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Every month, women experience a combination of physical and emotional
symptoms of premenstrual
syndrome (PMS) which includes abdominal cramps, anxiety,
depression, bloating, breast tenderness, craving, and mood
swings.
While PMS
is a fact of every woman’s life, no medication can entirely
relieve the monthly suffering that women experience on the
onset and during their monthly period. Knowing which food to
avoid may be the next best way to help relieve the pain of
PMS.
There are
certain foods to avoid because they exacerbate the symptoms of
PMS. These include:
- Caffeine.
Elevates estrogen levels in women – a condition which
increases the risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer,
fibroid tumors, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS), among
others. Cutting down 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
sugar levels, triggering mood swings. To counter cravings
for sweet sugary foods, eat complex carbohydrates such as
pasta, rice, beans, cereal, and whole grains.
- Sodium
(salt). The
altered levels of estrogen during a woman’s period
causes water retention leading to PMS-related bloating,
breast tenderness and headaches. Salt increases water
retention and thus should be cut down to no more than 50
mg per serving. Processed foods, fast foods and snack
foods contain high levels of sodium.
- Fats.
Go easy on fatty and greasy foods such as beef, lamb and
pork. Instead substitute fish and poultry. While
polyunsaturated oils such as safflower, corn and flaxseed
should be substituted for butter.
Aside from
avoiding these foods, try taking food supplements or foods
rich in certain vitamins and minerals that help relieve PMS
symptoms. Vitamins A and D, suppress the PMS symptoms of acne
and oily skin, are found in cantaloupe, raw carrots, cooked
sweet potatoes and spinach. In addition to getting Vitamin D
from sunshine, it can be obtained from enriched milk and
cereal.
Vitamin
B6, which helps relieve premenstrual cravings, fatigue, mood
swings, fluid retention and bloating, are found in fish, eggs,
nuts, bananas, potatoes, and the white meat of turkey and
chicken.
Premenstrual
stress can be alleviated by eating broccoli, bell peppers,
brussels sprouts, citrus fruits, cranberry juice and
cantaloupe, which are foods rich in Vitamin C.
Vitamin E
can alleviate the premenstrual symptoms of anxiety and
depression, which can be found in safflower oil, corn oil,
olive oil, apples and blackberries.
Calcium helps prevent cramps and pain. Magnesium enables the body to
absorb the Calcium. Food cravings and mood swings are also
alleviated by the intake of Magnesium. Calcium-rich foods
include dairy products, beans, tofu, salmon, green leafy
vegetables, beans and peas. While foods rich in magnesium
include tofu, halibut, mackerel, spinach, and rice bran.
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