Surviving PMS Symptoms

Hi! How is your second week of the cleanse going if you are participating in the January Cleanse/Weight-loss program? I hope that you are enjoying the recipes that I posted last weekend or making up some new ones of your own. You are over half way through week 2 and are doing an amazing job so far. Remember to take it easy on yourself, rest a little more if needed and stay well hydrated.

Today I wanted to share some foods that are beneficial for reducing PMS symptoms. Remember to talk with your health care provider if you need any help managing your PMS; these are only nutrient and food suggestions.

I actually experience really bad PMS every month. Some months go better than others. Before I took gluten out of my diet, it was to the point where they diagnosed my symptoms as PMDD. Luckily, after removing the gluten, my symptoms went back to the “normal” PMS ones. Over the years I have seen a definite link between my lifestyle and the severity of my PMS symptoms. These food suggestions have helped me, but everyone is different. Please be gentle and kind to yourself and don’t get upset if these suggestions don’t work for you. Do some research and talk to a health care provider about other options for yourself.

I started to type out exactly what foods to increase and decrease and then came across this great article featuring the work of Joy Bauer, the a lead nutritionist featured in many magazines and talk shows. Here are her suggestions of what to eat and not to eat to avoid PMS:

Many women with PMS define their monthly nutrition needs in terms of their cravings for anything salty or chocolate. Although indulging in chocolate-dipped pretzels might seem like a fantasy come true, they won’t improve your mood or reduce the bloat. There are many better options…

First, try to limit your intake of salt, alcohol and caffeine:

• Salt and salty foods. PMS causes bloating and water retention. Salt can cause bloating and water retention. Ergo, salt can make those problems of PMS worse.
• Alcohol. Premenstrually, alcohol can cause increased breast tenderness. Also, alcohol can lowerblood sugar, which may make typical PMS mood symptoms worse. If you cannot totally avoid alcohol premenstrually, at least try not to drink to excess.
• Caffeine. Some research suggests that the effects of caffeine are magnified premenstrually, leading to greater breast tenderness, more nervousness and potentially more irritability. If these side effects sound familiar, make an effort to limit the amount of caffeinated coffee and tea you drink one week prior to menstruation.

On the other hand, go out of your way to include foods rich in calcium, magnesium, manganese and vitamin B6. And be sure to enjoy a daily cup of chamomile tea. Here’s the scoop:

Calcium
Compared with women who don’t have premenstrual symptoms, researchers have found some women with PMS have lower blood levels of calcium around their time of ovulation. And when PMS sufferers take 1000 to 1200 milligrams of calcium supplements daily, their mood and bloating improve after just a few months. I consider calcium-rich foods an absolute must for women with PMS.

Best foods for calcium: Low-fat and nonfat dairy foods, including yogurt (low-fat/nonfat), milk (skim, 1% reduced fat milk), cheese (nonfat/low-fat), and low-fat ice cream; broccoli and kale; and other calcium-fortified foods.

Magnesium
Just as was found with calcium, some women with PMS seem to have lower blood levels of magnesium compared with women who did not have PMS symptoms. Women with PMS who ate ample magnesium-rich foods had better mood and less water retention than women who did not get enough magnesium. It is thought that magnesium might help regulate the activity of serotonin, the so-called feel-good neurotransmitter.

Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is one of the necessary ingredients required by the body to manufacture dopamine, one of the mood neurotransmitters. Research into the effects of vitamin B6 on PMS have been mixed — some show that taking supplements reduces irritability, depression, and breast tenderness, while others don’t find any effect at all. Although the research on supplements is a bit confusing, I highly recommend eating vitamin B6-rich foods because they seem to have helped many of my clients with PMS.

Best foods for vitamin B6: Fortified whole-grain breakfast cereals, chick-peas, wild salmon, lean beef, pork tenderloin, chicken breast, white potatoes (w/skin), oatmeal, banana, pistachio nuts and lentils.

Manganese
Manganese is found in minute quantities in foods, but that’s OK because we don’t need a lot to stay healthy. If you eat a relatively balanced diet, you’re probably getting enough manganese. But blood levels of manganese vary throughout the menstrual cycle, so it is not surprising that this mineral might be involved in PMS. A handful of studies have suggested that manganese, in combination with calcium, may reduce the irritability, depression and tension associated with PMS. Therefore, I encourage you to go out of your way to incorporate manganese-rich foods, specifically around the time of your PMS.

Best foods for manganese: Pineapple, wheat germ, spinach, collard greens, pecans, lima beans, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, oats and raspberries.

Drink chamomile tea.
Premenstrually, chamomile tea may be particularly helpful because it contains properties that relieve muscle spasms, and may therefore help reduce the severity of menstrual cramps. In addition, chamomile seems to reduce tension that may lead to anxiety and irritability.

Joy Bauer is the author of the No.1 New York Times best-seller, Joy Bauer’s Food Cures. For more information on healthy eating, visit Joy Bauer’s Web site at www.joybauernutrition.com

(Source)

I hope that you can incorporate these foods into your diet and hopefully avoid some unwanted PMS symptoms.

Have a great day and I’ll be back tomorrow or Saturday to post Week 3′s outline.

Much love,

Kilee