It affects many menstruating people; although it usually occurs 2 to 7 days before their period, it can last up to 14 days and cause great discomfort for those who are prone to it.
It affects more than 90% of people to varying degrees. The main cause: the drop in estrogen just before menstruation. This has two consequences: a drop in serotonin, the feel-good hormone, and a higher level of progesterone, causing digestive problems in particular. These symptoms are amplified in cases of an unbalanced diet, stress, or deficiency.
But by having an adapted diet, it is possible to alleviate the symptoms... Here are some nutritional tips that can help you:
#1 - Limit salt to combat water retention.
This is the first thing to do! If you gain weight just before your period and your legs swell, you're probably retaining water. So be careful about your consumption of salty foods (smoked fish, soy sauce, cheese) and ultra-processed foods, which often contain a lot of added salt. When cooking, choose herbs and spices to enhance your dishes.
Added sugar should also be limited, as it promotes water storage and retention. For sweet cravings, which are common during the period before your period, opt for nuts, which naturally suppress your appetite, chocolate, preferably dark chocolate, skyr with seeds and fruit, or flavored yogurt. In the latter case, be careful to choose your products carefully: the best options remain yogurts without added sugar, flavored with pieces of fruit or natural flavors. Be wary of long ingredient lists that often contain additives (e.g., E1422), some of which are not recommended, others are even dangerous.
#2 - Keep blood sugar stable.
It may sound complicated, but it doesn't take much to stabilize your blood sugar levels throughout the day, and thus limit the cravings that occur more often and more intensely before/during your period. While these can be a major headache, as they are synonymous with weight gain, the nature, quantity, and frequency of the foods consumed can also lead to bloating and other digestive problems. It's therefore worth playing on this.
To do this, eat your 3 daily meals at fixed times, and add a snack if necessary and reassuring. A snack can be a meal in its own right, and its consumption is often wrongly associated with children or snacking. If the foods it contains are healthy, it can definitely be integrated into your daily life.
Regardless of the meal, to stabilize your blood sugar, it is important to pay attention to the glycemic index of foods (by clicking here , you will be directed to a table grouping together most common foods). Consuming foods with a low GI is beneficial, especially during PMS, but those with a high GI should not be banned. It is simply preferable not to consume them in “isolated intake”, so as not to create a blood sugar spike synonymous with future cravings, but integrated into a meal with a predominantly low/medium GI, the rise in blood sugar will be less. The integration of fiber is also a good factor in reducing blood sugar.
#3 - Boost your body with good nutrients.
The drop in serotonin linked to PMS causes irritability, cravings, low morale, mood swings, etc.
To allow the body to synthesize this hormone, which is so important to our state of mind, and to get through this unpleasant period, we need a good intake of tryptophan. This precursor to the happy hormone is found in large quantities in eggs, tuna, chicken, oats, brown rice, bananas, prunes, dairy products, chocolate, etc.
Several studies highlight a link between low calcium levels and worsening PMS symptoms. Calcium intake is strongly correlated with vitamin D intake, as the latter allows for its fixation on bones. Restoring your levels can therefore be beneficial, and it's simple! Vitamin D is found mainly in oily fish and egg yolks, while calcium is found in dairy products, legumes, oilseeds, etc.
Finally, another nutrient of interest to PMS sufferers is magnesium, whose ratio with calcium is often unbalanced during this time. However, studies show that this imbalance can have an impact on mood swings and irritability. Therefore, we should increase our magnesium intake accordingly, especially since it helps relieve period pain.
The main sources of magnesium are legumes, seeds, nuts, green leafy vegetables, brewer's yeast, and some mineral waters. Refining grains reduces their levels of this nutrient, so opt for whole grains.
The recap!
Is that a lot of information? That's normal. When it comes to food, it can be overwhelming. Here are some key takeaways:
- Eat 3 (or 4) meals a day, at regular times.
- Reduce your intake of salt and simple/refined sugar.
- Favor foods with low/medium GI.
- Favor certain foods such as oily fish, eggs, whole grains, legumes, nuts, dairy products, bananas, and prunes. These food categories all contain nutrients that are beneficial for reducing symptoms.
- Drink 1.5 L of mineral water per day.
If maintaining these nutritional guidelines is challenging for you, you may want to consider supplementing with certain minerals. Our herbal products all contain high concentrations of micronutrients; you just need to find yours.
Finally, premenstrual syndrome is often taken lightly because it's "normal" to feel these discomforts when we enter this period of the cycle. But it's important to listen to your body and the signals it sends us: if you feel that these symptoms are more severe than normal, don't hesitate to consult a health professional to find a solution to your problem.
Sources:
[1] Dickerson, LM (2008). Premenstrual syndrome. American family physician . Retrieved October 22, 2021, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12725453/
[2] Abdi, F., Ozgoli, G. (2019). A systematic review of the role of vitamin D and calcium in premenstrual syndrome . Accessed October 25, 2021, at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30918875/
[3] Fathizadeh, N., Ebrahimi, E., Valiani, M., Tavakoli, N. (2010). Evaluating the effect of magnesium and magnesium plus vitamin B6 supplement on the severity of premenstrual syndrome. Accessed October 25, 2021, at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22069417/
[4] Khazai, N., Judd, SE, Tangpricha, V. (2008). Calcium and vitamin D: skeletal and extraskeletal health . Accessed October 25, 2021, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18460265/
