Feel like PMS and period cravings take over your life once a month? If this is you, I can totally relate. Give me sweet potatoes, chocolate, and rice (not all mixed up together!) right before I’m about to start my period and I’ll be happy. Maybe you crave salt and fat so potato chips feed your cravings (pun intended).
Whatever food cravings come up for you, this road can be a little tricky to navigate. On one hand, I’m all about indulging in treats every now and then because you deserve to enjoy your life. It can’t all be about strict diets. On the other hand, some of the foods you’re craving and eating could be contributing to more intense cramping, bloating, and fatigue.
The tricky part is finding a balance that works for you to satisfy your cravings while eating nutritious foods that minimize symptoms. This is where I can help. Today I’ll share how you can navigate your PMS and period cravings with fewer bumps in the road with my simple 4-step process.
Ready? Here we go!
Step 1 - Evaluate Your Current Eating Habits
Your first step is to take a peek at what you eat over a 7-day period. If you’re currently eating mostly whole foods such as chicken, beef, fish, eggs, fruits, and veggies, the next step will be easier for you than most. You can go ahead and move on to step 2.
If you’re eating mostly pasta, bread, crackers, cereal, and other processed foods, I recommend shifting to eating more whole foods. I understand this can be a big undertaking and something that might feel a little overwhelming at this time but it will be well worth it in the long run.
I used to have really intense periods in high school and throughout my twenties. I would be in so much pain I just wanted to come home and curl up in bed. I was cranky and exhausted every month. It was not a fun way to live for myself or anyone around me.
Looking back, I know it had to do with the fast food I ate every day for lunch and the box of mac-n-cheese I ate when I got home from school. I would eat anything and everything I could during that time of the month. Did I mention I would eat the entire box of mac-n-cheese and eat the dinner my mom would make? Yup, I didn’t shy away from eating (I was really active in high school and needed the calories) but the quality of food I ate was not so good. This was probably the reason for my intense menstrual cramps and acne-prone skin.
Once I started to eat more whole foods and eliminate the processed foods, not only did my cramps not feel as intense but I didn’t have the intense food cravings. Here’s the thing about your body: if you give it whole, nutrient-dense food it will want more of the same food and your processed food cravings will naturally diminish. They may not go away entirely but you’ll feel like they’re at least under control.
If you need guidance on where to start with making the shift to whole foods, go here to book a free call with me and we’ll strategize together.
Step 2 - Prioritize Healthy Fats and Protein
During the last week of your cycle when you feel PMS coming on, your progesterone levels are at their lowest.. This is why you may feel more tired than usual, unable to focus, craving carbs (bread, rice, potatoes, baked goods, etc.), moody, and really just feel like your batteries need to be recharged.
When you give into your carb cravings this throws your hormones out of whack. Eating high carb foods such as bread, rice, or potatoes, makes your body crank up the dial with insulin production to move out any excess blood sugar. If you have too much insulin going through your blood stream at once, your hunger hormone increases which obviously makes you want to eat more. You may notice you grab salty or sweet treats rather than whole food when your hunger levels go up.
One great way to mitigate any carb cravings is to focus on eating meals full of nutrient-dense proteins (meat, eggs, or fish), healthy fats (i.e. avocado), and veggies (broccoli, mixed greens, etc.). This will help your body dial down the insulin production or keep it at a level that keeps your hunger and satiety hormones in check. Plus, when you start your period, eating enough complete proteins (chicken, beef, bison, fish, and eggs) will replenish your iron faster.
Step 3 - Get Good Sleep
Have you ever woken up and felt like you could take on the world like the female super hero that you are? Being well rested when you wake up might not be a common feeling for you but it can be. More importantly, you deserve to wake up feeling well rested so you can have more mental clarity to make decisions that align with your healthy habit intentions like choosing a sweet potato over a cupcake.
Now, I can already hear the moms out there pushing back on this about how their kids wake them up in the middle of the night and feeling like getting great sleep is impossible. If this is you, I want you to know that I hear you. Taking care of kids isn’t always an easy task and it’s a 24/7 job. I get it.
While I’m not a mom, I’ve experienced multiple nights in a row of not getting great sleep due to anxiety, middle of the night period issues, cats scratching on the bedroom door at 3am, hormonal disruptions, and I’m sure there’s more that I can’t think of off the top of my head.
Doing your best to prioritize sleep with your current lifestyle is key. You don’t need to get 8-10 hours of sleep every single night. In fact, I would recommend not setting this as a goal since it’s not realistic for most people, even people like myself who are child-free.
As with any lifestyle habit, this looks different for everyone. It could mean getting to bed at 10pm instead of 11pm or sleeping in an extra hour one day a week. It could mean turning off the screens two hours before you crawl into bed rather than scrolling on your phone until you fall asleep. It’s not just about the number of hours of sleep but the quality of sleep.
When you have to drag yourself out of bed in the morning and feel sluggish all day, you’re way more likely to reach for processed foods rather than whole foods when your hunger kicks in. This is not because you don’t have enough willpower. It’s because your body is naturally craving processed food. It’s basically a biological response to not getting great sleep.
This is actually the time of the month where you may want to consider resting more than usual. If you exercise in the morning and didn’t get good sleep the night before, make the conscious choice to stay in bed longer rather than workout. Say no to a social commitment on the weekend to stay home and take a nap or watch a movie in the afternoon. Rearrange your schedule to squeeze in more rest than normal. Remember, you deserve it.
Step 4 - Minimize Stress During This Time
This last step can be a challenging one because there are stressors in life that we simply don’t have control over. So, the intention here is to focus on the ones you can control and work around the ones you can’t. I know… easier said than done.
Let’s take a look at some stressors that you may be able to control in your life:
Limiting your access to the processed foods you crave so you can’t just reach for them. Don’t buy them and avoid them at the office. Sometimes having these foods easily accessible can cause underlying stress that you might not even know is lurking in the background.
Skipping a workout and choosing a nutrient-dense meal with meat or eggs and veggies. Intense workouts can be stressful on your body and increase your cortisol levels which will cause even more stress. Taking it easy and doing yoga or going for a walk is much less stressful on your body.
Say no to a social event to open up time in your schedule to rest and chill out. Being on the go all the time is an unnecessary stressor on the body and mind that can cause all sorts of hormonal disruption which can increase your cravings.
Make a list of all the stressors in your life that you can eliminate temporarily so you can navigate PMS and your period with ease and grace. Brainstorm ideas about how you implement more rest during these days of the month.
Empower Yourself
As women, we’re programmed to take on a lot of responsibilities in every day life. It’s what society has taught us. It’s important to remember that you can ease up on responsibilities when you feel it’s needed. You can get help with childcare or caring for elderly parents for a few days or even a week. You may need to get creative but it can be done. One of my favorite quotes from my mentor, Marie Forleo, reminds me of this every day: “Everything is figureoutable.”
When you empower yourself to honor your body this time of the month, you’re able to be a better friend, colleague, partner, mom, and daughter in the long run. You may even inspire the women in your life to do the same.