This Shaved Fennel Salad with Seared Tuna and Parmesan is a PCOS-friendly recipe with 319 calories, 34.09g protein, and 23.07g carbs per serving. Ready in 25 minutes. High in fiber (9.2g), which supports insulin sensitivity.
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
Instructions
-
To make salad, mix fennel, oil, lemon juice, thyme, parsley and parmesan cheese.
-
Set aside in cool place.
-
To make tuna, sprinkle salt and peppercorns on tuna.
-
Place a sauté pan on high heat and add olive oil. Place tuna in pan and allow to cook 30 seconds or 1 minute per side.
-
Remove from pan and slice into 5 pieces.
-
Place fennel salad on flat plate and place slices of tuna in center of salad. Serve immediately.
-
Note: based on recipe from the South Beach Cookbook.
How This Recipe Supports PCOS Management
Understanding the nutritional profile of what you eat is a powerful step in managing PCOS. Here is how the key ingredients in this Shaved Fennel Salad with Seared Tuna and Parmesan contribute to your health goals:
- Tuna: Helps reduce chronic inflammation linked to PCOS
- Olive oil: Anti-inflammatory properties make it especially beneficial for PCOS
PCOS Diet Principles in This Recipe
The PCOS diet focuses on three core principles: reducing inflammation, managing insulin resistance, and supporting hormonal balance. Every recipe in our collection is evaluated against these principles. This recipe excels in providing healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that support cell membrane health and hormone synthesis, and nutrient-dense vegetables that provide essential vitamins and minerals for metabolic health. As part of a balanced PCOS meal plan, we recommend pairing recipes like this with a variety of nutrient-dense foods throughout the week to ensure you are meeting all your micronutrient needs.
Meal Prep Tip: This Shaved Fennel Salad with Seared Tuna and Parmesan can be prepared ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Meal prepping is one of the most effective strategies for sticking to a PCOS-friendly diet, as it removes the temptation to reach for processed convenience foods when time is short.
Why this Shaved Fennel Salad with Seared Tuna and Parmesan works for PCOS
With 34.09g of protein per serving (about 43% of calories), this Shaved Fennel Salad with Seared Tuna and Parmesan sits at the top end of the 25-35g per-meal range that the 2023 International PCOS Guideline recommends for managing insulin resistance and supporting lean mass. Higher-protein meals also blunt the glucose response when carbohydrates are included, which matters for women with PCOS because chronic insulin elevation drives androgen excess and irregular cycles.
The 23.07g of carbohydrates here come paired with 9.2g of fibre, which slows glucose absorption and produces a flatter post-meal blood sugar curve. Fibre is one of the most under-rated tools for PCOS: it feeds gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids linked to improved insulin sensitivity, and it modestly lowers circulating androgens by binding bile acids in the gut.
PCOS-Friendly Foods in This Recipe
This recipe contains the following foods that may benefit PCOS management: Tuna, Lemon.
Tuna is great for a high protein diet as it has 33 grams of protein within its housing, with no pesky carbohydrates to worry about. In addition to this, tuna contains B vitamins and vitamin D, both of which are vital to fighting back against PCOS. Lemons can help to prevent oxidative damage to the body, which women with PCOS are often susceptible to. Lemons are also rich in vitamin C, flavonoids, and other antioxidants. They can potentially support the immune system and have other health benefit...
You Have a Recipe. But Do You Have a Full Week?
One great recipe is a start. A complete PCOS meal plan is a system. Here is how to go from one meal to a full week of eating that supports your hormones.
Free. Personalized. No signup required to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this Shaved Fennel Salad with Seared Tuna and Parmesan recipe is designed to be PCOS-friendly. At 319 calories per serving with 34.09g of protein, it supports balanced blood sugar and hormonal health. It also provides 9.2g of fiber, which helps with insulin sensitivity.
This recipe takes about 25 minutes total. Prep time is 20 minutes and cook time is 5 minutes.
Per serving: 319 calories, 34.09g protein (43%), 23.07g carbs, 11.39g fat. Plus 9.2g fiber. PCOS meal plans typically aim for 30% protein, 35% fat, 35% carbs to support insulin sensitivity.
Yes, this recipe works well as a PCOS-friendly Salad And Salad Dressing. At 319 calories, it fits within typical PCOS meal plan targets for Salad And Salad Dressing. Pair it with other PCOS-friendly foods throughout the day for balanced nutrition.
This recipe can be part of a structured PCOS meal plan. For a complete weekly plan tailored to your PCOS type, take our free 60-second quiz at pcosmealplanner.com/pcos-quiz to get a personalized 7-day meal plan.
Cook Another PCOS-Friendly Salad And Salad Dressing
Each recipe you add to your rotation makes PCOS management easier. Variety keeps you from getting bored and quitting.
Comments
Register or log in to add a comment