Diet during menstruation – what to eat and what to avoid?

First, a quick explanation from Your KAYA:

PMS, or Premenstrual Syndrome, is a set of various symptoms occurring in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The main symptoms of PMS are irritability, decreased self-esteem, breast tenderness, diarrhea and constipation, headaches, and increased appetite. These symptoms affect 85-90% of women of reproductive age, among whom the most vulnerable to this unpleasant syndrome are women aged 25-35.

Now let's move on to the interview with the experts!

How often do women come to the Foody Brains clinic with problems of troublesome periods or PMS?

Relatively rarely. The topic of menstruation and menstrual tension syndrome is rarely associated with the advice of a dietician, but rather with a visit to a gynecologist or other specialist. This is a very intimate topic and requires the patient to have great trust in the doctor/dietitian, because apart from the pain itself, menstruation is accompanied by many personality symptoms, such as lower self-esteem or tearfulness.

At the Foody Brains clinic, during the nutritional interview conducted during the first visit, questions about menstruation are of course asked, but not every patient feels like answering them. In such cases, we explain that the questions asked do not result from our "curiosity", but only from our concern and the desire to make people aware that proper nutrition can eliminate unwanted symptoms accompanying menstruation. Sometimes very small changes in eating habits can improve the quality of life during PMS and menstruation, which is often a big surprise for our patients.

Is the occurrence of painful periods genetic or the result of a poor lifestyle?

Studies show that genetic factors can affect the intensity of menstrual pain, but genetic predispositions are not yet fully understood. Lifestyle also affects a woman's well-being regardless of her cycle. During menstruation, we can feel the body neglected, which manifests itself in menstrual pain. A sedentary lifestyle, poor quality of food consumed, improper hydration, chronic fatigue, obesity - these are just a few of the elements that translate into a decrease in well-being during menstruation.

So an improper diet can contribute to painful periods? What elements of the diet are most important in reducing the experience of these discomforts?

The diet during menstruation and its quality are of great importance. When composing meals, special attention should be paid to several elements - the content of magnesium in the diet, calcium, dietary fiber, vitamin D or arachidonic acid contained in meat products. The diet should be rich in vegetables and fruits, and there should also be eggs, fish and nuts. It is advisable to reduce the amount of meat products, sweets or salt consumed. Of course, these tips cannot be overinterpreted - although milk chocolate contains the above-mentioned magnesium, it is not the best source of it, because it contains more sugar in its composition than cocoa, for this reason, dark chocolate with a higher magnesium content will be a much better choice. The situation is similar with nuts - they have a positive effect on the human body, but their excess in the diet can lead to weight gain. Nuts are a high-calorie product. For this reason, magnesium is best obtained from whole grain products, nuts or dry legumes.

What should you consider when composing meals during your period?

You should diversify your diet, choose products that are valuable for your health. Eating according to the food pyramid should bring the expected results, i.e. reducing the pain that accompanies menstruation.

Ok. So we are introducing proper eating habits. Is there anything else besides changing the diet that will reduce menstrual pain?

Of course. The basis for combating painful menstruation is maintaining a hygienic lifestyle - avoiding stress, drinking the right amount of fluids, getting enough sleep, regular physical activity. Exercise can prevent and relieve pain, it also helps reduce mental tension and improve mood. Regular physical activity helps reduce the content of body fat, and it is worth mentioning that overweight and obesity are associated with a higher risk of painful menstruation. In addition, time for rest of body and mind is also very important.

These are basic, but also very important elements of preventing painful menstruation. You should listen to your body, check what affects the reduction of pain or improvement of well-being on these days. Every body is different and may react differently to the actions taken.

We've already had painful periods. So are there any nutritional ways to reduce the bothersome symptoms of PMS?

So far, no nutritional regimen has been developed for patients with troublesome PMS. However, it has been observed that women who report troublesome PMS consume more fat, carbohydrates, simple sugars and salt than women without PMS. Furthermore, studies indicate that the diet of women with troublesome PMS is characterized by an increase in the energy value of the diet by 500 kcal a few days before menstruation and an increase in carbohydrate consumption by over 50%. Therefore, it is important to take special care of such elements as: increased consumption of vegetables and fruits, whole grain products and regular meals in the period a few days before menstruation, so as to reduce the desire to snack. During this time, it is especially important to give up cakes, sweet desserts, fatty and salty snacks. This will certainly have a positive effect on your well-being and will allow you to properly prepare your body for menstruation, and may even initiate proper eating habits for a period longer than PMS!

In addition, the importance of calcium in the course of PMS is increasingly being pointed out – for this reason, we recommend taking special care to consume the amount of calcium required by the standards in your diet (1200 mg/day). How to meet the demand for this ingredient? Drink 2 glasses of milk or 1 glass of milk + 200 g of yogurt. For people who do not consume dairy products, we recommend plant drinks enriched with calcium.

An additional component of the diet that is worth considering in the case of PMS are B vitamins (B2, B6, B12), which are crucial for the metabolism of dopamine and serotonin, which, among other things, affect our mood and well-being. For this reason, we recommend eating leafy vegetables (B6), bananas (B6), avocados (B6), dry legumes (B2, B6) and animal products: eggs (B2, B12), dairy products (B2, B12) and meat (B6 - poultry) and fish (B6, B12).

Vitamin D deficiencies are common in our population – can we also see a link here to painful periods or PMS?

That's right - in Poland we have a serious problem with vitamin D deficiency in the body. Referring to your question - we can definitely talk about the impact of vitamin D on the course of the period - women with this vitamin deficiency more often complain of painful menstruation. Covering the daily requirement for vitamin D with a diet is very difficult, which is why in the autumn-winter period it is obligatory to supplement this ingredient throughout this period, until the sunny days come, during which we can uncover a bit of the body and produce this vitamin in the skin ourselves (the dose and specific product should be individually determined with a doctor). In fact, this is the only vitamin on the subject of painful periods and PMS, which we recommend supplementing (in the autumn-winter period). The rest of the ingredients can be consumed in quantities consistent with the daily requirement from the diet, so supplementation is not necessary.

Can other lifestyle factors also influence the occurrence of PMS?

Of course. Stress definitely has a negative impact on well-being, which is why we observe increased PMS symptoms in people chronically exposed to stress. In addition, smoking cigarettes, both active and passive, increases the occurrence of PMS by affecting the level of estrogen, progesterone and gonadotropins. And as we mentioned earlier, physical activity is also very important - we are not talking about some incredible effort here, even a 30-minute walk at a walking pace will be useful!

Speaking of PMS, do you know of any way to reduce water retention before menstruation? After all, that also significantly affects how you feel.

There are several methods. We strongly advise against using a sauna during this period, because although it will allow you to remove some water from your body, it can also cause excessive bleeding during menstruation. One way is to limit your salt intake, the excess of which causes water retention in the body. At the same time, we recommend consuming more potassium in your diet by including products rich in this element in your diet, such as bananas, avocados and tomatoes. Let's also remember about proper hydration! With a lack of fluids, our body will store the water consumed in the subcutaneous tissue, and then the effect of swelling is guaranteed. It is also worth including parsley in your diet and regularly drinking nettle infusion.

And in the case of women who do not suffer from premenstrual syndrome and go through menstruation without unpleasant symptoms, is there any advice on how to eat properly during this period?

The previously mentioned recommendations will certainly also be beneficial for people who do not experience PMS or menstruate without annoying pain. However, it should be remembered that during menstruation, a woman's body loses large amounts of iron. This is one of the reasons for the differences in the daily iron intake standards from the diet between women and men. For women of reproductive age, the standard is 18 mg/day (for men 10 mg/day). Therefore, after menstruation, it is especially worth taking care of increasing the consumption of this ingredient. The best sources of iron in the diet are offal, red meat, seafood, eggs, and dark bread. Parsley also contains a high content of iron. We should also not forget about fortified products, i.e. enriched with iron - e.g. cereals. In the case of a vegetarian or vegan diet, dry legumes, whole grain bread or parsley will be a good source of iron. To ensure better iron absorption, you should take care to add vitamin C to your meals - just sprinkle your meal with lemon juice to significantly increase iron absorption. At the same time, we remind you that people who follow a vegan or vegetarian diet should be under the constant care of a primary care physician, in order to monitor the level of, among other things, iron in the blood and consider the need to implement supplementation.

And finally, can you give some advice to our youngest clients?

For the youngest clients who have not yet had menarche or are just starting on this path, we recommend developing good eating habits. Remember to eat plenty of vegetables and fruit, whole grains, dry legumes and fish. Try to avoid products with a high sugar content (sweet desserts, colored drinks), salt and fat (crisps, salty sticks, pizza). In addition, do not forget to eat regular meals, of which breakfast is the most important - this will reduce the desire to snack during PMS! And be physically active and remember about proper hydration and a smile!

Thank you very much for the useful nutritional advice!

We hope that now you know what to eat during your period to take care of your body and soul.