Be wary of the American Diabetes Assoc. Reading some of their cookbooks, I’ve been appalled at the ingredients they use… chocolate chips, sugar, white flour, etc.
To control my PCOS, what I have found the most helpful is removing sugar and grains from my diet. My mood swings have almost disappeared, hot flashes are gone, I have energy, no depression, and my cycle is 28 days. I’ve been on this diet for about 8 months now. I have lost some weight, but weight-loss was not my aim.
You’ve probably heard that soy contains phytoestrogens, and particularly for women with PCOS, these really exacerbate the hormone imbalances. What most people don’t realize is that grains also contain phytoestrogens, so if you’re eating grains they are most likely contributing to the severity of your PCOS symptoms.
I’m also leery of the SBD because they tout low-fat living. I happen to believe that fat is an essential part of our diets, and I know that you can actually starve to death by not eating enough fat. Their reliance on low-fat and whole grain cooking really turned me off.
You may also want to discuss Metformin with your doctor. It is not a cure-all, and it is not for everyone. But I know a lot of people do wonderfully on it… I just don’t happen to be one of them. The flip side of that is that taking Metformin means you’re automatically on a “low carb” diet… no grains, no sugars, no fried foods, or you’ll be sorry. Personally I chose to do the diet without the drugs and have had wonderful results. I’m only on Met right now because we’re TTC.
If you go on over to MDC, there’s a tribe of PCOSers who have lots of experience to share (in the Find Your Tribe section). And their nutrition boards are also great. There’s a lot to learn about nutrition, and the people there can really help. I haven’t been on there in a couple weeks, but there was also a tribe for us grain-free people (in the Traditional Foods section), and one for the sugar-free people (sometimes in Health and Healing, sometimes in Nutrition).
HTH