This is the first edition of our PCOS-curated newsletter, and it's aimed at providing education, resources, and healthy habits for managing PCOS and all that comes along with it; weight gain, insulin resistance, fertility issues, acne, and hormone imbalances. The internet is a vast place, so we're making it smaller by curating content just for you.

Kindly,

Well + Easy

3 life-changing books that will help you gain back control and confidence in your body 

These are the books that will change everything. Read them, learn the practices, and slowly incorporate new tools and ways of being and healing and taking care of yourself into your life. Here are the top 3 books we recommend:

WomanCode: Perfect Your Cycle, Amplify Your Fertility, Supercharge Your Sex Drive, and Become a Power Source
A book that gives you a beautiful and thorough overview of your body. Whether you are suffering from irregular periods, fertility issues, depression, or lack of sex drive, Alisa Vitti says that meds and anti-depressants aren’t the only solutions. Groundbreaking and informative, WomanCode educates women about hormone health in a way that’s relevant and easy to understand. And the five-step protocol can markedly improve health and overall quality of life.

The Hormone Cure: Reclaim Balance, Sleep and Sex Drive; Lose Weight; Feel Focused, Vital, and Energized Naturally 
A three-tiered treatment strategy that includes: Supplements and targeted lifestyle changes that address underlying deficiencies, herbal therapies that restore balance and optimize your body’s natural function, and bioidentical hormones—most available without a prescription. Dr. Sara Gottfried, a Harvard-educated physician and nationally recognized, board-certified gynecologist, refuses to accept that being a woman means feeling overwhelmed or that popping pills is the new normal.

The Egg Quality Diet: A clinically proven 100-day fertility diet to balance hormones, reduce inflammation, improve egg quality & optimize your ability to get & stay pregnant
The Egg Quality Diet is the culmination of what Aimee Raupp has found, during her two decades of clinical practice, to be the most effective nutritional approach to optimizing fertility. This diet has been proven to work not in a randomized control trial (RCT) but in real life, on thousands of real women like you. Real women who have been told they have no good eggs left or are too old or they are in menopause.

Warm teas for balancing hormones and releasing weight. These are the perfect teas to drink throughout the day and each evening before bed.

Herbs and spices have magic powers to manage PCOS hormone imbalances and lose extra weight

Sometimes the healing support we need can be found in our kitchen—you likely have these herbs available right now, and if you don't they're really easy to get. 

Cooking with specific spices and incorporating herbs into your diet is a simple way to start transforming and controlling your symptoms without trying too hard. It's about the daily habits you form that make all the difference. 

The best way to manage your symptoms is by taking a look at your diet, says gynecologist, Dr. Swati Gaikwad. And we couldn't agree more. Here are the herbs and spices to include: 

• Cinnamon. It's known to be beneficial in managing blood sugar levels, enhancing fertility and insulin sensitivity, and regulating menstruation.
  
  Add it in your tea or coffee. Sprinkle on pancakes and muffins. Mix it in your morning oatmeal or chia pudding.
  
  
• Basil. It is loaded with anti-androgenic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties and controls androgens leading to excessive facial hair growth and acne, and lower blood sugar levels.
  
  Use basil to make pesto, prepare basil leaf tea, add basil to your salads and fruit cups for added sweetness. Basil is common in Thai cuisine, so if you're eating out, opt for Thais basil chicken and veggies!
  
  
• Turmeric. It is anti-inflammatory in nature and contains a compound called curcumin that can be helpful in tackling insulin resistance, high blood sugar levels, and increasing HDL or good cholesterol levels.
  
  Our all-time favorite spice! You can make turmeric lattes, add it to pancakes, sprinkle it on your rice, and even add it to homemade dressings.

Keep reading for the complete list of herbs and spices. 

Weight Gain Is A Side Effect Of My Medication, And I Take It Anyway

Sometimes a reminder of what we are doing and why we are doing it is enough to keep us on track. The beauty of taking a holistic approach to your well-being is that is can and should encompass everything. Diet and nutrition play such a huge role in chronic conditions and sometimes medication plays a role in keeping things balanced. Changing the way you eat will make the greatest impact, but also being truthful and kind to yourself along the way helps. Read this article if you're also taking medication right now to control your symptoms.

Meal planning in just 3 steps

Tired of hearing about meal planning? The truth is, it works. Planning your meals is much easier than you think, and it saves you time and energy (thinking about what to eat) and money (not buying things you don't need) every single week. Just remember: when you plan, you make progress.

1. Decide on your meals for the week. It's key to have go-to meals and family favorites. These are the easiest meals to make that will satisfy everyone.
2. Decide what you'll make each night. This helps you understand what you can prep ahead of time or what can be used as leftovers for the next day's lunch. 
3. Make a grocery list and shop. It might seem kind of old school, but grocery lists keep you on track in the grocery store, reducing overspending, grabbing foods you don't need, and forgetting the ones you do!

Need some inspiration to get you started? Here's a collection of easy PCOS-friendly recipes to try this week!

That's all for this week. Looking for more?

Access Well + Easy's PCOS Resource Handbook (updated monthly) 

Ready to join us inside the community? Get a holistic wellness and weight loss plan, plenty of recipes and weekly menus, in-depth nutrition classes, and a non-restrictive way of dieting that you'll actually stick to. 

At Well + Easy, we don't diet. We have healthy eating habits.

You've got this.

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