PMS or premenstrual syndrome affects almost every woman of childbearing age and has a variety of symptoms so it’s no wonder that many women seek comfort in a PMS remedy. However, you don’t have to turn to pharmaceuticals to relieve your symptoms as there are natural ways to get PMS relief.
Usually, symptoms occur the week before menstruation and then go away when menstruation starts, however, some women experience symptoms for a much longer period of time. Common complaints for which women seek relief are headaches, fluid retention, bloating, mood swings, anxiety, and irritability, gaining weight, food cravings, depression, breast tenderness, and forgetfulness. You can see why PMS is a big issue and the butt of many jokes!
Must Read What are Menstrual Cramps and How to Get Relief from It?
But PMS, which scientists think is caused by a hormonal imbalance, is a serious issue so luckily there are ways to adjust what you eat which in effect can act as a natural PMS remedy. In fact, studies that compared the eating habits of women who have PMS to those who do not have it found that those suffering PMS symptoms ate 275% more refined sugars, 63% more carbohydrates, and more dairy products and red meat. Therefore, changing your diet may have a huge effect on relief from PMS symptoms but have patience because it may take several months before you notice the results. Don’t worry though, it won’t all be in vain because changing your dietary habits as suggested below will be better for your overall health, not just helpful as a PMS remedy.
One big dietary change you can make for PMS relief is to stop eating sugar and caffeine the week before menstruation. You want to avoid foods that are in the high glycemic range because these release sugars very fast causing a spike in blood sugar and then a consequent crash soon after. These foods include fruit juice, desserts, chips, and pretzels. Try eating low glycemic index foods such as whole grains, beans, yogurt, and vegetables.
You also want to stop eating so much saturated fat. Fats found in meat and dairy products can cause more estrogen in your blood, thus triggering a hormonal imbalance which may cause mood swings.
Salt is another culprit as it can lead to water retention so you want to avoid putting too much table salt on your food, but also notice the salt level of any processed foods that you buy and avoid those that are high in sodium. When you were eating less salt, you’ll want to eat more potassium so adding more fruits (bananas are great), vegetables and whole grains.
Try eating more vegetables, not only are they good for you overall they contain a lot of fiber that binds to the estrogen flushing it out of your body. This can help balance your hormones as well as help control weight and may provide a great PMS remedy.
Another thing you should consider for your PMS relief is to take some additional supplements including 10 mg of zinc, 100 mg of B6, 200 mg of chromium and 300 mg magnesium. Also, try to add in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) supplement as this is an essential fatty acid that is known to help reduce inflammation and may be able to help you with bloating and cramps.
You must be logged in to post a comment.