PCOS Lifestyle Tips with Hannah Muehl, MS, RDN, PA-C, A.K.A. “The Conscious Nutritionist”

Welcome back to the Period Chats podcast, your resource for helpful lifestyle tips on managing PCOS. Hannah Muehl, MS, RDN, PA-C, A.K.A. “The Conscious Nutritionist” joins us on this episode to share her expertise as a dietitan and physician associate. Many of us will agree that it can be frustrating to get a diagnosis, and sometimes even harder to find correct diet and lifestyle information afterward. But combining her personal experience having PCOS with her vocational training, Hannah is here to share her wealth of information with us. We discuss the process of coming off the pill and the journey of balancing one’s hormones more holistically, after being on a medication that stops natural ovulation. Initial symptoms can often include hair loss, acne, weight changes, and of course: cysts. If you’ve experienced any of these, we know you’ll appreciate hearing from someone who gets it. Hannah tells us how one of the biggest misconceptions in the PCOS world is that all of us have to be absolutely gluten and dairy-free. She explains how some people may see improvements on a diet that omits these ingredients simply because they have a measure of related insulin resistance, and eating less gluten often means eating less processed carbs and sugars in general. Here’s a quick tip to balance your blood sugar, whether you have an insulin resistance diagnosis or just suspect that you’d feel better with fewer glucose spikes: fat and fiber slow down carbohydrate absorption, so make sure you pair carbs with one or both (ideally consume them right BEFORE the carbs). She also addresses the misconception that there’s one magic supplement for PCOS, or that supplements themselves will be the complete answer. After that, we dive into the topic of environmental toxins (but in a balanced, you don’t have to feel totally overwhelmed sort of way). You may have heard Hannah dropping knowledge about hormones and PCOS on her Instagram or TikTok: @TheConsciousNutritionist. But if you haven’t yet, go give her a follow and fill your mind with her nutritional knowledge.