCOS diet would mean avoiding all processed foods, grains and legumes, as well as dairy products. The authors do realize, “by asking you to stop eating these foods, we are turning your dietary habits upside down. Please consider that these foods are a major cause of your present health problems. To improve your health you need to improve your diet first.”[/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']The PCOS Diet has two levels. You may choose the level that is most appropriate for you. The “recommended level” is for women who need to lose weight and whose symptoms are full-blown. The “maintenance level” is for women who are not overweight and have mild PCOS symptoms. This level allows selected starchy vegetables, whole legumes and whole grains. The authors explain that, “Eating to lose fat and eating when we are at our ideal weight are two different processes. Food choices should be made according to your unique needs.” They also stress that the diet is really a set of guidelines and recommendations. You should use your own good judgment as you follow the plan, based on what your body is telling you. The book includes dietary guidelines for every component of your diet: meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy, legumes & soy, grains, vegetables, fruits, sprouts, nuts and seeds, and fats and oils. You will also find detailed meal plans, shopping list and about 150 recipes. But, I must admit I won’t be in a rush to try many of them, including the “Vegetable Leather” and “Mock Sour Cream” made with soaked brazil nuts. [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif']After reading this book, I can truly say ignorance is bliss. Throughout the 528 pages, you learn how processed foods and the Standard American Diet can exacerbate PCOS symptoms. I bet you will be surprised to know that the average American consumes about 9 lbs of food chemicals and additives per year and 150-170lbs of sweeteners. In fact, one of the reasons that the authors want you to avoid dairy is because of the toxic load from cottonseed. Cotton is heavily sprayed with pesticides to stop boll weevils and other insects. Oil is extracted from the cottonseed and sold to food processors that put cottonseed oils into processed food products. The cotton seed hulls are the leftover byproduct. They are often sold to dairy operators as feed. The pesticides in the cottonseed are passed onto the cow and then into the milk. So, you ultimately get the pesticides in cottonseeds, either directly by consuming the oil in processed foods or indirectly from cow’s milk. [/font]
[FONT='Arial','sans-serif'] You should try the PCOS Diet, especially if you want to take more control of your health, restore a normal cycle, be able to conceive a child, lose weight, reduce acne and hair loss, have more energy, and protect yourself from future diabetes and heart problems. Even if you don’t think you can follow the restricted plan outlined in The Natural Diet Solution for PCOS and Infertility to a T, it is a plan to aspire to. Undoubtedly, you will at the very least want to add more whole, organic and unprocessed foods into your diet after you learn how corrupt our food supply is. It will challenge you to think about what actually goes into those pre-packaged, so-called 'healthy foods' that we buy every day. If it works for you, please tell your doctor about it. Maybe, just maybe, they will pass along this lifestyle plan to another PCOS patient instead of another prescription. [/font]

Mar1970 · 03-24-2009, 01:25 PM

I use this book as my bible and would recommend it to anyone.

I see Dr. Dunne now has a PCOS hypnosis CD too. Has anyone tried it?

03-26-2009, 03:27 AM

Very interesting, thank you.

mbridget · 04-04-2009, 02:35 AM

thanks!

cjb52 · 05-16-2009, 05:32 AM

I read the book and tried it for a couple of days. I became very ill with the new changes so I added back a few things and felt great. After 3 years of infertility I finally got pregnant with birth control pills, met, and the diet (modified) My baby is now 5 months and I just stopped nursing so I can get back on medication. I am considering going back to the book again. It worked for me.

Mar1970 · 05-16-2009, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cjb52

I read the book and tried it for a couple of days. I became very ill with the new changes so I added back a few things and felt great. After 3 years of infertility I finally got pregnant with birth control pills, met, and the diet (modified) My baby is now 5 months and I just stopped nursing so I can get back on medication. I am considering going back to the book again. It worked for me.

My guess is that you probably felt ill because it was a radical change from your previous diet... I felt the change too, which is probably a sign that it's actually having an effect. The changes I went through were significant, and for the better, it's now part of my lifestyle.

I finally did download the MP3 version of the pcos hypnosis program from Dr. Dunne's site, pcos diet dot org. It put me to sleep before I knew what was happening! I'm excited to see what additional benefits I get!

TunaLuna · 05-17-2009, 11:23 AM

Thanks for the replies, I am currently 15 weeks pregnant. I attribute it to acupuncture that I started in Oct 08 (once a week) and I did a low carb diet (basically ate lots of fruit, veggies, meats) in January. I got my first ever BFP at the end of Feb at 8 DPO. It turns out I do have a polyp that is now protruding out of my cervix but OB thinks its been inside a while so I am wondering if that played a factor with my inability to get a BFP beforehand too.

mowmita · 08-18-2009, 10:47 PM

Hey how much does that book cost? It looks really useful and i feel so lost, alone and doomed with pcos as the doctors haven't helped at all apart from put me on the pill and told me to eat healthy and excercise.

emiratesgirl · 08-31-2009, 08:00 AM

I am going to review some more books, as living in Dubai makes it harder for me to get organic foods. but am desperate to try something as turn 40 soon have already had a hysterectomy last year as also suffered adenomyosis but they left my ovaries!! getting bigger by the day and obviously yukkie symptoms all getting worse!

Luv2Run1st · 08-31-2009, 02:18 PM

I have been following the diet in the book since early June 2009 right after I got my diagnosis. I have noticed a huge change in my energy levels, my skin and hair and although I was already very slim, I do feel leaner. I find that I actually crave fresh whole foods like fruits and vegetables and lean meats vs. processed foods.

I will be beginning my first clomid cycle in October and hope that these lifestyle changes will enhance my success with fertility treatment.

I will keep you all posted on my outcomes.

~*Lisa*~ · 09-24-2009, 06:55 PM

Hi, I am new to the site and I was just "officially" diagnosed a few weeks ago, though I have had PCOS probably for years. My doctor put me on birth control in 2006, and I came off BCP this past May in order to try to get pregnant. I have not had a period since I came off the BCP and my doctor automatically recommended Metformin.

I asked if there was anything else that I could do besides going on another prescription. The doctor's response was that I would have to do something and that I shouldn't leave it untreated. She said my options were BCP, Metformin, or maybe Progesterone.

In doing my own further research, I have found that making diet and lifestyle changes can significantly reduce symptoms. I stumbled upon Dr. Dunne's book and have decided to try it out before starting another medication. I just purchased the full e-book, since it was cheaper than getting the hard copy, from the website pcosdiet (dot) org. It is definitely well researched and well thought out. I plan to start in the next week or so. I will let you all know how it goes for me.

SgtsAngel · 10-05-2009, 09:01 AM

I was looking at this book tonight online. I'm going to run it by my husband to see if I can buy it. I feel like I'm at the end of my rope with trying new things and I really need a more structured diet than I already have. My infertility specialist recommended doing Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig but I don't have the money to do those programs. I really want to try something new.

~*Lisa*~ · 10-06-2009, 01:53 PM

This book definitely seems well researched. If you are looking for something more structured, this may work for you. It has a section on meal plans for 30 days, and there is a recipe section.

The book goes through all the different food groups and tells you specifically what to eat and what not to eat, and why. They also go through a lot of different diet plans that are out there (South Beach, Atkins, etc.) and explain pros and cons of each diet. This diet basically takes good things from a few different common diets.

I have been following this diet plan for a little over a week now. I have definitely started to lose weight, but that is the only thing I have noticed so far. I am not currently on any medication for my PCOS and I was hoping that making changes to my diet and lifestyle would help so that I wouldn't need additional medication. I plan to keep at this for a few months to see what the long terms effects are. At that time I will reevaluate where I'm at then and see if it has been worth it.

What I have found difficult is finding the time to cook. Basically, this book recommends using all fresh ingredients and no processed foods. My husband and I both work full time, and it was really taking a toll on both of us to find the time to cook dinner and prepare breakfast and lunch for the next day. Usually we have enough leftovers from dinner to pack lunch the next day, but what if we don't feel like making dinner, or if we go out to dinner? Then lunch would be an issue... plus we had to start getting up eariler to make breakfast.

That was all last week. So for this week we have all of our dinners planned out. For breakfasts we have either smoothies and a hard boiled egg, or carrot sticks, a handful of nuts and whatever else we have on hand. We try to get some fruit, veggies, and protein in for breakfast. Another tip I found in the book was to prepare a lot of extra food when you make dinner then freeze it in meal sized portions. That way you have a quick meal on hand for times when you don't feel like making dinner or if you need something quick for lunch that you can just grab when you are heading off to work. This is working out much better for us.

I definitely would recommend the book. It is a wealth of information, and has so far helped me lose about 5 pounds.