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The glycaemic index was originally designed for people with diabetes to help them keep their blood sugar levels under control. Since improvement in PCOS symptoms is associated with blood sugar imbalance, the glycaemic index (GI) can be a very useful tool for us.

The GI ranks food by the influence they have on your blood sugar levels a few hours after you eat them. Glucose is used as the reference food and its index value is set at 100. All other foods are then compared to glucose and ranked accordingly.

Foods that have a GI of 70 or more are typically called ‘high glycaemic index foods’ as they trigger a rapid rise in blood sugar. Foods with a GI of 55 to 69 are called ‘medium glycaemic index foods’ as they trigger a moderate increase. Foods with a GI below 55 are called ‘low glycaemic foods’ because they have only a moderate to low impact on blood sugar.

There are plenty of books and websites which list the glycaemic value of various foods (see Resources) but the following should help you stick to the basic principles.

Foods that are white tend to have a high glycaemic index. This includes processed foods made with white flour and white sugar – but even white potatoes have a high GI. If you’re sticking to change Number 3 (moderating your sugar intake) you should be doing this already.

Concentrate on eating foods that are high in fibre (you’ll be doing this already if you’re choosing whole foods). In general, high-fibre foods take longer to digest and therefore produce a slower rise in blood glucose levels. Fibre also keeps you feeling fuller for longer, which helps prevent overeating. Most vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and even fruits such as apples and pears are rich in fibre when you eat them whole (not as juice).