That Time of the Month

This one's for the ladies....

Gentlemen consider this a warning. You may find this blog entry a bit on the gross side. Why men find a woman's menstrual cycle gross beats me. It's our bodies cleaning themselves out once a month. Kinda like your cleaning lady (Oh the day I have a cleaning lady) purging your refrigerator once a month. Throwing out expired condiments, molding vegetables and that mystery food in the tin foil (remember that from Married with Children?). Men for some reason think bleeding from you know where is gross. I can name a million other things that gross me out. For instance, explosive baby diarrhea with traces of whole raisins or the need for men to lift their rear ends to pass a putrid gas that smells of rotting eggs. What's up with lifting their rears anyway? I can't even mention my menstrual cycle to my partner without him scrunching up his nose, turning his head away from me and saying, "Honey, please!" My response, "Really? Not the time! My vagina feels like it weighs three hundred pounds, I can't straighten out my torso from the stabbing pains in my abdomen, I think I may have just lost a litre of blood and I just cried watching  an Ivory soap commercial. Now is really not the time to be grossed out over some blood!" Okay well, I've never really said that to him but it's what I wish I would say when I replay my day.

This past cycle was not too bad. Reason being, I followed my own Nutritional advice that I give to my clients on a daily bases. Even though I'm a Nutritionist it doesn't mean I eat clean all the time and just because I am a Pilates Instructor and a Personal Trainer doesn't mean I exercise every day. I'm a human being and struggle with balance just like everyone else. So finally after a few painful cycles I finally remembered a little write-up I did for a client who was experiencing major mood swings and painful periods. A simple go-to guide on what to include in your diet when it's that time of the month. I hope you find the advice helpful, your periods less painful and moods more balanced.



Foods that Fight PMS

Calcium

Research has shown that women with PMS have lower blood levels of calcium around their time of ovulation compared with women who don’t have PMS symptoms.

Reduce bloating and improve mood by including these Calcium-rich foods into your diet: yogurt, milk and cheese (if no allergy or sensitivity is present), calcium-fortified soy milk (Organic is best), broccoli, white beans, sesame seeds and kale.


Magnesium

In certain studies, women with PMS who ate a diet high in magnesium-rich foods had better mood and less water retention than women who did not get enough magnesium

Some magnesium-rich foods include: pumpkin seeds, spinach, swiss chard, wild salmon, sunflower seeds, cashews, quinoa, potato (with skin), soybeans, legumes, peanuts, peanut butter, chick peas, brown rice, and whole grain bread.


Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is one of the necessary ingredients required by the body to manufacture dopamine, one of the mood neurotransmitters. Some studies show that a diet high in B6 reduces irritability, depression, and breast tenderness.

Vitamin B6 foods include: fortified whole-grain breakfast cereals, garbanzo beans (chick peas), wild salmon, extra lean beef, chicken breast, white potatoes (with skin), oatmeal, bananas and lentils.
 
 
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.