Customer Reviews

The Dietitian's Guide to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)

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*This is the review I wrote for my magazine, PCOS Today*

Angela Grassi, a licensed dietician headquartered in Haverford, Pennsylvania, has been a regular columnist published in PCOS Today Magazine. She has focused her entire practice on the service of women and girls with PCOS. Earlier this fall, she completed and published her new book, "The Dietician's Guide to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome." Her book is well worth the purchase price...for both professionals working with PCOS clients, as well as women with PCOS. Here's the review.

My copy of Angela Grassi's recent book, "The Dietician's Guide to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome," has a glass-bottom stain on it and part of the cover is ripped. Ms. Grassi's jam-packed tome of up-to-date information about PCOS has been used and reused by this author since its release just a few months ago.

During the past decade or two, a number of books about PCOS have been released. Some are rather general, others carry a heavy load of relevant content. The difference with Ms. Grassi's book is that while it was originally written with practicing dieticians and nutritionists in mind, women with PCOS will find it a thorough resource. Its more than 200 pages, including appendices, cover topics including both the physical and psychological aspects of PCOS, dietary strategies, alternative and complementary treatments, PCOS in adolescence, pregnancy, eating disorders, and sample menu plans. For dieticians, Ms. Grassi provides common IDC-9 codes and case studies, as well as organizations and publications that can provide both professionals and PCOS patients with more information about the disorder.

Throughout the book, Ms. Grassi asks a number of compelling questions and makes a number of compelling statements about working with women with PCOS. Does the American diet cause PCOS? The role of the dietician in treating PCOS. Weight loss to improve PCOS: Is it necessary? Polycystic ovary syndrome and pregnancy. In full detail, Ms. Grassi covers the Glycemic Index, postpartum weight management with PCOS, antiandrogen therapy in adolescence, thorough descriptions of herbs and supplements that can be used to decrease the severity of PCOS symptoms, and questions dieticians can use to screen patients for PCOS. Especially helpful to this author, who likes to have quantifiable information to gauge her food intake by, is a table of suggested carbohydrates amounts for women with PCOS, dependent on calorie intake. As a reformed label reader, I can now decipher how each serving's grams of carbohydrates fit into the grand scheme of my diet.

Rounding out Ms. Grassi's book are sample menu plans and a candid discussion of quality of life issues affecting women with PCOS, and how they can lead to the development of eating disorders. Following each chapter is a complete list of references for both professionals and women with PCOS to find more information.

Designed to accompany this guide is the PCOS Nutrition Handout Series on CD. Included on the CD (sold separately) are 20 printer-ready assessment, food exchange, mindful eating exercises, resources for PCOS clients, shopping for whole grains, and nutritional supplement handouts, among many more, for use by dieticians and nutritionists working with PCOS clients.

Published by Luca Publishing of Haverford, Penn., The Dietitian's Guide to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a book that not only every practicing dietician and nutritionist should have on their shelves, but any professional who comes into clinical contact with women suffering from PCOS. But not only will professionals working with PCOS clients find this book helpful, but women with PCOS will be well-armed to work with their doctors, dieticians, reproductive endocrinologists, and gynecologists to fight the symptoms of PCOS and its related issues. "Although it's a little technical," Ms. Grassi said, "I think it is a great resource for all women with PCOS."

Since learning about PCOS 10 years ago, I have been surprised to find many of my patients with eating disorders have several of the hallmark signs but have never been tested or treated for PCOS, even those who have spent time hospitalized or in treatment centers. It seems that the weight gain that can occur with undiagnosed PCOS promotes abnormally restrictive eating, leading eventually to an eating disorder. I have been thrilled that once diagnosed and properly treated, these patients are much better able to work toward eating disorder recovery. It is easy to think, "If it was that common, we would have learned about it in school," but just like with eating disorders, our traditional education is simply not enough. That's why I recommend The Dietitian's Guide to PCOS to all of my interns and student dietitians and why I hand out order forms to everyone at Eating Disorders Boot Camp. It is crucial for all professionals working with disordered eating to be aware and alert for the signs of PCOS. Although the title refers to dietitians, this book is a valuable resource for any health professional working in the field.

A very informative book for anyone wishing to know more about the nutritional aspect of PCOS with great suggestions.

This one is very good. There are explanations of the disorder, common symptoms, all of the various treatment options including diet and supplements. It is a great place to start.

The Dietitian's Guide to PCOS is a wonderful book for RDs and individuals with a desire to know more about the details and science behind PCOS. While it may not be the go to guide for women with PCOS, it is a great resource for RD's to have in their library! (Ms. Grassi's PCOS Workbook is the resource for women with PCOS!) As an aspiring RD and woman with PCOS, I have found this book to be a great source of information!

As a person recently diagnosed with PCOS, I found all the information from my doctor overwhelming. This book helped answer my questions. It has sample menus and types of treatments available. I was able to find out even more information on the authors web site. I highly recommend this book to everyone! I just ordered the workbook and can't wait until it arrives!

I wasn't sure if this book would be helpful to me and my wife, since we aren't dietitians and I thought the book might be overly technical. But there was a lot of good information that I could understand as a non-health care professional. I really liked the sample menus and the thorough and objective nutrition information. Women who are pregnant or plan to be pregnant should definitely read the "PCOS and Pregnancy" chapter. I highly recommend this book as a reference and information source for PCOS.

This book is expensive for no reason. The info is outdated not very well thought out and alot of the information is well known and can be found through a google search. It also talks constantly how it's hard to lose weight with out much resolution. I've done the research, read tons of books and know that this not true. I was diagnosed 4 years ago and have struggled getting good info but I feel that I have done the leg work. It might be harder for someone with PCOS to lose weight but definitely doable. Stick with the Insulin Resistance Diet book. Low glycemic diets and just exercise. I would never recommend this and I think it's a total waste!!!