Healthy hair and strong nails, at the same time improving memory and becoming several times happier - this is a well-known fact. But did you know that sometimes food works as well as medicine? In particular, in the case of menstrual pain, during which you are used to grabbing Noshpa and Nurofen, but certainly not running to the refrigerator.
We tell you which foods should be added to your diet during this period, and which, on the contrary, should be abandoned for a while.
It is forbidden
Carbonated drinks
Can
Leafy vegetables
During menstruation, iron levels in the blood may drop, so foods containing this element in large quantities should definitely be present in your menu. But instead of ordering yourself a cheeseburger, head down to the supermarket and fill your shopping cart with items like kale, spinach and chard.
Oranges
Calcium intake reduces feelings of depression and anxiety. Vitamin D regulates the enzyme that converts tryptophan into serotonin, improving mood. And working together, calcium and vitamin D can prevent the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. Foods high in calcium can also relieve cramps and pain by acting as a muscle relaxant. In this case, you should look for a magical combination in oranges, lemons and limes.
Bananas
They are one of the best nutritional ways to boost your mood thanks to their high dose of vitamin B6. In addition, they are rich in potassium and magnesium, which reduce water retention and bloating, and at the same time regulate the digestive system, which falters at this time of the month.
Watermelons
Often, menstruation causes an irresistible craving for sweets, and experts advise satisfying it not with a box of chocolates, but with fruit. The best options for this task are those rich in water and natural sugars - watermelons, melons, plums and berries.
Salmon
Salmon is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can relieve pain and cramps, relax muscles and neutralize the source of pain. If for some reason you don't eat fish, you can also get a healthy dose of omega-3s from nuts and flax seeds.
Dark chocolate
is an excellent source of magnesium, which not only improves mood by increasing serotonin levels, but also helps keep them at optimal levels. However, for all this to be true, a chocolate bar must contain 60% cocoa or more.
Much has already been said about the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. For each woman they are individual: some suffer from headaches and high blood pressure, some become extremely irritable and tearful, and some even experience the fear of death from. Doctors say that an important factor in eliminating or leveling PMS symptoms is proper nutrition during and before menstruation. Before answering the question of what you can and cannot eat during your period, you need to figure out what is the cause of the symptoms that arise.
If you try to briefly answer the question of what is the cause of unpleasant sensations, you will get something like: “Hormones are to blame!” The complete menstrual cycle can be divided into two phases: follicular and luteal. Once the follicle matures, ovulation occurs, which initiates the corpus luteum phase. Then, if pregnancy does not occur, menstruation begins.
Each stage of the cycle is accompanied by the release of a certain hormone into the blood from the following list:
- follicle-stimulating;
- luteinizing;
- estrogen;
- progesterone;
- prolactin;
- androgens.
Each of these hormones performs a specific task, and sharp fluctuations in their levels in the blood cause all those unpleasant symptoms that almost every woman knows about.
Why does your appetite increase?
There are different theories explaining this. If we discard all the unscientific ones based on rumors and speculation, we get the following: under the influence of a certain combination of hormones, certain brain structures are activated (reticular and limbic systems, hypothalamus), they send signals to organs and systems to prepare the female body for pregnancy.
The hunger center also receives such a signal. This explains why you want to eat right before and during your period. Moreover, there are no identical taste preferences. Someone may want a sweet product, someone a salty one, and some dream of steaks. One thing in common: you always want to eat a lot.
But you should not think that this behavior of the body is an immutable rule. You can often observe the exact opposite picture: women suffer from nausea and even vomiting. Therefore, increased appetite is not the worst thing when menstruation occurs. It is worth determining what to eat during menstruation and what to exclude.
What not to eat during menstruation
Despite the individual manifestations of PMS, there are several rules that must be followed to reduce the number of unpleasant symptoms. It is always necessary to try to eat a balanced diet, but during menstruation this is especially important, since the right product directly affects your well-being.
Often women complain about. You can get rid of these troubles by eliminating from your diet a product that increases gas formation: legumes (peas, beans, soy), white bread and flour products made from yeast dough. By the way, if your figure is expensive, you should not eat the latter product on other days.
Edema occurs when the fluid removal mechanism does not work well. In order not to provoke water retention in the tissues, it is necessary to exclude everything salty, smoked, spicy and pickled. At the same time, you should increase your fluid intake by choosing foods that are allowed.
Forbidden foods also include alcohol, strong tea, coffee and carbonated drinks. Many doctors do not recommend indulging in chocolate during this period. This is a dangerous product, especially for women predisposed to mastopathy.
Do not overload your stomach with heavy food; eat a lot of fatty foods. This is a product such as whole milk, sour cream, butter, pork. Some experts also advise limiting the consumption of vegetable fats. The only exception is flaxseed oil. This product, on the contrary, is useful when menstruation has begun.
What to eat during menstruation
In the first half of menstruation, the body requires a lot of carbohydrates. To help your own metabolism, you should choose a product that has high energy value, but contains so-called slow carbohydrates:
- durum wheat pasta;
- cereals (except for polished rice and semolina);
- whole wheat bread.
Doctors also recommend eating more vegetables and fruits. Fiber makes your intestines work better, so you can avoid digestive problems that are to blame for your periods. As for sweets, forbidden chocolate can replace products such as banana, peach, persimmon and dried fruits.
In the second half of menstruation, the body stops burning fat at an increased rate. During this period, it is worth adjusting your diet and including protein-rich foods in your diet. In this case, seafood and fish are suitable.
Nuts and buckwheat will also provide invaluable help. It would not be amiss to note that all of these products contain large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. They do an excellent job as antispasmodics and will help reduce pain not only during menstruation, but also in the premenstrual period.
Since doctors advise excluding tea and coffee from the diet during menstruation, you can replace them with herbal teas and still mineral water. If possible, you should choose for the same reasons such healthy products as melon and watermelon.
As for dairy products, doctors do not have a consensus on this matter. Fermented milk products, especially yogurt, are considered definitely beneficial during menstruation. It can be consumed in twice the usual amount.
How to reduce your appetite
It’s understandable why you want to eat more than usual during your period. But women put a lot of effort into looking attractive. Most often, the main factor in this race for beauty is the fight against excess weight. To the question of how to act in order not to gain weight, there is only one answer: play sports and reduce the daily amount of calories.
And while most people are fine with the willpower to exercise regularly, they are not always able to cope with the desire to eat something tasty. As it became clear, often it is not the lack of character that is to blame, but the characteristics of the female body.
There are two ways to avoid gaining weight when it is caused by hormonal fluctuations. You can follow a strict diet and try not to overeat by choosing a product from the list of allowed ones. It's difficult, but doable. Or you can start taking hormonal contraceptives. They will help not only correct your cycle, but also eliminate the feeling of hunger. Of course, only the attending physician can prescribe such drugs.
Women's bodies are much more complex than men's; the differences are mainly dictated by their reproductive abilities. Menstruation is a process that causes great discomfort; it is accompanied by pain, bad mood, and other physiological disruptions. This is primarily due to a deficiency of nutrients in the body, the reserves of which need to be renewed. How to eat during menstruation so as not to harm yourself, we will pay attention to this topic today.
Vitamin E deficiency
Vitamin “E” has many functions in the human body; it takes part in the functioning of the reproductive system, is responsible for the construction of tissues, and the condition of hair, nails, and skin. Therefore, during menstruation it is necessary to rely on vegetable oil, fish, beans, seafood, walnuts, etc.
Important!!!
Vitamin "E" in foods
Iron deficiency
The following foods are rich in iron: lamb liver, veal liver, red caviar and fish, as well as apples, raisins, pomegranate juice, buckwheat, etc. This element is involved in many important processes in the body: cholesterol metabolism, energy metabolism, hematopoiesis, building immune defense and Ave.
Important!!!
Products containing iron cannot be combined in the same meal with fermented milk products. You need to eat them separately with a break of at least two hours.
Magnesium deficiency
If you constantly crave sweets during your period, your body is most likely lacking magnesium. To replenish the reserves of this element, have breakfast with millet or buckwheat porridge, eat bananas, and drink non-carbonated mineral water.
Calcium deficiency
If your nails begin to deteriorate and your hair falls out, it may be due to a lack of calcium. Products that contain a lot of calcium and at the same time remain low-calorie include soybeans, legumes, cottage cheese, and eggs.
Important!!!
Calcium is almost not absorbed during the day, so it is advisable to consume foods containing calcium between 18-23 hours.
You can avoid gaining weight during your period if you follow a couple of tips:
Nutrition
You need to prepare for menstruation in advance; about a week before it starts, you need to eat food rich in complex carbohydrates and fiber. These substances are found in cabbage, apples, beans, and cereals. Thanks to this diet, water and toxins will be eliminated from the body faster, which will help you avoid gaining excess weight.
Advice
How to normalize critical days and get rid of pain
Sport
Physical activity will help you prepare properly for your period. For example, you can go jogging, this is a great way to burn calories and saturate your blood vessels with oxygen. Exercising is also useful during menstrual periods, but only if the pain is not so significant.
Sweet
During menstruation, many women begin to indulge in sweets. They need serotonin - the hormone of joy, which will help lift their mood at least a little. It is important to know that this hormone is found in large quantities not only in flour products, chocolates, but also in corn products (flakes, cereals), bananas, tomatoes, etc. These products will not appear on your figure in any way.
Training these days! To study or not?
Additional secrets
Temptations
Despite the difficulties of perceiving the outside world during menstruation, there is no need to succumb to temptations from friends and family. The latter, in order to suppress your tears, hysteria, and nervousness, often offer you sweets, chocolates, and cakes, which quickly settle on your waist and hips. Therefore, before you treat yourself to something like this, seriously think about the possible consequences.
Self-control
During menstruation, you need to carefully monitor yourself, in particular the quantity and quality of food you eat. Avoid overeating; you can gain weight from any food, even fruit, if there is a lot of it.
Exercises to reduce pain during the menstrual cycle
Normal behavior
You should try not to concentrate your attention on menstruation. Distract yourself from the manifestations of this process with your desired activities, your favorite hobby, watching your favorite movie, but not by satisfying your hunger. This will make it easier to get through this difficult period.
Conclusion:
Menstruation and diets are completely compatible things; you can follow the recommendations of diets during your menstrual periods, but you need to approach this matter wisely.
Taking into account the individual characteristics of each female body, the active phase of the menstrual cycle can be accompanied by different symptoms. Against the background of a woman’s absolute health, there are no particular unpleasant sensations, but with various influences of external factors there are always risks of deterioration in well-being. So, what should you not do during your period?
Ban on physical activity
It is better to suspend active sports during the active phase of the menstrual cycle. If sport is a profession for a woman, it is better to resort to regular warm-up and light training. Increased physical activity increases blood flow to the reproductive organs. Against the background of a tide, bleeding may increase.
You cannot lift weights during your period or start training without prior preparation. With heavy bleeding, a decrease in hemoglobin is possible, which can provoke a deterioration in health. The following conditions often occur after training:
general weakness;
overwork:
drowsiness;
pain in the pelvic organs.
During menstruation in young girls, the medical commission usually grants an exemption from physical education lessons.
Early age is often accompanied by a vivid clinical picture and frequent mood swings.
Is it possible to have sex
high risks of infection for both partners;
a woman's inability to achieve sexual satisfaction;
soreness;
aesthetic discomfort (staininess, unpleasant odor, inconvenience).
If women consider menstruation to be a protection against unwanted pregnancy, then gynecologists have long debunked this myth. Sex is the same physical activity that should be avoided during this period.
Is it possible to drink alcohol
Alcoholic drinks of any strength are contraindicated for a woman’s body in general, not to mention the active phase of the menstrual cycle. Under the influence of ethanol, the vascular lumens expand and the blood flow increases. With weakened vessels, increased bleeding is possible, which in severe cases cannot be eliminated without medical assistance.
Ban on saunas and hot baths
During menstruation, constant hygiene is important, but during this period a warm shower before each pad change is sufficient. Clinicians know many cases where Taking a hot bath or visiting a sauna caused serious bleeding. When swimming in open water or pools, infection is possible. Vaginal tamponing is not an absolute protection against pathogenic microflora.
Various procedures and interventions
One of the contraindications to various cosmetic procedures, surgical operations (except emergency), examinations and laboratory tests is the active phase of the menstrual cycle. This fact is due to a pronounced decrease in blood clotting ability and changes in hormonal levels. Tests may give incorrect results, and bleeding during procedures will be difficult to stop.
Experts from the field of aesthetic medicine, plastic surgery and dentistry consider the period of menstruation to be an unfavorable period for carrying out various manipulations. In cosmetology, there are known cases of unpleasant complications of the procedure, pigmentation, bruises and bruises in the facial area (for example, with Botox injections). Chemical peeling and deep facial cleansing can provoke a negative skin reaction, which manifests itself in the form of redness, allergic rash, and swelling.
Ban on drugs
During menstruation, you should not take certain medications unnecessarily that affect the functionality of the hematopoietic organs and blood clotting ability. Analgin and Aspirin as analgesic drugs cause maximum blood thinning, which contributes to increased bleeding. For pain, it is recommended to use painkillers that do not contain acetaminophen or acetylsalicylic acid (Ibuprofen, Paracetamol).
With constant drug correction of some chronic diseases of organs or systems, the effectiveness of the drugs may change. During the active phase of the menstrual cycle, you can discuss with your doctor a change in dosage, if necessary. The use of some herbal preparations can provoke contraction of the uterine muscles, severe cramping pain, and increased bleeding.
Menstrual hygiene products
Many gynecologists are against wearing tampons during menstruation. Allowed use tampons only 1-2 times, for example, for a certain outfit or while visiting the pool (accompanying a child, relaxing with family on the beach). The reasons for the ban are the following:
high risks of vaginal infection;
unhygienic;
traumatization of the mucous membranes of the cervical canal.
Changing tampons does not always take place in sterile conditions, when it is possible to wash your hands with soap and wash the perineum. When worn for a long time, a warm environment promotes rapid decomposition of blood cells, unpleasant odor, and infection.
During menstruation, it is better to use pads, which should be changed at least every 4 hours. This is necessary for scanty discharge. Excessive bleeding can be controlled using urinary pads.
Nutrition during menstruation
Women who are watching their own figure are not recommended to start diets or limit themselves to the daily amount of food. A weakened body may react to food restrictions with nausea, dizziness, fainting, and malaise. It is enough to adhere to the usual diet, which corresponds to the woman’s clinical history and her health. During menstruation, the levels of iron, protein, calcium and folic acid decrease, so a balanced, nutritious diet is very important. Additionally, you can take vitamin complexes.
What is important for every woman to know
Women's periods require constant perineal hygiene. Before each change of sanitary tampons and pads, you must wash your genitals and hands with running water and soap. During menstruation, the body is cleansed and blood discharge comes out. For these purposes, the best hygiene products are sanitary pads. Modern materials have excellent absorbency, protection against leaks, secretions come out and do not accumulate in the cervical canal, as when using tampons. A woman’s lifestyle during her period must meet the following criteria:
regular change of pads (every 4 hours);
constant washing of the perineum;
using napkins after each toilet;
wearing breathable, comfortable underwear (these items cannot be used for several days in a row);
long walks in the fresh air;
avoiding alcohol and bad habits;
a balanced diet including fresh vegetables and fruits.
If you have emotional disorders, you should drink soothing tea, get a good night's sleep and relax. If the irritation is severe enough, sedatives can be used.
There is an opinion that one should not attend church during menstruation. Menstruation is shrouded in myth and in religious terms. Visiting religious shrines during menstruation is prohibited only due to the lack of personal hygiene products in past centuries. This is why women were considered "dirty". The modern world allows women to feel confident in any public place and not trust dubious inventions.
Menstruation in women is a natural process of the body, a kind of renewal and preparation for future motherhood. All the body’s forces are aimed at cleansing, so a woman may experience malaise, fatigue, and general weakness. This is why many procedures cannot be performed. Even in the absence of unpleasant symptoms during the active phase of the menstrual cycle, women are advised to observe certain restrictions to maintain the health of the pelvic organs and reproductive system.
Some products may indeed be useful for irregular periods, or amenorrhea (absence of periods for a long time).
So, what food will help make your menstrual cycle regular?
When there is a lot of estrogen in the body during the monthly cycle, women are more relaxed, active and confident. They perfectly formulate their thoughts, set and easily complete the most difficult tasks, writes Dr. Rebecca Booth in her book “Venus Week”.
You should know that if your menstrual cycles become irregular or stop altogether, you will have little estrogen in your blood and you will lose a lot socially. From a medical point of view, the time of high estrogen concentrations occurs in the period immediately before ovulation (3-6 days). It is during this period that it is very important for a woman to eat right in order to regulate her menstrual cycle.
Rebecca Booth, who has dedicated her career to studying women's health, recommends adding 5 types of healthy foods to your diet.
Did you know that the blood vessels in the ovaries are as tiny as they are vulnerable. They are very easy to damage: smoking, obesity and high blood cholesterol can affect the health of the ovaries in the most unfavorable way: by blocking the flow of essential hormones through the blood.
Fatty fish (mackerel, sprat, swordfish, salmon, etc.) improve circulation, protect against free radical damage, and increase dopamine production (which is supposed to lift your mood!).
Dr. Booth recommends including fish oil in your diet if you don't like fish.
Colored products
Most natural foods are not white. Thus, we can assume: if food is white, it cannot be considered healthy. At least for your genitourinary area.
To normalize your menstrual cycle, avoid white flour, sugar, white potatoes, white bread, white pasta and white rice. They harm women's health because when they enter the body they provoke waves of insulin.
Excess insulin, in turn, contributes to the accumulation of completely unnecessary fats in the body and disrupts the natural course of ovulation.
Protein sources (cottage cheese, lean meat, nuts)
A variety of healthy protein sources is essential for every woman to maintain hormonal balance.
Particularly good in this sense are protein foods such as almonds, walnuts, cottage cheese, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, lean meat, hummus, canned sardines, soy chips and soybeans.
Natural Sources of Vitamin D
Vitamin D improves communication between cells of the body, therefore it is extremely important for stabilizing female hormones. It is also essential for protection against breast and ovarian cancer. It's time to start loving foods rich in vitamin D: tuna, egg yolks, salmon, sardines and cod liver.
Make sure you get enough sunlight daily. This will help normalize your menstrual cycle. The need for sunlight for each individual depends on skin color and habitat.
For example, the average North American should spend at least 10 minutes in the sun 2-3 times a week.
Dark chocolate
Chocolate contains flavonoids, which act similar to estrogen. Natural flavonoids improve blood circulation, prevent platelet aggregation, increase microcirculation in the ovaries and endocrine glands, as well as the production of “happy” dopamine.
Not any chocolate has a similar effect on the female body, but only dark chocolate, which contains at least 70% cocoa solids.
Many foods can improve your quality of life, increase the amount of estrogen in your blood and return you to the joy of a regular menstrual cycle.
