
What Should You Eat During Your Period
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What to eat on your period
You’ve been feeling more stressed than usual the past couple of days. Slightly bloated and gassy. Finding it harder than you normally do to concentrate. Struggling with your sleep even though you feel tired. Then your period starts. Aha the last few days suddenly make sense! You reach for your period pants/ sanitary towels/ menstrual cap/ tampons…. but perhaps you should also be considering what to eat on your period. Indeed, understanding recommended foods to eat on your period can help with period cramps, tiredness, your emotional health and more.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Many women report that one of the most difficult aspects of their period is painful menstrual cramps. These menstrual cramps may interfere with your sleep and impact your mood too as well as being just downright uncomfortable. One of the group of foods to eat on your period is that which is high in Omega-3 fatty acids. The research tells us that women who eat significantly more Omega-3 fatty acids during their period report reduced or absent menstrual cramps [1]. That’s why it’s really worth considering what to eat on your period. It truly can impact your comfort levels, mood and sleep during that time of the month.
So, what types of food contain high levels of Omega-3 fatty acids?
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nuts and seeds (for example, walnuts and flaxseeds)
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oily fish (like salmon, mackerel, kippers or trout)
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cod liver oil
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soya products (including soya beans, milk or tofu)
Some research also shows that including oily fish, nuts and seeds as foods to eat on your period helps to reduce both anxiety and depression levels during this time [2]. How incredibly important it is to consider what to eat on your period! This same study also found that consuming foods high in Omega-3 fatty acids during your menstrual cycle improves women’s concentration levels and reduces bloating. Yes; both your physical and mental health can be impacted for good when you spend some time planning what to eat on your period.
Vitamin E
Interestingly, the science tells us that a good way to ease the pain from period cramps is to combine your intake of Omega-3 fatty acids with vitamin E [1]. Both of these nutrients are important within the foods to eat on your period. Vitamin E has other advantages for you during your period. For women who struggle with longer than average periods; vitamin E can encourage a normal 5-day length period [3].
Once again, we return to our original question of what to eat on your period. Well, if you suffer from painful period cramps then you should aim to get more of the following food into your diet because, yes – you guessed it, these food sources have high vitamin E levels.
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sunflower seeds, almonds
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olive oil
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butternut squash, avocados, broccoli, beetroot
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salmon, trout and shrimp
Calcium
When you are considering what to eat on your period; make sure you plan foods which are high in Calcium. For women, having enough Calcium in your diet can “reduce emotional and physical menstrual discomfort symptoms including cramping, depression, water retention, emotional changes, and somatic changes” [4]. Wow! Surely the advantages of consuming enough Calcium makes planning foods to eat on your period a worthwhile activity. You could create a cheat sheet of the key types of food mentioned in this blog to keep near your fridge for shopping list planning purposes. Here are some recommended foods to eat on your period which are high in Calcium.
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cheese, yoghurt, milk (high fat/whole or raw)
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seeds: sesame, poppy, chia, celery
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beans, lentils
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leafy greens (such as broccoli and kale)
Magnesium
Has this blog got you thinking deeper about what to eat on your period? Well, next to add to your list are foods which are high in Magnesium. The scientists have found that Magnesium can help to lower prostaglandin levels which can help to reduce period cramps. For those of us who really suffer each month this is good news indeed. Another benefit of eating food that’s rich in Magnesium is that it can reduce stress levels and so improve your emotional health during your period. Try adding some of the below list to the foods to eat on your period. You won’t regret it!
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almonds, cashews, peanuts, squash seeds, pumpkin seeds
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dark chocolate (I told you that you wouldn’t regret it!)
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wholewheat
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spinach
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bananas, avocados
What not to eat on your period
Ok, so I’ve talked about the important foods to eat on your period. There is still more to add to this list for another blog (for example, food which is high in vitamin A, vitamin D and Zinc). How about what not to eat? Are there foods that you should be avoiding when it comes to your monthly period? The scientists would answer us yes; there are some foods which could actually make your period more uncomfortable [6]. Indeed, planning what to eat on your period is as much about what to eat as what not to eat!
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Reduce caffeine intake: caffeine can negatively impact your mood during your period. It can also cause poor quality sleep and even increase the pain of menstrual cramps. Argh! I don’t know about you, but for me that’s reason enough to avoid my morning coffee hit during my period!
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Keep salt intake to a minimum. Salt can increase bloating, general fluid retention and breast swelling during your period. Fast food is usually very high in salt; this makes it one to avoid during your monthly period. This is on the salts that are not good for us. The salts that I suggest are Celtic Salt or Baja Gold Salt
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Avoid foods which are high in saturated fats: doing so can help to reduce heavy bleeding and also lessen the severity of period cramps. Once again, convenience food tends to be higher in saturated fats; it’s nutritious homemade food for the win when it comes to your period!
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Stay hydrated.
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Don’t skip breakfast: the research shows this makes for a more painful period.
May you find a diet which makes your period a manageable, active and comfortable time of the month.
References
[1] Zoe website, accessed via: https://zoe.com/learn/foods-that-help-with-period-cramps
[2] Sohrabi N, Kashanian M, Ghafoori SS, et al. (2013) Evaluation of the effect of omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome: ‘a pilot trial’. Complement. Ther. Med. 21, 141–146. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
[3] Bahrami A, Bahrami-Taghanaki H, Khorasanchi Z, Timar A, Jaberi N, Azaryan E, Tayefi M, Ferns GA, Sadeghnia HR, Ghayour-Mobarhan M. Menstrual problems in adolescence: relationship to serum vitamins A and E, and systemic inflammation. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2020 Jan;301(1):189-197. doi: 10.1007/s00404-019-05343-1. Epub 2019 Nov 16. PMID: 31734759.
[4] Managing Menstrual Cycle Discomfort Through Diet and Nutrition
California State University, Long Beach ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 2024. 31148735.
[5] Gök S, Gök B. Investigation of Laboratory and Clinical Features of Primary Dysmenorrhea: Comparison of Magnesium and Oral Contraceptives in Treatment. Cureus. 2022 Nov 29;14(11):e32028. doi: 10.7759/cureus.32028. PMID: 36600872; PMCID: PMC9800031.
[6] John, A. M., Saji, A., Sunil, K. A., Thomas, A. A., & Kumar, A. B. (2021). Effect of diet, exercise and other contributing factors on menstruation. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 8(8), 3901–3908. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20213020