Colette Harris | Theresa Cheung
1 The are much better books out there
This book is only ok. It has many shortfalls, including the metric and food issues mentioned in other reviews. After trying this despite its shortcommings, I moved on. I would recommend the Foundation Diet. Though its not ment specifically for PCOS'ers, it has put me on tract, helped with hair issues and made me feel generaly better. I have lost some weight as well. If you do try Pcos Diet Book, be sure your measuring cups have metric.
2 Very good if you use it with more PCOS books
I found this book to be very helpful. I was diagnosed with PCOS about 4 weeks sgo, after suffering from the symptoms for 9 years. If you combine this book with another one like "what to do when the doctor says it's PCOS" you will understand a lot about how to eat to fight the PCOS symptoms, specially over weight. I didn't care about it being british, I understood everything anyway, so don't be afraid, this book will help.
3 Diet is the answer, and you'll find a lot of answers here
PCOS treatment begins with adjusting your diet. Most, not all, women with PCOS suffer from insulin resistance (this simply means that the body cells are resisting allowing insulin to deliver the blood sugar they need, while the fat cells are screaming "Hey! Just back that truckload of glucose in RIGHT here!"). This book does not have all the answers, but it is a good overview of how nutrition affects PCOS.
Many women with PCOS have had great success with changing their diet to treat insulin resistance. Learn the basics here, then get a copy of one of the low glycemic index diets (Insulin Resistance Diet, South Beach, etc.) and eat your way to good health!
4 Excellent Resource Book
I found this book to be filled with a lot of useful information that it kept reinforcing throughout. The title is a little deceiving because it says "Diet" when it really is a dietary living book. It covers a lot of information that really opened my eyes to how I was currently eating and how I should really be eating. It helped motivate me to go see a nutritionist so I could get a more specialized diet regiment suited to my personal needs. It also helped my husband understand better what was going on with me and my special nutritional needs.
5 PLEASE CONSIDER THIS and then read this book!
I almost didn't buy this book because of the review complaining about how hard it was to find some of the food items listed in it. I bought it anyway and am extremely glad I did. It's true that there are a few items in here I might not be able to get in the US, but if you really READ the book, you'll find a tremendous amount of very specific information regarding foods that are readily available here (wholegrain pasta, wholewheat bread, apricots, spinach, brocolli) and very specific information regarding the ways in which these foods will affect your body. There is also a great deal of information on vitamins, minerals, weight loss, fertility, and alternatives to taking the birth control pill to regulate your period. You can even pick a PCOS-specific symptom that has been bothering you (say, your acne, for example) and they clearly list foods and natural remedies as well as changes you can make in your daily life that will help you control that specific problem and clearly explain WHY these problems occur in the first place. I was diagnosed with PCOS in my early teens and despite many doctors visits and pills have never felt like I had any control over my symptoms until I read this book. Please don't be turned off by it because you can't get one item on a list of twenty suggested foods. This book is for anyone who is ready to take control and make positive steps towards living with PCOS.
6 Excellent
I've read many of the recent books on PCOS but none has impressed me as much as this one - even though it is clearly written for British rather than American women. What impressed me most was the way the authors had gathered relevant research about weight gain and diet for women with PCOS and presented the information in a really clear, easy to understand way. I also liked the book's honesty. PCOS can't be cured but it can be managed. There is no miracle diet but with the healthy eating tips and exercise tips in the book you can lose weight and feel good about yourself again. I'd recommend it to any woman with PCOS.
7 HOLD IT JUST A SECOND MY FELLOW AMERICAN PCOS'RS!!
This books sounds like everything you are looking for in a holistic and/or nutritional approach to our misdiagnosed and misunderstood syndrome, right? Think you can pick it up and follow the diet excatly and have those fantastic changes that you hear about in all of those testimonials you read about? Well please keep this in mind before you get so excited. This book was published in LONDON ENGLAND. Therefore, you can expect all sorts of fabulous recipe ingredients and menus that call for things like:
175g muscavoado sugar
demerara sugar
jaffa cake
Twiglets
digestive biscuits
gooseberry fool
quorn fillet (yes that is how its spelled)
1 large aubergine
etc. etc.
All of the measurements are in metric and there tends to be a bit of a difference in our foods and termonologies. For this I give 2 stars (as an Amercian stuck in English measurements and food). Also, when you look at the menus as a whole, there is quite a bit of fruit (and juices) called for which concerns me because of the insulin resistance problems of PCOSrs. There is even a recipe for risotto - can we say white carbohydrate?HOWEVER, there is information on vitamins and nutrients and why you should take them and how they benefit PCOS individuals so again, I did at least give the books 2 stars.
No one mentions this little British detail about the book and for American cooks, this is a pretty big detail. I would try the "Insulin Resistance Diet Book" over this one for full menus and use this book at a supplement only. Good luck!
8 Definite Must Have!
I got this book and found I could not put it down because it had so much information that dealt with PCOS. Not only did it have background information (in the appendix), but it also had diet and vitamin and other natural supplement information and tips. I have started following the basic priciples in this book and already feel better. It made me get motivated to finally take control of what I was eating! I didn't realize how I was treating my own body with the food I used to eat. The book also has references to other helpful books, websites, and clinics in the back for the UK, US, and even Australia. If you have one book to read on PCOS, I think this is it!
9 A must-have for women with PCOS
Polycystic ovarian syndrome is such a complex condition that women who are dealing with it need all the good resources they can get. This book covers general information as well as the all-important nutritional information that all women with PCOS need. The authors have a nice conversational and supportive style; the book is packed with information but isn't so big that it seems like a medical text.
10 Well done
Solid performer including herbal, diet and exericse tips. Some women with this thing have endometriosis (I do not) and other polycystic ovaries (nope) & there is a third category where everything is normal but still no conception (three's a charm ;-). Harris gives the varied ways to come to this detour and what to do to improve your chances to get to the goal (conception). I don't agree with everything she says (no salt) but it's a start and helpful way to organize your life and make the necessary changes to enhace your fertility. harris makes you realize that for the few of us for which fertility is not something that is as easy as a tussle in the back seat of a car it's about allot of organization and effort. I think that this book will help us get there. Good luck.
PS I found this book very hard to read (extremely emotional).
Good luck ladies.
