What to Eat During Your Period + My Fave PMS Recipe!

What to Eat on Your Period…

(any followers who are either grossed out by the topic, NOT blessed with a period, or who are otherwise uninterested, consider this your cue to keep on scrolling to another post)

Answer: Anything you want!! 

No but seriously, there are a few foods you can try to include (and a few to avoid) that will help alleviate PMS symptoms and replenish essential nutrients that we tend to deplete during That Time of the Month, so we can avoid unnecessary suffering and regain our energy faster!  

Before we get to the nitty gritty, here are a few fun facts:

 The Menstrual Phase occurs during the first half of your cycle (roughly day 1-5), and refers to the time that you are actively bleeding.

 During this time, levels of estrogen, progesterone, and other hormones abruptly drop off to their lowest concentrations.

 Your energy may be lower, and your brain chemistry may change by as much as 25%!

 Your metabolic rate (i.e. your metabolism) increases by about 10-20%, studies show.

Because your metabolism is speeding up, you may find that your appetite increases, too. This is because we need more calories to keep our blood sugar balanced during this time, and to encourage our body to start producing hormones again. And how we choose to feed ourselves could make or break our chances for a healthy and (relatively) pain-free period.

So obviously, it’s not only completely acceptable, but NECESSARY to eat more during your period…but eat more of WHAT???   

Because you’re going through the intense process of menstruation, it’s important to include nourishing, nutrient-rich foods to support your body. Plenty of protein and healthy fats will go a long way for keeping your moods, energy, and blood sugar stable. Eggs and Avocado Toast is a perfect meal for this , delivering a powerful punch of anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and B vitamins, all of which have been shown to help alleviate PMS symptoms. 

We often lose minerals during our period too, so seafood and nori (seaweed) are good choices for remineralizing and providing a good source of zinc , while potassium and magnesium-rich foods like bananas  and dark chocolate  can help with bloating and cramping. Our iron needs go up during this time as well, so including some grass-fed meat  and/or plant sources like beans and legumes  may help support your energy levels. 

If you struggle with painful cramps, strong ginger or chamomile tea, along with some magnesium supplementation, can help relax the muscles and provide some relief.  

Our bodies are remarkably intelligent, and if you’re experiencing cravings, it is likely because that food is rich in certain nutrients that you may be deficient in. This is why, when it comes to both food and exercise, it’s important to listen to your body and respect what it’s trying to tell you.  

At the same time, it’s also important to remember that our bodies can get confused, especially in today’s world with the ready availability of hyper-palatable, energy-dense and nutrient-poor foods. Sometimes we may crave things like sugary processed treats or coffee to give us the energy boost we so desperately need, but caffeine and sugar, along with alcohol, are all very disruptive to our blood sugar and hormone balance, and have been shown to destabilize mood, and prolong or intensify PMS symptoms like migraines, skin breakouts, and cramping . 

It’s certainly true that all foods can be a part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle, but these particular foods may be best avoided during this time, if you’re someone who struggles with consistently difficult or painful periods. You may also want to avoid certain foods that you know are hard for you to digest, or that cause bloating or fluid retention. Although this is different for everyone, gluten, dairy, and excessive or harsh fibres are common culprits.

If you’re looking for a nourishing, supportive, and most importantly delicious treat to bring you some comfort during your period, my Peanut Butter & Banana Nice Cream recipe is perfect for satisfying those sweet cravings while also serving up some soothing and easy-to-digest healthy fats, protein, potassium, and magnesium:

𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚗𝚎𝚎𝚍:

 𝟸 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚣𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚜

 𝟷/𝟺 𝚌𝚞𝚙 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚊𝚟𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚔

 𝟷/𝟸 𝚝𝚜𝚙 𝚟𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚊 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝

 𝙳𝚊𝚜𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚘𝚗

 𝟷-𝟸 𝚃𝚋𝚜𝚙 𝚑𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚢 𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚊𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚢𝚛𝚞𝚙 (𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎)

 𝟷 𝚃𝚋𝚜𝚙 𝚗𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚞𝚝 𝚋𝚞𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛

 𝙳𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚢-𝚏𝚛𝚎𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍/𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚌𝚊𝚘 𝚗𝚒𝚋𝚜

𝙲𝚘𝚖𝚋𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚎𝚡𝚌𝚎𝚙𝚝 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝙽𝚞𝚝𝚛𝚒𝙱𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚝 𝚘𝚛 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚜𝚖𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚑. 𝙿𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚋𝚘𝚠𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚔𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚙𝚜 𝚘𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚌𝚊𝚘 𝚗𝚒𝚋𝚜.

𝙴𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚏𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚃𝚅 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚞𝚙!

*𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚡𝚝𝚛𝚊 𝚜𝚞𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚍𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚃𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙼𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚑, 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚜𝚘 𝚊𝚍𝚍 𝚊 𝚜𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚙 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚒𝚗 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚍𝚎𝚛, 𝚊𝚝𝚜𝚙 𝚘𝚛 𝟸 𝚘𝚏 𝚛𝚊𝚠 𝚌𝚊𝚌𝚊𝚘 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚍𝚎𝚛, 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚗𝚞𝚝𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚙!