Food and PMS Connection
Each month, adult females experience a combination of physical and emotional symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), which includes abdominal cramps, anxiety, depression, bloating, tenderness of the breasts, unexpected cravings, and inexplicable mood swings. Although premenstrual syndrome is a reality of every woman’s life, recognising what foods to eat and what to avoid can help minimize the pain and irritations of PMS. Combine this with correctly formulated supplements, and premenstrual syndrome could easily become a distant memory.
Foods that help to reduce the severity of symptoms connected with PMS include:
- Complex carbohydrates. Consume small quantities of complex carbohydrates by eating 5 or 6 small meals a day. This helps to maintain your blood sugar at an even level and to eliminate sugar cravings. Carbohydrate-rich foods include foods like pasta, baked potato, cereal, beans, rice, and whole grain.
- High calcium foods. Calcium is known to reduce abdominal cramping and muscle contractions resulting from PMS. Consume lots of broccoli, salmon, dried beans, tofu, soybeans, yogurt, skimmed-milk, and low-fat cheese; or supplement your diet with calcium tablets.
- Magnesium. Magnesium helps the absorption of calcium. Mood swings and food cravings are also known to be alleviated by magnesium. Sources of magnesium include spinach, avocados, barley, oysters, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, buckwheat and almonds.
- Vitamin B6. Foods high in vitamin B6 could reduce depression and alleviate cravings, tiredness, mood swings, fluid retention and bloating during your period. To derive the potential benefits of B6, consume foods rich in vitamin B6, including fish, chicken, turkey, pork, brown rice, barley, soy foods, broccoli, sweet potatoes, bananas, avocados, mangoes, cantaloupe, sunflower seeds, and spinach. Vitamin B6 can also be taken in supplements.
- Zinc. Low levels of in women prone to PMS indicate that a diet rich in this important mineral may prevent premenstrual syndrome symptoms. Leading food source of zinc include barley, wheat, crab, oysters, beef, lamb, chicken and turkey.
- Vitamin E. Foods high in vitamin E can help to reduce PMS connected breast tenderness, nervousness, depression, headache, tiredness, and insomnia. Vitamin E can be taken as a supplement and is found in broccoli, almonds, sunflower seeds, Brazil nuts, peanuts, safflower oil, corn oil, olive oil, mangoes, avocadoes, apples, and blackberries.
- Fruits and vegetables. Vegetables such as kale, collards, mustard greens, carrots, turnips, parsnips, broccoli, Brussels sprouts are high in nutrients that bring down PMS-related blood glucose and mood swings, and assist in regulating heavy menstrual bleeding and premenstrual acne. Fruits such as apples and pears contain fibre and less sugar.
Foods to avoid, as they aggravate the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome:
- Caffeine. Raises estrogen levels in women – a condition which increases the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer, fibroid tumors, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS), among others. Reducing or eliminating caffeine, which is found in tea, coffee, colas and chocolate, relieves breast tenderness during many a woman’s period.
- Alcohol. Increases premenstrual depression and headaches, and should be avoided.
- Simple sugars. Processed sweets and candy can cause rapid swings in blood glucose levels, setting off mood swings. To counter cravings for sweet sugary foods, eat complex carbohydrates like pasta, rice, beans, cereal, and whole grains.
- Sodium (salt). The changed levels of estrogen during a woman’s period causes water retention, resulting in PMS-related bloating, breast tenderness and headaches. Salt increases water retention so should be reduced to not more than 50 mg per serving. Processed foods, fast foods and snack foods contain high levels of sodium and are beter avoided.
- Fats. Go easy on fatty and oily foods such as beef, lamb and pork. Instead replace with fish and poultry. Polyunsaturated oils like safflower, corn and flaxseed should be substituted for butter.
In addition to diet, daily exercise also lessens premenstrual symptoms by releasing pent up tension and energy. And make sure to drink plenty of water – approximately eight glasses a day.
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