Short Answer: Soybean is good for PCOS. Because it has isoflavones and they can balance your hormones, lower your cholesterol, improve your insulin sensitivity, and reduce your inflammation.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a condition that affects your ovaries and hormones.
In PCOS, your body produces too much androgens (male hormones) and not enough progesterone (female hormone).
This can lead to various health problems, such as irregular periods, infertility, acne, weight gain, insulin resistance, and increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
One of the key factors in managing PCOS is diet.
What you consume can affect your blood sugar, insulin, and inflammation levels, which can impact your PCOS symptoms and overall health.
To effectively manage PCOS, you should consume fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes and avoid refined carbohydrates, added sugars, and saturated fats.
Now, soybean is a plant food that is also a complete protein source, meaning it has all the essential amino acids.
People usually eat soybean in various forms, such as tofu, tempeh, miso, soy sauce, edamame, and soy nuts.
Soybean is good for PCOS because it contains isoflavones, which are phytoestrogens that can weakly mimic the actions of estrogen.
Isoflavones can help balance your hormones, lower your cholesterol, improve your insulin sensitivity, and reduce your inflammation.
100 grams of soybean can give you 36 grams of protein (72% of your daily needs), 9 grams of fiber (36% of your daily needs), and 2.9 milligrams of iron (16% of your daily needs).
Isoflavones can positively affect PCOS by modulating the activity of estrogen receptors, inhibiting the enzymes that produce androgens, enhancing the production of sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and regulating the expression of genes involved in glucose and lipid metabolism.
Furthermore, soybean is a low glycemic index (GI) food and low GI foods are good for PCOS.
Because, low GI foods can help you control your blood sugar levels, prevent insulin spikes, and reduce your appetite.
You can eat 25 to 50 grams of soy protein per day safely.
More than that can cause gastrointestinal discomfort, bloating, and gas.
Also, you shouldn’t eat soybean if you have a soy allergy or a thyroid disorder to prevent allergic reactions or thyroid dysfunction.
Because, soybean can trigger an immune response in some people or interfere with the absorption of thyroid medication.
You can buy fresh soybean in your local market or can order it from online.
Always choose organic, non-GMO, and unprocessed soybean.
Because, organic soybean is free of pesticides and herbicides, non-GMO soybean is not genetically modified, and unprocessed soybean has more nutrients and less additives than processed soy products.
You can store them in a cool, dry, and dark place for up to one year.
Finally, remember, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet, regular exercise, stress management and essential medical care is key to managing PCOS effectively.
I always recommend my PCOS patients to follow a PCOS-friendly diet to improve their overall well-being, and enjoy a longer and healthier life.