What to Avoid Eating and Drinking During Your Period

If you’re one of the many women who expe­ri­ence bloat­ing, cramps, and mood swings every month, you may want to pay atten­tion to your diet. Some foods and drinks can make your peri­od symp­toms worse, accord­ing to experts.

MailOn­line talked to fer­til­i­ty nutri­tion­ists and doc­tors about the worst dietary offend­ers to avoid when on your period.

Salty Foods Too much salt can make you feel bloat­ed and swollen, as your body holds on to extra water. High-salt foods like crisps, pret­zels, and processed meats are the main cul­prits. Instead, use herbs and spices to flavour your food and choose fresh, whole foods.

Sug­ary Foods Eat­ing a lot of refined sug­ar caus­es blood sug­ar spikes and crash­es that can wors­en mood swings, fatigue, and irri­tabil­i­ty. One study found women who ate more sug­ary foods dur­ing their cycle had more severe peri­od cramps. Opt for fruit, nat­ur­al sweet­en­ers, or bal­anced snacks with pro­tein and fibre.

Sat­u­rat­ed Fats Foods high in sat­u­rat­ed fat like fried foods, fat­ty meats, full-fat dairy, and sweets increase inflam­ma­tion in the body, which can aggra­vate cramps, bloat­ing, and breast ten­der­ness. Pick lean pro­teins, healthy fats like nuts and avo­ca­dos, and cook using meth­ods like grilling instead of frying.

Caf­feine Caf­feine affects your hor­mone lev­els, sleep, and can raise anx­i­ety and stress. Dur­ing your peri­od, it may wors­en symp­toms like cramps, irri­tabil­i­ty, and sleep prob­lems. Switch to herbal tea or decaf cof­fee and lim­it caf­feine to 400 mg per day, around 4 small cups of cof­fee. Some women ben­e­fit from less.

Fizzy Drinks The excess gas from fizzy drinks and sparkling water caus­es bloat­ing and dis­com­fort, espe­cial­ly dur­ing your peri­od. Choose still water, herbal tea, or oth­er non-fizzy drinks instead.

Alco­hol Alco­hol also con­tributes to bloat­ing and flu­id reten­tion. Lim­it or avoid alco­hol dur­ing your peri­od, espe­cial­ly if you already strug­gle with these issues.

In sum­ma­ry, a diet low in salt, sug­ar, sat­u­rat­ed fat, caf­feine, fizzi­ness, and alco­hol may help ease peri­od symp­toms and make your month­ly cycle a bit more com­fort­able. And of course, stay­ing hydrat­ed, get­ting enough sleep, and light exer­cise can also help you feel your best dur­ing that time of the month.

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