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Fatigue, instability, mood swings, and awful cramps are common during your period, but you will be surprised to learn that what you eat can significantly impact how you feel. It turns out that getting the right nutrition, especially during these five days, can counter muscle pain, uncomfortable bloating, headaches, and inconsistent digestion. Even though it might seem justifiable to binge eat, it's essential to take the hard road and make wiser choices. To help guide you, here is a list of what to eat during periods and foods to avoid during your period.
Synopsis
Do Foods Relieve Period Pain?
Food plays a crucial role in managing your period and maintaining hormonal balance. It has a significant impact on both physical and emotional well-being. A balanced diet during menstruation helps relieve period symptoms such as period cramps, mood swings, bloating, and fatigue. To reduce the risk of severe period symptoms, consider having a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids like fish, calcium and vitamin D whereas lower your salt and caffeine intake.
To alleviate period cramps, it is best to consume foods that do not spike your blood sugar levels, as such spikes can disrupt your hormones, resulting in severe cramps. Therefore, eating healthy, nutritious, and home-cooked meals during your period is recommended.
Consumables to Avoid During Period:
1. Alcohol
While alcohol temporarily relieves cramps, there are too many side effects for you to ignore. It can worsen period symptoms, cause irregular menstruation, and also disrupt sleep.
Tip: Try a watered-down lassi or some coconut water; it will keep you hydrated and is recommended as period food.
2. Coffee
Turn down the volume of coffee—one of the drinks you need to avoid during your period. It helps because caffeine is a stimulant, which leads to a fluctuation in your hormones, and that is something you want to avoid during your period. It increases blood pressure and heart rate, leading to tension and anxiety attacks, which in turn worsen the PMS symptoms. Caffeine also decreases your body's ability to absorb iron, which affects your energy levels and could increase PMS symptoms.
Tip: Have green tea, tomato and carrot juice, or any soup instead. These are some of the foods to eat during a period to avoid cramps.
3. Frozen Foods
Frozen foods, fast foods, bacon, pickles, canned soups, papad, etc., come with unknown ingredients and preservatives that aren’t the best foods during your period. They can interfere with hormones and amplify PMS discomfort. Processed foods are also a good source of sodium, which is a major cause of bloating and water retention, and they are best avoided during and a few days before your period. Since we are constantly exposed to various foods, it is hard to determine if a particular food is processed or not.
But to make things easier, here's a great tip - always read the ingredients on the package; if there are more than five ingredients mentioned, then it would be better to avoid buying it, as it is more than likely to be processed.
Tip: Have homemade meals, lots of salads and veggies, and foods like khichdi and porridge.
4. Fatty Foods
Fatty foods influence hormones, lead to cramps, and can make you feel gassy. Given that your skin is already sensitive during these days, incorrect food choices during your period can make this issue worse and cause it to become even more dry. Additionally, foods rich in saturated fat content increase the production of a particular chemical called prostaglandins, which are notorious for increasing period pain. Ideally, you should avoid fatty meats, burgers, and cream-based desserts.
Tip: Here's what to eat during periods instead - whole wheat bread, dal rice, porridge, salmon, lean meats, etc.
5. Fried Foods
Most fried foods like chips, snacks, biscuits, etc., contain trans-fats or hydrogenated vegetable oil. All of these can increase estrogen levels and can worsen your mood swings. Also, fried foods exacerbate the problem of acne and skin inflammation in women, which is why it is best avoided.
Tip: Wondering what to eat during your periods instead? Choose roasted snacks or crunchy veggies such as carrots or cucumber sticks.
6. Canned Soups, Bacon, and Chips
Canned soups, bacon, and chips are foods to avoid during periods as they are high in salt. The hormone responsible for menstruation already causes water retention, and a high salt diet will cause a gassy, bloating feeling. If you are someone who feels particularly sluggish, lazy, and generally uncomfortable around your period, then you must take a good, hard look at the amount of salt you consume.
Tip: Have lentils and rice with yoghurt or salad. Be mindful of what you’re eating and eat in moderation—especially during your period.
Foods to Eat During Period
If you have severe cramps, it is better to consume rich iron, calcium, Omega-3 fatty acids, and fiber. These foods help to relieve cramps, reduce fatigue, and make you feel stronger.
1. Dark chocolate
Dark chocolate is great because it contains lower levels of sugar and is also full of magnesium, a mineral that regulates your serotonin levels and will prevent you from terrorizing your family and friends with your mood swings.
2. Yoghurt
Yoghurt is full of calcium, so it can help fix the mess of your calcium levels when you’re on your period. It has been said that maintaining a good calcium balance can significantly reduce PMS symptoms like bloating and moodiness. If you’re set on the no-dairy rule, a good alternative is almonds or lentils.
3. Whole grains
Any form of whole grains is a great snack—they leave you feeling full and satisfied for a long time, making it less likely that you’ll find yourself three-quarters of the way through a bucket of chocolate ice cream at 2 am. Whole grains like oats, brown rice, and popcorn also contain B and E vitamins, which combat the fatigue and depression that you often face during your period.
4. Iron-Rich Foods
The iron levels in your body take a dip when you are menstruating. Instead of ordering burgers and fries and terming them as comfort food, opt for green leafy vegetables like spinach, lentils, kale, lean meats, and more to add iron to your body.
5. Calcium-Rich Foods
Did you know maintaining optimum levels of calcium in the body can reduce the feeling of anxiety and depression, which are common during your periods? Calcium paired with vitamin D can ward off PMS symptoms as well as ease cramps, aches, and pains. Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, and limes contain calcium and vitamins.
Consult our OBG hospital in Salem if you need to know more about foods to eat during period.
Conclusion
Certain foods are beneficial during menstruation, while others can exacerbate symptoms. Your food choices should be based on your specific symptoms and sensitivities. If you experience severe pain during your periods to the extent that it hinders your daily activities. In that case, it is advisable to consult an experienced OBG specialist in Tamil Nadu, as this could indicate an underlying health issue.
FAQ's
Yes, certain foods can make the period flow heavy. These include spicy foods, caffeine, and excessive sugar content.
Eggs are loaded with essential nutrients and vitamins like vitamin D, B6, and E, all of which are proven to reduce PMS symptoms. It can also help regulate fluctuating hormones.
Yes, raw fruits and vegetables are easily absorbed by the body and, therefore, can be consumed.
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