Dietary Guidelines to Help Premenstrual Syndrome
Changing Eating Habits Can Free A Woman From the Curse of Curses
Nov 22, 2008
PMS or premenstrual syndrome refers to changes in a woman's mood along with certain physical symptoms relating to her menstrual cycle that are significant enough to affect her quality of life. Researchers report that about 75 percent of menstruating women experience mild to moderate premenstrual symptoms.
The most common symptoms of PMS are abdominal bloating, headache, breast tenderness, swelling of the extremities, fatigue, depression, irritability, anger, anxiety, confusion and social withdrawal. These symptoms can be greatly reduced with the following dietary suggestions:
Dietary Guidelines for PMS
- Increase complex carbohydrates and protein. Carbohydrates increase the level of serotonin and low serotonin is linked to PMS depression.
- Decease saturated fats and refined sugars. This is especially true for reducing bloating and swelling. It's hard to say good-bye to what might be your only friends in the darkest hours: Ben and Jerry, but it must be done. It's time to eat the recommended whole grains, cereals, pasta, legumes, seeds and nuts, vegetables and fruits. It will make a difference.
- Reduce caffeine. It can aggravate anxiety, depression, and breast tenderness. Caffeine can't be quit cold turkey usually because there are withdrawal headaches. Try cutting down by a cup a day and then switching to green tea. and, finally, to caffeine-free herb teas. Leave the alcohol alone. It only adds to PMS discomforts and depression.
- Women who want PMS relief don't eat salt premenstrually. It causes water retention and increases bloating and swelling of the hands and feet, as well as breast tenderness and even dizziness.
- if Mother were there she might make a suffering daughter a nice cup of warm milk. She would be exactly right in her treatment. Studies have shown that calcium levels are lower for women with PMS. Adding calcium reduces the severity of the symptoms. Women with the greatest intake of calcium from either food sources or 300 mg of calcium carbonate four times a day report reduced bloating, depression, pain, mood swings and food cravings.
- Another mineral that seems to help PMS symptoms quite a bit is magnesium. Studies have shown that women with PMS tend to have low levels of magnesium. This can result in lower levels of dopamine, a brain chemical that helps regulate mood. In an Italian study, 28 women with PMS took 360 mg per day. After two months they reported less depression, bloating, cramps, and other symptoms. Good sources of magnesium are bananas, fish, brown rice, whole grains, and green, leafy vegetables.
- Increase foods rich in potassium, such as fish, beans, and broccoli.
- Eat small, frequent meals to help stabilize blood sugar.
- Increase intake of fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and fish.
- Increase consumption of leafy green vegetables, fruit, cereals, and whole grains.
- Decrease intake of fatty foods and red meat.
_____________
Sources:
McKinley Health Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Women's HealthCare Physicians MayoClinic.com Women's Health.gov, The Federal Government Source for Women's Health Information
Yeager, Selene and the Editors of Prevention, "The Doctors' Book of Food Remedies", Rodale, Inc., New York, NY, 1998.
 |
