Watermelons, figs, and plums. The natural sugars found in these foods may satisfy cravings for something sweet. Additionally, these fruits are rich in vitamins that can help with bloating. Watermelon also has a high water content and can help keep your body hydrated, which will reduce swelling and bloating.
Eating papaya on a regular basis too helps in contracting the uterus muscles. Apart from producing heat in the body, the fruit contains carotene. This substance stimulates or regulates that estrogen hormone levels in the body. Naturally, this induces periods or menses more frequently.
Eating water-rich foods such as cucumbers, watermelon, etc. ensures your body stays hydrated. Fish is rich in iron, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, etc. Eating all of these nutrients helps reduce menstrual pain.
Bananas are great for menstrual cramps. Bananas are generally easy to find and known to be helpful for period cramps. They are rich in fiber and will help you have easy bowel movements. As a result, you may feel less bloated and experience less pain overall.
While fruit and vegetables are a vital source of nutrients and fiber in anyone's diet, they may be especially helpful during menstruation. A 2018 study of university students in Spain found that vegetarian diets and simply eating more fruits and vegetables corresponded to fewer cramps and reduced menstrual pain.
Canned foods, heavily processed meat, and other items made with chemicals and preservatives can make bloating and water retention worse. High levels of sodium are unhealthy at any time of the month, but they do even more damage during your period.
Naturally, eating foods that decrease inflammation in the body will help to tame menstrual cramps. These foods include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Research has shown that both a vegetarian and plant-based eating pattern work to decrease inflammation in the body.
Drinking chamomile, fennel or ginger tea is an easy, natural way to relieve menstrual cramps. Plus, these herbal teas can have other benefits, like stress relief and helping with insomnia.
Dark chocolate appears to live up to the hype when it comes to relieving period cramps. Studies suggest that eating between 40–120 grams of dark chocolate daily during your period may help reduce pain. This is probably because dark chocolate is rich in magnesium, which can relax muscles and ease aches.
Befriend bananas, pineapples, and kiwi.
Bananas contain vitamin B6 and a healthy dose of potassium, which can help relieve your bloating and cramping symptoms, registered dietitian Lisa DeFazio told Redbook. While you're building that smoothie, you might want to throw in some chunks of fresh pineapple as well.
Avoid: Dairy products
This might surprise you, but dairy products like milk, cream, and cheese are some of the foods to avoid during periods. They are high in arachidonic acid which can act as a trigger for menstrual cramps.
Vitamin C is known to reduce the level of progesterone in your body, meaning it can help encourage uterine shedding! If you're into this method, it may be time to pour a nice big glass of orange juice and hope your period gets here early.
Stay hydrated! Avoid sodas and sugary drinks and focus on enough water intake. Add fresh mint and ginger to make a healthy lemonade and drink peppermint or chamomile tea at night to relax your body and mind.
Oranges: Citrus fruits can regulate your mood. It has essential nutrients which our body needs to stay healthy and feel good. Oranges can also help in reducing cramps and other PMS symptoms.
If your hormone levels aren't balanced, your body can make the lining too thick, which leads to heavy bleeding when you shed the thicker lining. If you don't ovulate (release an egg from an ovary), this can throw off the hormone balance in your body, too, leading to a thicker lining and a heavier period.
If a hormone imbalance occurs, the endometrium develops in excess and eventually sheds by way of heavy menstrual bleeding. A number of conditions can cause hormone imbalances, including polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), obesity, insulin resistance and thyroid problems.
Iron-rich foods like certain meats, spinach, dark leafy greens, legumes, and dairy can help. Good carbs like oats, brown rice, fruits, fibrous veggies, lentils well as fibre-rich foods like flaxseed, oats, nuts, seeds, wholegrains and cereals. Movement and hydration are equally important again.
Periods last around 2 to 7 days, and women lose about 20 to 90ml (about 1 to 5 tablespoons) of blood in a period. Some women bleed more heavily than this, but help is available if heavy periods are a problem.
Yes, drinking lemon juice and honey are safe during menstruation. Honey has anti-bacterial properties that help fight off infections while lemon is a citrus fruit and it contains vitamin C which helps in the production of new red blood cells. It also helps ease period cramps to some extent.