Indian foods and PCOS: what to eat, limit and avoid

102 of 148 Indian foods here are fine for PCOS as-is or with small changes; 30 should be limited and 16 avoided.

Many women with PCOS — though not all; roughly a third are not insulin resistant — have some degree of insulin resistance. Where it is present, a meal that pushes blood glucose up quickly draws a large insulin release, and higher circulating insulin is associated with greater ovarian androgen production, which is part of the picture behind irregular cycles, acne and unwanted hair growth. The mechanism is not fully settled, but it is why dietary advice for PCOS focuses on how fast a food raises glucose rather than on calories alone. If you are one of the women whose PCOS is not insulin-driven, these pages are still useful for general nutrition, but the glycemic angle will matter less to you.

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Browse every food

Looking for a food that isn't rated for PCOS? The full Indian food index lists every food we cover, grouped by category.

Every food, A to Z

Every food we rate for PCOS, with verdict and glycemic index
Food	Verdict	GI
Adai	Yes	≈ 45
Almonds	Yes	—
Aloo	Limit	≈ 82
Aloo Paratha	Limit	≈ 75
Aloo Tikki	Avoid	≈ 80
Appam	Limit	≈ 76
Apple	Yes	≈ 36
Arbi	Yes, with changes	≈ 58
Baingan	Yes	—
Bajra Roti	Yes	≈ 54
Banana	Yes, with changes	≈ 51
Barfi	Limit	≈ 76
Basmati Rice	Yes, with changes	≈ 58
Bhature	Avoid	≈ 82
Bhel Puri	Yes, with changes	≈ 65
Bhindi	Yes	—
Biryani	Limit	≈ 70
Biscuits	Limit	≈ 74
Bread	Limit	≈ 75
Broccoli	Yes	—
Brown Rice	Yes, with changes	≈ 68
Butter Chicken	Limit	—
Buttermilk	Yes	≈ 30
Cabbage	Yes	—
Cashews	Yes, with changes	—
Cauliflower	Yes	—
Chaat	Limit	≈ 74
Chai	Yes, with changes	≈ 60
Chana	Yes	≈ 28
Chapati	Yes	≈ 58
Cheese	Limit	—
Chia Seeds	Yes	—
Chicken Curry	Yes	—
Chikoo	Limit	≈ 70
Chilla	Yes	≈ 42
Chole	Yes	≈ 28
Chole Bhature	Avoid	≈ 80
Coconut	Yes	—
Coconut Water	Yes	≈ 54
Corn	Yes, with changes	≈ 60
Curd	Yes	≈ 35
Curd Rice	Yes, with changes	≈ 62
Dahi Puri	Limit	≈ 68
Dal Makhani	Yes, with changes	≈ 32
Dal Tadka	Yes	≈ 29
Daliya	Yes	≈ 52
Dates	Yes, with changes	≈ 62
Dhokla	Yes	≈ 48
Dosa	Yes, with changes	≈ 65
Egg	Yes	—
Fenugreek Seeds	Yes	—
Filter Coffee	Yes, with changes	≈ 58
Fish Curry	Yes	—
Flaxseed	Yes	—
Fruit Juice	Avoid	≈ 68
Ghee	Yes, with changes	—
Grapes	Yes, with changes	≈ 59
Green Peas	Yes	≈ 22
Green Tea	Yes	—
Guava	Yes	≈ 33
Gulab Jamun	Avoid	≈ 85
Halwa	Limit	≈ 80
Handvo	Yes	≈ 52
Honey	Limit	≈ 61
Idiyappam	Yes, with changes	≈ 68
Idli	Yes	≈ 60
Idli Sambar	Yes	≈ 58
Jaggery	Limit	≈ 84
Jalebi	Avoid	≈ 88
Jowar Roti	Yes	≈ 55
Karela	Yes	—
Khandvi	Yes	≈ 45
Kheer	Limit	≈ 78
Khichdi	Yes	≈ 63
Ladoo	Limit	≈ 74
Lassi	Limit	≈ 68
Lauki	Yes	—
Lemon Rice	Yes, with changes	≈ 70
Maggi	Limit	≈ 70
Maida	Avoid	≈ 85
Makhana	Yes	≈ 40
Mango	Yes, with changes	≈ 51
Masala Dosa	Limit	≈ 77
Masoor Dal	Yes	≈ 26
Methi	Yes	—
Milk	Yes, with changes	≈ 39
Misal Pav	Yes, with changes	≈ 64
Modak	Limit	≈ 76
Momos	Yes, with changes	≈ 66
Moong Dal	Yes	≈ 25
Moong Dal Chilla	Yes	≈ 38
Murukku	Limit	≈ 75
Mutton Curry	Yes, with changes	—
Namkeen	Limit	≈ 72
Nimbu Pani	Yes	≈ 30
Oats	Yes	≈ 55
Pakora	Limit	≈ 60
Palak	Yes	—
Paneer	Yes	—
Pani Puri	Limit	≈ 75
Papaya	Yes	≈ 60
Paratha	Yes, with changes	≈ 62
Pasta	Yes, with changes	≈ 55
Pav Bhaji	Limit	≈ 76
Peanuts	Yes	—
Pesarattu	Yes	≈ 38
Pizza	Limit	≈ 74
Poha	Yes, with changes	≈ 72
Pomegranate	Yes	≈ 53
Poori Bhaji	Avoid	≈ 80
Prawns	Yes	—
Pulao	Yes, with changes	≈ 66
Pumpkin Seeds	Yes	—
Puri	Avoid	≈ 80
Puttu	Yes, with changes	≈ 67
Quinoa	Yes	≈ 53
Ragi Mudde	Yes	≈ 55
Ragi Roti	Yes	≈ 55
Rajma	Yes	≈ 29
Rajma Chawal	Yes	≈ 60
Rasam	Yes	—
Rasgulla	Avoid	≈ 82
Rava Dosa	Limit	≈ 72
Red Rice	Yes	≈ 66
Roasted Chana	Yes	≈ 28
Sabudana Khichdi	Avoid	≈ 85
Samak Rice	Yes	≈ 50
Sambar	Yes	≈ 32
Samosa	Avoid	≈ 78
Sev Puri	Limit	≈ 72
Soft Drinks	Avoid	≈ 63
Soya Chunks	Yes, with changes	≈ 20
Sprouts	Yes	≈ 25
Sugar	Avoid	≈ 65
Sugarcane Juice	Avoid	≈ 70
Sweet Potato	Yes, with changes	≈ 63
Tandoori Chicken	Yes	—
Thali	Yes, with changes	≈ 65
Thepla	Yes	≈ 58
Tinda	Yes	—
Tofu	Yes, with changes	—
Upma	Yes, with changes	≈ 66
Urad Dal	Yes	≈ 43
Uttapam	Yes	≈ 64
Vada Pav	Avoid	≈ 80
Walnuts	Yes	—
Watermelon	Yes, with changes	≈ 72
White Rice	Limit	≈ 73

Medical disclaimer

This is general dietary information, not medical advice. PCOS presents differently in different women, and if you are on metformin, inositol, hormonal contraceptives or fertility treatment, discuss dietary changes with your doctor or dietitian. If you are pregnant or trying to conceive, some foods discussed on this site — therapeutic doses of fenugreek and bitter gourd, and raw sprouts — carry specific cautions in pregnancy; check with your doctor before adding them.

Plate.Fit provides diet recommendations and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified medical practitioner before starting a new diet, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a chronic health condition.