Painful and irritable periods don’t have to keep you from doing the things you enjoy. Here are four foods that help ease your monthly symptoms:
Blackberries
Hormones released during your period slow down your GI tract which results in constipation. Blackberries or other foods high in fiber help your food pass through as it should. But, the key to success is drinking a lot of water.
- Add Blackberries to your yogurt or cereal for breakfast.
- Mush blackberries in with softened goat cheese and eat with crackers or on toast for a healthy snack.
- Mix blackberries into a fruit salad as a side.
- For dessert, top a brownie with blackberries.
Quinoa
Your body craves loads of carbohydrates during your period because they produce the hormone serotonin which makes you feel happy. This hormone tends to drastically decrease right before your period, so it’s a good idea to consume a lot of complex carbs to help keep your mood uplifted.
- Cook quinoa like you would oatmeal and add brown sugar or honey with milk (or a milk substitute) and fruit for a hearty breakfast.
- Toss chickpeas, feta, green onions, halved grape tomatoes and any other veggie that you like with a salad dressing and eat with lettuce or kale for a healthy lunch.
- Stir quinoa into a delicious chicken or bean soup with vegetables.
- Find a recipe on Pinterest and bake a batch of cookies with quinoa.
Salmon
Cramps are among the most hated part of a period. They come when the muscles of your uterus contract. It has been suggested that omega-3 fatty acids, which can be found in salmon, fight against the cause of these contractions.
- Start your day with a breakfast sandwich of smoked salmon with cheese, egg and spinach on a bagel, croissant or toast with cream cheese.
- Combine flaked salmon with salsa and make a fish taco with all your favorite toppings.
- Add Greek yogurt, green onion, dill and salt to flaked salmon and eat with crackers or with a pita for snack.
- Grilled at dinner and mix it in with some pasta or eat with a salad.
Peanut Butter
The hormone progesterone, which spikes during the days leading up to your period, drastically increases your appetite. Rather than grabbing bags of potato chips, eat foods that contain a fair amount of protein and healthy fats, like nut butters.
- Eat a slice of toast with peanut butter and banana for breakfast.
- Slice carrots or apples and dip them into peanut butter for a snack.
- Make a peanut sauce to accompany a delicious Thai dish for dinner.
- Make a peanut butter dark chocolate pie for dessert.
