Recipes: PCOS friendly snacking options you must try

People with PCOS often avoid eating between long meals thinking it is not healthy. But fueling up on well-planned meals and snacks throughout the day prove to be helpful as snacks can form a bridge between one meal to the next. They provide you with additional nutrition and energy. And they can prevent you from overeating or bingeing later on. When choosing snacks it is important to keep in mind the ingredients. Prefer having snacks that are a good source of protein, fibre and nutrition. Avoid having processed, fried or high sugar snacks. Here are some of the PCOS-friendly snacking options which you can add to your diet. (Also read: Delicious chocolate recipes for gluten-free snacking )

1. PCOS-friendly pancakes

(Recipe by Avantii Deshpaande, Clinical Nutritionist)

Pancakes made from millets are a super healthy breakfast. Fluffy Millet Pancakes are simple to make and are eggless, gluten-free, and sugar-free. These gluten-free pancakes are a great way to kick-start your day. Millets help in regulating blood glucose levels, and weight loss and promote digestion.

Ingredients:

• Millets- 1 cup

• Buttermilk- 1 cup

• Baking powder- 1/2 tsp

• Jaggery- 1/2 cup

Method:

-Take a bowl and pour Millets, and buttermilk and mix it.

-Add baking powder and jaggery into the batter and mix it well.

-Add water to make it of flowing consistency.

-Heat a pan. add a ladle full of the batter to the pan about 8 inches.

-Smear butter on the sides and turn over.

-Serve it with honey or fresh berries.

2. Quinoa poha

(Recipe by Parag Kumawat, Fitness Coach and Nutritionist)

The quinoa poha recipe is healthy and easy to make. It contains 9 gm of protein and 8 gm of fat. Quinoa is rich in antioxidants, which can prevent damage to your heart and other organs and poha is a good source of carbohydrates, packed with iron and rich in fiber.

Ingredients :

- Quinoa Raw - 50 gm

- Cooking Oil - 5 gm

- Teaspoon Black Mustard Seeds (Rai)- 1/2 tsp

- Chopped Green Chilly (optional)- 1/2

- Few dry leaves of Kadi Patta

- Chopped Onion- 30 gm

- Chopped Potato- 20 gm

- Chopped carrot- 50 gm

- Green Pea- 20 gm

- Turmeric- 1/2 tsp

- Capsicum- 20 gm

- Salt as per taste

- Lime juice- 1 tsp

- Some Green Coriander

Method:

- Take 50 gm of quinoa and Boil it for 7-8 minutes; once it is boiled, remove access water.

- In a pan, add 5 gm cooking oil, 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds, 1/2 chopped green chilly, a few kadi Patta, 30 gm chopped onion, and 20 gm chopped potato and sauté it for five mins.

- Then cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for five mins.

- After that add, 50 gm chopped carrot, 20 gm Green Pea, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 20 gm capsicum, and salt.

- Again, sauté for five mins. And close the pan with a lid for 3-4 mins.

- Add lime juice and green coriander; your quinoa Poha is ready to serve.

3. Blueberry Muffins

(Recipe by Instagram/pcosnutritionplan)

Blueberry muffins are a great snacking option to satisfy all your sugar cravings without spiking your blood sugar levels. It is healthy as well as delicious. They are gluten and sugar-free and low in refined carbohydrates.

Ingredients:

• Almond - 2 and 1/2 cups

• Coconut flour- 2 tbsp

• Chopped walnuts- 1/3 cup

• Organic eggs- 3

• Coconut oil- 1/4 cup

• Jaggery- 1/4 cup

• Organic frozen blueberries- 1 cup

• Baking powder- 1 tsp

• Vanilla extract- 1 tsp

• Organic unsweetened almond milk- 1/2 cup

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

2. In a medium size mixing bowl, combine almond meal, coconut flour, baking powder, walnuts and Latvia.

3. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk eggs and stir in vanilla, almond milk and melted butter.

4. Pour wet ingredients into the flour mixture and combine.

5. Scoop into 10-12 muffin patties and bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden.

6. Serve it with blueberries.

4. PCOS-friendly pasta

(Recipe by Emily Trimm, Dietitian Specialized in PCOS Nutrition)

Who doesn't love pasta? You can eat this delicious and healthy pasta with PCOS. It is made up of healthy ingredients and contains 35g of net carbs and 20g of protein. Therefore, you can make it a part of your PCOS journey without any second thoughts.

Ingredients:

Roasted red peppers- 1 Jar

Basil leaves- 1/2 cup

Walnuts- 2 tbsp

Lemon juice- 1 tbsp

Nutritional yeast- 1 tsp

Salt- 1/4 tsp

Extra virgin olive oil- 3 tbsp

Chickpea pasta- 1 bowl

Kale leaves- 1 cup

Method: ⁠⁠

1. Add the roasted red peppers, basil, walnuts, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt, and olive oil to a food processor and blend until combined and no large chunks remain.⁠⁠

2. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Be sure to reserve the starchy cooking liquid before draining.⁠⁠

3. Meanwhile, add the red pepper sauce and kale to a pan over medium heat and cook until the sauce starts to thin and the kale wilts down.⁠⁠

4. Stir the starchy cooking liquid into the sauce then add the cooked pasta and stir to coat the noodles. Divide between plates and enjoy!⁠⁠

5. Vanilla chocolate chip cookies

(Recipe by Cory Ruth, Dietician and Women's health expert)

Enjoy your PCOS diet with soft vanilla cookies. They are made with protein-rich almond flour and flaky sea salt. It's a must-try healthy yet tasty recipe for all fitness lovers.

Ingredients:

• Melted coconut oil- ⁣⁣1/4 cup

• Butter- 1/2 cup

• Coconut sugar⁣- 3/4 cup

• Vanilla⁣⁣- 2 tsp

• Eggs- 1 ⁣⁣

• Salt- 1/2 tsp ⁣⁣

• Baking soda- 1/2 tsp⁣⁣

• Cinnamon⁣⁣- 1/4 tsp

• Almond flour- 2 cups⁣⁣

• Gluten-free flour- 2 cups ⁣⁣

• sugar-free chocolate chips- 1/2 cup

• Flaky salt for garnish- 1sp

⁣⁣Method:

1. First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper⁣⁣

2. In an electric mixer, cream together coconut oil, butter, and sweetener. Add in vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated.⁣⁣

3. Add in the sea salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Then add in 1 cup of almond flour. Mix. Then add in the remaining cup of almond flour and mix. 4. Next, add in the first cup of gluten-free flour and mix well, then mix in the remaining cup of gluten-free flour and beat until fully incorporated.⁣⁣

5. Mix in chocolate chips, roll into balls and place on cookie sheets 3” apart. Bake for 10-13 mins or until the edges are golden brown. Let cool 10 mins before serving.

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