As part of your Metformin regimen, limiting sugary foods is an integral component in helping the medicine work its best. This includes energy drinks, flavored coffees and soda.
An important consideration when taking metformin is maintaining a diet low in sodium. Too much sodium may increase unpleasant side effects like diarrhea, nausea and bloating, making the drug less effective overall.
Foods to Avoid When Taking Metformin For PCOS
Saturated Fats
Saturated fats found in butter, cheese, red meat and tropical oils may hinder metformin’s effectiveness while simultaneously raising cholesterol and increasing heart disease risk.
Pick foods low in saturated fat, like fish, poultry and whole grains. Read food labels to identify how much saturated fat there is; low levels will be indicated by green color-coding on products. It may also be important to pay attention to serving sizes.
Trans Fats
Trans fats are hazardous to our health as they increase LDL (bad) cholesterol while decreasing HDL (good) cholesterol.
Therefore, when choosing food options with trans fats such as fried foods or fast food chains that use trans fats such as chicken nuggets or potato chips as ingredients for their coating, try to opt for those which include more healthy options like steamed, boiled, or oven-roasted options like vegetables and meats instead.
Metformin works best when combined with a diet low in saturated fats, trans fats, sugar and salt. Instead, consume whole foods, nonstarchy vegetables, healthy high-fat proteins and fiber such as semi-skimmed or skim milk and avoid sweet beverages such as sodas, candy or desserts that contain too many carbs (45% to 50% of calories daily).
High-Fat Meats
Metformin works best when consumed alongside a diet low in saturated fats. Avoid fried foods, and opt for lean proteins such as flank steak, ham and chicken, nuts (unsalted only please!), fish, avocado and olive oil as healthy choices.
Foods high in sugar increase blood glucose levels and worsen insulin resistance, interfering with metformin’s effectiveness. Instead, focus on eating nonstarchy vegetables, healthy high-fat proteins and moderate fiber amounts–25-30 g of fiber should suffice per day.
Fruits
Metformin is a medication prescribed for Type 2 Diabetes that has also shown promising results when used to treat Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). This pill increases body sensitivity to insulin.
Foods high in simple and refined sugar should be avoided while taking metformin, such as candy, soda and desserts. Too much added sugar exacerbates preexisting insulin resistance while exacerbating PCOS symptoms.
Diets that include lean protein and healthy fats are highly recommended, as is getting enough fiber – something most Americans do not do enough of.
Vegetables
Vegetables provide essential nutrients and are an important source of fiber. Based on their nutrient composition, vegetables can be divided into five subcategories: dark green vegetables; red and orange vegetables; beans, peas and lentils; starchy vegetables (such as potatoes); and other varieties.
Diets rich in vegetables can help manage blood sugar and improve insulin sensitivity.
Try to consume the recommended daily serving of vegetables; variety is key when it comes to getting enough vegetables into your diet – try new dishes, soups and salads; you could also turn them into smoothies or juices!
Dairy Products
Dairy products are food items made from milk produced by mammals (cows, goats, sheep and camels). Dairy provides calcium, protein, vitamin A, D and riboflavin which all provide essential nutrition.
As with other medications, metformin may increase insulin sensitivity and help you achieve lower sugar levels by restricting dairy intake. Instead of drinking whole-fat or full-fat milk products, consider switching to low fat options, such as calcium-fortified soymilk.
Since too much sodium can aggravate adverse side effects associated with metformin treatment, limit salty foods while trying to avoid eating fried foods as much as possible.
Alcohol
Alcohol should be consumed sparingly or avoided entirely when taking metformin to avoid harmful interactions that could result in dangerous side effects and kidney/liver problems, particularly as women typically contain less water in their bodies, leading to greater concentrations of alcohol within the system.
Heavy drinking interferes with your body’s ability to absorb vitamin B-12, an essential nutrient for maintaining stable blood sugar levels and increasing hypoglycemia risk.
Metformin combined with alcohol increases this risk further; they both increase it exponentially. Eventually this combination could even increase lactic acidosis risk exponentially – an unsafe condition.
Breads
Metformin can help lower blood sugar levels, but its effectiveness will be impaired if someone consumes foods which cause sudden surges in their blood sugar. Such foods include candy, soda, desserts and chips which cause sudden rises.
Breads that contain whole grains such as sprouted wheat or rye are packed with essential fiber, vitamins, and minerals that help lower blood sugar levels. Their longer digest time also aids in this goal. Fried foods may upset stomachs when taking metformin; to lessen digestive side effects cutting back can be helpful.
Furthermore, weight loss from diet alone will increase insulin sensitivity which in turn decreases PCOS symptoms.
Pastries
Pastry is a baked food composed of flour, water and shortening that can either be sweetened or salted; its dough can then be rolled and folded to form various shapes.
As part of taking metformin, it is recommended to avoid or limit foods high in simple and refined carbohydrates as these can quickly increase blood sugar levels, rendering the medication ineffective. Common examples include candy, desserts and regular soda. Instead, eating foods rich in fiber should be your top priority.
Snacks
Metformin is an oral medication prescribed to treat type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Unfortunately, Metformin may cause adverse side effects including diarrhea, gas, nausea, and bloating; to minimize such side effects it is advised that you take it with meals in order to minimize them; excessive sodium can exacerbate these side effects further.
Consume nonstarchy vegetables, lean protein sources, healthy fats and an appropriate amount of fiber in your daily diet. Complex carbs from fruits, vegetables and whole grain sources such as brown rice or whole-grain bread should also be consumed to limit their impact on blood sugar levels.
