Premenstrual Syndrome: If you’re a female reading this, there’s a pretty good chance you must have had one painful or slightly uncomfortable period in your life. You might have also experienced one or more premenstrual symptoms before your period at one point in time or the other.

What’s Premenstrual Syndrome?

Premenstrual Syndrome, also known as PMS is having a symptom or group of symptoms that either occurs before or during your period. There are certain symptoms some women have and they include the following:

Bloating
Breast tenderness
Cramps
Mood swings
Breakouts
Constipation
Fatigue
Food cravings and many more.
Research has shown that some women identify with just one while others identify with more than one. So if you keep on experiencing the same symptom month after month before or during your period, then it’s probably PMS.

With these symptoms that come every time of the month, some women sometimes take medications to alleviate the uneasiness.

Know however that there are ways to combat these symptoms and leave you feeling like your normal self. First is exercise and the other is a healthy diet. Yes, you heard me right.

Maintaining a healthy diet sometimes leaves no room for the doctor to prescribe drugs for you. So the foods you eat when it’s your period matter a lot. I’ll be showing you 8 healthy foods that will ease premenstrual syndrome naturally.

Avocado
That wasn’t the first on your mind, right? Well, avocado is one good-fat food that contains potassium. So pay attention if you’re one who suffers from bloating, muscle cramps and terrible cravings symptoms.

Potassium is one mineral that is a natural diuretic. This mineral helps in removing excess sodium and fluids out of the body. Potassium also helps with boosts of satiety. This way you won’t over-nibble and indulge in whatnots.

A best way to incorporate this in your diet is to ingest it as part of a salad or omelet. You could even whip it up into a fruit smoothie. However way you want it, you can have it. You’re the boss!

Pulses
This is just a group name for lentils, beans and peas (that is, split peas and chickpeas). A study carried out by the American Journal of Epidemiology showed that women who have a higher intake of non-heme iron, the type found in plant-based foods are at a lower risk of having PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) symptoms than those with the lowest intakes.

Yes, pulses contain this non-heme iron and so are found to be helpful. Another benefit is that they are full of fiber which is also a good remedy for PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome). They help to regulate blood sugar levels.

Tea
No, not just any tea but the ones with less caffeine. So therefore, herbal teas should be your go-to. They are the best and Dr. Rima Chatterjee of Pearl Clinic, Kolkata advises a daily intake of at least a cup of tea. According to him, “the heat from the tea serves up some much needed comfort to your distressed muscles.”

Some examples of these teas amidst plenty are ginger tea, lemongrass tea, chamomile tea, lavender tea and peppermint tea.

Nuts
You can never go wrong with nuts so snack on ‘em when you feel PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) knocking at your door. Instead of going for a bag of chips or candy bars, go for unsalted raw nuts. I’ll tell you why.

Nuts are full of omega 3 fatty acids which are good for you and also help in making you feel full longer. Some nuts you can try out are walnuts, almonds, pecans and hazelnuts.

Sardines
Sardines are one food you should take an interest in. They are natural carriers of vitamin D which is good for you.

Researchers in the University of Massachusetts studied women between the ages of 27 and 44 and found out that those with high intakes of both vitamin D and calcium had a lower risk of experiencing PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) symptoms.

Luckily, sardines are huge carriers of vitamin D. Also, sardines contain omega-3 fatty acids which help in reducing symptoms associated with PMS such as bloating, headaches, breast tenderness, anxiety, mood swings, etc.

Whole Grains
Instead of eating processed grains, you can swap and start taking whole grains such as whole grain breads, pastas and brown rice.

When estrogen and progesterone levels are not stable, they release serotonin, an hormone in the brain which can affect your mood and cause irritability, depression or even anxiety.

So next time you’re feeling down, eat whole grains instead of going for sugar to boost your mood.

Beets and beet greens
A study was carried out by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on 3000 women who were observed over the course of 10 years and it was observed that there was a lower risk for PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) among women who had high intakes of vitamin B1 and B2.

One food which contains a mix of both vitamins is cooked beet greens. Beet flesh is also good as just one cup of this supplies a third of your daily folate needs. It has been observed that too little folate has been known to cause mental fatigue, confusion, forgetfulness, etc.

You can cook the beets however you want to. For the beet bulbs though, it’s best to eat them raw to get the full nutrients in it.

Water
The importance of water to ease premenstrual syndrome cannot be overemphasized. It is possible for you to be so focused on food and sometimes forget that you need a glass of water. So, drink lots of water, at least 64 ounces daily. This will help in help in reducing bloating and also aid digestion.

You can even flavor your water by adding limes, lemons or even cucumber slices.

Source:
https://www.medcareweb.com/foods-to-ease-premenstrual-syndrome-naturally/