- Being on your period can be a huge pain.
However, the good news is that there are lots of practices
and foods that you can incorporate that can really help
to alleviate some of the unpleasant symptoms.
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There are definitely a few specific foods that I recommend
that can help with period and PMS symptoms.
My top three are calcium, magnesium, and omega-3s.
- Magnesium's a natural muscle relaxer.
It also helps with sleep and mood,
so it is perfect for PMS symptoms including cramps,
moodiness, and insomnia.
- Magnesium is a mineral that's found
in numerous different foods.
Some great sources are some
of the green leafy vegetables like kale, spinach,
and also some of the cruciferous veggies like broccoli.
You could also try taking magnesium supplements,
which can even help with sleep.
- Chocolate has a lot of magnesium,
which relaxes those muscles.
So, why do you think you're craving the chocolate?
(laughs) 'Cause it has that magnesium see,
like on a deeper level you didn't even realize,
your body was calling out for that.
- Calcium is one of the other nutrients
that I recommend to help with period symptoms.
There are many different fantastic sources of calcium,
and many women actually don't get enough
of this key nutrient.
You can find calcium in a lot of dairy products.
A really great source is yogurt,
because you're also getting some
of that beneficial bacteria and those good probiotics
that can help to balance out your digestive tract.
- If during your period you're feeling really tired
and drained out, then that's a sign
that you might need some iron.
Our iron stores are our lowest during our period,
because we lose iron in our blood.
- Oftentimes, when people have a lot of cramping
or PMS issues, they tend to have a pretty heavy flow,
so losing a little bit more blood,
so you might need a little bit more iron-rich foods.
So, that would be your legumes
and your dark green leafy vegetables,
and just make sure to pair them with vitamin C.
- Some other foods to think about would be vitamin B6.
It works synergistically with magnesium
to synthesize neurotransmitters
like serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine.
And, some foods that are high in vitamin B6
are whole grains, soybeans, and peanuts.
- Also, teas, like chamomile tea and ginger tea
can also be really soothing as well.
- Ginger is a really great natural digestive aid,
and it can help to reduce some of the cramping
or other digestive symptoms that can happen
when you're PMSing or on your period.
So, sipping some ginger tea,
or eating some fresh ginger candies,
can be something that's really, really helpful.
My other really recommended nutrient
for periods is omega-3s.
And, omega-3s are the essential fatty acids
that we require in our diet,
and we can get these from a number of different foods
like fatty fish, and nuts and seeds,
and there are also some omega-3s in certain meats,
like some of the grass fed meats.
- From a practice's point of view,
the better we are at winding down
at the end of the day decreasing our stress,
really protecting restorative sufficient sleep,
the better we will be at coping with our periods.
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Depending on your symptoms,
there might be some foods you want to avoid.
For example, caffeine can make irritability
and breast soreness even worse.
- Many women get bloated right before their period.
Now, if we're eating a lot of extra salt,
our bodies are going to retain even more fluid.
So, we wanna be cutting out the salt during this time,
and increasing things like fruits, vegetables,
foods that are high in potassium,
which will actually help to flush out some
of that excess water, and reduce bloating.
Eating things that have processed sugar,
that are high in sugars, can be inflammatory,
and can make some of the symptoms worse.
And the other thing
that I would avoid is the saturated fat,
especially in things like fast foods
or certain animal products,
because that can also be pro-inflammatory,
and can raise inflammation and potentially,
some of those unpleasant aches and pains
and symptoms that women can get during their periods.
- So, if you're experiencing any of those symptoms,
you might wanna try a cycle or two avoiding those foods,
and see if that doesn't make a difference.
- In addition to diet, there are a few other things
that can be really helpful in reducing period symptoms
or PMS symptoms.
- When it comes to your period, your needs are paramount.
Like, number one, number one, number one.
There is no better time than that time of the month
to listen to yourself and exactly what you need.
You need to sleep.
You need to exercise.
You need to read a book.
You need to meditate.
(laughs) You need to eat some salad,
some french fries even, like just listening to your body.
- There are different activities that are going
to appeal to you more during different parts
of your cycle.
So, if you find, for example, during your period
that you're not feeling up for doing a Hiit class,
then listen to that.
But, see maybe if you don't feel better doing a couple
of yoga stretches, or something like that
to really open up the muscles.
- Exercise can be super helpful.
It can be a huge mood booster,
so those endorphins can be really, really helpful.
And, it can also help to reduce some of the cramping
and muscle pains that you may be experiencing.
- If you're interested in traditional Chinese medicine,
that helped me profoundly with the lower back pain
that I used to experience around my period.
- This is a time when you wanna make sure
that you're getting plenty of rest,
and allowing your body to really rejuvenate
and to reduce any extra stress,
because that can exacerbate some of the symptoms.
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- The times of the menstrual cycle
that estrogen is the highest are around ovulation,
which is mid-cycle.
If you have a 28-day cycle, that's around day 14.
And then again, mid luteal,
so about a week before you're expecting your period.
If you're finding that you're having a lot of symptoms
that are related to the high estrogen times,
so that would be like breast soreness, fatigue,
irritability, fluid retention, cramping,
then it would be a great idea to see how you do
on a low-fat, high fiber diet that's been shown
to help us decrease our circulating estrogen levels.
- Being on your period can be a huge pain.
However, the good news is that there are lots of practices
and foods that you can incorporate that can really help
to alleviate some of the unpleasant symptoms.
I would encourage you to meet
with a qualified nutrition expert,
like a registered dietician nutritionist,
to see if there's anything that you should be adding in
or eliminating from your diet to help you,
and make sure that you follow some of the tips
that we've already discussed.